The Bear of Bad News

by daniel-username

co-authored: @support, @eeldam, @powerlanguage

Overall★★★★★★★★★★4.50

Fun★★★★★★★★★★4.39

Innovation★★★★★★★★★★4.19

Theme★★★★★★★★★★4.61

Graphics★★★★★★★★★★4.58

Audio★★★★★★★★★★4.12

Humor★★★★★★★★★★4.77

Mood★★★★★★★★★★4.31

You are a bear doctor delivering bad news in a hospital. Bears aren't great at English, but you'll have to do your best anyway. You'll encounter a number of minigames on your way. Pass them and you'll give respectful, professional answers to the friends and family of patients; fail them, and you might say something you regret.

Includes 8 songs. Can you find them all?

Play the game here

Minigame Controls

Space / enter / click -- interact

There are 3 minigames:

Game | Description
---|---|---
| Mash the button to move the bear claw. Aim for the highlighted regions for better phrases!
| Time your button press when the bear claw is in a highlighted region.
| Choose an option by clicking one of the three bear phrases. Who knows what you'll say?

Endings

There are three endings. Can you get them all?

Credits

* Gameplay -- @madlee @powerlanguage @support @daniel-username
* Art -- @madlee @daniel-username
* Music & FX -- @daniel-username (https://soundcloud.com/d-a-n-i-e-l-2-3)

Comments27

Bo Dangles2 May 2023, 01:47

This concept is hilarious! The art is phenomenal too. I only got the bad ending but might play it again to see if i can keep my job.

msnider2 May 2023, 01:50

Amazing game! I laughed so hard playing this and each mini-game was super fun.

Tony Li2 May 2023, 01:57

Great writing! The way messages are composed using minigames is very clever. The pixel animation is really good, as are the subtle audio touches such as the rustle of paper as the bear walks. Nothing negative to say. I really enjoyed playing this.

DuoBonza2 May 2023, 01:58

Games great, Try it out!!

Kenzie2 May 2023, 02:01

This is amazing! Running into another bear doctor at the end was so funny, and the dialogue was great. Also, the art looks phenomenal, especially for a game jam. You guys killed it.

Harrison Jones2 May 2023, 02:01

A good time for sure

SirPleb2 May 2023, 02:01

This game was hilarious! As much as I tried to get a good score, honestly the game was funniest when I messed up. I loved all the dialogue options I saw. One small improvement would be putting the graphic for how to play the minigame on it's own before the minigame starts. Specifically on the mashing one, I didn't realize that it was mashing the first time, so I missed it.

Tommeh2 May 2023, 02:01

This game was so funny and the spin on the theme was done really well. I was laughing so much at the dialog. Graphics and sound were also top tier. Incredible job!

Joe Daywalt2 May 2023, 02:02

I laughed from beginning to end!

Cody Holt2 May 2023, 02:03

I really liked the art! Delivering bad news is a great way to go with the theme. I thought that the sudden music change when the mini games happened was a bit jarring, but it was also comedic when it jumped back to the main theme. Overall great job!

Veesjan2 May 2023, 02:05

This is incredible, I liked it so much! The humor was absolutely perfect ^^

GreenLog2 May 2023, 02:08

A fantastic piece of entertainment! The only thing better than the premise might just be the execution! The minigames are sufficiently difficult, which leads to some wacky hijinks when combined with the great writing.

Adam Gallina2 May 2023, 04:05

I loved the bears walk animation, it was great. Overall I had a lot of fun - got the promotion ending! Some of the minigames were a little confusing at first, but it was easy to get the hang of them - is the question mark just RNG?

Wadlo2 May 2023, 04:32

Wow, this game looks great! The bear is amazing. Also the music is great too. Top game right here.

LDJam user 2998522 May 2023, 15:43

Really funny! tried to be a polite bear but ended up with a style of my own. Loved the bear walking animation

Defrag2 May 2023, 16:09

Many 5-stars ranks from me. This was amazing, and one of the few games where I want to play a few more times just to see all the possible mad-lib outcomes. I was just as happy to mess up a game. Great take on the theme, and just top-notch execution in every department. I don't know where you go from here - perhaps a couple more minigames and encounters?

Jaxah2 May 2023, 17:40

An amusing game, but the handling of the controls ... I just have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing at times.

squimmy2 May 2023, 17:44

This was fun!
Two of the minigames looking very similar at first glance, which was a bit confusing when the time limits are so strict, but I was very impressed with both the art and the writing.

elysiagriffin2 May 2023, 17:45

Thanks for submitting your game for me to play on my stream!

If you’d like to rewatch the playthrough, you can find it here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1809503221?t=3h17m38s

Good luck on your ratings, see you next LD! :D

💜 Elysia Griffin AKA Button Feedback Lady
https://www.twitch.tv/elysiagriffin

stuembi2 May 2023, 18:21

This is such a fun take on the theme. I had some hilarious conversations! I did not get how to influence the first dialog but still had a blast. Very cohesive art style and love how the bear walks :D Very cool entry!
Will try to get all endings for sure

Shmi2 May 2023, 22:09

Love the concept of the game and the dialogue is great. Especially when things start to go wrong.

Paul Avallone3 May 2023, 01:36

This game made me laugh out loud it was so funny. The dialog was super clever and well written 4 reel dog. The pixel art and animation was so well done. The mini games were fun. I wasn't sure if there was a strategy for the 3 roars mini game. Title is perfect. Incredible job! ait imma head out

congusbongus6 May 2023, 11:33

Definitely one of those games that are fun to fail at! I love the goofy bear animations, it's such a delight to watch. I'm looking forward to the full version, where the bear performs surgeries and fills prescriptions.

Francis8 May 2023, 03:48

Omg this is hilarious! Absolutely loved it, def one of my favorites of the jam! This game is underrated and needs more attention :)

Phoenix Fireflower9 May 2023, 20:07

I loved the random phrases the bear says when you fail and the art is gorgeous. One point of critique: the mash and timed button press minigames look to similair, which confused me at times.

Buumiii12 May 2023, 08:44

Hilarous game, loved the whole vibe this game was giving and it brings the theme to an absouletly fun and new level! With all the details combined with the great graphics, music and playstyle it is a excellent game!
Thank you for making me laugh and congrats for that amazing game!

WeirdBitGames14 May 2023, 13:30

This is utterly amazing. It looks so good, I love the bear animations. The gameplay is a little confusing but I think I'm getting the hang of it? I love the pun in the title and it's on point for the jam theme too. This is such a good entry!!

Other games by @daniel-username

★4.53

★3.86

co-authored