Bean Beasts Switch Review

Bean Beasts Switch Review
Version Reviewed: Nintendo Switch

Tower defence games are a genre I haven’t had a great deal of experience with, but when Bean Beasts landed in my inbox, it immediately caught my attention. Its appearance on Pixel Pitch and the Nintendo Indie World showcase added to my level of intrigue, and I was curious to see what the fuss was all about. Blending traditional tower defence with more intricate strategy, Bean Beasts also introduces a Pokémon-style evolution system for its creatures, all wrapped in a vibrant pixel art style that helps it stand out from the crowd. What’s it like? Place your traps, line up your ballistas, and level up your monsters as we review Bean Beasts on Nintendo Switch.

Bean Beasts has a light narrative that introduces your gecko-style hero, who discovers the Bean Beasts and works with them to defend against a series of attacks. The main campaign is set across 40 levels, with additional endless stages peppered throughout four main biomes. While the story is there, it is not really the who or why that draws you into the world of Bean Beasts, it is the how, and that is where the real fun begins.

There is a lot of mechanics at play here, but at its core, you are working with two main currencies. Energy is used to place traps and weapons, as well as upgrade them. Beans are used to place and level up your Bean Beasts, who grow from launching the occasional attack into units with huge abilities that can affect the entire map and turn the tide of battle. The core gameplay loop starts off simple enough. Place weapons, traps, and Bean Beasts to stop waves of enemies. Your main hero and the mount you choose also have attacks and abilities to help defend your position. When you complete a wave, you get a moment to catch your breath, improve your defences and overall strategy, and then dive straight back in. Bean Beasts also adds special abilities that require you to hold buttons down and release them at the right time to increase their effect, very similar to the reload mechanic in Gears of War.

If that was not enough, the game also introduces special level objectives. These can range from dealing a set amount of damage with a particular weapon to executing perfect ability moves. Completing these rewards you with bonus gems, which can be used to buy new Bean Beasts, upgrade your resource generation, or even change your hero’s abilities from archery to magic, or even a rifle. You will also unlock new weapons, traps, mounts, and Bean Beasts as you progress, which can then be taken back into earlier levels to complete objectives you may have missed. There are also boss fights that add their own flair and mechanics, and taking them down feels incredibly rewarding. On top of that, defeating them unlocks the ability to use them as a summon in battle, offering passive bonuses along with a one-off activation for devastating damage.

There is a lot going on here, but it never feels overwhelming. The game does a great job of drip-feeding new mechanics and upgrades at just the right pace to keep things engaging. A great example of this is the Flipper. It is introduced as a way to flick enemies off the edge of the map where there are chasms, but I found using them, even when you couldn’t send them to the abyss, was a go-to strategy. I would set up smashers and slow traps, and when enemies survived that, they would hit a flipper, which sent them right back into the danger zone and also stunned them, allowing defences to recharge and wallop them all over again.

It is little things like this that make Bean Beasts such a joy to play. As waves progress, you start to notice weak points in your setup, and it begins to feel like you are solving a puzzle with each encounter. Just when you think you are on top of things, the game throws in fast-moving enemies that trigger your defences early, leaving slower units to push through with less resistance. Others can remove objects entirely and open up new lanes, forcing you to adapt on the fly. Thinking on your feet becomes essential, and depending on your loadout, replaying levels or endless modes can feel completely different, especially as you unlock more tools and options.

Graphically, Bean Beasts on Nintendo Switch features a delightful pixel art style full of character and charm. It reminded me a lot of Stardew Valley when it comes to the world layout. Enemies in each biome have a lot of variety and are easily discernible, even with the chaos on screen. When playing endless mode, I feel a particular sense of dread when the Rhino Woodcutters come out halfway through, as they can open up undefended lanes. Each Bean Beast has a unique charm about it. Some may seem a little silly at first, but as they evolve and reveal their next form, you start to have favourites that you pick regardless. Performance-wise, Bean Beasts on Switch runs without issue, despite the mayhem on screen.

For my Bean Beast wranglers looking into accessibility, there are a few customisations here to make your time more comfortable. You can adjust controller sensitivity, enable snap-to for placement and selection, increase or remove damage indicators, toggle health bars on or off, and reduce or remove screen shake completely. As always, I recommend doing further research to find out if Bean Beasts suits your accessibility needs.

At just under $15 AUD, Bean Beasts on Nintendo Switch offers excellent value for money for those who enjoy tower defence, or are looking for a neat indie game to break up all the big AAA releases. I have spent an offensive amount of time lost in this game trying to hit level 30 in the endless modes, and I will definitely be going back through to clear it on higher difficulties and earn more gems. Bean Beasts is delightfully charming, deviously tricky, and well worth adding to your Switch library.

So, What’s it Like? Bean Beasts is like Plants Vs Zombies, with a bit of Pokemon Flair.

Bean Beats is a What’s it Like Certified Exceptional game.

In the interest of Full disclosure, a review copy was provided by the developer, but this doesn’t influence my score.

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