A pixel platformer where a bunny with a honey gun keeps pests away so a bee colony can grow.
Bee Kind casts you as a blue bunny who looks after a colony of bees. You hop along grassy pixel-art ledges while bees buzz between flowers and hives. The trouble comes from grubs that chew on toadstools and grow into blue Zombees. Your job is to clear out the pests with a honey gun so the colony can thrive.
It was made for a game jam whose theme was death, which explains the zombie bees. The tone stays light, though, and a soft waltz plays in the background.
Getting started
After a short intro that shows the characters, the first level loads. Each level begins by telling you its name and how many bees you need. During level one, hint boxes appear to cover the basics.
Before you can fight anything, find the honey gun. It lies somewhere in the level, and you pick it up by walking over it. Fire with Space, Enter or Shift. Jump with Up, W or the semicolon key, and duck with Down, S or the period.
How the colony grows
Bees collect pollen from flowers and carry it home. Once a hive holds more than ten pollen, a fresh bee hatches. Flowers and toadstools keep popping up as you play, so the level is always changing.
Pests break that cycle. Grubs eat toadstools and turn into Zombees. Zombees chase bees to rob them of pollen and smash hives, which wipes out half of what a hive has stored. To finish a level, every grub and Zombee must be gone and the bee count must reach the goal.
Winning moves
- Break toadstools early. Each one you destroy is food a grub will never eat, and it frees space for flowers.
- Shoot grubs before they hatch, since they take fewer hits than Zombees.
- Keep your distance from Zombees. A bump knocks the gun loose and leaves you crawling for a few seconds.
- Save the small contest logo pickup. It makes you invulnerable for about ten seconds, which is perfect for pushing through a crowd to defend a hive.
Good to know
Some tiles act as switches. Step on one and the level flips from a side view to an overhead one. In that mode the Up and Down keys walk you around the map freely instead of jumping and ducking. If you get hit, you crouch and slow down for a moment and cannot jump. When that happens, wait it out, then walk back over your dropped gun to grab it again.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard |
|---|---|
| Skip the intro | Any key |
| Walk left or right | Left/Right arrows, A/D or Z/X |
| Jump (in top-down areas, move up) | Up arrow, W or ; |
| Duck (in top-down areas, move down) | Down arrow, S or . |
| Fire the honey gun | Space, Enter or Shift |
| Stop the music after the current loop | M |
Bee Kind FAQ
Can I play Bee Kind on a phone or Chromebook?
A Chromebook or any computer with a keyboard works. Phones and tablets do not, because touch controls were never finished. Walking, jumping, ducking and firing all need physical keys such as the arrows, WASD or Z and X.
How many levels are there?
Seven. They run from Bee Keeper Bunny through Zombee Apocalypse to a final stage named Bee Kind. Each one asks for a bigger colony, starting at 5 bees and rising by one per level up to 11.
What do I do if a level will not end?
Check all three conditions. No grubs can be left, no Zombees can be left, and the bee count must reach the target shown at the start. If bees are short, protect the hives and wait for new ones to hatch.
Can I turn off the music?
Yes. Press M and the waltz stops once the current loop finishes. The music only starts after your first key press or click, so the game stays quiet until you begin.
