Bear and Breakfast – A Cute and Casual B&B Management Sim

“He looked all alone and so sad and so blue, so I said, “Oh, dear Bear; there’s a home here for you.”” – Ingrid Sawubona

Overview

Bear and Breakfast is a cute and casual management adventure and crafting game in which a delightful bear must build and run a selection of bed and breakfasts and keep guests satisfied.

Narrative

Bear and Breakfast has a simple premise in which players take on the role of Hank, who, along with his friends, finds an abandoned shack. A nearby shark offers a shady opportunity to enter into business, insisting he renovates and builds up the shack into a functional bed and breakfast and manages the running of the establishment all in the hope of bringing people back to the area.

There are lots of fun side characters to meet along the way, such as Anni the Cat and Toni the Beaver. The dialogue is lively, fun and as believable as talking animals get. The game is listed as family-friendly on Steam but does contain a few mild swear words.

Gameplay

The gameplay is very light-hearted and relatively undemanding whilst providing a lot of fun and satisfying moments. Each new premises must be cleaned of debris and at least one bedroom must be built. Later in the game, guests require things like bathrooms and it is possible to build special rooms such as distilleries. Crafting materials such as various types of wood, stone and scrap can be found by exploring, it is then collected and stored in a seemingly infinite inventory. Time passes at a moderate pace in the game and players will experience both night and day without the need to sleep, however, it is possible to rest overnight to speed up time if desired.

Bear and Breakfast boasts a very comprehensive tutorial and guidance is offered via tooltips throughout the game. Players will be given a variety of quests, such as collecting certain items, building specific rooms or reaching high levels of guest satisfaction.

Guests will make requests to stay at certain Bed and Breakfasts and can be assigned to specific rooms based on their stated needs. When they leave they will provide a review of their stay, marking the experience out of five stars. The amount of money earned from each guest will be determined by their needs and the length and quality of their stay. Needs usually pertain to comfort, decoration and special rooms. Comfort is provided by the level of furniture crafted and blueprints which can be bought with money or earned as quest rewards. Decorations can occasionally be found in chests but primarily need to be traded for junk which can be collected by scouring the various explorable areas. It is also possible to purchase, find, and earn cosmetic items such as clothes for Hank to wear.

Styling

Bear and Breakfast uses a colourful hand-drawn art style with a cartoon-like aesthetic. The tones are slightly muted which lends itself well to the natural settings such as woodlands and swamps. The character models and sprites are especially cute and expressive and are a highlight of the visuals. The soundtrack is jolly and upbeat with a subtle 80s vibe to it using synths and other retro sounds. The sound effects are delightfully immersive and consist mostly of nature-based noises such as birds chirping but also include satisfying crafting sounds.

Summary

Bear and Breakfast is a charming game that has players collecting materials, crafting, building and managing a variety of breakfasts in a host of different settings. It is a fun-filled experience that does not demand too much. Devoid of pressure-filled mechanics such as timers and overly challenging quests it provides satisfying gameplay at a relaxing pace that will suit more casual players. The audio is cheerful and varied and works perfectly with the vibrant visual elements and adorable characters. There are light narrative elements to add to the immersion and bring the protagonist and side characters to life. It has the potential to provide hours of quality entertainment and is very reasonably priced. It will appeal to fans of the genre, especially those looking for something a bit more laid back than the average offering, as well as newcomers to this type of game and I highly recommend it.

Looking for more relaxing crafting games? You might also like these reviews:
Everdream Valley – An Adorable and Relaxing Farming Sim – Haven Park: Play as a Chicken in this Cute New Building Game! – My Fantastic Ranch – An Adorable Family-Friendly Building Sim

Did you like this article? Consider supporting Indie Hive through Patreon! Patrons receive an early access article on Sundays!