What an oddity, that one of the most human games I've ever played is also the most surreal, the most difficult to parse. Yet here we are. Just like Jack intended, I'm sure.
Beeswing is an autobriographical amalgamation of Jack King-Spooner's recollections of his titular hometown, a quiet, rural village in Scotland. It's the sort of place where you know the name of everyone who dies. Where pets are buried in the local cemetery. Where, to this day, you can point out the tree that you used to climb with your childhood friends. And it's all wrapped in an uncanny, beautiful bow. Each person is a silhouette of someone real, a shadow of a few ideas or memories that stuck with the creator after all these years.
The only label that I could possibly think to apply to Beeswing is an almost 'Lynchian' nature. I know readers might laugh and shake their heads at the comparison, but it's the closest thing to it in my mind. The loose, bizarre structure, the entirely unique presentation, and the overarching themes you have to think on.
But, even then, Beeswing sits in a category of its own - and none of the game is easier to swallow for that. I had a pit in my stomach through much of my time with it, for reasons I can't rightly explain. I just felt like I was seeing something that wasn't mine to see. After all, it's a love-letter to a place that likely none of us will ever visit, a series of reminisces that will never be truly, fully understood by anyone but Jack himself. We are merely taking a peek inside his diary, through a kaleidoscopic lense.
SHORT REVIEW
Visuals: 5.5/5
Audio: 5/5
Story: 5.5/5
Gameplay: 4/5
Worldbuilding: 5.5/5
Overal game score: 5/5 [5.1/5]
IN-DEPTH REVIEW
Visuals:
Beeswing takes life as an arts and craft project, a mixed-media collage of sketches, paintings, clay, and more. Nothing fits together like it should; a lot of the visuals are upsetting because of it, in a visceral sort of way. Fire is strangely pixelated. Jack looks to be simultaneously 10 and 30 in his portrait (most likely intentional, given the context.) Some people are simple pencil drawings, while others are impressionistic digital portraits, and others yet are detailed physical paintings.
There really, truly is nothing like Jack's style within the medium. Even when you think something might look downright bad, it finds a way to add to the charm. A crayon drawing of a boat on water, with ms paint-level clouds and lighting - it's beautiful, in its own way, is it not? This simplicity, this bare bones depiction of a fragment of Jack's past.
The art style won't be for everyone. It's wild, it's messy, it's patched together. But in all that, there emerges a beauty that's beyond the typical crystalline perfection. There's a rawness, a realness that draws you in and drowns you in its nostalgia - a place that's as real as it is fictional.
Overall, 5.5/5.
Sound:
Beeswing's soundtrack is often as disconcertingly pleasing as its art. Both invoke a sense of wonder, their dreamlike qualities accentuating the strange beauty of the village. Within the apparent 'noise' of it all, there are intelligent pieces conveying things difficult to put a finger on. Loneliness, longing, the feeling of being home. The thick piano, the ethereal voices, the plinky acoustic guitar. There is love sewn into every note, as well as deep meaning.
And there is little else to accompany you on your journey. Every step of the way, you are side-by-side with the abstract tunes. They guide you through the village. They set the mood for each individual corner.
Overall, 5/5.
Story:
Identifying a structural "story" within Beeswing is difficult. There is a loose sense of progression, as you cross things off of your to-do list and explore the village to completion, but that isn't really the point. The point is simply to observe a world Jack has left behind.
A large portion of your playtime will be spent talking to various townspeople; each one have something benignly philosophical to say. Many people speak of death, of loss, of missing something that's no longer there - or worrying for when it IS gone. Yet, the tone remains ever-hopeful. Yeah, we're all going to die, but there's so much to appreciate while we're alive. We're going to lose people, but that's why we should cherish every moment with them. Our friends grow apart from us, but there are still good memories to hold dear.
We're going to die, but we're fine.
I really don't know how to aptly put into words Beeswing's writing. It's so poignant in its sharp sense of death, but so loving in its viewing of childhood and existence as a whole. It's not something that can be summed up in a review - or explained by language, really. It's something you just have to experience.
Overall, 5.5/5.
Gameplay:
There is, ostensibly, none to be found. You simply travel the tiny village, you talk to the residents, you witness personal stories and faiths.
And I know that a lot of people harp on "walking simulators", or games with no fail-states, or where the main objective is simply to observe. But I couldn't care less about those criticisms, personally. Yeah, maybe there are times where mechanics could add another layer to those experiences. But sometimes it's okay for games to be basic in that department, for it to pose no challenge, and instead just take you on a journey.
After all, why add them when they aren't needed? No amount of point-and-clicking or puzzles would have done anything for Beeswing. In fact, I think it would have taken away from it. Your short time with the game - where you are focused solely on the writing, aesthetics, and atmosphere - lets the world to stay magical.
So, like... it's fine.
Overall, 4/5.
Worldbuilding:
Beeswing is an abstract viewing of a real place. Beeswing is small. It's quaint. It's quiet, but alive.
It feels like home.
The breathtaking aesthetics, the thought-provoking dialogue, and the obvious personal connection that Jack has to everything within make this game something special.
Every person is dealing with their own crises, an individual slice of existentialism; every conversation is self-contained. There are no secret connections, or even a general sense of cohesion. You are experiencing fragments of a larger picture. Snippets of memories. And that freestanding dialogue makes each interaction feel special. Each take you on their own journey, telling you their own three-minute story. The only continuous threads are the themes of life and death, and the deep emotional blows.
Overall, 5.5/5.
Overall game score: 5/5. Beeswing an overwhelming experience - a beautiful and vaguely nostalgic gut punch wrapped up in two hours. I adore it with all my heart, and I hope that more people give it a chance.
"Some cut off seeing people after a certain time, when the fading is very advanced - they don't want to see that. They don't even go in to look, say, 'cheery oh.' I want to be with her every moment I can."
Beeswing is an autobriographical amalgamation of Jack King-Spooner's recollections of his titular hometown, a quiet, rural village in Scotland. It's the sort of place where you know the name of everyone who dies. Where pets are buried in the local cemetery. Where, to this day, you can point out the tree that you used to climb with your childhood friends. And it's all wrapped in an uncanny, beautiful bow. Each person is a silhouette of someone real, a shadow of a few ideas or memories that stuck with the creator after all these years.
The only label that I could possibly think to apply to Beeswing is an almost 'Lynchian' nature. I know readers might laugh and shake their heads at the comparison, but it's the closest thing to it in my mind. The loose, bizarre structure, the entirely unique presentation, and the overarching themes you have to think on.
But, even then, Beeswing sits in a category of its own - and none of the game is easier to swallow for that. I had a pit in my stomach through much of my time with it, for reasons I can't rightly explain. I just felt like I was seeing something that wasn't mine to see. After all, it's a love-letter to a place that likely none of us will ever visit, a series of reminisces that will never be truly, fully understood by anyone but Jack himself. We are merely taking a peek inside his diary, through a kaleidoscopic lense.
SHORT REVIEW
Visuals: 5.5/5
Audio: 5/5
Story: 5.5/5
Gameplay: 4/5
Worldbuilding: 5.5/5
Overal game score: 5/5 [5.1/5]
IN-DEPTH REVIEW
Visuals:
Beeswing takes life as an arts and craft project, a mixed-media collage of sketches, paintings, clay, and more. Nothing fits together like it should; a lot of the visuals are upsetting because of it, in a visceral sort of way. Fire is strangely pixelated. Jack looks to be simultaneously 10 and 30 in his portrait (most likely intentional, given the context.) Some people are simple pencil drawings, while others are impressionistic digital portraits, and others yet are detailed physical paintings.
There really, truly is nothing like Jack's style within the medium. Even when you think something might look downright bad, it finds a way to add to the charm. A crayon drawing of a boat on water, with ms paint-level clouds and lighting - it's beautiful, in its own way, is it not? This simplicity, this bare bones depiction of a fragment of Jack's past.
The art style won't be for everyone. It's wild, it's messy, it's patched together. But in all that, there emerges a beauty that's beyond the typical crystalline perfection. There's a rawness, a realness that draws you in and drowns you in its nostalgia - a place that's as real as it is fictional.
Overall, 5.5/5.
Sound:
Beeswing's soundtrack is often as disconcertingly pleasing as its art. Both invoke a sense of wonder, their dreamlike qualities accentuating the strange beauty of the village. Within the apparent 'noise' of it all, there are intelligent pieces conveying things difficult to put a finger on. Loneliness, longing, the feeling of being home. The thick piano, the ethereal voices, the plinky acoustic guitar. There is love sewn into every note, as well as deep meaning.
And there is little else to accompany you on your journey. Every step of the way, you are side-by-side with the abstract tunes. They guide you through the village. They set the mood for each individual corner.
Overall, 5/5.
Story:
Identifying a structural "story" within Beeswing is difficult. There is a loose sense of progression, as you cross things off of your to-do list and explore the village to completion, but that isn't really the point. The point is simply to observe a world Jack has left behind.
A large portion of your playtime will be spent talking to various townspeople; each one have something benignly philosophical to say. Many people speak of death, of loss, of missing something that's no longer there - or worrying for when it IS gone. Yet, the tone remains ever-hopeful. Yeah, we're all going to die, but there's so much to appreciate while we're alive. We're going to lose people, but that's why we should cherish every moment with them. Our friends grow apart from us, but there are still good memories to hold dear.
We're going to die, but we're fine.
I really don't know how to aptly put into words Beeswing's writing. It's so poignant in its sharp sense of death, but so loving in its viewing of childhood and existence as a whole. It's not something that can be summed up in a review - or explained by language, really. It's something you just have to experience.
Overall, 5.5/5.
Gameplay:
There is, ostensibly, none to be found. You simply travel the tiny village, you talk to the residents, you witness personal stories and faiths.
And I know that a lot of people harp on "walking simulators", or games with no fail-states, or where the main objective is simply to observe. But I couldn't care less about those criticisms, personally. Yeah, maybe there are times where mechanics could add another layer to those experiences. But sometimes it's okay for games to be basic in that department, for it to pose no challenge, and instead just take you on a journey.
After all, why add them when they aren't needed? No amount of point-and-clicking or puzzles would have done anything for Beeswing. In fact, I think it would have taken away from it. Your short time with the game - where you are focused solely on the writing, aesthetics, and atmosphere - lets the world to stay magical.
So, like... it's fine.
Overall, 4/5.
Worldbuilding:
Beeswing is an abstract viewing of a real place. Beeswing is small. It's quaint. It's quiet, but alive.
It feels like home.
The breathtaking aesthetics, the thought-provoking dialogue, and the obvious personal connection that Jack has to everything within make this game something special.
Every person is dealing with their own crises, an individual slice of existentialism; every conversation is self-contained. There are no secret connections, or even a general sense of cohesion. You are experiencing fragments of a larger picture. Snippets of memories. And that freestanding dialogue makes each interaction feel special. Each take you on their own journey, telling you their own three-minute story. The only continuous threads are the themes of life and death, and the deep emotional blows.
Overall, 5.5/5.
Overall game score: 5/5. Beeswing an overwhelming experience - a beautiful and vaguely nostalgic gut punch wrapped up in two hours. I adore it with all my heart, and I hope that more people give it a chance.
"Some cut off seeing people after a certain time, when the fading is very advanced - they don't want to see that. They don't even go in to look, say, 'cheery oh.' I want to be with her every moment I can."
neptea
2 years ago