When the original Bee Simulator came to the Switch a number of years ago, I gave it a review noting that it was reasonably approachable and different, though it ran out of steam relatively quickly. Now we have a follow-up with The Hive, though I wouldn’t call it a sequel or a remake so much as an expansion included with the original game. I suppose that would make it a little better than the initial release, since it does add new hive management and expansion elements that deepen the gameplay, but since much of it remains precisely the same as before, it feels like it missed multiple opportunities to improve the overall experience.

In the game you’ll be born into your hive and given the task of being a honeybee, tasked with going out into the world to collect pollen and do your bee thing. While you’re out and about, you’ll run into different types of encounters which generally play out like mini games. These take the form of races, battles with other insects, and fulfilling specific objectives, at least trying to get some variety going rather than simply flying around from flower to flower, reporting back to drop off everything back at the hive, and then going back out to repeat the cycle. Periodic story elements are included as well, which will involve the threat from humans and other more aggressive insects alike, but in general it’s a pretty limited loop but not bad at all.

New to this version are expanded tasks in the hive itself, which generally also play out as mini games as you take on different assignments like tending to larvae in the birthing room and more. For the most part these activities then tend to be paired with a number of facts that will explain life in the hive and the importance of bees to agriculture as well as the health of the planet as a whole. You will have the option to pair with a friend if you like, but this is a perfectly manageable adventure solo, though you may find some of the racing segments to be quite a bit more challenging than anything else you’ll encounter. In general it’s at least an upgrade over the original, though by no means does it feel like a massive overhaul with many mechanics feeling pretty well identical to what they were before.