Rightfully, Beary Arms had a productive Early Access period, but the game sets its sights on a full 1.0 release. The game carves a spot in bullet-hell for its undeniable difficulty paired with it’s over the top “just have fun” attitude. It’s a game that knows breaking into the world of bullet-hell is hard, but it’s going to be sure to have fun along the way with everything from over-the-top puns to joke weapons, and of course, its undeniably cute main protagonist.
A beary chaotic time
While it doesn’t have much in the way of a story, really, the game utilizes its jokes early. A Teddy Bear with guns in space. And hard to forget that, even directly into the tutorial, there is a talking fox who also makes puns. It’s lighthearted and endearing. To a degree, it even alleviates some of the anger the genre inherently brings to the player. Who can stay mad when there are more jokes and “don’t be serious” waiting right around the corner in your next run? It’s delightful. Almost un”bearing”ly so. Plus, who doesn’t like guns in space? It may be a trope, but it’s certainly a great one that I can’t get enough of.
The game is also littered with little lore pieces, which really surprised me. I’m not used to collectables and lore mid-run during roguelites, more so used to getting pieces here and there between runs. It makes each run feel nicer to do, something I’ve personally taken issue with while playing bullet-hells and quite a few roguelites in general, is that runs feel like a chore at times, which are filler for growing stronger or unlocking something new. Rightfully, Beary Arms negates this heavily, and that’s just a wonderful experience as a player.
Bearly any issues
Following the game’s Early Access period, the game feels remarkably polished. I did not encounter any major issues during my playtime. My only complaint is that I wish there were more feedback from the game as far as bullets hitting targets. This was a big issue early on, though eventually I started being able to pick up on it more. While the enemies you face will flash red, some enemies’ designs make that flash a bit harder to see than others. Other than that, the game played smoothly, arguably one of the most polished bullet-hells I’ve played ever. Unlike other titles in Early Access, Rightfully, Beary Arms clearly focused on quality over quantity, and the difference it makes for the player is obvious.
My only other complaint with the game’s actual function is that I don’t think the tutorial is suitable for the game. Rightfully, Beary Arms has a cutesy exterior, but this is one of the hardest bullet-hell games I think I’ve ever played. The tutorial does not prepare you for that. And I think on some levels that’s part of the game’s charm. This is not an easy game. But I do think that going into a bit more detail, tuning the tutorial slightly more to what you’d experience in a run, would be better.
Bearly forgiving challenge
As I said, Rightfully, Beary Arms is an extremely difficult game. I struggled a lot trying to understand the best ways to play and how to dodge. The boss fights especially felt punishing, and if I wasn’t prepared or slipped up just a bit, I would later be retrying. It almost reminded me of a Soulslike game in how it felt to play. It was a constant struggle, though admittedly I’m not the best at gaming, but the punishing gameplay combined with buffs that I’d be forced to choose for my enemies constantly kept me having to debate and weigh my options.
Outside of the punishing gameplay, it’s incredibly fun. And even through multiple deaths, I kept going because even clearing a single non-boss room at times felt rewarding. I absolutely loved the ability to choose “worlds” and see the types of rewards I’d get because that let me refine or try new things constantly. I’m sure after dozens of hours, it would lose that shine, but as a more casual play, it felt like a nice thing to know.
I especially liked the quantity of different weapons and buffs to the weapons and even personal buffs in the game. It felt nice, and everything I tried personally had good pros and cons, making it a balanced decision. Since full release, Daylight Basement has put out an entire encyclopedia page detailing all weapons, Runtimes (personal run buffs), Mementos (Storytelling), Calamities (Enemy Buffs), Wardrobes (Outfits), and Prooves (metaprogression) on its website in great detail and for a brand new 1.0 release, it’s filled with quality entries showing a passion for the game that’s hard to find in other studios.
The bear truth
Rightfully, Beary Arms is a great game. It’s silly, and it’s fun to play through. It is extremely difficult, though, which players need to be aware of. It’s not just a cute and casual play. It’s got a lot going for it, and it’s clear that the studio behind it cared for it while it grew. It’s a must-play for those that enjoy difficult games, if that’s not your thing though I’d steer clear. Frustration and unforgiving gameplay await those who load up for the first time.
Rightfully, Beary Arms is out now on Steam for $9.99 with a release discount of 40% until February 10. The game will also arrive to Switch and PS5 later in 2026
