LumbearJack

When Jack, a humble forest bear, gets tired of humans ruining the beauty of his lands, he takes matters into his own paws and decides to destroy every piece of human building in the forest. That’s the wacky premise of LumbearJack, a casual puzzle game that is as funny as it is addictive.

Featuring a quirky sense of humor and a charming visual style, LumbearJack is absolutely worth your time if you want something lighthearted to play. Casual players looking for an easygoing experience may find themselves getting hooked on this game. But if you're more interested in challenging yourself with tricky puzzles – or you simply can’t stand bears – then this title might leave you wanting a bit more.

Unbearable Littering

The story of the game takes place in what was once an idyllic forest. Now, the furry creatures of the woods have to learn how to navigate around some pesky man-made structures ruining their habitats. While most creatures just learn to live with it, Jack, a humble bear, won’t take the abuse.

Armed with an ax and a trusty backpack, Jack sets off on a simple but noble mission: to take down every last piece of human construction that’s ruining his beloved forest. LumbearJack is essentially what would happen if the goose in Untitled Goose Game had a reason for his shenanigans.

Even if LumbearJack never takes itself too seriously, that doesn’t mean that the game doesn’t have a definite environmentalist message attached to its quirky narrative. Recycling and reusing objects offers players the opportunity to level up Jack’s gear, and most of the puzzles have to do with clearing pollution in some capacity.

Speaking of puzzles, those are the meat of LumbearJack's gameplay. Each stage has several different objectives for players to complete, such as destroying a certain number of crates or finding a hidden path. These challenges often involve destroying buildings, but there will also be some that require players to use the environment around them in clever ways.

Minimalist Design

The visuals in LumbearJack are certainly not for the graphics enthusiast. Textures are as simple as they come, giving the game a decidedly cartoony look. However, the minimalist art style works wonders with the overall aesthetic, helping to make the game feel both fun and accessible.

Using simple textures and character models allows the game’s quirky story to shine even brighter, while still keeping its colorful world relatively easy on the eyes. The bright colors of the game work well with its cartoony aesthetic, making it all the easier to lose yourself in the beautiful forest setting.

It’s not as gorgeous to see as something like Tunic, but for what it is, the visuals in LumbearJack are perfectly serviceable. Like the rest of the game, it manages to strike the right balance between being cute and cheesy without taking itself too seriously.

Perhaps one of the best things about the title is how accessible its gameplay is. Even if players aren't used to puzzling games, they should have no issue grasping the concept behind LumbearJack.

As mentioned before, the puzzles in this title are largely environmental. Players must find new ways to destroy or maneuver around obstacles, whether it be by using the environment itself or breaking stuff, which means that there’s almost always a way to brute-force your way out of most of the game’s brain teasers.

Pros

• Fun, intuitive puzzles
• Lighthearted and fun story
• Charming visuals

Cons

• Puzzles don’t offer much of a challenge
• Not enough replay value