It’s starting to feel like people are willing to admit that games can be funny. Of course, plenty of examples point to the inverse, especially those that attempt to highlight humor as a main draw but fail to stick the landing. However, releases like Untitled Goose Game and Thank Goodness You’re Here! have really gone a long way to nail humor in gaming. I’d argue that Rightfully, Beary Arms can be put in that camp as well. The self-proclaimed space-bear roguelite, where you influence player-enemy upgrades, loot weapons, and influence what persists after death, leans on its writing. Funny throughout, the game’s tone slightly overshadows its actual gameplay, leaving a mixed feeling.

Rightfully, Beary Arms is a cutely designed game with plenty of charm, but the experience is far from fluffy. This roguelite bullet hell is punishing, quickly ramping up its difficulty as you build your weapon with augments and explore levels. You’ll continue to gain strength as you go, collecting runtimes that serve to boost your abilities. This isn’t all you collect, as you will also face calamities that harm you, and you have to choose which ones to pick up along the way. Choosing these, along with which weapons to improve or swap out for new ones, is the heart of the strategy to run in this game.

Beary, your little space hero, is going to get more adept at taking on the enemies you encounter. This is primarily done through weapon upgrades, including augmentations that change their rate of fire, reload speed, and strength. New functionalities also allow you to use them in different ways than first intended, allowing you to adapt the guns to your playstyle. I found the variety of augmentations to be large, but I never really loved any single build. Overall, the “one more run” of it all was what kept me chugging along.

As I did so, I was faced with choices regarding which rooms to pursue next, many of which were on levels that held a chance at certain rewards. Depending on my weapon build, I might aim to find more resources to aid in my speed if I knew I had to get up close and personal with a shotgun. You could also seek out the reward of inspiration, the currency that carries through after you die in a run, so you can continue to get stronger. These options, as well as the weapons, are at the heart of what Rightfully, Beary Arms offers the player in terms of uniqueness in the crowded space of shooter roguelites.

As I mentioned at the top, the writing in this game is very well done. There are a lot of gags as well as lines of dialogue that made me smirk. Beary is also a wonderful main character, and the world of dangers he finds himself in is plenty entertaining. The main hangup I had with the game, however, is that, despite looking good and nailing its humor, the gameplay failed to hook me. I didn’t love the way Beary controlled, partly because of a jump mechanic that wasn’t satisfying. Also, (sadly) no amount of augments or upgrades made me feel like I was having a blast, well, blasting enemies.

It’s not that any element of this game was bad or unenjoyable. I just realized after hours of gametime that I wasn’t necessarily getting more into the experience. Rather, I was thinking of other roguelites I enjoyed more, for one reason or another, and unfairly asking Beary why he couldn’t do those things. Every game development team makes choices, and I think many of the choices in Rightfully, Beary Arms are correct. I wouldn’t even say there are wrong choices, persay, but I craved a bit more speed out of my little bear and a bit more fun factor with my gunplay.

Rightfully, Beary Arms is $10 USD, and is even launching with a 40% off sale. That price point makes a recommendation to roguelite sickos easy, offering plenty of game to enjoy with the low cost of entry. That said, if you’re only someone who picks up the Hades or Enter the Gungeon‘s of the world because everyone praises them endlessly, this one will not likely give you something you have to experience for yourself. Check out gameplay online and see if it clicks for you. With my hands on a controller, it really didn’t, and that’s okay. There’s love in the writing and art style of this game, I can appreciate, even if I don’t plan to return to it much myself moving forward.

An Xbox Series X review copy of Rightfully, Beary Arms was provided by Daylight Basement Studio for this review.

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Rightfully, Beary Arms

$9.99

6

Score

6.0/10

Pros

• Clever and funny in-game writing
• Nice art style and main character design

Cons

• Not enough of a hook to wrap me in
• Too few ways to make gunplay more exciting, despite countless augments
• Just a tad choppier than I want a roguelite to feel behind the controller