BeeFense BeeMastered Review

Game: BeeFense BeeMastered
Genre: Action, Strategy, Other
System: Nintendo Switch (also on Steam, PS4, PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series X)
Developers | Publishers: ByteRockers Games
Age Rating: US E 10+ | EU 7+
Price: US $9.99 | UK £6.99 | EU € 7,99
Release Date: May 31st, 2021

Review code used, with many thanks to SWORDFISH PR

BeeFense BeeMastered has been released simultaneously across all formats including Nintendo Switch in May. A tower defence style game featuring Bees. Lots and lots of Bees. Let’s buzz along and take a look at it.

Tower defence

This is a TD game with a story. Granted, it’s a pretty simple story but at least there is one. It is up to you to help Queen Bee Nectarina as she attempts to save her colony from the ill-tempered hornet Queen Bee Hornette who is not only aggressive but also genetically modified and will stop at nothing in her quest to invade.

However, that is not all that plagues the bee colony, pollution called Dirtosaurus is eating up all the ground including the area the bees collect nectar and pollen from. Oh no, the poor Bees will go hungry if this treat isn’t stopped in its tracks.

Collect Pollen

That’s where you come in, it is up to you to strategically place defences in the shape of bee-themed towers around the area to defend the hive and the bees. But before that, you’d better send a few bees to the fields to collect some Pollen. Pollen is used for a few things so it is a vital component to have and something you don’t want to run out of.

Pollen is used for raising new bees for the colony, bees you will need to bee-man the towers to defend the colony. It is also used to build defence towers and upgrade them. To raise a new bee costs five pollen and to build a tower costs twenty pollen, then upgrades on top of that, so it is important to have a steady stream of pollen coming into the hive.

Collect Nectar and Honey Dew

As well as making sure you are raising bees and keeping them busy buzzing around collecting pollen, the bees will also have to collect Nectar and Honey Dew in some stages. The bees collect nectar from the flowers in the vicinity as it is used to feed to bees as hungry bees aren’t strong enough to bee-man the towers. Also, the more nectar the Bees harvest, the more the area increases that flowers will bloom in.

Honey Dew is used for buying power-ups or, as the game calls them, technology upgrades. These upgrades can range from a bigger nectar tank to quality tools that increase the bees harvest speed.

Defence Towers

The bee colony is protected by the towers you construct by placing them along the side of the path the enemy will traverse to get to the hive. There are six different sets of Towers to build, all can be upgraded quite a few times. As you upgrade the towers their firepower increases, as does the area range the tower can reach.

There is the Cherry gun that shoots small cherry stoners at the enemy, or maybe you prefer the Bumblebee Bomber tower that shoots out deadly pointed spikes at the enemy. Keep in mind that each tower is effective against different enemies, such as the Boom Beetle tower that is best used against Fleas and the Zombee.

Buzzing good time

BeeFense BeeMastered is certainly a different and enjoyable take on the genre. Watching the bees buzzing around each stage, busy at their work, is a lot of fun. The challenge in the game seems fair, not too difficult and not too easy.

Additionally, there is quite a bit to keep an eye on in each stage and make sure all the bees are busy doing their jobs, while you defend the hive against the invaders. With plenty of upgrades and power-ups to use to keep the game fresh and interesting as you progress through the stages.

Visuals and Controls

The graphics are bright, vibrant and very colourful. There is a good bit of detail in the towers and the bees themselves. As you play through the game the stage environments change, with different enemies being introduced as well. Sound effects are good, with all the relevant bee-related buzzing sounds you would expect to hear, plus the towers all have their own sound effects.

I do have some niggles with the game and they are mainly centred around the controls system. Touchscreen controls, as well as joy-cons controls, are available in BeeFense BeeMastered. The touchscreen controls are a little fiddly as it’s sometimes hard to see where you’re placing a tower as your finger is in the way. They just don’t feel as intuitive as they should to me. But the joy-con controls work fine and I ended up playing the game using that method.

Conclusion

BeeFense BeeMastered is a pretty enjoyable and entertaining game. I like the different twists on the genre that the game provides. As well as that the bees make a pleasant change from all the usual Orcs and Goblins that are seen in TD games.

If you like the genre and fancy a buzzing good time then BeeFense BeeMastered could be just for you!

Final Verdict: I Like It A Lot