I am Bread Preview – Toasty Cliffhanger

If, for some reason, I’m ever making breakfast for you, do not ask for toast. I am Bread has shown me that I am dangerously incapable of just getting a piece of bread onto any kind of surface that would toast it, without dropping it on the floor, letting ants crawl onto it, or letting it fall into the sink. Even so, I think the scales may be tipped in the game’s favor due to Bossa Studios’ signature bizarre, uncomfortable controls. I have never had such a hard time completing such a simple task, but then again, I also never knew how much fun my bread had when I left the house.

You have one goal in I am Bread, and that’s getting a piece of bread toasted. That’s it, and it is a whole lot harder than it sounds. Normally, my bread doesn’t get around much without a little help, but this intrepid slice can adhere to things with the push of a button. Each of the four corners of the toast can grip things if you press the corresponding button or key, and as long as it’s grabbing something, you can make it move around using the control pad or directional keys. I found it easier with a controller, but I’m not implying that the controls were ever simple to use. This is Bossa Studios, developer of Surgeon Simulator. Having a hard time with the controls is what they’re all about.

Keeping track of which buttons to press when isn’t all that intuitive, since all four sides of the bread really look the same when you’re falling off the table towards the deadly, dirty floor. I often mashed buttons in hopes that one would grip the side of the wall or table. You can stick to any surface, so it’s always worth trying to grab something. Still, it takes a lot of thought and a careful eye to see which button you should be pressing, and you should indeed check before you start flopping around. It’s funny to flop your bread around the room, but the game is extremely difficult if you want to actually beat all of its stages. The game indicates which buttons will affect what sides, which is a nice concession from the developers.

Why should you care if you fall on the floor, though? Well, what’s the sense in making toast if no one can eat it? Your slice has an edibility meter that gauges the fineness of your toast, and this, along with the time it takes, dictates your score at the end of each level. Also, if your edibility drops too far, you’re done and have to restart the stage. Contact with all sorts of bad things will drop your edibility, from a drop to the floor to a dip in the sink. It drops fast, too, so you never want to make contact with these surfaces for long. If you don’t make a move on the floor while you’re just lying there flat, you’ll be back to the loading screen in seconds.

Your toast will also show visual wear depending on what you’ve rolled it through during the level. If you let it hit the floor, it will pick up dirt. If it rolls around in the mysterious goo at the bottom of the fridge, it will show that, too. If you drop it in a pile of ants, they’re on it for the remainder of the stage. It feels insane to say, but the game genuinely grosses me out more than most anything I’ve played. That worries me about myself. I am Bread, you may be a little too real for me.

You’ll want to keep yourself out of trouble by staying out of bad things using your sticky corners, but the bread has a grip meter straight out of Shadows of the Colossus (a comparison I didn’t think I would ever make). It drains as you cling to things and refills when you’re at rest, so if you have to climb a tall object, you need to do it quickly. You can’t just hang or cling to something indefinitely, which puts a little urgency into the game when you’re hanging over some muddy footprints on the floor.

This also results in some harrowing cliffhanger moments. Another game might have a mountain climber hanging over the abyss, or the hero’s fingers barely clutching the side of a platform as the villain sneers down. In I am Bread, you will feel that same tension from a piece of bread hanging from a cereal container over a sink of water. It’s quite a thing to experience.

The different levels show a lot of variety, but mainly take place in steadily more challenging household areas. The first level takes place in a kitchen, making it relatively easy to figure out what you’re supposed to do and where to go. After that, it moves to different areas of the house, with furniture that’s spread further and further apart. As the game moves on, you need to get more creative with your ability to cling to objects and fling your bread around using the control stick.

Object interactivity is what will save your bread. Most every little object in the game can be moved or used in some way, and it all relies on your own creativity. From the very first stage, you can use the oven instead of the toaster to get the job done. Still, the oven isn’t on when you get there, requiring you to think to use the dials to turn it on. Items become more important in the next area, where a wall heater might save the day. To get there, I’ve tried rolling across the floor in a pot, riding a skateboard, and spinning around on a cat’s toy to roll my way to victory. Each stage is a toy box, and it’s up to you to look at your surroundings and use what’s there to solve the puzzle. There tends to be a clear, better way to do things, but even in Early Access, there were often several other creative ways to win.

This creativity, combined with being a piece of bread, makes for some silly good times. The controls can be frustrating if you’re focused on winning, but so could Surgeon Simulator. If you treat this as more of a funny toy to play around with and see whether you can reach the end, you end up with some really great moments that you’ll want to experience with friends. I am Bread is the kind of game you’ll want to pass around, letting each person try something new and silly to get their bread toasted.

Even in moments when I was starting to get frustrated with the game, the chill music kept me calm. It sounded like something out of an old sitcom, playing relaxed music that has a quirky, upbeat tone. Also, something about the music, especially in a post-Too Many Cooks world, only adds to the goofiness of what you’re playing.

I am Bread is shaping up to be another fine, absurd game from developer Bossa Studios. Its simple premise marries well with the complex controls and open environments, expecting a lot of creativity from its players. It’s hard for those who are looking for a challenge, but provides equally as much fun for those who just want to play around with a slice of bread. If you’re looking for the next great silly game, you’ve found it with I am Bread.

I am Bread is available on Steam Early Access for $9.99. If you would like to know more about the game or its developer, you can go to their website or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.