I commissioned some bees 12 Days

I commissioned some bees 12 Days is a meditative hidden object puzzle game where players search for over 1,500 bees concealed within 15 unique fantasy Christmas and winter-themed artworks. Featuring point-and-click or keyboard controls, unlimited hints, restore functionality for replayability, and ambient music for each scene, it offers a calming and immersive experience in a whimsical, commissioned art world.

I commissioned some bees 12 Days: Review

Introduction: The Serenity of a Thousand Hidden Bees

In the vast, often cacophonous landscape of modern video gaming, where hyper-realistic graphics and complex systemic interactions reign, there exists a tranquil, almost meditative corner carved out by the unlikeliest of franchises. I commissioned some bees 12 Days is not merely a game; it is a deliberate act of digital mindfulness, a hidden object puzzle distilled to its purest, most aesthetic form. Released on December 27, 2022, by the enigmatic solo studio Follow The Fun, it represents the 12th mainline entry—and a thematic Christmas special—in the sprawling “I commissioned some…” series. This review will argue that 12 Days is a masterclass in minimalist, atmospheric game design. Its legacy is not one of commercial blockbusterdom or critical darling status, but of proving that a compelling, satisfying, and even profound interactive experience can be built upon the simplest of premises: finding tiny, meticulously drawn bees in beautiful, sprawling winter fantasy scenes. It is a game that understands the power of patient observation and the deep satisfaction of completion, offering a sanctuary for the fatigued mind.

Development History & Context: The “Follow The Fun” Assembly Line

To understand 12 Days, one must first understand its progenitor: the “I commissioned some…” series itself. The developer, Follow The Fun, operates as a singular vision (likely a single developer or a very small team) with a remarkably consistent and audacious production model. The core concept, as implied by the series title, is one of artistic curation. The “brief,” as stated in the official Steam description, is simple: commission artists to create a themed fantasy world and task them with hiding as many bees (or frogs, cats, dogs, etc.) as possible within their artwork.

This model situates 12 Days within a specific indie and “casual” gaming context of the early 2020s. It leverages the asset-flip or asset-based development philosophy but elevates it through a razor-sharp thematic lens and a focus on cohesive artistic direction. The technological constraints are those of GameMaker Studio, a versatile 2D engine beloved by indies for its accessibility. This choice is telling: it prioritizes the hand-drawn, 2D, top-down visual presentation over 3D complexity. The gaming landscape of its release was saturated with fast-paced, attention-demanding live-service games. 12 Days was explicitly positioned as an antidote—a “Meditative / Zen” title in the MobyGames taxonomy, tagged by users as “Relaxing,” “Family Friendly,” and “Atmospheric.” It is a game designed not for adrenaline, but for contemplation, fitting for a post-holiday release window where players might seek low-stakes, high-comfort digital engagements.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive: The Story is the Silence

It is a deliberate and crucial statement to begin this section by asserting: I commissioned some bees 12 Days has no conventional narrative. There is no plot, no characters with dialogue, no cutscenes, and no textual story beyond the introductory premise. This is not a failing; it is the fundamental, intentional design pillar.

The Thematic Core: Commission, Observation, Completion. The title itself is the entire narrative framework. “I commissioned some bees” establishes a meta-narrative of patronage and artistic collaboration. The player is not a hero, a detective, or an explorer with a backstory. They are the fulfiller of a commission. Their role is to complete the artist’s hidden challenge. This creates a unique, almost scholarly relationship between player, artist, and art object. The “12 Days” subtitle layers in a festive, sequential context—a nod to the Christmas carol and the “advent” version that preceded it—suggesting a daily ritual of discovery.

The Winter World as Character. The 15 unique artworks form the game’s only “setting.” They are described as a “fantasy Christmas/winter world.” Each piece, from snowy villages to mystical winter forests, is not just a backdrop but a contained universe of hiding spots. The atmosphere is not conveyed through story but through the visual language of each piece and its dedicated, unique “music and ambiance.” A quiet, snowy town will have a different auditory signature than a cozy, candle-lit interior or a magical ice cavern. This environmental storytelling is absolute: the mood is entirely in the hands of the commissioned artists, with the game serving as a silent, interactive gallery.

Themes of Patience and Reward. The gameplay loop—scan, zoom, find, click—reinforces themes of mindfulness and obsessive attention to detail. The “unlimited hints” system is a fascinating narrative device in itself. It acknowledges the player’s potential frustration without breaking the contemplative spell. It’s a gentle, in-lore assistance from the “commissioner” (the game/developer), saying, “If you truly cannot see it, I will show you.” The final theme is one of restoration and replayability: the ability to “restore a small number of bees” to a painting transforms the act of completion into a cyclical one, a perpetual engagement with the art. The game doesn’t end; it invites you to see the same world anew with fresh eyes.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems: The Zen of the Search

The mechanics are beautifully, starkly simple, executed with precision.

Core Loop: The player is presented with a single, high-resolution, top-down 2D illustration. Using the mouse (or WASD/arrow keys), they pan and zoom across the scene. The objective is to locate and click on every hidden bee. Each successful click makes the bee vanish with a satisfying pop and a counter increment. A level is complete when the bee count reaches zero.

Progression & Systems: Progression is purely level-based. All 15 artworks are available from the start (with an optional “new level each day” gimmick that is functionally irrelevant given instant access). Completion is tracked per painting and overall. The three save slots allow for segmented play—a useful feature for a game meant to be dipped into over time. The reset function similarly serves the desire for a fresh start. The included timer is a minimalist piece of UI, appealing to speedrunners and personal challengers without imposing pressure.

Innovation within Constraints: The innovation lies in the commitment to the format. The “∞ Unlimited hints” is a player-friendly masterstroke, eliminating external guide dependency. The ability to “restore” bees is the key systemic innovation for replay value, though its implementation (“a small number”) is vague—it seems to be a limited, possibly random, reintroduction rather than a full custom editor. The inclusion of “additional bee-related objects to find” ( hinted at in tags like “Creature Collector”) suggests a minor layer of variation in some artworks, though the primary focus remains the titular bees.

Flaws as Features: The game’s only potential flaws are inherent to its genre. Repetition is the core experience; finding the 100th bee in a crowded scene can blend into the 99th. The “puzzle” has no logic beyond visual acuity and patience. For players seeking problem-solving or strategic depth, this will be a non-starter. The reliance on user-submitted artwork (implied by the commission model) means visual quality and hiding-spot cleverness can vary, though the curation ensures a baseline standard.

World-Building, Art & Sound: A Gallery of Winter Wonders

This is where 12 Days transcends its mechanical simplicity and becomes a genuine artistic experience.

Visual Direction & Art: The game is a curated gallery. The 15 artworks are the stars, each a distinct, hand-drawn illustration in a cohesive “fantasy Christmas/winter” style. The descriptors—”Comic Book,” “Stylized,” “Hand-drawn,” “Colorful”—point to a diverse yet thematically unified collection. One scene might be a whimsical, cartoonish village; another a more detailed, painterly landscape. The top-down perspective and free camera function as a virtual magnifying glass, encouraging the player to explore every nook, cranny, and artistic detail. The joy is in the discovery of how artists have integrated the bees: some are subtly camouflaged against bark or snow, others are absurdly large and obvious, some form part of a larger pattern or object. It is interactive art appreciation.

Sound Design: The audio is a critical, often overlooked, component. Each of the 15 artworks has its own “music and ambiance.” This is not a generic winter track looped 15 times. It is a bespoke soundscape that matches the painting’s mood—peaceful, mystical, bustling, or lonely. The music is likely calm, ambient, and non-intrusive, designed to fade into the background as the player focuses, but to also immediately evoke the specific feeling of that artwork when first entered. This pairing of unique visual and auditory environments is a significant part of the “Get immersed” promise.

Atmosphere: The combined effect is one of profound atmosphere. This is not the tense, survivalist cold of The Long Dark or the fantastical peril of a Fable game. It is the cozy, quiet, beautiful cold of a snow globe. It’s the feeling of looking at a detailed, festive illustration in a children’s book and being given permission to touch every part of it. The pacing (“Meditative / Zen”) is enforced by the art and sound, creating a bubble of serene focus.

Reception & Legacy: A Quiet Triumph in a Niche Ecosystem

Critical & Commercial Reception: By traditional metrics, I commissioned some bees 12 Days is virtually invisible. It has no critic reviews on Metacritic. It has a “Moby Score” of n/a on MobyGames, with only 1 collector as of the latest data. Its commercial performance is obscure, though its persistent presence in Steam bundles and its frequent bundling with other series entries suggest it moves steadily as part of a larger, low-cost collection rather than as a standalone headline act.

Player Reception: The available player feedback is sparse but illuminating. On Steam, it boasts a “Very Positive” rating with 93% of 33 reviews being positive (as of aggregated data). The lone dedicated review from “Missi the Achievement Huntress” is telling: she praises its relaxing, side-playable nature, its no-missable achievements, and the helpful hint system. She explicitly compares it favorably to other quiet indies like Tiny Lands and Unpacking. This pinpoints its exact appeal: a low-commitment, stress-free, achievement-friendly experience. The Steam user tags—”Hidden Object,” “Relaxing,” “Family Friendly,” “Atmospheric”—form a perfect summary of its received identity.

Influence & Legacy: Its influence is not on AAA game design but on the “hyper-casual” and “chill game” subgenres. It exemplifies a successful, repeatable formula:
1. A simple, universally understood core mechanic (hidden object).
2. A strong, marketable theme (Christmas/winter + bees).
3. Sourcing high-quality, varied art from multiple creators.
4. Polishing that core loop with excellent UX (unlimited hints, multiple saves, replayability tweaks).
5. Pricing it as an impulse buy.

The series’ true legacy is its sheer volume and consistency. With titles numbering into the teens and covering animals, objects, and abstract concepts, Follow The Fun has created a reliable brand for a specific kind of player. 12 Days is a standout entry due to its seasonal theme and its quasi-pun title/positioning. It demonstrates that a game can be a piece of seasonal art, a tool for relaxation, and a completionist’s toy all at once. Its legacy is the quiet validation of a vast, underserved market for gentle, aesthetic, completion-focused games.

Conclusion: A Masterpiece of Minimalism

I commissioned some bees 12 Days is a paradox: an utterly forgettable game in terms of mainstream discourse that is, for its intended audience, a near-perfect realization of a specific vision. It asks for nothing more than your eyes and a modicum of patience, and in return offers a pocketsized winter gallery, a soothing soundscape, and the deep, dopamine-hit of a perfectly completed checklist.

Its place in video game history is not in the canon of influential classics, but in the catalog of essential niche experiences. It is a key text in the study of “games as mood” rather than “games as challenge.” It proves that the fundamental loop of “find the hidden thing” can be stripped of all pressure, competition, and narrative pretense to become a pure interactive meditation on color, shape, and pattern recognition. In an industry perpetually chasing scale and immersion through complexity, 12 Days finds a different kind of immersion: one of total, tranquil focus on a single, beautiful, self-contained world. For what it sets out to do—to be a relaxing, artistic, and satisfying hidden object game—it succeeds with quiet, unassuming brilliance. It is a game that doesn’t ask to be played, but one that is profoundly rewarding when you choose to sit with it.