APICO is an adorable game about saving bees—that actually saves bees in real life!

This game was developed by the founders of TNgineers, brothers Elliott and Jamie, who fell in love with the Forestry Mod in Minecraft and wanted to develop a game centered around that idea. Proceeds from purchasing APICO go to #SaveTheBees, which saves real-life bees, keeping them populated to help support our planet. You gotta love a game that makes you feel good just by buying it!

GRAPHICS & VISUALS 8/10

Similar to Stardew Valley, APICO is a top-down RPG with cartoonish pixel art. There aren't too many details with pixel art, and yet TNgineers make each character and item feel uniquely different (and extremely adorable). The imagery is smooth and the movement of the graphics works well with the art style. The slashing animation activated by the ax makes cutting down trees very satisfying. This is good, because you need a LOT of wood for this game, and it feels much less tedious when the animation is so satisfying to watch. APICO’s diverse palette creates a bright, exciting world with colorful biomes that are home to a variety of flowers, materials, and bees. You can even paint furniture and walls/floors in your house, so you can customize your apiary to fit whatever style you like best! Personally, I’m usually concerned about getting bored with the environment, but this game is so creative in how it keeps everything new and interesting, even with limited details.

You’ll be in love with the world of APICO in no time, and if you don’t vibe with one environment, you can head over to another island and explore something completely new!

MUSIC & SOUND QUALITY 8/10

APICO’s soundtrack was composed by an artist called Mothense. I love this music, and even listen to it while working outside of the game. The mix of orchestral sounds and synth elements really pulls you into the game’s environment. You can follow Mothense on twitter @MothenseMusic for updates on more games that feature their music. The whimsical nature of a lot of the soundtrack gives a mysterious and cozy vibe to the world. The music is not continuous, but plays at key points in the game. It also lets you know the title of the song currently playing. Later in the game, music can be bought per record by a clever little character you encounter once you start traveling by boat. When music isn’t playing, the ambience of the forest and birds is very peaceful and immersive. The atmosphere brings excitement to certain parts of the game while providing great ambiance for concentrating in others. Even the sounds of chopping wood or using the sawmill are very satisfying, making it feel like you’re really part of the world. The sounds make tasks so relaxing that I find myself looking forward to them.

GAMEPLAY 8/10

This game is played with a keyboard and mouse on PC, though it also came out for the Nintendo Switch on July 7, 2022. If anyone has played the Forestry Mod for Minecraft, they will easily recognize the goals of this game. Inspired by the mod, TNgineers made a full RPG fulfilling every bee-lover’s dream of keeping and rehabilitating bees. The gameplay is very complex, with many different mechanics and a variety of things to do at your apiary. There is a learning curve when starting the game, so they give you a guidebook to learn the different aspects of the game and help you with achievements. This is very helpful, and makes the tutorial feel like quests that make learning the more complicated parts of the game fun. While discovering different bees, you will use survival mechanics to build your house and keep production going. A large variety of items, furniture, walls, and flooring are available to craft with the materials found in the world, which help you customize an apiary that fits your style the best. Each bee and flower type is also unique, with different characteristics in both how they look and in how they contribute to the apiary. 

Discovering and breeding different types of bees and flowers to make the most productive apiary feels like a never-ending quest that will hold your attention for hours on end.

The best part is there is no threat of death! The bees won’t even sting you in this utopia.  

There are also a few great accessibility options that help everyone enjoy the game. You can bold the text and even toggle to walk through the trees, making mobility in the game much easier. 

STORY & CHARACTERS 9/10

The story in APICO starts out a lot like Stardew Valley: with a letter from your grandma inviting you to inherit your Grandpa’s apiary. You meet your grandparents right away, and they are a delight. They are passionate about beekeeping and are stoked that you are, too! There are a few other characters around town who have very unique personalities. They also give you hints and can even sell you essential items for the game. There is a large sense of community in the game, especially as your apiary grows and the number of products you’re able to produce increases. Your goal is to repopulate each bee species around the map, and everyone in town is very keen on keeping the bees alive and thriving. You start out on a small island, but with the use of a boat from Skipper, you can explore more islands and make even more friends. 

OVERALL 8.25/10

Though it looks simple from the outside, APICO is packed full of wonder and possibility, with enough content to keep you entertained for hours on end. Even with simple pixel art, TNgineers were able to bring their world to life while bringing awareness to the importance of beekeeping and preserving the environment for our buzzy friends. Mothense’s music further pulls you in, and can even be a new soundtrack for your real life! You’ll fall in love with each character and get sucked into the responsibility of discovering and repopulating every bee in this world. After playing this game for only a little while, you’ll have a greater understanding of the importance of bees—and a greater appreciation for those who maintain apiaries and work to repopulate bees in the real world.

The demo of APICO was released on itch.io on August 20, 2020. The full version launched on May 20, 2022 and is available now on Steam, itch.io, and Game Jolt. APICO launched for Nintendo Switch on July 7, 2022. The PC version from Steam was used for this review. The reviewer purchased the game at full retail price.

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