Bee-keeping sim Apico is quite bee-loved (Matt even featured it in his interesting games on an itch.io roundup), and is currently available basically everywhere… except anything Xbox. Well, that’s set to change – though I can’t tell you when past it will happen “soon.” As it does on current platforms, a portion of the game’s profits will continue to go toward bee conservation efforts.
Apico is what you’d except a bee-keeping sim to be. It combines resource gathering, biology, and mini-games with both fantasy and real-life beekeeping and gardening. It teachers players the nitty gritty about maintaining a healthy hive and the importance of bees on our ecosystem.
The plot is pretty straightforward: the islands of Apico were once abuzz with many different species of bees, and the players needs to recover lost species, cross-breed new ones, and repopulate each unique bee-ome (biome). Each biome has its own unique bees. Forgotten secrets will be uncovered as the game progresses.
There are unique crafting and beekeeping mini-games that help the game move forward. Over 30 species of bees are available. In addition to beekeeping, make and sell honey, Apicoa, and other bee-related products. Players don’t hoard bees, though: they repopulate lost species and release them back into the wild. The game can be played alone, but it doesn’t have to be! There is four-player online co-op, with cross-play available on all platforms (this presumably includes the upcoming Xbox versions).
When it launches on Xbox, Apico will include Update 2.0: I Can’t Beelieve It’s Not Butter(Flies). This update includes new NPCs to meet and befriend, new pollinators (butterflies, solitary bees), new flowers (each with its own effect on the environment), the ability to make incense and candles, new music on the soundtrack, new books, new decorations, and a bunch of quality-of-life updates.
Developed by TNgineers and published by Whitethorn Games, Apico is currently available for PC via Steam/Epic/Humble/itch.io/Utomik, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. It will be released for Xbox Series and Xbox One “soon.”
