Have you ever sat in your garden idly, zoning out and letting time go by, then you hear a familiar buzz pass your ear, and you stop and think, ‘Oh, to live the life of a bee’? I personally LOVE flowers, so I would be very happy flying from flower to flower, being one of the most important insects in the grand scheme of ecosystem wellness. ‘Bee Simulator: The Hive’ by VARSAV Game Studios allows you to do just that, but in a more arcade-y sense rather than as a true simulator.

Your buzzy tale begins with you playing as a baby bee in your Hive, finding your position in the colony and your place that is life for a ‘little critter in a big scary world’. Bees come in all roles and responsibilities; scouts, workers, foragers, and even nannies, all with the overarching need to serve their Queen. Trying to be one with the Hive, you must fly around your home, which is the local zoo of a bustling city, collect pollen and keep the colony thriving while competing with the dastardly Wasps that are muscling in on your territory.

The whole premise does give you the warm and fuzzies like a Bumblebee, though, and it does do a good job of simulating the life of a common honey bee in a less serious, cosy way ( the bees have childlike voices to talk to each other), but I just wish it gave you a little more to dive into technically.

Speaking of diving in, there isn’t much gameplay, but it’s relaxation-inducing enough to enjoy the ride. You are equipped with Bee Vision to see the rarity of flower types when collecting pollen that you can deposit on a hexagonal wall when your cute little saddle bags are full. Beetro is a special bee boost as you fly over the heads of people and the animals that reside in your area, which can be topped up by invading the space of human food.

Doing errands for your Hive will earn you Knowledge Points, which can be used to unlock trophies of animals you have encountered along your journey. You will also fight wasps, too, a series of turn-based quicktime events that aren’t necessarily hard, but they are a nice break-up in pollen collecting. The gameplay is pretty basic for a simulator, but really, there is only so much you can do to make the life of a bee interesting, and they try really hard through the environmental features.

The in-game graphics are nothing particularly special, not very realistic and more of a generic 3D animation style. The environment, though, is full of things to look at since it is set in a zoo and the surrounding city is thriving with animals, children with balloons, and a park full of flowers. It really does set the overall ambience of the game and is an enjoyable location to explore.

The character model of the bee itself is brilliantly done too; very genuine to what you would consider a bee up close and personal to look like. The cutscenes are a sort of still-image animation that seems a bit dated, but they do add to the charm in their own way.

The background sound work is whimsical and charming, as you would expect, with bees being akin to real-life versions of fairies. There are spikes, though, when your bee encounters a fight, which is a good shift in energy because at times it does really need that mood change, or it feels a bit one-noted. The general sound effects are quite bland, though unfortunately.

There isn’t much of a streamless transition between areas, with a loading screen often involved. Thankfully, it isn’t very long, and the fun facts that flash up on the screen are a very nice little touch and actually quite interesting.

Bee Simulator: The Hive is a solid journey into the life of a bee with a more relaxed and fun perspective rather than an aim for realism. In saying that, though, if it wanted to go down this route, it really needed a bit more to do in the gameplay aspect. Overall, though, it has such a great foundation to build upon, and I hope more fuzzies and buzzies are around the corner.

Written by: Stacey