BATTLE BEARS -1

We were big fans of the original 3D shooting gallery iteration of Battle Bears when it launched last August. Now developer SkyVu Pictures is bringing their team of bad-ass bears back in two new games, both in new genres.

Battle Bears -1, a third-person shooter, acts as a prequel to Battle Bears where you play as the returning hero, Oliver, as he travels through outer space with the rest of the team on their starship, Ursa Major. SkyVu also tells us that you will be able to play as Battle Bears captain Riggs, who you meet at the end of Battle Bears.

The other is an iPad-exclusive top-down shooter that goes by the name of Battle Bears: GO! We don’t have any more details on the game at this time.

We should have a chance to go hands-on with both games soon, so check back for more information. Also worth noting is that today, the original Battle Bears is available free of charge through Free App A Day. For free, there is no reason not to check out this must-have title.

Bears are on sale. Not just any bears. Battle Bears -1. SkyVu’s cuddly combat game is currently $0.99 USD, down from $2.99 USD.

Battle Bears -1 is a prequel set two games before the events of the first Battle Bears. This time, Oliver, the star of the first game, plays Ripley to the adorable pink Huggables’ Aliens aboard a cavernous spaceship.

Like in the first Battle Bears, -1’s story is told through delightful animated cutscenes, which this time reference classic movies such as Star Wars, Aliens, Indiana Jones, and even Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail. They’re brief but memorable, and we wish there were more of them to break up the constant action.

New to Battle Bears -1 is the 3D movement. While before Oliver was stuck behind sandbags and could only move his aim, now evading the Huggables is a major part of the gameplay. You’ll have to sprint around the room, circle-strafing the slower-moving bears and moving in close to detonate toxic green Huggables.

The new control scheme works pretty well once you spend some time with it, but to look left or right without shooting, you have to activate a “safety” button on the bottom of the screen. This is not a good option when you’re frantically running while trying to conserve your special ammo like rockets or spread guns. A mechanic where you could drag anywhere on the screen to look around, like in the shooters NOVA and Brothers in Arms 2, would have made more sense to us.

Speaking of weapons, we were disappointed that they’re so bland in this prequel. The first Battle Bears featured a strikingly unique arsenal, which included a unicorn horn crossbow and Huggable-powered flamethrower. Here, you’ll find some new powerups that match the action, like a portable shield, orbiting drone, and screen-clearing nuke, but there’s nothing that defines Battle Bears like the first game did.

Also, Oliver’s entire mission is composed of one series of rooms, which all look nearly identical. You can choose your path, a nice touch reminiscent of the arcade classic Smash TV (Survival mode even jokingly references that game’s goofy prizes, like a jet ski). But after one big boss battle and a final cinematic, the game is over.

You can pay an additional $.99 for another mission of equal length starring Oliver’s buffed-out buddy Riggs, and it might be worth the dollar just for the boss battle against a giant, squid-like mutant. But Riggs has his own issues– he’s too tall to aim at squat, nearby Huggables, and unlocking his mission offers no new powerups or enemies except the boss.

Battle Bears -1 is an interesting direction for the series to take. We are happy with the fast-paced action, and the game is technically impressive, sporting dozens of enemies onscreen without a hitch. But it seems to have lost some of the creativity of the first game, coasting on classic videogame and movie tropes instead of defining its own. Chronologically, it’s two steps backwards, but it’s also one small step backwards in terms of creativity.

Our review of the original Battle Bears divided readers down the middle. Some felt the game was too much of a simple shooter to merit a Must Have rating, but we still think it’s one of the most unique and hilarious games on the iPhone. Now, a new game in the series will take you two games before Battle Bears: Battle Bears -1.

Battle Bears -1 sports a new control scheme, which lets you move Oliver or Riggs around the room in 3D (instead of being stuck behind sandbags the whole time).

Boss battles from the 1.5 update are back, and according to the trailer, you’ll even face off against an Aliens-like mecha suit. If we know Oliver, he’ll be cursing just as much as Aliens’ Ripley when he sees one of those. New cutscenes and OpenFeint achievements round out the fluffy, stuffed package.

We’ve been waiting for a Battle Bears follow-up for quite some time, so we’ll have a review for you right away.