Somewhere in the distance, I can hear that damn banjo from Deliverance. That's the kind of fairytale, backwoods horror this new game, Naughty Bear, evokes. Described as a "sociopathic teddy bear out for revenge with evil intentions," the game was developed by Artificial Mind & Movement in conjunction with 505 Games. The main character Naughty, who bears (no pun intended) a striking likeness to another well known misbehaving bi-ped, Pedo Bear, is supposedly hellbound to strike terror into the other creatures of his small, little world. Whether the similarities to Pedo Bear are more than just a passing resemblance remains to be seen, but I could definitely envision them existing together.
Filled with "tons of mischief and over-the-top cartoon violence," the game world consists of other "living" stuffed bears such as Naughty who are either too stuck up or just down right mean. This incites Naughty to begin a wholesale stalk-n-slash approach to revenge. That being said the game stinks of some thinly veiled taboos such as bullying and self-vindication which, in the context of this game, are alleviated with a strong dose of gratuitous violence.
Though the game doesn't seem to be marketed towards smaller children, it teeters on that dangerous edge by utilizing the stuffed bear imagery, nursery school themes and even touts itself as "hours of fun for gamers of all levels." As a father and a gamer, it leaves me undecided as to whether such a combination was the result of poor foresight or an intentional jab at oversensitive child activists.
Well stated my good friend! I'd love to give this one a 'stab' when I have the time. If only they went back in time and programmed this for the SEGA and released it alongside Earthworm Jim we'd be in business!