Where the Bees Make Honey

Where the Bees make honey is supposedly a story about remembering childhood that is unfortunatly very buggy.


Aesthetics:
Truth to be told the artstyle is either hit or miss. While I really like some cutscenes and the feel of some levels, it can look extremly unpolished in others (e.g. the designb of the kid). Same with the sound effects. The completed level sound for example is pretty obnoxious.

Story:
You play as a woman who is stuck in a dead end job who remembers her childhood. Or at least that is what I gathered while trying to play the game. In some levels it is pretty hard to follow the story for example the rabbit level where you aimlessly run around while also just not really listening to what is being said.

Gameplay:
The gameplay is definetly the weakest point of the game. You kind of feel a bit lost in a few levels unsure what to do. The levels where you have to rotate islands are in theory super creative but it is extremly hard to navigate within these and I got stuck several times which ultimately just made me loose interest in the game altogether.

Side-Note:
I do think that the game has potential. Some cutscenes are very beautiful and the premise itself is cool too. I just feel like the gameplay is all over the place: trying too many things at once and this is the reason why it feels very flat. It feels more like a game in production that tests out what it could be rather than a fully finished game.

Nostalgic Reflections and Puzzles: Unearthing Memories in "Where the Bees Make Honey"

Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)

"Where the Bees Make Honey" invites players on a journey through the memories of a young woman as she navigates the complexities of life, love, and change. With its unique narrative structure, emotional themes, and a blend of puzzles and exploration, the game offers a reflective and occasionally poignant experience that aims to capture the essence of personal growth.

The visual design of "Where the Bees Make Honey" showcases a distinct and handcrafted art style that evokes nostalgia. The game's contrasting environments—ranging from the mundane to the fantastical—aim to mirror the protagonist's journey through life's different phases.

At its core, the game intertwines the protagonist's present reality with her memories of the past. Players explore various vignettes that represent pivotal moments in her life, piecing together the narrative through exploration and puzzle-solving.

The emotional themes and relatable experiences the game portrays stand out, allowing players to connect with the challenges and growth the protagonist undergoes. The narrative exploration of change, dreams, and personal choices adds depth to the storytelling.

The blend of puzzles and exploration mechanics provides variety, encouraging players to engage with the environment and solve challenges to progress.

However, the game's disjointed narrative structure might lead to moments of confusion, as players transition between memories and the present. The pacing and cohesion could be inconsistent.

Some puzzles might feel more like obstacles to the narrative flow rather than integrated challenges, potentially impacting the immersion for players seeking a seamless experience.

In conclusion, "Where the Bees Make Honey" offers a narrative-driven exploration of memory and personal growth, aiming to capture the complexities of life's journey. Its unique narrative structure, nostalgic visuals, and emotional themes create a reflective experience. While the game's disjointed pacing and occasional narrative hiccups might limit its impact, those who appreciate introspective storytelling and the exploration of personal memories will find themselves immersed in the emotional tapestry of "Where the Bees Make Honey," where every memory uncovered is a step towards understanding the intersections of life, dreams, and change.

Though not without some minor bugs, this game is incredibly peaceful, and simply enjoyable to play. The stand out best parts are the voice actresses incredible performance, and the "Ghouls and Ghosts" song which I enjoy a lot. I played this game on PlayStation a few years back, and returning to it, it seemed less buggy than I remember, so I do not know if it has been patched or if the PlayStation port was worse, but it definitely played a bit better. I will admit up front that the game is not perfect and is lacking polish, but it's simple a joy to play, and the Lantern part gives me chills every time. Ultimately my primary complaint is that the game is too short. I would have loved to spend longer in Sunny's imagination, platform more as a rabbit, drive through the forest as an RC car, and solve the cute Beehive puzzles. This game has an incredible foundation, and if it had been explored further would be one of my favorite game of all times. As it currently stands, though I love this game to death, I would recommend that if you do get this game you wait for a sale as it just is not quite long enough to justify $10 for most people. That being said, if you do get it, regardless of price, know what to expect and I think you will enjoy it. Here's to hoping a longer sequel comes out some day.

i really don't mind low quality graphics and obvious tight budgets.. but I can't stand bad and confusing gameplay. especially when the options screen is bugged and i can't adjust anything to make the game even a little more enjoyable. loved 3D cube puzzles ever since captain toad but gave up on this game after the third or so. a game with hardly any tutorial should at least not put the camera angle and interaction tool on the same keys so i can take a guess if i'm gonna see what i'm doing or kick myself off the platform blindly.

That's the worst game I've ever played. I don't even know why they have graphics options up to ultra, they obviously didn't bother to address the graphics. It's blurry and skips frames constantly, no matter what settings are applied. The controls to move and interact are strange and unclear. The story line is almost non-existent. Don't get it. Even for free. Don't waste your life.

I only played a little and I found it painfully boring. I usually don't refund games but this one I had to because I never want to see it again.

i saw that this had mostly negative reviews and i remember it coming out and being excited :(
i finally tried it and thought it looked lighthearted HOWEVER now playing it theres a meaning/ the woman is in a dead end job and it seems to me like shes having memories or flashbacks of her childhood (that we play) ive not had many hours but im excited to play more : )

This isn't a strong recommendation, but I don't think this game deserves to be as negative as it is.
For being a nearly one person team, the vision, story and theme are great.
It is a pretty short experience, but I don't think that detracts from the idea that's there, although 1 or 2 more sections to help smooth out the transitions behind some of the ideas would help.

The issues:
- There are several visual bugs that are present, albeit minor for the most part.
- Controller support isn't great, and there's some bug with movement. I found using a combination of controller and keyboard at different times worked the best
- The game could use a little bit more cohesion. Overall, I liked the sections that are there, but it felt like some of the sections didn't naturally flow together.

The good things:
+ For a very small team, they pulled off a really strong vision
+ The narrative is interesting, and the voice acting is great
+ Visually the game looks very polished, with some high quality visuals, good use of shaders and good variance of areas, although some might dislike the 2 different styles being combined, and some minor bugs as noted above

This game is 50 ideas held together loosely by string while it swings wildly from nice animation to pretty bad.
So far it's worth the 1 buck I spent on it, but I'm pretty happy I didn't spend more.

What a beautiful game. I loved it!

I wanted to like it, but there were times the mechanics were absolutely unplayable. The plot was also not very clear or interesting.

Very simple game, definitely not worth its asking price. Controls are janky and the game tries to be 3 different games at once

This is the story of a young woman who's upset that nobody at her entry level job thinks she's as special as her parents told her she was. Eventually she winds up crying in a corner reminiscing about being 8 and having no responsibilities.

Puzzles are glitchy, simplistic, and seemingly unrelated to each other. There's a few basic Fez style puzzles where you have to rotate the scene around. Then there are weird parts where you're a rabbit, and a remote controlled car, and there's a halloween thing with pumpkins. Who knows, I can't explain any of it.

The audio is unbalanced - sometimes loud, sometimes quiet, sometimes crackly, sometimes only coming in through left or right sides.

Honestly, this all feels like the personal project of someone who's just getting into game development. Should be free to play.

Play Time: 2 hrs for 100% achievements
Review: 2/10

Good idea, but poorly executed. The controls are terrible, the story is intriguing but too soft-focus to know what's going on, and after a while I just quit playing.

Recommend on Sale if you are looking for a short casual to entertain you for a couple hours.
If you want an in depth story or hard puzzles you should pass.

Visually Where the Bees Make Honey is beautiful to look at so I decided to take a chance on it despite the reviews. Overall I enjoyed the game., it is pretty linear you can't really mess up the progression. The puzzles were not that challenging but still provided me with a couple hours of entertainment with much better visuals than some other indie titles of the same difficulty. Making this an easy game to complete.


Controls
Initially I was annoyed that my mouse was not locked to the game and I had to use Display Fusion "lock mouse to active window" as I kept clicking on one of my 3 other screens thus minimizing the game. BUT then I realized you don't even need to click the mouse, just use it to pan around. [Q] is how you interact in game, [WASD] to move around while [Q] and [R] to flip Right and Left for some of the puzzle scenes. And lastly [Space] to jump.

Toy car & bunny scene.
With the car I realized it went pretty smooth if tapped buttons to direct R/L so they were gentle slow gestures to move versus holding keys to over compensate for wrong direction/angle, no crashes.
With the rabbit I feel like it just requires a little patience. Using WASD to face the direction you want to jump and mouse to pan the camera behind if it doesn't follow, then you can easily make the jumps the first try.

I like the variety in this game and the story telling is amazing. I got a little emotional on the bunny level, both when I couldn't make the jump and when I got through to the end and got that lovely voice over. Many of the levels are challenging and I love the puzzle elements to it all.

"Where the Bees Make Honey" is an interesting enough game. The story is intriguing, though the game itself leaves you wondering wth you're supposed to do. It's also short... VERY short.

The only good thing going for this game was the soundtrack.
Only had a play time of MAYBE 45 min. Most of your time is spent dealing with buggy controls. The art is alright, but mostly just off-putting. The puzzles aren't hard at all. There is no direction for the story. Supposedly this game is meant to motivate the player, but I just felt like I wasted my time, attention, and most importantly, my money. I'd rather spend the $10 on some crappy DLC for another game.

Where the Bees Make Honey hit me in a weird way that made me nostalgic for aspects of my youth. The edges of the experience aren't perfectly smooth, but life is like that too.

If you're looking for a contemplative experience with some very interesting puzzle mechanics, this is a good choice.

This title is not hard for me to rate: definitely NOT RECOMMENDED!

There are some positive aspects to this game. It tries to drag the player in by telling a story of remembering childhood memories. And it pursues many different ways of engaging the player.

However, that being said, the last point is also the first big negative of the game as it appeared to me that the developers couldn't really decide on what they want their game to be. As a player you are confronted with many different game mechanics which severely interrupts the game flow and, as such, hinders immersion. Yet that immersion would be particularly crucial to the goal of the game, namely to evoke aforementioned childhood memories.

On top of that, the techinal execution is definitely sub-par, and at times exceptionally gruesome! Escpecially the part where you play a rabbit I found it almost impossible to direct that rabbit where I wanted it due to the camera/controls. While that part has a third person perspective, the controls are relative to the orientation of the rabbit. That wouldn't be a problem if the camera was firmly positioned behind the rabbit but (of course) the developer chose to automatically adjust the camera perspective so slowly that this game section basically became a test of my patience.

There are many more buggy parts and all in all no part of this game except the office sequences appeared to me to be really finished or properly playtested. Finally, it took me little over 1.5 hours to complete the game (with one or two achievements appearing to be bugged). So I would not say that it is worth 8.19€.

My final verdict: the developers most definitely are very creative people but unfortunately they lack the technical proficiency and/or the artistical understanding to reach the assumed goal of this game, i.e. to evoke fond memories in the player and to reflect on his/her current state by guiding him/her through childhood memories that are sprinkled with an enjoyable amount of puzzling. At this state the game feels like chores most of the time.

PS: If you are looking for a game that does everything right in the mentioned respects get The Gardens Between. It is almost double the price but it surely is a hundred times better!