I personally like when different companies marry “cute” with absolute intense, gory, or otherwise horrific themes. It’s a nice chiaroscuro, and one that livens up typically played-out genres and styles of games. Naughty Bear does just that, setting players in control of the titular character that has been utterly spurned by Daddles, whom is having a birthday party. Instead of keeping eir mouth shut, Naughty Bear looks to wreak revenge on anyone that was related in any sense to the attempted snubbing.
The game itself is divided into seven distinct episodes, in which different inhabitants of Perfection Island are dealt with in brutal and macabre ways. Rather than merely stick with the teddy bear theme, Artificial Mind and Movement continually throw players for a loop throughout the entirety of the game. This means that players should expect the unexpected – robots, ninjas, and even aliens enter into Naughty Bear’s storyline.
Naughty Bear (the character) is not wholly bad, and the storyline showcases this fact. If ey just received an invite, none of the killing and otherwise destroying of Perfection Island would have happened. The title itself works well in filling in any open space in the Manhunt and Hitman genre, and leaves things open for a sequel or for DLC. While there might be small issues like camera situation and repetition in the narration of the disembodied voice, I feel that these pale in comparison to the catchy storyline and incredibly fun game play offered during Naughty Bear’s run time.
Rating: 6.9/10
Naughty Bear (Xbox 360) / 2010 Artificial Mind and Movement | 505 Games / http://www.naughtybearthegame.com / http://www.505games.com