Ludography
Bee 52 cover

1992 · Codemasters · Action · Platformer

Bee 52

Nintendo console exclusive

You're about to find out just what's involved for a young bee with a day-job. Gigantic spiders, sneaky ants and loathsome slugs are just a few of the meanies who'll get in your way when you're bee number 52. You're hardly defenseless though, and with enough speed, skill and firepower you may get through the day - despite being heavily outnumbered. Let your nose, or rather proboscis, lead the way to the flowers and don't let anyone - or anything - get in your way! B52 - you're cleared for take off!

Released
1992
Platforms
Commodore 64Commodore C64/128/MAXNES
Genres
ActionPlatformer
Developers
Codemasters
Publishers
Camerica
Modes
Single-player
Perspective
Side view
Themes
Action
Country
United Kingdom

About

Bee 52 is an unlicensed side-scrolling video game published by Codemasters for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1992.

A Commodore 64 version was completed in 1993, but was not published due to Codemasters withdrawing from the C64 market. After reaching an agreement with Codemasters, the programmer sold the game himself via mail order.

›Story

The player controls Bee 52, a honeybee with large eyes and a fly-like sucker for a mouth, through which it can spit projectiles at enemies. The game is played through 12 levels, the first four in a backyard, the next four in a swamp, and the last four inside a house. There are traps and enemies added for each level, from ants, grasshoppers, and even dragonflies and "venus flytraps" in the later levels. The player must find and collect from many flowers scattered all over the sidescrolling level and return to the hive after three flowers are visited to add honey to the jar. The level is complete when the jar is full, in the case of levels 3-12, this requires every flower to be visited.

Keywords

  • ghosts
  • licensed game
  • spider
  • unlicensed game
  • cheat code
  • bees

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The player controls Bee 52, a honeybee with large eyes and a fly-like sucker for a mouth, through which it can spit projectiles at enemies. The game is played through 12 levels, the first four in a backyard, the next four in a swamp, and the last four inside a house. There are traps and enemies added for each level, from ants, grasshoppers, and even dragonflies and "venus flytraps" in the later levels. The player must find and collect from many flowers scattered all over the sidescrolling level and return to the hive after three flowers are visited to add honey to the jar. The level is complete when the jar is full, in the case of levels 3-12, this requires every flower to be visited.

Bee 52 is a flying side scroller. The bee is maneuvered by the control pad up down left and right over enemies, and through holes. The player can shoot at enemies straight ahead with the A button, or use the B button to sting enemies from above. Bee 52 can find add ons such as a super stinger with a longer reach, or more powerful projectiles either by killing a special lightning bug whose appearance is random, or visiting certain secret holes.

Reception

AllGame editor Skyler Miller described Bee 52 as a "fascinating game", giving it "high marks both for its creative premise and the strength of its execution".

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
NES8 August 1992Worldwide
Commodore C64/128/MAX30 September 1992Worldwide

Editions and related releases

Included in
Codemasters Collection 1

Games like this

Collections1 collection

Platform libraries

Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.