I was quite intrigued when I first saw a trailer for Where The Bees Make Honey. I've really enjoyed other isometric puzzle games like Captain Toad and Monument Valley. So when the Kickstarter was launch to help fund the game I threw in enough for a digital copy. I really didn't know what to expect or maybe I should say I thought it might be a fairly traditional puzzle game. Now that I've played through this game I can definitely say that this is actually quite a different kind of experience. More of an experimental narrative driven experience this game plays out more like an abstract short story. Made on a tight budget there isn't a whole lot to offer but it was interesting for sure.
The game starts out with the young woman named Sunny stuck working over time at a very ordinary office building. Apparently she works at a call center and is quite frustrated by how dehumanizing her job is. Her boss asks her to pick up some items when the power goes out. Once the lights come back it is almost like you are transported to a different world. You start to take a trip down memory lane reliving some of the moments that defined your childhood. These aren't however traditional flashbacks; instead they seem like warped versions of the events. For example when you are out trick or treating you need to avoid zombies and killer pumpkins. Reflecting on all these events will help Sunny determine what kind of world she wants to make for herself.
The gameplay is quite varied from puzzles to light exploration. One minute you'll be running around as an animal the next you'll looking for your bike parts in the snow. These sections are narrated as you play which help to provide you with details of each of these memories. In between the scenes that reflect back on your past are the isometric puzzles. The puzzles are different from other games as not only does rotating the camera let you see from different angles but each time you rotate certain pieces will move as well. The handful of puzzles in the game are interesting if not a bit on the easy side. Oddly enough the puzzles seem out of place as they don't seem to serve any purpose to the story-line.
This honestly feels like a very cheap indie game and looking back at it's budget helps explain a lot. I'm not saying that it is a bad experience just quite short and rough around the edges. It only takes an hour to finish the game which does feel a bit short for a ten dollar game. In that sense it almost feels like and interactive movie quickly leading you from one scene to the next. There isn't any collectables so there is little to no reason to replay expect to see alternative scene at the very end. I can only recommend this to someone who really enjoys abstract artsy games. That said, I thought it was a pleasant enough experience that for better and worse definitely caught me off guard.