Do you remember that old game called Snake that was on basically every device known to man? Picture that same idea but on a sphere similar to one of the worlds in Super Mario Galaxy. Now instead of a snake, you are piloting a bear in a space suit competing against others in a one-on-one battle, party mode, or striving to get the top score for Jetfish Hunting. This is Astro Bears, and it might be something you want to pull out at your next game night.
If this sounds familiar, there was a version from 2017 called Astro Bears Party, which solely focused on the party mode. After many people asked for more, Astro Bears was born. This version adds four more bears (making eight total) with their own playstyles, new options for Party Mode, and a two-player mode for JetFish Hunting with online leaderboards. There is also a one-on-one tournament option called Competitive Mode, where players compete in a best-of-five competition with three different bears.
Astro Bears might seem like a simple concept, because it is. There is really nothing overly flashy or surprising about it. All modes are essentially the same, requiring you to choose a bear to fit your planet’s structure, before running and jumping around with your ribbon. Similar to Snake, your goal is to not run into your ribbon or one from another player. The results, though, are astonishing.
While this can be a great deal of fun at a party or game tournament, the biggest complaint I had with the game is that there is still not much there for a single-player experience. If you get tired collecting Jetfish, there is really nothing else to do, except call up a friend. An online multiplayer option would be nice for those times when you could at least compete with others around the world.
Because the game is so simple to learn, it is easy for many players to jump in quickly. You basically move around with the analog stick, jump with one button, and dash with another. You do have a jetpack, though, which allows you to hover for a short length of time. Again, this makes it very easy to pick up and play. I even found myself wanting to play just one more time on the Jetfish Hunting mode.
This updated version does add several new modes, planet modifiers, characters, and music, but again, the game is basically the same as before. So if a space-based multiplayer version of Snake sounds exciting for your next party, you will definitely want to download Astro Bears. On the other side, if something like that does not peak your interest or if you don’t play local multiplayer with friends that often, you should probably save your money.
GAME: Astro Bears
DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER: SONKA
ESRB: Rated E for Everyone
MSRP: $6.99 US
OBTAINED: Review code from developers/publishers for press and review purposes
Steve is the Senior Editor of NintendoFuse and co-host of the NintendoFuse Podcast. He’s been a Nintendo gamer since age 6 and has been on staff with NintendoFuse since 2008.