Cozy simulator Bear and Breakfast is out today on Steam

Switch is coming later this year

I’m always looking for the next title to scratch my cozy game addiction, and it looks like the management sim Bear and Breakfast is the newest release to make that list. While I first heard about the game during the Summer Game Fest stream this year with the gameplay trailer, it was initially announced back in 2020. Players take on the role of a bear named Hank who builds and runs his own bed and breakfast in the woods, and will encounter all kinds of human and animal friends along the way.

The developers at Gumycat said that they “grew up on management sims,” and that games like Theme Hospital were a huge inspiration for them. In addition to the “usual management stuff,” they also wanted to create a game that tells a story.

The premise is that humans are coming back for some unknown reason, and they need a place to stay, so Hank and his friends decide to fix up old buildings around town for them. Players will advance through Bear and Breakfast‘s story by completing quests that entail the aforementioned management stuff like gathering materials, crafting, building, decorating, and so on. There’s even a kind of puzzle element to booking guests, making sure they have food they like, as well as some kind of creepy subplot going on, too.

The game’s art style reminds me of Saturday morning cartoons in an adorably nostalgic way, and the game’s comedic writing is already being praised in the Steam reviews. With an ever-growing list of games to play these days, Bear and Breakfast has managed (see what I did there?) to find a place at the very top of it. In the past, I’ve found some management games to lack the depth to have staying power, but this title promises a rich, worthwhile experience that I can’t wait to play.

Bear and Breakfast is out now on Steam and a Nintendo Switch version is slated for release in “2022.”