STUFFED Preview

I have a long relationship with STUFFED. I played it back in 2021 on the PC when it was just a demo, then again when it went into Early Access in December of that year. It is now two years later, and the game is being released onto Xbox. I can’t wait to see what changes have been made in the last couple of years where gamers have had the chance to try it out and submit feedback and suggestions to developer Waving Bear Studio. I am excited to see how the game has evolved from the earlier iterations now that it is on the Xbox.

In STUFFED, you take on the role of a teddy bear who is on a mission to protect their owner, Ellie, from all the nightmares that are trying to infiltrate her dreams. I am sure that when you were a child, you had a special stuffy that was there to protect you from the monsters of the night! Armed with cool weapons made of stuff you would find around the house, including elastic bands, soda cans, and marbles, your bear is ready to go all Rambo on the evil creatures.

There is only solo mode available on the Xbox and your goal is the same as it was on the PC, protect Ellie’s bedroom door from being destroyed by the creepy monsters attacking it and trying to get in. The door has its own health bar, so stop the enemies before they run out. I know rubber duckies, gnomes, and robots don’t really seem like scary monsters, but when they are coming at you in non-stop waves as they are staring you down, it is quite unsettling! Once you get to wave four, a tall, dark boogeyman creature is busy clawing and attacking the door while you are preoccupied with taking down the horde of other enemies. It doesn’t take long for the shadowy figure to destroy the barrier, so you will have to juggle your time protecting the door and fighting off all the other enemies.

Just because most of the enemies you fight are brightly coloured and cute doesn’t mean that this will be an easy game. On their own, they seem easy to take down, but it’s the sheer number of creatures coming at you at the same time that makes you feel overwhelmed very fast! Trying to prioritise between taking down the small enemies or trying to protect and fix the door gets hectic. It reminded me of playing Nazi Zombie mode in Call of Duty. Things will be going well, then suddenly everything goes to sh*te and you are defeated.

 

STUFFED is a vibrant and incredibly detailed game that makes this little girl's room come to life. It feels incredibly realistic. The nightmare creatures look just like their real-life counterparts, but twisted in freaky ways, like the ducks with razor-sharp teeth. Unlike the creepy creatures, your bear is adorable and has a tonne of customisation options available to make it your own plush hero. Want your bear to have a leopard print or a tiger stripe pattern? You can do that! And even make the fur surrounding it rainbow-coloured. There are tonnes of different outfits and fur options available, along with clothing to dress up in. A lot of these will need to be unlocked by spending the bear coins that you earn from playing the main game.

Your wardrobe isn’t the only thing that you can upgrade; you can also customise the weapons that your bear is equipped with. The development team obviously spent a tonne of time designing these; each one is crafted from household items and is incredibly creative and unique. Besides looking cool, each weapon has a great name, like Coke Canon, Planky McBang Bang, and Jelly Boom Boom. Even this item that you don’t really consider a weapon — a stick — is named Sticc because it is too cool for the K. It is also surprisingly effective in bashing enemies on the head when you run out of ammo!

If a nightmare creature hits you, it will take away some of your health. The good news is that it will regenerate on its own over time, as long as you don’t run out completely. While fighting through the waves, there is an upgrade bench where you can select one of three power-ups to give you more ammo, more health, or increase the speed that you move. As you explore the room, you will find doors that open up to other areas. To open one, it will cost some of the points that you have earned by defeating enemies. It is worthwhile, though, as this lets you explore the map and find new weapons to equip your bear with. You will find that every new room has a teleporter that allows you to move from the room you are currently in back to the start room or vice versa. This is incredibly helpful when you are trying to get away from a horde of creatures coming at you. If you are ever unsure of where you are supposed to go next, look for a green diamond. This icon marks where you need to go next.

I am happy to report that there is now a larger selection of songs that you will hear in the game, so not always the same one is on repeat. Along with the suspenseful yet upbeat songs, you get to hear some cool sound effects. There are squeaky sounds whenever the enemy is walking around, making it pretty easy to spot where they are coming in from, and awesome effects when you shoot down a gnome; it sounds just like pieces of ceramic falling. To go along with this, your weapons all have a unique firing sound when you shoot a round. I did have a playthrough where these sounds were gone and the volume for the SFX was on. I just went into the menu, adjusted the slider, and went back into my game, and it was all back to normal — just a silly bug.

I have been having a great time playing STUFFED. This game is full of personality and feels just like something a kid would have dreamed up in their imagination. The only thing I wish the game had was local co-op, but it is still a fun single player experience. I think this is a game that fans of first-person shooter games must play, especially if you have a special stuffed animal that would protect you from anything scary and repel the nightmares that would haunt you at night.