Alphabear 2 is a Scrabble-style, word-building Mobile Phone Game released by Spry Fox in September 2018. It is the second edition of their 2015 game Alphabear (which itself draws on creative elements of one of Spry Fox's older releases, the 2010 game Panda Poet). It sets players to solving word puzzles and collecting themed allies as they hurtle through history in a makeshift time machine.
The game is played by spelling words out of letters selected from tiles on a grid, causing the used letter-tiles to disappear. When adjacent tiles disappear, cartoon bears fill the space left behind. The more lettered tiles a player can clear from the board, the bigger the bears get — the bigger the bears, the more points players earn.
Players must complete stages in story mode to unlock collectible, equip-able bear allies. They can also play daily challenges, or choose from a set of recurring special challenges that appear on a monthly basis. To play any level, players must use the in-game currency 'Honey'. Players collect bears as the game progresses, with each bear granting a gameplay bonus like extending the clock on timed stages or scoring extra points when a word of a certain length is spelled.
Alphabear 2 Contains Examples Of:
- Alas, Poor Yorick: One of the randomized mad-lib cards that appear after completing a stage generates a scene in which the player's bear avatar soliloquizes to a skull.
- Ancient Egypt: Chapter 3 takes place in a desert full of camels, palm trees, pyramids, and bear-headed sphinxes.
- Beary Friendly: All characters are adorable, square cartoon bears.
- Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick: In the dialogue sequence before the sixth level of Chapter 2, Scary Ptero Bear says, "I'm useful for many things! I can fly! I can quote Shakespeare. ...I can swallow other bears whole..."
- Equipment Upgrade: Collected bears can be "Leveled Up" in the School to make their score modifiers better, either by exchanging Honey or completing challenges.
- The '50s: Chapter 6 of the story mode takes place in the 1950's, replete with diner booths and cars with huge tail fins.
- '50s Hair: "Auto Bear" has a flip reminiscent of hairstyles of the late 1950's/ early 1960's.
- The Flapper: "Flapper Bear," a collectible ally, is a flapper.
- Freemium Timer: Players must spend "Honey" to play any stage or challenge. Honey is basically an energy meter that regenerates naturally with time, or players can pay to refill it.
- Greaser Delinquents: "Greaser Bear," who joins the party in Chapter 6.
- Microtransactions: Of the three forms of in-game currency (Honey, Berries, and Coins), players can spend real-world money to purchase in-game coins. There are also "packs" offered to help with recurrent events, and booster items can be purchased in the shop.
- Player Party: Players equip up to three bears to tackle most story and challenge stages. Each bear grants a certain bonus or in-game effect, like adding several seconds during timed gameplay or awarding extra points for using certain letters.
- Required Party Member: Some recurring challenges require players to equip a specific bear to unlock and play tiers of the event.
- The event "AB Positive" requires players to use the "Slasher Bear" to play through Tiers 1, 4, and 8, while "Foreshadowing" requires "Slasher Bear" to play Tier 2.
- "Publicity Stunt" requires players to have "Bearilyn" to play Tier 2, while "Nothin' but a Bear Dog" requires players to equip "Bearilyn" to play Tiers 1, 4, and 8.
- Riding the Bomb: One of the randomized mad-lib cards that appear after completing a stage generates a scene in which the player's bear avatar sits astride a comically illustrated warhead, waving a cowboy hat.
- The Roaring '20s: Chapter 4 takes place in the 1920's, where players can recruit the "Flapper Bear" and "Speakeasy Bear."
- Unlockable Content: Repeating challenges like "Live to Eat", "Walk of Fame", "Don't Go In There!", "A Scientific Curiosity", "Farm Fresh", and "Dressed to Spell" require players to level up certain types of collected bears, or to own specific items of clothing from the clothing shop, in order to play. (Or players can purchase packs with real money.)
- Virtual Paper Doll: Completing story stages and daily challenges earns players rewards in the form Red, Yellow, and Blue cloth, which can be exchanged for (mostly cosmetic) items like hats and dresses players can use to customize their avatar — though some repeating challenges can only be unlocked by purchasing and wearing certain items from the wardrobe.
