Bee Leader

Video games like to take liberties. Hedgehogs can't run fast, plumbers are useless when it comes to saving princesses, and birds and pigs actually have a pretty good relationship. We forgive them, though, because the lies they spin make for exciting entertainment.

Bee Leader takes the opposite tack, presenting you with an oddly accurate portrayal of the erratic flight of the honey bee, in the process creating a difficult, intriguing, and likeable little game.

You play as the titular leader of the bees, and it's up to you to fly out into the big bad world, collecting nectar that the hive can turn into honey. You can suck up nectar from flowers, as well as picking it up from the pollen orbs scattered around.

Once the sun sets, you're dragged back to the hive to tally up how well you've done. You can drop off nectar during the day, and that'll give you a higher honey score than nectar deposited after the sun has gone down.

Other bees join in to help with your nectar-gathering when you fly past them, and you can pick up clock-shaped power-ups that extend the day and let you collect more and get a better score.

A variety of animals, from birds that peck at you to snakes that spit out globs of nectar stealing venom, will try and thwart your progress. Storm clouds, spiky cacti, and man-made obstacles all get in the way of your hunt.

There are three control methods to choose from - floating joysticks, touch, and tilt - and all of them manage to capture the bobbing, weaving, slightly haphazard manoeuvring of a bee at full speed. You'll crash into things, miss your targets, and end up overshooting flowers by a good distance.

With a tighter control system, the game would be far too easy, but the slapdash nature of every flight means you're constantly struggling to keep on top of things. It's a clever use of the hardware, and will likely make you feel more like a bee than any other game.

Bee Leader is a fun, intelligent little timewaster. It does take a little getting used to, but once things click there's hours of enjoyment to be had.

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