Bear With Me, a noir teddy bear adventure, concludes in October

Bear With Me is an "episodic noir adventure game" about the search for a young boy who's gone missing in a dark, shadowy world. But it's probably not quite as grim and gritty as it sounds. The lead characters are the boy's sister, Amber, and her "gruff chain-smoking private investigator sidekick," Ted E. Bear, who as it happens (and notwithstanding the fact that he walks, talks, and is in the grips of a serious nicotine addiction) is a literal teddy bear. The first episode was released in August 2016, and the third and final ep—and also the biggest in the series—is coming on October 5

In the last exciting episode of Bear With Me, Amber and Ted found some new clues at the burned steel mill, but their progress is slowed by unforeseen obstacles. Things take a turn for the worse when Amber herself is kidnapped. Will Ted be able to find her on his own? And together, will they be able to finally bring down the infamous arsonist Red Man? And what about her brother, Flint? 

The Steam description says Bear With Me is "sarcastic, dark, and funny," and that's the vibe I get from the trailer, too: It's obviously cartoonish, but seems promisingly grim in places. And it sounds like there might be more to the game than meets the eye. It doesn't appear to be treading through Ethan Carter territory, but developer Exordium Games teased that it will "balance its mysteries and serious subject matter with sharp wit, clever one-liners and pop culture puns." 

"By tackling difficult subjects with a captivating narrative, witty humor and exceptional voice acting, Bear With Me's longest episode will also deliver the greatest emotional impact," game director Andrej Kovacevic said. 

The concluding episode of Bear With Me will sell for $5 on Steam and GOG, or as part of the Bear With Me Bundle on Steam. The original 2015 teaser is below.

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.