Naughty Bear
Score: 60% ESRB: Teen Publisher: 505 Games Developer: A2M Media: DVD/1 Players: 1; 2 - 4 (Online) Genre: Action/ Stealth/ Online
Graphics & Sound: Naughty Bear is Manhunt for a younger audience. An ironic statement, to say the least, but it's the most fitting description of Artificial Mind & Movement's latest game. It's a stealth/ action/ arcade hybrid that relies too heavily on its admittedly unique premise. There's some sadistic joy to be had here, but Naughty Bear is tied down by too much to make it recommendable. Naughty Bear's premise drives the entire game, and that includes the game's visuals. This comes at the expense of the game's potential technical prowess, but that's not the only visual drawback. Naughty Bear's camera system is stubborn and occasionally nauseating. There are also a number of clipping issues that threaten the immersion factor, as well. This is topped off by the almost complete lack of variety in the level design. On to the good side of things. The animation work is decent; kill animations are entertaining, though they become stale too early. The presentation isn't bad either; there's a fluffy yarn-and-lace aesthetic to the Menu screens, and everything seems designed to be cuddly. I particularly like the title screen, which occasionally flashes (for a split second) to a washed-out sepia and crimson color scheme. This really hammers home the off-kilter insanity vibe the development team is clearly going for. If you at least know the premise behind Naughty Bear, you've probably got a good idea of what kind of sounds you'll hear. At first, the soundtrack sounds like it belongs on a children's program, but the heavy use of portamento and distortion goes a long way in establishing the "something's not right" feel of the game. The smarmy narrator eggs Naughty Bear on at every opportunity, and he calls out each special action with gusto. The rest of the voice acting is minimal; by that, I mean there's no discernible speech. The other bears simply chatter amongst themselves, provided they're not screaming in terror as a result of Naughty's murderous benders. Each bear type squeaks gibberish, but as you'd expect, cops sound different from zombears and ninja bears. It's creative.
Gameplay: We can only hope that the children of generations to come will not learn any lessons from the example set by Naughty Bear himself. But first, a bit of context. You see, Naughty is disliked by all the bears on the Island of Perfection. When Daddles decides to throw himself a birthday party, he makes it a point to not invite our cuddly anti-hero. Though Naughty Bear doesn't seem to be the birthday party type, he doesn't take the snubbing very well. With a little verbal encouragement from our not-so-trustworthy narrator, Naughty does what any normal-thinking bear would do in his situation: he goes on a rampage of death and destruction. Of course, this is only one of the tragically few scenarios the game lets you play around with, and though the vignettes get creative at times, there simply aren't enough of them. The game's length is artificially inflated by the addition of challenges that force you to replay levels under different conditions. Naughty Bear is an arcade-style mission-based stealth/action game. As Naughty, you will move from oddly-familiar area to oddly-familiar area, fulfilling objectives and generally being completely unpleasant to anything and anyone. Most of this involves vandalism, sabotage, and violent murder. Once your key objective has been met, returning to Naughty's house ends the mission. However, you can't just run around willy-nilly if you want to do things right. You've got to be sneaky. Provided you're not faced against a special bear type, that's not a problem; what is a problem is the fact that Naughty Bear's enemy A.I. is almost busted. If Naughty is spotted by another bear, he can run into the nearby flora, even if it does little to mask his presence. He actually holds up a stick with some leaves on it, as if to convince the gamer that he's really hiding. The weak stealth is emphasized; whether this is the developer's intent or not is unknown. If the emphasis wasn't intended, it exists solely because the combat is even weaker. Button-mashing will get you through each one-on-one encounter, but you can also charge up for a powerful (but decidedly non-brutal) blow. Engaging multiple enemies isn't recommended.
Difficulty: There is a key problem with the structure of Naughty Bear's campaign. However, it's almost a necessary evil; without it, the game would only last two hours. In order to unlock levels, you must obtain a number of trophies. Trophies are basically the game's way of rewarding you for being a completionist. If you want the gold, you'll have to really go out of your way to do everything right. I know what you're thinking right now: "And what does this have to do with the game's difficulty?" It has everything to do with it, as a matter of fact. Fulfilling the requirements for trophies can be a very trying endeavor at times. This rings true especially when the requirements revolve around the game's weakest components. For instance, the stealth. Sight lines aren't visualized, and the slightest movement can make the difference between success and failure in Invisible Challenges. Also, the straightforward combat is clunky and problematic; if you want to get through an Untouchable Challenge without being hit, Lady Luck is a far better companion than your own skills.
Game Mechanics: Most of the action in Naughty Bear is boiled down to two gameplay styles: scaring and killing. By sneaking up on a victim and pressing a button, Naughty can grab the bear and unleash a not-so-terrifying "BOO!" Do this enough, and you will push the poor creature over the edge, driving it to commit suicide with whatever weapon it has in its fuzzy little hands. I found this incredibly unsettling; it's even more disturbing than watching Naughty unleash his inner Norman Bates. It goes without saying that I didn't feel too good about myself while playing this game. Naughty Bear's most memorable moments come courtesy of environment-sensitive actions. Each level is littered with things to play with, and nearly everything can be broken or tampered with. For example, Naughty can sabotage a disco party's turntables, and when an unsuspecting bear goes to repair it, Naughty can perform a special kill that involves the turntable. Trap-setting is actually quite fun in Naughty Bear, though it can feel a bit crude at times. The only major downside is that there aren't nearly enough of these moments to keep the game fresh. Naughty Bear uses a scoring system with a multiplier that climbs as you get creative with your dastardly plans. Stringing together various naughty actions is a surefire way to achieve high scores, and keeping things fresh is also a must. A lot of your points will essentially fall into your lap; you'll be rewarded for things like "::insert cute bear name:: sees a ::adjective:: bear!" Additionally, special items can keep the multiplier from depreciating too quickly. After the first few levels, you may not know what's fresh anymore, especially if you play the game for more than twenty minutes. For a time, it looked as if Naughty Bear was on the path to become the next Conker's Bad Fur Day, but that time is long passed. This is simply not the quirky delight it could (and should) have been. The game's twisted charm can only do so much to draw attention away from the game's numerous inadequacies. Naughty Bear's potential is impossible to ignore, but so is the game's failure to live up to that potential.
-FenixDown, GameVortex Communications AKA Jon Carlos
Related Links: Official Website of Naughty Bear Game Vortex's Review of Conker: Live and Reloaded
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