Bee Movie is a DreamWorks movie that people seem to have mixed feelings on, some like it, some hate and some like it in an ironic way as some sort of meme when it suddenly resurfaced in random popularity on the internet. A video game counterpart was sure to follow in the tradition of having an animated feature released in the 2000s. As a kid, this game was an enjoyable and entertaining experience but do those thoughts still ring true to an adult who has had more experience with what a great video game should be?
Told from the point of a talk show called New Hive Tonight, Barry B Benson (Jerry Seinfeld) recalls his journey into solving a honey crisis in a way that most bees have never heard of before. Barry talks about the secret plans for Montgomery to take over the honey industry and his miraculous adventures of encountering many humans, most of which want to squash him like the bug that he is.
The story follows the same beats as the movie with a few added twists to make the experience different from watching the film. There are plenty of different plot elements you’ll see scattered throughout the story of the game that you won’t get when watching the movie counterpart. Some of them include showing different characters and introducing plot threads such as the “real” story behind the honey conspiracy and the evil plans of Montgomery. The majority of the story is told through cutscenes that have barry participating in a talk show and talking about his adventures to host Jenette Chung which can lead to some 4th wall humor and good parodies. Heck, this game even managed to get most of the cast from the movie itself to reprise their roles including Jerry Seinfeld as Barry, John Goodman as Montgomery, and Patrick Warburton as Ken. it's not a super faithful adaptation of the movie itself, but this game's story and characters are decent for what they are.
The gameplay in some ways can be seen as the video game having a crisis as to what style of gameplay it wants to stick with because this game is packed with many different ways to play the game. You start in New Hive City as you will need to complete a set number of mini-games to unlock levels in the game's main story that will see you completing missions outside the hive. The mini-games include Racing, Cab Driving, and Honeycomb collecting. Some of them are not bad, but others like Racing could use some work as they can be glitchy and sometimes unresponsive. Aside from mini-games, you can also drive around using your own or someone else's cars around the hive, play arcade games, or visit the museum where the collectibles you find outside the hive will be displayed. When you get outside the hive, the gameplay will see you flying around while dodging obstacles, pollinating flowers, avoiding raindrops, taking down enemy bugs, and irritating humans which will lead to quick time events. Along the way their are many nectar drops which if found will allow you to spend them on stuff such as clothes and cars in New Hive City. it would have been better if this game either stuck to doing less gameplay styles or polish the gameplay styles so they are just as good as the other elements of the gameplay, but its a decent enough experience that is fun and enjoyable even if their are other games that have done what this game is doing a little better.
The graphics will depend on which version of the game you decide to get. I have that PS2 version which has very low-quality visuals but from what I've seen, versions like the Xbox 360 have more polished graphics and better-looking character models. I’ll give credit where credit is due as this game does the best job it can to have graphics that are colorful and appealing even if the models on the human characters can look a little weird from time to time. The locations are each interesting and I never once felt bored that I was stuck in the same place for far too long as the game always brings a different color palate to each level to set the mood for what the environment calls for. The in-game cutscenes though can be pretty glitchy with characters' dialogue and objects not showing up where they should be which further emphasizes how the game was rushed and didn’t have enough time for clear polishing.
It is unclear who has done the music for this game but it’s surprisingly very laid back and charming. However, the music doesn’t hesitate to be epic and action-packed when necessary especially when it comes to the boss fights.
I have a soft spot for this game even if it does have some clear flaws that keep it from being a must-play for newcomers. This game tries to do many gameplay styles at once which makes this game a mess but an interesting mess at that. It’s still so much fun to fly around outside the hive and participate in quick time events, even the mini-games in New Hive City can also be fun every once in a while. The story is stupid, but a fun kind of stupid and the graphics are sometimes poor but not awful. This is a game that won't create a lot of buzz, but it’s a decent experience that is fun to play whether you are into the Bee Movie or not.
(Final Grade: B-)