Why Bear and Breakfast's management systems were a "bear" to create

gamedeveloper.com:

Romanian studio Gummy Cat's Bear and Breakfast is another entry in the cozy management sim genre, which has been on the rise since Stardew Valley began its explosive rise to the top in 2016. With competitors like My Time at Portia, and bigger companies muscling into the genre like Disney and Square Enix, it's not hard to see that low-stress farming simulators are having a moment.

What is hard to see is the furiously complex design work that underlies all these games. There are finely-tuned timers, extremely honed progression curves, and deep interlocking systems that make these experiences possible. Fixing one bug in this complex sea of systems might just make two more pop up in your face.

And yet, Bear and Breakfast is here, and it's delightful. Where Stardew Valley encouraged players to build a fully operational produce factory, Bear and Breakfast players are tasked with making cozy and welcoming homesteads to attract the interest of vacationers.

It also benefits from some pointed writing. The player character Hank the Bear is surrounded by a sea of grifters and enthusiastic assistants all traumatized by a massive forest fire. Hank's good-natured go-get-em attitude is balanced by cynical realists, who in turn are influenced by his (and the player's) good deeds.

Game creator Rareș Cinteză told Game Developer that all of this came from a vision to make a modernized version of Bullfrog's simulation games from the late '90s. Here's how he took inspiration from Theme Hospital to make something relevant for today's world.

Cinteză's other major influence for making Bear and Breakfast was the films of Wes Anderson. They're filled with colorful palettes, over-the-top plots that can feel like a Rube Goldberg machine coming to life,