5 Great Indie Games about Bees!

5 Great Indie Games About Bees - Featured Image

“The lovely flowers embarrass me, they make me regret I am not a bee.” – Emily Dickinson

Introduction

At Indie Hive, we love all things bees! This article lists and reviews five great indie games about them! Including bee simulation, hive management and building, platformer and adventure games!

5 Great Games about Bees

APICO

Apico - Key Art

Developer: TNgineers
Released: 20th May 2022
Price: £14.99 – £15.99
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux
Available on: SteamEpicHumble, itch.io
Engine: GameMaker Studio 2

APICO is a relaxing beekeeping simulator about breeding, collecting and conserving bees. The game mixes crafting, resource management and building as players explore a range of lush environments and care for their buzzy little friends.

It is a very easy-going game that will provide players with a lot of stress-free, bee-based fun! It features an extensive tutorial, relaxing and varied sandbox gameplay, a cute retro aesthetic and delightful sound design. This game has enough going on to keep seasoned fans of the genre entertained but is also low-pressure and welcoming to newcomers. Overall, APICO was an absolute joy to play and it’s all about bees so of course I highly recommend it!

Full review available HERE.

Hive Time – (Review by David Ingrusee)

Hive Time Featured Image

Developer:Two Lof Bees
Released: December 2019
Price: Pay what you want
Platforms: Windows, Linux, Mac
Available on: itch
Engine: Godot

Hive Time is a bee management and base building simulator by Two Lof Bees members Josh “Cheeseness” Bush and Miriam “Mimness” Roser, with music composed by Peter Silk. Based on positive reception from an informal game jam in May of 2019, the developers have continued work on the game until its full completion in December of that year. The developers took inspiration from popular simulation games such as SimCity.

For the recommended price of $10 (or whatever you want to pay, including free), Hive Time is a great laid-back management game with a lot of buzz. I vouch for it if you’re looking for a new simulator fix, and I would especially love to see it come to mobile.

Full review available HERE.

Bee Simulator

Bee Simulator Key Art

Developer: Varsav Game Studios
Released: 14th November 2019
Price: £34.99
Platforms: PC, Xbox, PS4, Switch
Available on: EpicMicrosoftPlaystationNintendo
Engine: Unreal

Bee Simulator is exactly what it sounds like, a casual simulation and adventure game in which the player begins by taking on the role of a Western honey bee (Apis Mellifera). The game is very family-friendly (PEGI 7) and includes a single-player story mode, local multiplayer options as well as open-world, sandbox elements each with their own range of activities.

This game has a lot to offer, especially for a younger audience and while the price tag is rather steep I’d certainly recommend it to parents looking for something to play with their children. It mixes some traditional gameplay modes, such as the racing challenges, with education about nature and bees in particular. For example, did you know that the honey bee’s wings flap at around 200 beats per second, accounting for their famous buzz? I do now!

Full review available HERE.

BirdGut

BirdGut Title

Developer: Micah Boursier
Released: May 2019
Price: Free
Platforms: PC, Mac
Available on: Steam
Engine: Unity

BirdGut is a charming but challenging puzzle platformer set inside the internal organs of a bird. You play as a bee, born different from the rest of its hive and subsequently exiled. As if that weren’t tragic enough, you are then eaten by a large bird whilst waiting in line at the bug unemployment centre.

The bird’s insides are full of other bugs, but they’re all brainwashed, working at curious mechanical factories that exist instead of organs creating an interesting and unpredictable environment, with different body parts representing the various levels. The protagonist is ironically immune to the indoctrination due to the very ‘defect’ that caused its fellow insects to shun the poor bee.

Overall, the game is a difficult but enjoyable experience. It offers a satisfying range of puzzles and traditional platformer mechanics set in a fantastical and surreal, internal environment with plenty of dangerous enemies and threats in case things weren’t hectic enough!

Full review available HERE.

Happ-Bee

The Care PAckage Bundle -Happbee Screenshot - Mosquito Boss Fight and Logo

Developer: Not So Classic Games
Released: 10th March 2021
Price: $2.00
Platforms: Windows, Linux, Mac
Available on: itch.io
Engine: Unity

HappBee’s buzzy protagonist may just be the cutest, jolliest and most determined little bee in indie game history! Players take on the role of this little bee, too scared to fly high and must defeat the swarms of mosquitoes that terrorise the land!

Despite the combat, HappBee is a delightfully upbeat game with a simple but optimistic narrative that leaves the player feeling positive. It sits perfectly within The Care Package Bundle and was a personal favourite of mine.

Full review available HERE.

Summary

All of these games about bees have a lot to offer and there is a bunch of variety in the selection meaning there should be something for everyone! There are undoubtedly more great bee games out there though so please feel free to reach out to us at the Hive if you have any recommendations!

For more games about nature and animals, take a look at:
Natural Instincts – Nature Documentary Sim!Pupperazzi – Relax with this Cute Dog Photography Game!No Place Like Home – Wholesome Farming Game

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

Leave a Reply