When I first heard about Bionic Bay, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I love platformer games—those ones where you jump across obstacles, solve puzzles, and explore new worlds. But Bionic Bay looked a bit different. It promised something unique: a strange biomechanical world, some wild new abilities, and a mysterious story told through the environment. I decided to give it a try, and I’m glad I did. It turned out to be one of the most interesting games I’ve played recently. This is our review of Bionic Bay, developed by Psychoflow Studio and published by Kepler Interactive.
NOTE: The Review Copy of Bionic Bay was provided by the publishers. This review was done on PC.
A Weird and Beautiful World
Bionic Bay Review – A Beautiful World
From the moment the game started, I was pulled into the world of Bionic Bay. It’s dark, strange, and full of machines that seem alive. The game doesn’t tell you much with words—instead, you learn about the world just by looking around and playing. It reminded me of games like Inside or Limbo, where everything feels mysterious and a little creepy, but in a cool way.
The visuals are really impressive. Even though the game uses pixel art (the kind that looks a bit old-school), it still looks modern because of the lighting and effects. Sometimes you’ll be walking through glowing caves, other times you’ll be in places that look like big metal factories. Every area feels different and exciting to explore.
The sound design is also fantastic. The music is quiet and moody, and you’ll hear all kinds of little details—machines humming, strange creatures in the background, and other sounds that help make the world feel alive. I always play with headphones, and in this game, that made the experience even better.
Cool and Clever Gameplay
What really makes Bionic Bay stand out is how you move through the world. You don’t just run and jump. One of the main things you can do is called the “swap mechanic.” This means you can swap places with certain objects or enemies. At first, it’s kind of weird, but once you get the hang of it, it opens up all kinds of fun ways to solve puzzles and escape danger.
There’s also a gravity mechanic, which lets you change the direction of gravity. That means you can walk on walls or ceilings if you do it right. This made me feel super powerful, but it also added some real brain-twisting puzzles. Sometimes I had to stop and think hard about how to move forward.
Another fun part is how everything in the world reacts to you. Boxes fall, levers move things, and water can carry objects around. You really have to pay attention to your surroundings. The puzzles aren’t always easy, but they’re satisfying to figure out. I never felt totally stuck, and when I solved a hard section, it felt amazing.
Challenging, but Fair
Bionic Bay is not an easy game, but it’s fair. The difficulty slowly increases as you play, and you get better over time. Some parts required quick reflexes and others needed careful planning. I died a lot—but that’s normal in this kind of game. Thankfully, the checkpoints are frequent, so you don’t have to replay big sections when you mess up.
One thing I liked is that the game doesn’t hold your hand. It lets you figure things out for yourself. I enjoy games that trust the player to learn by doing, and this one does that very well.
Replayability and Speedrunning
If you like speedrunning or trying to beat your own best times, Bionic Bay gives you some great tools. There’s a ghost system where you can race against your previous runs, and there are leaderboards to see how you compare with other players.
Even if you’re not into speedrunning, the game has good replay value. There are secrets to find, and you can try different ways of solving puzzles. There are also some customization options so you can change how your character looks, which adds a little extra fun.
Things That Could Be Better
As much as I enjoyed Bionic Bay, it’s not perfect. Sometimes the environments start to feel a little similar, especially in the middle of the game. I wished there were a few more different areas to explore, just to keep things feeling fresh.
Also, some parts of the game can be a little hard to see clearly. Because everything is dark and detailed, I occasionally got confused about where to go or what I was supposed to interact with. It’s not a big problem, but it did slow me down a few times.
And while I personally love that the story is told through the world instead of dialogue, I know some players might find that confusing or unsatisfying. If you like games that clearly explain what’s happening, you might find the story here a bit vague.
Verdict – Score 8/10
Overall, Bionic Bay is a game I really enjoyed. It’s smart, creative, and very different from most platformers I’ve played. The swap and gravity mechanics are fun to use and make the puzzles feel fresh and original. The world is beautiful in a dark, strange way, and the game creates a mood that sticks with you. It’s not the kind of game you rush through. It rewards careful thinking and exploration. It also has a great mix of action and puzzles, so it never feels boring.
If you enjoy games like Inside, Celeste, or Hollow Knight—games that challenge you and make you think—I think you’ll really like Bionic Bay. It’s one of those games that doesn’t just copy others, but tries something new and pulls it off really well.
I’m glad I took the chance and played it. It’s the kind of game that reminds me why I love indie titles so much—full of creativity, heart, and surprises. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who likes thoughtful, challenging platformers with a unique style.
Bionic Bay is now available on PlayStation 5 and PC (Steam).
The post Bionic Bay Review appeared first on Nintendo Smash: Video Games News, Reviews & Guides.
No responses yet