She’s Gone, Barry

Made on August 14, 2020

As a kid, I loved the Bee movie film, and you know what else I loved? The Xbox360 game. Played that game every time I got back from school, before I went to bed, every time I got a chance. A fantastic game. It was pretty much Dreamwork’s answer to Grand theft auto.

Bought a Xbox360 yesterday. Got it from a very nice thrift shop around the block from the very kind old couple running the place. With that, were games of Kinect Sports: Season Two, The Penguins of Madagascar: Dr. Blowhole Returns – Again!, Wipeout in the Zone, and, to my joy, Bee Movie Game. Finally, I thought to myself, a much needed blast from the past. It was Friday, and I had just gotten the weekend off from my job at the local Target. I was ready for a weekend-long nostalgic bonanza. Just me and my Xbox360.

So after blowing on the game and inserting the disk, I switched the power button on. After skipping the company logos, I got to the title screen.

I hit the Start button and Audio played “select” sound, as expected. After starting the game, though? Well, after Barry talks about how he changed the lives of honey bees and humans, bringing them together on a new show known as "New Hive Tonight"., things went downhill.

After a cutscene, the first level started where you head to a honey factory called "Honex", where they are to work for the rest of their lives.

But things were a little off (“A little” being an understatement). The honey background was replaced with blue sky with a sunset, similar to the stages on the Honey Farms level, where Barry finds himself in a honey farm, where he takes pictures of it to prove to the rest of the bees that the humans are "stealing" their honey.

Level design was the same as in the original aside from that, but the background music was The Verdict theme.

I didn’t know what was going on, but I played along, I guess.

As I ran through the levels, I noticed there were no obnoxious enemies in my path, but a few obstacles to attack with my stinger. At the end of the stage, on the flight where the pollen jocks would be, there were small pieces of what looked similar to Vanessa’s limbs. Adam was standing there, waiting. When I landed on the ground, a cutscene was triggered. Words appeared over a black background.

No music. No animation. Just words in the normal white font.

“Vanessa took a tumble. She’s gone, Barry.”

I was a bit startled by this. It wasn’t until Barry’s dreams that Vanessa was by plane crash. So whatever happened? Is this a hack? A joke? Part of the original plot?

Then I saw a completely animated, digitalized CGI clip. It looked like one of those DVD roms with the standard definition capabilities. Much higher than 720p, but probably would’ve look slightly impressive for the time. The clip featured a shocked, heart-broken Barry holding and staring into the eyes of Vanessa’s severed head, going into a sobbing fit and repeating the word ‘No’, Vanessa’s eyes staring lifelessly back at him. The weird part?

Then, the clip ended when Barry turned his head toward the screen with a menacing glare, the look of an enraged killer. Then it faded to black, and another audio file played.

“You!”

Gameplay returned. Apparently, I was now fighting Adam. He seemed to be walking quite slowly toward me. Seemed like an easy battle.

Things got real weird as soon as I whipped Adam. His parts went everywhere and the Wilhelm scream sound effect played like in the movie. Felt corny at first. Then the screen faded to more white text.

“This was your fault, Adam. I loved her more than Ken could ever love you.”

Now that really puzzled me. Barry wouldn’t even dare compare his love for Vanessa to his devotion to Ken, let alone Adam’s. This game was getting stranger by the minute.

Next, was a still shot of Hector pointing at Barry.

“MURDERER!” He cried.

The shot faded and was replaced with a clip of Barry again glaring at the screen.

Gameplay went back up and apparently, I was supposed to kill Hector, Montgomery, Wasps, Hornets, Dragonflies and strangely, even Pollen jocks, No music in the background. Just what sounded like a church bell striking twelve.

Pieces flew everywhere as I killed the characters one after the other. Finally, after killing Pollen jocks, the screen faded again.

More white text.

“I won’t live in a world without her.”

Then, it showed a CGI clip of Barry falling outside of hive and he ended up landing in the driveway. His head spattered loudly and violently into blood and brain matter as his body lay lifelessly.

After the cutscene faded, I was taken to the fight with Freddy the bee keeper. Things were the same, except rather than the usual quote that is unheard, “You wouldn’t want to be in the way when my smoke goes off.”, the sound clip was of Freddy murmuring “Why did you do it, Barry?”

I tried to fight back, but the lasso would only go through him, unharmed, even when he was tired.

After helplessly losing all my health, Barry went into his Credits animation where he and pollen jocks restoring the world. Then, Adam flew into Barry and both of them dissolved into the background. Another fade, and more text…

“There’s only one place suited for your kind, bee…”

Then, a hellish cave with blue fire faded in with the words Game Over, along with the erie music. Then, fade and one last text.

“I’m sorry, Vanessa…”

I couldn’t skip the text. It seemed to be one of those unskippable screens, like when you beat a game.

I ejected the disc, and played some The Penguins of Madagascar: Dr. Blowhole Returns – Again!.

I didn’t sleep all weekend.