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Bears vs. Art is an iOS puzzler that arms you with rage and claws to destroy art

Scratch that

Bears vs. Art is an iOS puzzler that arms you with rage and claws to destroy art
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iOS
| Bears vs. Art

Halfbrick has replaced chopping fruit with scratching paintings in its newly announced iOS puzzle game, Bears vs. Art.

There's a trailer that explains the gist of the game (embedded below): A bear's forest is overtaken by millionaires and their art galleries, which makes the bear want to destroy art. All of it.

However, for all of the charm of the Dr. Seuss-style rhyming, that trailer doesn't explain how the game plays. Luckily, I've had a little go and can fill in the gaps.

It's a widely known fact that bears can't understand art. Put Winnie, Yogi, or Bears vs. Art's Rory in front of a million pound painting, and they'll recreate one of those Charmin adverts by wiping their butt with it.

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Bears vs. Art has a little more grace to it than that, but only just. Each of the 125 levels are grid-based puzzles. Upon the walls and columns are paintings that need to be destroyed in a certain number of moves (or less), or before the timer runs out.

Your problem is that Rory the bear is so full of rage that when you tell him to roll in a direction, he doesn't stop until he hits a wall. Hence there's a need for some strategy.

By far the most exhilarating part of the game is swishing a finger over the screen to claw each painting into bits. You get to do that every time you land in front of a painting; it doesn't get tired.

As you progress, you'll come across levels that require patience, as well as some that require you to be careful and quick.

Add security guards that need to be knocked out, ninjas and thieves that get in your way, lasers to turn off, and snooty guests that need to avoided. The variation keeps the game fresh from level-to-level.

Bears vs. Art

While failure isn't heavily punished in Bears vs. Art, you will lose your "entry fee" to each level should you screw up. If you completely run out of entry fees, you can use the coins you earn to buy more, or wait for it to recharge over time.

Coins can also be spent on costumes and powers that can be used to help you out when stuck. Slowing down ninjas, or giving yourself an extra turn, for example.

Bears vs. Art's biggest strength is supplying a mix of slow puzzle levels, and more action-oriented speed challenges. You'll want to keep playing just to see what type of level is next, as well as to satisfy your need to scratch paintings.

I'm not a fan of having to pay or wait if you run out of entry fees. However, you'll probably find that after 15 minutes you'll want a break anyway. Your brain can only endure so much puzzle solving at once, after all.

You can download Bears vs. Art for free on the Australian and Canadian App Stores right now. It should go global sometime later this year.

Chris Priestman
Chris Priestman
Anything eccentric, macabre, or just plain weird, is what Chris is all about. He turns the spotlight on the games that fly under the radar.