Bearnard

I finished the game and can wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone who enjoys turn-based games. The aiming at opponents is reminiscent of the game Worms. It's an interesting mix, and the best feature is that it's highly engaging, with the so-called "just one more turn" effect kicking in strongly. A little gem!

Bearnard plays out like a one character SteamWorld Heist, except that all of your abilities are one time consumables. The graphics are neat and the dialogue is mildly amusing. The game play loop didn't click with me after a time, but it does what it's aiming to do well.

Bearnard, created and published by Michał Wikliński, is a remarkable indie game that skillfully merges turn-based strategy, card mechanics, and physics-driven platforming into a cohesive and enjoyable experience. The game’s pixel art style pays tribute to classic 8-bit games, yet it feels fresh thanks to its detailed environments and smooth animations. Set in a beautifully crafted world filled with forests, mountains, and dungeons, Bearnard invites players to explore its diverse landscapes while engaging in clever and challenging combat encounters.
The gameplay centers around Bearnard, a grumpy but skilled bear archer on a quest to retrieve a legendary bow and protect his homeland. What sets this game apart is its innovative combat system that combines card-based abilities with precise archery skills. Players collect over sixty cards throughout their journey, each offering unique powers and effects. However, to activate these cards, players must aim and shoot an arrow accurately at designated targets during turn-based battles, blending tactical decision-making with real-time aiming. This mechanic adds depth and tension to every encounter, requiring both strategic planning and skillful execution, making combat feel fresh and rewarding at every turn.
Beyond the battles, exploration plays a significant role in Bearnard’s appeal. The game features a variety of biomes, each filled with environmental puzzles and physics-based challenges that encourage players to think creatively and interact with the world in inventive ways. Manipulating objects, triggering mechanisms, and using the bow in clever ways all contribute to the sense of immersion and discovery. This combination of exploration and combat ensures that gameplay stays engaging and diverse, avoiding repetition and maintaining player interest over time.
Visually, the game’s retro pixel art is one of its standout features. Each area feels lovingly crafted with vibrant colors, detailed backgrounds, and lively animations that bring the world to life. The character design for Bearnard himself captures a charming blend of gruffness and humor, which ties neatly into the narrative tone. This attention to visual detail not only creates a nostalgic atmosphere but also enhances the overall experience by making the game world feel alive and inviting.
The story, while not overly complex, adds a layer of charm and personality to the adventure. Bearnard’s grumpy but heroic character, combined with a cast of quirky supporting figures, provides lighthearted humor and emotional beats throughout the game. The dialogue is witty and well-written, adding depth to the characters and making the player care about the journey beyond just the mechanics. This narrative approach makes the experience feel more rewarding and adds motivation to progress through the game.
From a technical perspective, Bearnard performs well across various platforms including PC and Steam Deck. The controls are intuitive and responsive, allowing for smooth movement, aiming, and card management. The interface is clean and easy to navigate, making the game accessible even to those unfamiliar with similar genres. Accompanying the gameplay is a fitting soundtrack that complements the mood, ranging from energetic tunes during battles to more atmospheric pieces during exploration, further enhancing immersion.
Overall, Bearnard is a well-crafted indie title that impresses with its innovative blend of strategy, skill-based combat, and exploration. Michał Wikliński has managed to create a game that is both nostalgic and fresh, with deep gameplay mechanics wrapped in a charming visual and narrative package. For players looking for a unique adventure that challenges both the mind and reflexes, Bearnard offers a memorable and satisfying experience worth diving into.
Rating: 9/10

Excellent game for the price, which is more than a lot of aaa games can say! 8/10 for me as some of the access to areas requiring teleport arrows feels "unfair". Limiting the number of swaps from stash to 2 per level also felt annoying. I'd recommend costing AP instead. Sharing these critiques because all of the great mechanics (see other reviews, i agree with them), these limiting elements were enough to discourage me from finishing. Still, I recommend this game, just dont stress collecting everything.

Bearnard is a turn-based tactics game wrapped in a light platformer where you play as a bow-wielding bear navigating tricky terrain, dodging traps, and battling enemies using a deck of ability cards. Each battle plays out on a grid, but you’ll also jump and dodge between encounters like it’s an old-school side scroller. It’s a mix that sounds weird on paper but actually clicks once you’re in it.
Pros
✔️ Platforming + card tactics = shockingly great – I didn’t know I needed this combo in my life, but it just works. The strategy feels thoughtful, and the movement keeps it from getting stale.
✔️ Bearnard is a whole mood – His little grumbly inner thoughts and reactions had me cracking up. He’s basically a bear with anxiety and dry wit, and I felt seen.
✔️ Power combos were really fun – Finding synergies between cards and pulling off big turns felt super satisfying — it made me want to experiment constantly.
Cons
❌ Card limit felt too tight – I get that it’s meant to force choices, but it honestly felt like it limited creativity more than it added depth.
❌ Distance bonus is unclear – There’s a bonus for how far your shot travels, but there’s no clear indicator for it — I couldn’t tell if I was hitting it until after the move.
❌ Camera control issues while aiming – Not being able to swivel or rotate when lining up shots was super annoying, especially when enemies were behind me.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, Bearnard is just one of those games that made me smile. It's clever, it's silly, and it's trying something genuinely different — and mostly succeeding. I had a great time with it, and I really hope the dev keeps building on this foundation. Give me more grumpy tactical bear content, please.
Score: 8/10 Bearly Hitting Arrows
It’s tactical, it’s cozy, it’s hilarious — and yeah, I’m already preparing my next deck of forest-fueled vengeance.

@SirMike First of all—great job. Michał, I’m thoroughly impressed by how fantastic a game you’ve managed to create. I’ve tried my hand at making something of my own a few times (unsuccessfully), so I know how challenging the process can be.

The game has stunning graphics, humorous dialogues, and plenty of “if you know, you know” moments.

That said, you’ve put me in a bit of a tough spot! :P I managed to unlock all achievements in a single playthrough… except one—don’t shoot Blue. :D Now I’ll have to replay the whole thing just to get that one achievement. Still, that’s on me—I should have read the list beforehand.

Speaking of achievements, there seems to be something off with them, as the global stats don’t quite add up. For instance, more players have unlocked "Save the Forest" than "Finish the 'Dungeons' biome", which, in theory, is impossible. Similarly, I had a big dilemma with "Ultimate Hit" (16 damage), because the stats show more people unlocked it than "Finish the 'Castle' biome". I analyzed the mechanics and realized it’s technically possible to achieve this earlier, but it would require some very specific preparation. I’d bet that 95% of players wouldn’t have any idea how to pull that off. That said, toward the end of the game, this achievement unlocks naturally. Perhaps you could check with Steam as a developer to verify these stats?

One more suggestion—I managed to complete the game with 34 armor. :D This proves that, for most of the time, I wasn’t taking any damage at all. I’d suggest a “glass cannon” mode (or something similarly named) where Bearnard has just 1 HP (though with no fall damage, or maybe 2 HP to allow jumping from heights) and cannot gain any HP or armor. This would force players to adopt perfect tactical gameplay to avoid taking even a single hit—and you could tie it to a special achievement. It’d be a worthy challenge.

Regarding artifacts, I must admit that most of them feel quite useless. Once I found the bow that adds +8 levels, I didn’t use anything else—unless I briefly needed the parachute to access otherwise unreachable areas. The resistance rings might be more appealing if they reduced damage from specific types by 2 points instead of just 1. Most enemies deal 2 damage, and for those aiming for perfect fights (like me), there’s no room for even a single hit.

Lastly, please submit your game to HowLongToBeat.com. I log all my playthroughs there, and I was surprised to find that Bearnard isn’t in their catalog yet.

Great pixel art, music and design. Game is sometimes challenging but rewarding also. Game is relatively short but for this price it is absolutely worth it! I recommend it to you if you have free weekend or you are searching for some fine game for long evenings! :)