I am Bread – Preview

I am Bread is the new Early Access game from Bossa Studios, the developer of Surgeon Simulator. Applying the same concept of hilariously unconventional controls, it proves that the idea has not gone stale yet. Some might argue this is another game developed for YouTubers, as in it’s more fun to watch than to actually play. Although there might be a grain of truth there, you really knead to play it in order to appreciate it to its full extent.

You are bread, and as we all know bread’s only life goal is to become toast. Embark on this epic journey to fulfill the dreams of a loaf of bread, set in (at the time of writing) four different levels with more coming soon. What ties the story together is a man’s slow decent into madness, as his bread becomes self-aware and starts moving around. This is told through bills from ‘The Therapy Barn’ with treatment notes at the start of each level, detailing how he starts out thinking he’s just a victim of a burglary, to the point where he is losing his sanity and blaming the bread for the incidents. Although this is actually true, his therapist becomes increasingly worried.

As far as the visual aspect goes, I am Bread truly features next-gen bread graphics. Watch as your slice of bread picks up jam, broken glass or even mold on its journey to become toast. As usual with this kind of game, there are some awkward glitchy movements and stretching if you push the limits of the engine too much. Although it isn’t the prettiest game, the great redeeming factor are the physics, pretty much all objects present will react to your slice. The graphics settings are pretty limited, only allowing you to pick a resolution (resolutions over 1080p are supported), windowed mode or fullscreen, and quality ranging from fastest to fantastic in the launcher. For now, I am Bread doesn’t seem to support SLI.

At the start of each level you start out still next to the loaf of bread you presumably originate from, and it’s up to your dexterity and imagination to end up as a piece of delicious toast. In the first level this is pretty straightforward, since an actual toaster is present. In later levels you’ll have to get a bit more creative and use alternative means to get crispy. You can move by pressing one of four buttons, each corresponding to a corner, which will ‘grip’ the surface it’s on, at which point you can nudge your slice with the left joystick or arrow keys. The game recommends using a gamepad from the start, and this turns out to be very good advice. In opposition to Surgeon Simulator, the controls here are actually something you’ll get a knack for, and it won’t be long until you’re flinging through the room like some kind of Tarzan reincarnated as bread. Although the controller buttons are not rebindable, the keyboard controls are. These keys are always displayed on the appropriate corner of your slice, avoiding confusion when you find yourself in more adventurous situations.

The idea that this game is mainly meant to be watched is supported by the pause menu, which has a ‘share’ option, allowing you to take screenshots and record gifs. These can be saved effortlessly to your hard drive, or shared on Facebook and Twitter.

On your travels from loaf to toast, there are many obstacles. There isn’t much point in becoming toast if you’re no longer edible, so you have to make sure your edibility meter doesn’t drop down too much by avoiding to touch the ground and other obstacles like kitty litter or the kitchen sink. If you manage to make it over to a device that is able to enhance your toastiness, you’ll have to make sure to get both sides to 100 percent. Once the toasting begins, you’ll be assisted by two meters (one for each side of your slice) to make sure to toast evenly, and not too much. When both sides are at least 100 percent toasted, you can end the level (by pressing both joysticks on gamepad), at which point you’ll receive a letter grade. This grade is decided by your edibility, toast quality, deliciousness and completion time, providing plenty of replayability.

Conclusion

I am Bread is easily as fun to watch as it is to play. Although pretty quirky and easily mistaken for a throw-away ‘fun concept with no content’ game, it really is well-made and thoroughly enjoyable. While it may not quite be as hilariously meta as Surgeon Simulator with all its hidden jokes and references, it delivers on its promise of being a ‘PROPER game’ as stated on the Steam page. Lately, the Early Access model has received its fair share of (deserved) criticism, but as Surgeon Simulator has proven, it can benefit a game’s development as well, and this will without a doubt ring true for I am Bread. In contrast to many other Early Access titles, I am Bread is a fully playable game as it is now, with more content to come.

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