Bears In Space is a comedic over-the-top bullet-hell FPS game from a 3-man developer team called Broadside Games. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn’t do well, and if it’s worth your time and money.
Bears In Space Review Overview
What is Bears In Space?
Bears In Space is an over-the-top bullet-hell FPS. As such, expect fast-paced FPS gameplay where you’re barraged with bullets. It’s also a comedy game, so there will be laughs and gags along the way. Engage in high-octane battles and take out armies of robots with outlandish and over-the-top weapons, all while double-jumping and dashing to safety when caught in a pickle. You’ll occasionally find some honey, and consuming enough will transform you into a powerful bear, whose talent in bear-fu and alien bear powers prove deadly to your foes.
Bears In Space features:
⚫︎ Over-the-top bullet hell FPS gameplay with over 25 unique and zany weapons
⚫︎ A comedic quest to get back to earth, with lots of laughs along the way
⚫︎ A vibrant and colorful cartoony art style
⚫︎ A variety of entertaining activities to do
For more gameplay details, read everything we know about Bears In Space's gameplay and story.
 Steam |
$19.99 |
Bears In Space Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Side Quests Are Actually Fun Great Writing Great Progression System |
Some Weapons Feel Gimmicky |
Bears In Space Overall Score - 84/100
Bears In Space succeeds in its mission of delivering an action-packed boomer shooter experience with a comedic vibe. The writing is hilarious, the gameplay is pretty decent, and there are a ton of fun activities to do on the side that’ll sometimes make you forget what your objective is.
Bears In Space Story - 9/10
Your goal in this game is very simple—to get back to Earth after finding yourself in a fiasco way up in space. The objective takes you through a lot of zany locations, meeting tons of quirky characters along the way. The writing in this game is superb, which is evident in its hilarious dialogue and how the story is easily comprehendible yet very entertaining.
Bears In Space Gameplay - 8/10
Bears In Space successfully combines the feel of classic 90s and 00s shooters with the bullet hell subgenre. It’s fun, the controls are responsive, and the weapons feel pretty nice to use. It’s definitely not the best-feeling shooter out there, but it’s still pretty good. The activities you do outside of shooting robots are actually lots of fun, unlike in most other games where side quests feel like a chore.
Bears In Space Visuals - 8/10
Bears In Space isn’t the most spectacular game, nor is it the prettiest. However, it definitely holds its own in that department, as its vibrant and colorful art style works very well with the game’s lighthearted and comedic identity that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The map designs are well-detailed, as well as the character models you’ll encounter. They all fit a spacey/robotic theme, but they’re pretty distinct despite that.
Bears In Space Audio - 8/10
Bears In Space is also respectable in its audio department. The voice acting is pretty good, the soundtrack is fitting, and so are the sound effects. As you’d expect in a shooter set in space and other planets, expect lots of pew pews, metallic clanking, and zany voice acting from the robots you encounter.
Bears In Space Value for Money - 9/10
Whether you’re a die-hard FPS fan or someone just looking for a fun adventure to get lost in, Bears In Space provides you with excellent value for money. $19.99 is a great deal for a game like this, as playing through it feels a lot like being in a funny cartoon adventure. It’s not free, nor is it something I’d want to replay right after finishing it, but it’s something I’d probably replay somewhere down the line.
Bears In Space Review | Beary Absurd Fun
Bears In Space reminds me a lot of comedic FPS adventure games like High on Life and the Borderlands series. While I haven’t played High on Life, I do think that it’s definitely funnier than the Borderlands games. You’ll definitely feel the boomer shooter vibes and the bullet hell elements right off the bat, but especially more so once you’ve progressed deeper into the game. What starts out as a pretty easy game quickly turns into a challenging but definitely beatable game.
You play as Maxwell Atoms, a spacetronaut whose DNA got mixed up with a bear named Beartana, after your ship went into a state of experimental but dangerous hyperquickness, as you tried to escape the Bearmada trying to attack your crew. Your ship has been wrecked, and the goal is simple—to head back to Earth. From there, you’ll find yourself on an outrageously fun and lighthearted journey back home, where you’ll find yourself in countless absurd situations and battle armies of armed and hostile robots along the way.
Combat in this game is pretty good. You’ll have a wide variety of weapons to choose from, and each weapon gets upgraded once you reach a certain number of kills with it. While some weapons are a lot better than others, it’s certainly nice that you have options. You’ll be swarmed by different types of enemy robots trying to gun you down from all directions, so you’ll have to play smart and neutralize the more dangerous threats first, all while taking cover when it’s available and relying on your movement to get out of sticky situations. As a bear, you’ll have access to a double jump and a dash, and you won’t be taking any fall damage either. The game isn’t a walk in the park isn’t something you could complete while playing on autopilot. Use these wisely if you wish to succeed.
While I think that the combat is good, which does make up a sizeable chunk of the game, I think that what takes the cake is the immersive environment and the crazy activities you could indulge in. My favorite by far was randomly finding a basketball hoop and an orange cube resembling a basketball. I took a jumper and it went in, and a robot randomly appeared and went like “woah you’re good enough to be on our basketcube team.” I said yes when he offered to let me join and the next thing I knew I was in an organized match complete with spectators, a commentator, and an arena. There’s a lot of very random stuff you’ll come across, and despite seemingly coming out of nowhere, it just works.
While navigating through the maps, you’ll find yourself doing a lot of platforming, though these aren’t really difficult at all. There are a ton of secrets to uncover all throughout the game, and exploration definitely feels rewarding because of these. A lot of the funny scenarios I found myself in were because I found a room or a path that led me to these secret interactions. They’re not particularly hard to miss, as long as you make an effort to explore.
The game really makes an effort to be very user-friendly. When you run out of ammo, you’ll automatically switch to your next weapon, saving you a second or two whereas in other games it’d cost you some time as you don’t realize right away that you’re out of ammo. You could also select/deselect which ones you’d automatically switch to. There’s also an option where instead of loading back into your last save point when you die, you could just respawn nearby and continue. In this game, you have the option to tailor how hard or how easy you want the game to be.
Pros of Bears In Space
| Things Bears In Space Got Right |
|---|
|
Side Quests Are Actually Fun Great Writing Great Progression System |
Side Quests Are Actually Fun
It’s not common for side quests to be fun. Oftentimes, they feel rather empty, pointless, or just outright boring. While the side activities in this game do keep you away from quickly completing the rest of the level, I don’t mind at all since these are really entertaining, and provide us with a nice change of environment, away from all the bullets headed your way. As mentioned above, my favorite is the basketcube side activity, but there are other equally outrageous side quests to do like solving a murder mystery and partaking in a boxing match.
Great Writing
I find the content in this game to be genuinely funny, as it doesn’t rely solely on shock value, slapstick humor, or yelling. Instead, the dialogue itself is often funny, or the scenario you find yourself in is just so outlandish that it’s funny. The game also often references pop culture, like Johnny Knoxville from Jackass and Men in Black. It takes competent writers and creative minds to be able to make people laugh with original content, which is something the 3-man team behind Bears In Space was able to do.
Great Progression System
The game incentivizes you to use the weapons you acquire, as getting a certain number of kills upgrades it. The upgrades often actually change the guns for the better, and not just in terms of damage. For example, the pistol you get starts off as somewhat of a peashooter, with low damage and a slow fire rate. Once upgraded, you’ll be able to dual-wield these, and another upgrade will grant you yet another pistol, with this being the first time I’ve ever seen a triple-wielded pistol. The upgrades and the weapons, much like the rest of the game, don’t take themselves too seriously, which manages to surprise its players by giving us something so out-of-the-box, which is why I think the game is an excellent comedy FPS.
Cons of Bears In Space
| Things That Bears In Space Can Improve |
|---|
|
Some Weapons Feel Gimmicky |
Some Weapons Feel Gimmicky
While I definitely enjoyed most of the weapons for the first time, only the pistol, the shotgun, the assault rifle, the gatling laser, and the rocket launcher were the ones I found myself spending a lot of time on. I lost interest with the other ones as soon as the shock value from using them was gone, as they’re much less effective than the ones I’ve just listed. For example, the basketcube was so underwhelming and ineffective that I only ever enjoyed using them on the court, and not as a weapon. There’s also a propellor hat, which latches on an opponent’s head when thrown, propelling them upwards and eventually exploding. It was fun to use at first, but the ammo capacity is low and it only really works on the weakest of enemy units. You’re much better off just shooting a shotgun shell in their face, killing them instantly and quickly recovering the shell you spent, as ammo for that is abundant.
Is Bears In Space Worth It?
Beary Much Worth It!
Bears In Space provides its players with a fun and comedic adventure through the cosmos, along with good FPS gameplay inspired by older shooters like Doom and Quake. It’s genuinely funny, the combat is decent, and it’s well-written too. Its side quests/activities are delightful to play through, unlike in most games where they often feel dull. It’s also very user-friendly and lets you customize how hard/easy you want it to be. Exploration is fun and doesn’t feel tedious, as there are a ton of secrets and activities to uncover.
| Platform | Price |
|---|---|
| Steam |
$19.99 |
Bears In Space FAQ
How do you upgrade your weapons in Bears In Space?
You can upgrade your weapons by getting a certain number of kills with the weapon you want to upgrade. The bar below your ammo at the lower-right hand of your screen shows your upgrade progress.
Which weapons are the best in Bears In Space?
Focus on upgrading the pistol, the shotgun, the assault rifle, the gatling laser, and the rocket launcher, as they pack a punch and their ammo can be found rather easily.
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Bears In Space Product Information
 |
|
| Title | BEARS IN SPACE |
|---|---|
| Release Date | March 22, 2024 |
| Developer | Broadside Games |
| Publisher | Ravenscourt |
| Supported Platforms | PC |
| Genre | FPS, Bullet hell |
| Number of Players | 1 |
| ESRB Rating | RP |
| Official Website | Bears In Space Website |
