Title: Bear’s Restaurant
Developer: Odencat
Publisher: Odencat (Limited Run: Odencat’s Paradise Collection)
Initial Release Date:  October 06, 2021
Available On: Steam, Nintendo Switch
Reviewed On: Nintendo Switch

As soon as my Limited Run shipment came in the mail, the first game I popped into my Nintendo Switch was Bear’s Restaurant from the Odencat’s Paradise Collection. I was drawn in by its pixel graphics and the concept of working in an afterlife eatery. Here are my thoughts on this indie title.

Author’s Note: This is a short game and major spoilers are avoided in this review.

SYNOPSIS:

Bear’s Restaurant is about an eatery that serves up dishes to souls in-transit to the afterlife. Many times, they are lamenting what they left behind on Earth, and it is your job as an anthropomorphic cat to dive into their memories and tease out details on their favorite dish. You share these details with the restaurant’s chef, a bear, who cooks those meals, and they are meant to appease these spirits. Once they are put to rest, they may then move forward on a train (literally) to heaven.

There is more to this story as you sail through your shifts. What was your own past life? Why are you even here? And what is that little ball of darkness that has been sneaking around? Bear’s Restaurant takes a serious shift into Bear’s past and your own, one that includes a perilous journey to hell.

ANALYSIS:

Gameplay

The gameplay for Bear’s Restaurant is as simple as it gets. You walk around, speak to characters, and dive into their memory shards. There are no complex mechanics, and while that may seem bland at first, it does direct your focus to the story, which I believe was Odencat’s intent.

Even though you work in a restaurant, there are minimal tasks to complete, and the directives are generally clear. This may not be apparent on the Steam version, but controlled character movement on the Switch sometimes proved a challenge. Movement was very sensitive. Just the slightest movement, and my character would overshoot their destination. This wasn’t game breaking, but it is worth mentioning.

Graphics and Sound

As mentioned before, Bear’s Restaurant takes form in adorable and colorful pixel art. It’s a lot of fun, although I did have to take some time matching faces to memory shards because of minimal character detail (which is part of pixel art design). The sound, too, goes with the theme. It was pleasant enough, but nothing that stands out when writing this review.

Story

Because this is Bear Restaurant‘s bread and butter, I wanted to create a separate category to address story while continuing to avoid spoilers. As the game’s focus, I agree that Odencat does a great job with it. While seemingly lighthearted in design, Bear’s Restaurant leans on several very heavy topics. There are topics that the game even warns you about at the start in case anyone is prone to triggers. Examples include death, suicide, harm to children, and implied sexual assault. Bear’s Restaurant gets extremely dark, funneling you and Bear into despair, and literally, hell.

To be honest, while I ended up appreciating these themes, I did not expect Bear’s Restaurant to head in that direction based on the game’s synopsis (which is what led me to purchase it in the first place). I take partial responsibility for not doing more research, but I do feel that many people rely on that description on the back of the box when browsing for games or movies. This was the synopsis on the back of my physical:

Where do we go after we die? And more importantly, what do we eat?

Play as a little cat at the afterlife’s coziest eatery. Greet the newly deceased, take their orders, and deliver them each a final meal to help their souls rest in peace.

–Odencat and Limited Run

Of course, after completing the game, I know it is much more than that…

FINAL SCORE:

Bear’s Restaurant has a wonderful story that tugs hard at your heartstrings. It presents several characters that have their owns lives for you to discover, and I did get a bit misty-eyed on how some met their demise. What grabbed me the most was finding the truth behind Bear’s past life and your character’s past life, and that is where I say it is worth playing for. Also, this game is very short and doesn’t overstay its welcome. It took me about two hours to complete. Lastly, it has some quaint post-game items.

The game does start of slow and as simple as a game can be. Especially with the expectation there was going to be cooking sim elements, I also got a bit bored; however, once I realized this game is more like a storyboook than sim, I turned the page (pun intended) on how I viewed Bear’s Restaurant.

Also of note, when you are traveling to hell, you meet several people on their way to eternal torture (or redemption). While I’m not a person who is easily offended, I understand woke culture in the West is alive and well, and some western gamers may feel a little uneasy about some characters that were chosen for damnation. Some characters like a ruthless dictator, brutal scientist, and murderer are easier to write off as “evil”, but there are others that are gray. To me, I think that plays into the redemption possibility, but regardless, I’m not someone who gets offended by much; however, I did want to add that as a disclaimer for potential players.

Overall, Bear’s Restaurant is a nice bite-sized snack of a game. It tells a deep story with a nice twist at the end. If you can stomach the triggers, I would say it’s worth a play. Just be mindful of the type of game it is. It is not a restaurant sim!

I’m very much looking forward to playing the next title in the Odencat’s Paradise Collection, Fishing Paradise. The synopsis promises it to be a “cozy fishing RPG”! Stay tuned for a review on that.

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Featured Image Source: Odencat