Super Rude Bear Resurrection Review

In theory, Rude Bear controls well enough that no death should be completely unavoidable. The controls are tight enough that you can easily adjust your positioning as you fall or jump, helping you to duck under buzz saws or dive through narrow gaps. It's just that so often I'll accidentally snag myself on one of my own bodies, or just hit the wrong button under pressure and press Rude Bears face into one of the many hazards. Death comes regularly here — as I said, it's part of the game — but it doesn't always feel particularly fair. This was especially true later in the game as I was pushed into pits, chased by boulders, and just really brutalised in a lot of exciting ways.

Still, you come back to life so quickly, and Rude Bear Resurrection seems so eager to reward you not just for your finesse but for your brute force, that it's hard to be too grumpy. The sense of elation of a job well done is the same, regardless of how you achieved your goal. However, I've found it's not entirely satisfying, with the levels being diverse and interesting in theme but not necessarily in terms of their mechanics. There are ice levels, Aztec levels, and so on, but most of them still have the same 'stay away from sharp things' vibe.


There's a jarring difference between separate elements in the game that hampered my enjoyment substantially. It's unique, in a very British way, with a bear in a purple cap from East London that's quite into grime music likely to be one of the more original characters we'll see in games this year, but it also sets the scene for some bizarre elements, with bosses riffing on the names of grime tracks. The first boss is named after well-known Meridian Dan track German Whip, a reference that elicited a couple of groans.

However, Super Rude Bear Resurrection does manage a return of sorts to 90s 2D platformers, where the "attitude" from the character and slight dissonance between the narrative, mechanics, and levels you adventure for were fairly commonplace. It's not an exceptional game, but it hits that target well and provides a substantial challenge for fans of 2D platformers that haven't really had that need serviced since Super Meat Boy came out seven years ago.


Much like the musical genre it takes so much from, Super Rude Bear Resurrection isn't going to be to everyone's taste, but it's still got a lot of interesting ideas to add to the medium. It'd be too easy to write the game off as a 2D pretender to the Meat Boy throne, and while it's not as sharp or as fun as that title, it's still got plenty going on under it's hideously bright purple cap, and platform fans are going to want to check it out.