Alphabear: Hardcover Edition

Alphabear: Hardcover Edition is a very good word/puzzle game. English is not my native language and I did play without difficulties and I did learned some new words I didn't knew. The graphics are really cutes and the ambiant is cozy. I highly recommend it!!! 💗

It's been years since I touched this game but I just wanted to pick at something while I watched a show, this game ages well and is really easy to jump back into. I will forever love the wiggly bears and all their silly little tweets

good

Alphabear is such an awesome and challenging rpg word puzzle game! I remembered playing the Android version of Alphabear several years ago. It is so nice to have a PC version of this game. It's also a very unique PC word game. I highly recommend this game to all, especially those that are fans of Bookworm Adventures and Highrise Heroes: Word Challenge. Great PC word games like this are very rare and I hope we get more of them.

It's super cute. I may be weird for liking something like this as an adult but it helps with my childhood issues and lets me feel like a kid for a bit. *shrugs* It's just cute and when I had the app, I loved it.

I love the alphabear games personally, but I would recommend it on sale, or you try the phone version if it is still free to test it out first a this version has been made so difficult it's practically unplayable as it's impossible to proceed to future chapters with repeating the previous ones so many times you're sick of playing already.

Alphabear is amazing! The game provides definitions for words as you type them. It is wonderful for cognitive exercise and teaching. If you enjoy stimulating pass times with cute themes you will spend hours on this game. I think players of all ages can benefit from this. It has a daily challenge, versus mode, and plenty of levels to play. I love the graphics and the music. The little bears occasionally make sounds and move. The artist was amazing. This is probably the cutest word game on the market.

This review is specially made for those who like indie games and completing all the achievements and have this game in their backlog. (minor spoilers ahead)

Description:
Alphabear: Hardcover Edition is a scrabble-like game where you make words (in English) and earn cartoony bears that add bonuses and function as power-ups. This is a port from the mobile game with the same name.

Achievements:
How many: 10 Achievements, most will be obtained by just playing the game.
How much time: Around 13 hours, but it depends on how good you are at making words and how much you need to grind to pass the levels.
Game difficulty: Medium, depends on how well you know (written) English.
Achievement’s difficulty: Easy. Probably one of the few games where the achievements are easier to get than finishing the main game.

Overall opinion:
I recommend this game if you like scrabble, but it will get repetitive, and even more if you can’t get near perfect scores. The game keeps forcing you to level up your bears to get the required score, at one point, getting a perfect game won’t be enough, you’ll have to keep grinding to level up your bears. Still, 13 hours isn’t much time I think.


Join and follow my group Ribbon Hunters for more suggestions and reviews of easy indie games to get all the achievements: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/42556190-Ribbon-Hunters/

Honestly, this is better than the mobile version. I really like how I can control the pace instead of it being controlled for me. It's good fun figuring out how to best utilize the letter tiles or to strategize what bear to use and when. But you know me! I really love word games so no surprise I would praise a title like this! Also the use of a snapshot at the end with a bear selfie trying to use the words you made into some type of Mad Lib is really cute and sometimes nonsensical and funny. I definitely have fun scrolling through community posts seeing what they've said! XD

A cute and fun word game with lots of levels. If you get enough points to pass a level, you get a cute, new bear with special abilities that help with other levels.

You're going to cheat and learn new words. Example: Google what word has I,L,A,G. SILAGE

Silage: grass or other green fodder compacted and stored in airtight conditions, typically in a silo, without first being dried, and used as animal feed in the winter.

Don't know if you want to read this review, but even if you don't, just grin and bear it. I've been in hibernation this winter so far and needed the entertainment.

After having second thoughts about rummaging around garbage bins and seeing what leftover deliciousness my fellow humans left, I turned my attention to computer gaming. Yes, weird, I know. After you eat something to fill your belly, you need something to feed your mind too, you see. I happened to find this computer game inside one of the local pawn shops (don't ask how I got in,) and decided to take a paw to it.

Anyhow, after playing AlphaBear: Hardcover Edition, I decided to dedicate my life to becoming a half human-half bear hybrid. I really need to start growing more fur, as some of the locals told me eating raw fish would help with that problem.

Never you mind the game itself, you see. There's so many bears of different types and lifestyles contained there that one could virtually fill a library with them. There's "De Bear," who, when he arrives, gives you all kinds of D to play with on your board. Hmm.

I want to clarify a point a couple of reviewers have made here that is simply incorrect. At least one person has mentioned the bears do not add anything to the game, but this is simply untrue. Some bears give you bonuses for using words of a specific length. The trick here is that some boards only give you five letters at a time. If that happens, don't you think it would be wise to use those five letter words to your advantage? Sure it is! There's also bears that give point advantages to using specific letters in your words, and the more of those you use, the higher your score will be. Although if you clear the entire board, only one bear is used, I believe the game uses the bear that gives you the highest final bonus. Points are calculated and used at the time of word creation, so they are not "replaced" by the final bear's occupation on the playing field. There's a hidden level of strategy here that can't be grasped until you *really* put your thinking cap on and think about the game as having more than one layer.

Whew. Sorry for roaring on for so long. ;)

There's boards of varying styles, and you pretty much just put letters up and make as many words as possible. You're attempting to reach a preset score so you can clear the level and move to the next. Many levels feature bears as awards, or as I call them, my friends, who will help you get bonuses for using certain letters, or for creating words of a certain length. I like long words. Don't judge me.

The game's single player campaign boasts 115 levels, each with their own challenges and unique play styles. Some boards are small, some boards medium sized, and others large. The beginnings of the game are fairly simple and not difficult to advance through, but the progression of difficulty in the game ramps up pretty quickly. I have managed, somehow, to reach Chapter 6, based on "The House," which is a themed chapter featuring my bear friends living in my homestead. Milk Bear and Box bear live here, but Box Bear is kind of shy and only comes out once you've shown your ability as a lexicographer.

Make words, earn points, advance. Simple enough, right?
Except letters only last so many turns and lose point values each turn they're not used. Some boards have skull and crossbone tiles that activate immediately once a letter next to them is used, and they only last for one turn. How's that for sadism?

Better get out your Scrabble Player's Dictionary and start roaring and standing on your front two legs. You've got to get a clear picture here.

You can also compete against your friends in paw-to-paw matches and fisticuffs, or whatever. I haven't tried it because I try to live a solitary life. But if that's your thing, hey, go ahead and dive in.

There are only a couple of complaints here--the first being that the music is a bit repetitive with the same tune playing over and over in the menus. Secondly, the background design for each board in every single level is exactly the same. I could have used the variation in design to spruce things up a bit. Every bear likes to look at a new garbage bin once in a while.

Anyhow, I think I've given you enough information. I'm off to eat some berries.

Unfortunately, the game breaks at Chapter 4 Stage 14 for me. I have it unlocked, but I can't actually attempt it. Clicking on the stage just causes the game to softlock. It behaves the same way on both Mac and PC. Really wish I could recommend this game.

Alphabear is a good word builder game designed for children, but can be enjoyed by adults all the same. Graphics are decent, game offers a good challenge, not much music, but that isn't really needed to enjoy the game. Good time waster. 10/10.

Alphabear has cute little square bears, it's got a cool word puzzle, what's not to love? Well, *cracks knuckles*, I'll tell you what's not to love.

But lets start with an explanation of what this game is about. Alphabear is a word puzzle game where you are given a grid with a few visible squares on it, with a letter on each. You use those letters to form a word, and each letter you use unlocks a square next to it. You do this until you run out of letters on the board. When you're finished you're awarded with a random cute little bear. These bears give you bonuses to your score, but they don't really add anything to the game.

The problem with this game is that, well, that's about all of it. It's one puzzle over and over again. It gets harder, through the placement of rocks in the grid, and you're given fewer turns to use letters, and the target score gets higher, but for the most part you're doing the same thing over and over until you get bored.

The other problem with this game is the difficulty. When you get to a certain level, the target score is so high that you can't reach it, even with my mammoth intellect. This is clearly a problem with the game since I am infallible. But seriously, I was doing the best I could with the letters I was given and not getting close to the target. Now, those bears I mentioned at the start can help here, and you can improve those bears. For example, the Pirate Bear adds 57% to your final score. Earn a second pirate bear and the pirate bear now adds 60% to your score. So the idea is kinda commendable. It means that if you lack the skill to win outright, you can keep playing and improve your chances just by winning more bears. The reason this doesn't work is that the volume of bears required to make a difference is way out of whack. So you have to spend hours grinding just to pass one target score, just to play the next level which will be basically exactly the same. (Edit: I've just found out this is a remnant of their previous Pay-to-Win model. The difficulty ramps up to make you buy extra bears. Bad form to do this in the first place, and bad form not to fix it for the steam edition)

So, as much as I love word games and wish there were more of them on Steam, I don't think I can recommend this one. There's just not enough variance, and that difficulty level spike kills it. Still, those bears are cute. 2/5 stars from me.

If you've come to read my review, you're probably not sure whether to buy this game. The screenshots don't really do the game justice and also don't tell you much about the gameplay.

What is it?

A word game, spelling game. If you like the famous Scrabble, this might just be for you.

How do you play?

There are a few different modes. "Story" mode where you can follow predesigned levels and fulfill goals. "Daily" mode which changes, you guessed it. The challenges can vary greatly in this mode and you will also be able to compare your statistics with your Steam friends'. Last but not least, the game also includes a "versus" mode which allows you to battle your friends.

In each level, you start with a board and a few letters you can arrange to your liking. The longer the words you spell out, the higher your points.

Why is this special?

a) The game's difficulty increases drastically. Some levels will be harder than others due to a time limit.

b) The "bear hunt" allows you to customize your experience. By collecting the bears and equipping them (they are your supports!), you can get more points or bonuses. The "dog bear", for instance, gives you more points when you use the letters "d + o + g"

c) Although the game has a childish flair to it, it is truly for any player. If you have come for the content and like the look of it, this game will definitely be for you.

Facit

For people who love word games and Scrabble, this game can be a true gem. I play it on and off, especially when I have five minutes at hand and simply want to enjoy the sweet background and type out some fancy words. Beware: the game does get incredibly difficult, so if you are just here for the cute bears, it may not be for you.

May look childish, but definitely aimed at teens and older due to its difficulty.

Can be highly competitive and addicting.

Love this game. Play it a lot. Learn new words all the time. I did notice that one player in the early chapters somehow got some amazing scores that seem impossible, and I wonder if there was an early bug taken advantage of? No worries, just curious. Been playing since the mobile app was out. I would like a much better dictionary...although at least they have one now.

Did you ever want to play a slightly less teddy-ous version of Scrabble, filled with the fun of collecting cute creatures à la Pokemon? If so, this is the game for you! Please bear with me while I explain why.

You might ask yourself, "do I have the koalafications to play this?" Even if you do not feel very pawsitively towards your vocabulary skills, there is no need to be embearassed. The difficulty is scaled well and the game is forgiving enough, especially on the easier levels. Obtaining the minimum number of points on some later levels may get grizzly - sometimes almost unbearable - but with some forbearance, it is not impawssible.

Having played the mobile version for hours on end before its PC release, I can safely say that Alphabear is an enjoyable experience that I will enjoy pawsing and relecting upon for pawsterity. Try not to cause too much pandamonium on your way to your Steam checkout when picking this one up!

This is a cute, fun word game that's made a good transition from mobile. Now that it's not free-to-play, I enjoy it even more! Recommended for anyone who likes cute things or word games in the Bookworm / Scrabble tradition.

This isn't a bad game and the bears are super cute but it does start to feel repetitive after awhile. Some of the boss fights had a spike in difficulty forcing me to go back and grind levels for my bears which was more annoying than fun. I'll give this one a thumbs up but maybe wait for a sale.

The game was fun and then it became frustrating and then I stopped enjoying it.

The game wants you to farm bears to make up for the huge spikes in "difficulty" but the randomness in stages and drops combined with non-skippable transitions between screens makes it a huge chore.

Bear Balance is all over the place and there are some definite winners and a whole lot of losers.
Loser Bears.

The game is super cute and that's what drew me in to begin with... but don't be fooled by the aesthetics.

Maybe pick it up for like 5 bucks. Play it until you get most of the achievements. Then stop.

Alphabear is one of the best mobile games I’ve ever played, so it’s great to see it ported over to Steam.

If you missed out on the mobile version - it’s a bright, challenging word puzzle game with dozens of cute bears to unlock and collect. What more could you want? Seriously, stop being so greedy.

If you’re already familiar with the game, this version is almost identical - though there are a few improvements. Each chapter contains far more levels. There’s a new dictionary function - to help convince you that yes, the random combination of letters you desperately punched in really *is* an obscure word, honest. And there are no time limits on using particular bears - so once you unlock game-changing legendary bears (yes you, Relativity Bear), you can keep using them as often as you like. Keyboard control makes it much easier to enter words quickly, and when playing typed words the game will helpfully select letter tiles with fewest turns remaining.

It would be great to see the addition of many more achievements (bears unlocked, levels completed, lengths and categories of words played) - hopefully these will come with the next update. But that’s a tiny complaint, and it’s definitely worth the price tag in its current form. Overall rating: MANY BEARS

I loved Alphabear on my phone, and it's just as good on the computer. Actually, I'm not a huge fan of word puzzles, but the cute bears drew me in, and I've been a fan ever since. The new dictionary feature is great. Now all my made up words have meanings... almost.

Full disclaimer: I used to work for SpryFox, and my name is in the credits. (I still paid for it anyway)

That said, it doesn't make this game any less awesome, so I'll review it anyway. This game is one of the reasons that made me want to work for SpryFox in the first place. It won a shitload of awards for it's mobile version, and deservedly so.

The PC port is good, it's been redesigned to work in landscape and fullscreen, it doesn't have any IAP, any ads, or any timers or energy systems. It just works, it's great, and it's cheap.