Bee conservation has been a big topic in recent years. Bees, honey, and pollen are a vital part of all sorts of ecosystems, not to mention the byproducts that result from them such as beeswax. The developers at TNgineers and publisher Whitethorn Games came together to make not only a relaxing beekeeping-focused life sim but also an educational one.

In Apico, you play a character who has been invited to return to the small family home in Port Apico, where your grandparents live. Since your grandfather passed away, your grandmother lives there alone. Your grandfather was a beekeeper, and while it runs in your family, your parents moved away out of a lack of interest. Now that you are in Port Apico, you’ll be able to take up the work your grandfather once loved, raising bees, and selling products such as honey, Apicola, and more.

On top of that, you can study various bee types, crossbreed them, and do all sorts of things with flowers and crafting materials. There are many biomes to explore, which can get you different kinds of bees. There are also fantasy-esque mysteries and things to uncover as you explore. You can build everything you’ll need, such as a house, tools, and even crafting stations like apiaries, workbenches, sawmills, and more.

There are a variety of mini-games as well, making crafting and the various aspects of beekeeping dynamic and interesting. It feels as relaxing as Stardew Valley, with engaging mini-games that make various aspects of crafting and beekeeping feel more immersive. Without too many spoilers, an example of this is processing wood, as you use a joystick to actively move logs (and planks) through the saw so you can split it into other materials.

Apico has a variety of sandbox elements from crafting dyes to personalize your storage and your home, to being able to build your house yourself. It really feels like a cozy life sim sandbox, as you trade with locals to get other resources in order to progress. The best part though is that it doesn’t feel aimless. Your grandfather’s journal provides quests and gives you guidance on how to progress in various ways.

You don’t have to follow it in order, but it serves as a nice starting point in case you’re ever feeling lost or unsure of what to do next. The rewards from completing the journal quests are pretty handy too, so it is definitely worth your time. Have I mentioned that there is Multiplayer? You can play with up to 3 friends, and it doesn’t matter whether they are playing on Nintendo Switch or PC, because crossplay is enabled!

This is the perfect sort of game for Multiplayer since you can easily divide and conquer how you want to pursue tasks. Maybe you have one person that is more creative and wants to be in charge of the building. Maybe someone else wants to explore, forage, and uncover the mysteries of the wilderness. No matter how your friends want to play, everyone can enjoy themselves.

With that said, I enjoy single player too. Even though there is a day/night cycle, there’s no stamina, so you don’t have to worry about passing out or losing track of time. Your bees do have their own sleep patterns, but you could breed nocturnal bees later on in order to work through the night if you wanted. There’s always something to do in Apico.

My only real problem with Apico is that I did have a few issues where it would lock up or freeze. It wasn’t frequent, maybe once or twice as I played. However, to offset that, you can choose how often the game autosaves. Because of this, if you do have a freeze like I did, you probably won’t lose progress.

There are also a variety of accessibility options too, which really shows how much love and care the developers put into Apico. A portion of sales is going directly to various bee conservation funds too, which you can learn more about on the game’s website.

Overall, I like Apico a lot. It isn’t something I’d always want to sit down and play, because the NPCs aren’t as interesting or involved as the NPCs in other similar genre games like Rune Factory and Stardew Valley. However, the characters aren’t really the point either. The point is relaxing, building up a bee farm, and bringing lost bee variants back to the world. Bee conservation is important, both in our world and in-game after all.

If you are looking for a casual game that will actually teach you (in a fun way) about conservation and bees, then Apico is a great option for you. I would also argue that it is the perfect sandbox game for families since you can sit down with the kids on Switch or PC and build up a family bee business, teaching them all about nature and safeguarding natural ecosystems. You can even replant trees you chop down for wood, it sets a good example.

A Nintendo Switch review copy of Apico was provided by Whitethorn Games for this review.

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Apico

$19.99 USD

9

Score

9.0/10

Pros

• Autosave Frequency is Customizable
• Great Gameplay Mechanics
• Cute Visuals
• Relaxing Sandbox Vibe
• Sales Benefit Real Bee Charities

Cons

• NPCs Aren't Super Interesting
• Occasional Freezing