Bean Beasts Review

Developed and published by Anxious Noob, Bean Beasts is a tower defence game full of strategy, beautiful visuals, and a cast of cute characters. This game was originally on Steam, but has now made its way onto the Switch. Graphically, Bean Beasts looks like the perfect fit for Nintendo’s console, but how will the gameplay fare?

We start the game with a storybook-like intro that tells the tale of a mysterious explorer with an ancient map that has been passed down through their family for many generations. Once the lizard explorer arrives at the island shown on the map, she comes into contact with friendly creatures that can change their form when threatened; they are known as Bean Beasts. As the Sun begins to set and darkness takes over the island, it becomes swarmed by hordes of monsters. Unable to fight them off with her new allies, she retreats, leaving no trace of her whereabouts.

This is the moment when we meet a blue lizard named Rider; he is a descendant of the missing explorer. His dream is to explore the island and uncover the secrets hidden there using the Bean Beasts to aid him on his journey. These creatures are the main focus of the game, and each one has three evolutionary stages that are unlocked by earning experience points from defeating enemies and by eating special beans.

As soon as you begin, the game gives you multiple difficulty options, ranging from Explorer to Hero. This seems straightforward enough, but there is an issue: if you pick the easiest option, you might actually be in trouble. The game provides unlocks based on the difficulty you play on, so to obtain the best items, you are forced to tackle the hardest setting. If you do not, your journey will be even tougher without the special tools you need to effectively defeat stronger hordes of enemies. Either way, be prepared for a challenging experience.

The game begins with a tutorial that teaches you how to fight off incoming monster hordes. Your first task is to place your Bean Beast, which happens to be a cute cactus, and the first of 10 that you will unlock as you progress. This adorable succulent attacks enemies that walk past by throwing spikes at them. You can level it up by spending beans to increase the damage it deals and expand its attack range.

To defeat the enemy, your primary line of defence is placing traps on the ground, along with ballistas for ranged attacks. Each trap and weapon can be upgraded to make them more deadly and to increase the range of their projectiles. Both options work well against ground-based enemies, but they are ineffective against foes that fly overhead. There is one feature that may save you when you are about to be overwhelmed: each Bean Beast has a special ability that charges up every round. When activated (depending on which character you are using), meteors may rain down on your enemies, or you can zap them with a lightning attack. These abilities cannot be spammed, as they require time to recharge, so timing is crucial.

Once you defeat all the enemies in a wave, you are given time to strategise and plan before the next group of foes arrives. Any traps you placed during the previous wave will remain, so you do not need to start from scratch. Bean Beasts clearly shows the paths that incoming enemies will take, allowing you to place traps and weapons accordingly. However, sometimes the equipment you placed earlier will not be on the route the new enemies use. You can leave them there for future waves, or, if you desperately need gold, sell them back at a loss for half of what you paid.

If the monsters reach Rider and his mount and he runs out of health, your run is over. You will be shown the wave you were defeated on, as well as your nemesis who is the enemy that dealt the final blow. The game then gives you the option to replay the wave you lost, allowing you to adjust your strategy or to restart the entire stage from the beginning for a fresh attempt.

There are multiple biomes to explore and defend, including Azure Meadows, Snowfall Glaciers, Haunted Hills, and Ancient Plateau. Each biome contains 10 stages, with the final one being a boss battle. Once you reach a boss encounter, the game feels entirely different. Instead of having time to prepare between waves, the enemy begins advancing immediately. These bosses have massive health pools and are difficult to take down. You cannot even pause the game to examine the map and make adjustments, which makes everything feel frantic as you rush to place traps, sell ones that aren’t located on the enemies path, and try and get enough money to upgrade your units or deploy additional weapons.

Bean Beasts features a vibrant, pixelated art style reminiscent of the early Pokémon games. The creatures you recruit to fight alongside you are incredibly cute, each with a unique cry and its own special attack. My favourite is the frog Bean Beast, which has the best name ever: Croaky McCroak Face!

The music is upbeat yet mysterious, perfectly matching the island’s atmosphere. It is blended with natural environmental sounds, such as birds chirping, to enhance immersion. However, it does become repetitive when you find yourself stuck in the same biome repeatedly while attempting to defeat its boss.

Bean Beasts is a unique tower defence game that is far more challenging than its cute characters might suggest. It is highly addictive, and I had an enjoyable time progressing through the waves until reaching the boss encounters. At that point, the game shifts dramatically. Instead of focusing on strategy and planning, it becomes far more hectic and stressful, with frustration replacing much of the fun.

This is a title that tower defence fans looking for a challenge should definitely check out. Just be prepared to replay certain sections multiple times as you work out the ideal placement of traps and towers to defeat the hordes of monsters.