On the surface, Bear With Me appears to be little more than an amusing, story-driven, point and click adventure, infused with the tone and style of noir classics like The Maltese Falcon. However, there's much more at play within this clever episodic tale. The plights of Amber, Flint, and (collective sigh) Ted. E Bear amidst the monochromatic, animal populated Paper City are surprisingly compelling. Each ‘scene’ is littered with foreshadowing and hints to the true nature of the plot that’ll keep you guessing until the final moments of episode three.

The writing takes the driving seat, and each entry improves upon the last, like a fluffy police drama that you’ll be desperate to binge. Episode one is clearly the weakest entry, so do as the title says, and bear with it. The mysterious plot almost does its job too well; the puzzles are sometimes a drag to complete as you crave the next clue to where this is all going. That said, the puzzles, while often simple and dull, are at least woven organically into the narrative.

The same can’t be said for the dialogue, which crafts a hard-hitting story, but forces the player to endure dreadful puns and obvious references that are so on the snout, they become utterly unbearable. However, the world building is undeniably brilliant; the gloomy, hand drawn art style blends stunningly with the brilliantly devised jazz score. Equally, the voice actors, in particular the chap voicing the stereotypically grouchy film noir detective Ted, put in consistently entertaining work. This collection includes a spoiler-filled fourth episode, so despite its overall short length, it’s worth the asking price, if you can bear to part with your cash.