The Tales of Bearsworth Manor
Two WiiWare games about tossing paper bears into picture books.
The Tales of Bearsworth Manor is a 2010 video game released for the Wii's WiiWare service, developed and published by Square Enix. It was split into two parts: Puzzling Pages and Chaotic Conflicts, both set within a picture book held by a ghost in a haunted manor. The game is notable for its use of the Wiimote to toss paper bears into a 3D landscape, though it received poor reviews due to control issues.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Square Enix
- Artist
- Akira Oguro
- Platforms
- WiiWare
- Released
- June 8, 2010 (JP)
- June 21, 2010 (NA)
- June 25, 2010 (EU)
- Genre
- Puzzle
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
In Puzzling Pages, players use the Wii Remote to throw paper bears into a picture book landscape to collect all red candies, with no enemies present. Bears pick up candies when near them, and the level ends once all candies are gathered. Some levels allow throwing items like bombs to blow up boxes, land bears on see-saws, or activate switches. The game has 30 levels, and at the end of each, a medal is awarded based on how many bears remain unused. In Chaotic Conflicts, players similarly throw paper bears into a picture book landscape but in a tower defense format, protecting blue gems from waves of BadBears. Each gem can withstand a set number of strikes before breaking, and losing any gem ends the level. Levels may include ledges for aiming, special items picked up by bears and thrown for effects, and special units like penguins that freeze enemies or jack o' lanterns that explode. Downloadable content is available for both games, offering extra levels and character designs, with the total DLC price around double that of the base games upon release.
Plot
The crumbling, haunted Bearsworth Manor is home to two ghost children, Pina and Kina, each holding a book. Pina's picture book becomes a 3D landscape in Puzzling Pages, where players send paper bears inside to gather candies. In Chaotic Conflicts, players send paper bears into Kina's transformed book to protect blue gems from Kina.
Reception
IGN rated both games 5.5 out of 10, calling them 'Mediocre' and praising the graphical style as 'sensational' while criticizing imprecise controls, short gameplay, and high price for games and DLC. Nintendo Life gave Puzzling Pages an 8 out of 10, calling it a 'creative storybook adventure', and Chaotic Conflicts also an 8, praising its 'silly theme and intense gameplay mechanics'. Edge magazine gave Puzzling Pages a 4, saying its 'concept feels almost thrown together', and Chaotic Conflicts a 3, claiming poor controls made it almost unplayable. Nintendo Gamer rated Puzzling Pages higher than Chaotic Conflicts, noting the puzzle format suited the game better than tower defense, but both were marred by poor controls.
More in Square Enix Games of the 2010s
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