‘I Am Bread’ Review

I Am Bread arrived on Steam Early Access months ago by way of the producers of the floppy-armed cult-hit called Surgeon Simulator, meaning the controls are hilariously awkward, and performing seemingly simple tasks quickly becomes an adventure. The early-release edition of I Am Bread has seen its fair share of testing from fans, and the full version finalizes plenty of content for users to enjoy. While there’s no denying it’s YouTube comedy gold, read on to find out if the toast can match the boast.

Players control their glorious slice of bread by pressing one of 4 buttons – each designated to a corner of the slice – which, when pressed, glues that piece of bread down to a surface. From there, players can swing their mouse to flop the unattached corners in a particular direction, resulting in the bread making movement and potentially even climbing surfaces. The Bread has limited grip before it must rest, so scaling objects is no easy task, even without the awkward movements.

Thankfully, the different maps in I Am Bread provide a unique experience during each level, and players will be forced to find resourceful ways to reach the toaster, or even find an alternative way to toast themselves to perfection. Whether it’s using a skateboard to cross the germ-infested floor in the first level, or breaking a television to fry the bread to perfection, the game will provide plenty of hidden gems and ‘a-ha’ moments for those who dare to explore. That’s the whole point of the game – turn your bread into toast, and it’s harder than you think.

Much like Katamari Damacy, any objects the bread rolls over become attached to the slice, whether they be wriggling ants, shards of glass, or delicious jam. Some of these items improve the overall deliciousness score, while the majority of other items will detract from it. Too much negative item buildup or time on the floor, and it’s game over – a concept that ends up being ridiculously challenging as players navigate around increasing challenging maps.

In addition to the story mode, there’s also a Rampage mode where players control a large baguette, which they can use to reap destruction on plenty of objects. Zero-G puts the toaster in a floating environment with thrusters, asking gamers to navigate a minefield of floating objects and toast themselves without gravity, and proves to be quite an entertaining mode. There’s also things like the obstacle-course Bagel Race and peaceful Free Roam, which give gamers plenty of game modes to loaf around in.

Despite going through a long early access period, the game still boasts some physics glitches. Some of them send the bread spiraling high into the air, while others might force gamers to restart the level, which can be a frustrating process. Overall, though, the game provides plenty of laughs for gamers who keep plugging away at increasingly difficult levels, and even after a few hours players will likely find themselves struggling to cope with the controls of the game.

The game is very much a ‘what you see is what you get’ package, and gamers who like the idea of sentient bread are likely to enjoy killing a few hours completing the main storyline. I Am Bread packs a surprising amount of entertainment into a title that’s available for $14, and those who find themselves curious about the game won’t be disappointed with its value if they take the plunge.

I Am Bread is currently available on Steam for both PC and OS X, and has a 25% sale on right now to boot! Game Rant was provided a PC code for this review.