“ | The big bear has gone mad with distemper. Pico is called in to bring him down! | ” |
— Pico vs Bear description, Newgrounds.com
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Pico vs Bear (formerly titled Bloodshed in the Big Blue House and Bloodshed in the Big House that Blew[3]) is a flash game created by Tom Fulp and published on Newgrounds.com. It is a crossover between the Pico and Assassin series. The fourth entry in the Pico series, it is a point-and-click shooter that centers around Pico killing violent parodies of characters from Bear in the Big Blue House.
Story[]
Pico is summoned by the Assassin Corporation to alleviate a hostage situation. Former children's show host, Big Brown Bary, has gone insane and is attacking children. He is given a debriefing on Bary and his friends, who have armed themselves in Bary's house. Pico arrives at the front of the house, where Bary is armed with a shotgun. After shooting a child, Bary takes fire at Pico. Once he takes sufficient damage, Bary's arms fall off. He flees inside the house, with Pico chasing after him. He is stopped by Hoe-Joe, Bary's supposed daughter, and her possessed doll Hoe-Bear. After killing them, he confronts Bary in the kitchen. Rambling about the pressures of being a bear, Bary reveals to have strapped dynamite to his body, and is planning to kill Pico in a suicide bombing. Pico quickly shoots the microwave and sink. The electricity flows through the water and into Bary's body, shorting out the explosives and blowing his body up. The Commissioner congratulates Pico for fulfilling the job and treats him out for ice cream.
Development[]
True to Newgrounds' Assassin series, the game's initial 1999 release presented the antagonists as the actual characters from Bear in the Big Blue House, though more vulgar and violent. In the original release's credits, creator Tom Fulp explains that, while the game is a parody, there is no disrespected intended towards Jim Henson, who established the Jim Henson Company. Despite this, Fulp was e-mailed by The Jim Henson Company and The Walt Disney Company, who requested the game to be taken down. Fulp complied with the request, however, he re-released the game under a new title and a slight redesign of the Bear in the Big Blue House characters, changing their names and body color. The original release was kept as an easter egg to veteran Newgrounds user as part of Newgrounds' "secrets" system, but due to the site's redesign, it no longer works.[4]
Gameplay[]
In Pico vs Bear, there are are four segments where the player fights an enemy. Like in Pico's School, the player must click on their opponent to deal damage. In the first fight with Big Brown Bary, he will continually unload his shotgun at Pico. The player can user the arrow keys to move Pico left and right. Pico can hide behind the bushes to avoid taking damage, but they can only be shot at a certain number of times before being completely destroyed. In addition to Bary, Pico needs to dodge attacks from Barry's friends, Titty, Piss, and Poop. Pico's ammo will gradually decrease, but he can gain a pack of 100 bullets after killing Piss and Poop. In the battle against Hoe-Joe, her Hoe-Bear doll will immediately attack Pico if shoots at her. Pico must destroy the doll while dodging exploding barrels dropped by Hoe-Joe. Going to the right after leads to a room with Shadow, who will attempt to eat sections of Pico's health bar. Pico must shoot the light to defeat her, which will cause a Medicinal Herb to fall out to heal Pico. The final boss is against Bary, who has a suicide vest. Shooting Bary directly will cause a game over, so they must shoot the microwave and sink to electrocute him.
Series Represented[]
Series | Description |
Pico | Pico vs Bear is a crossover featuring the Pico series. In the game, Pico is the protagonist, and the design of the game is derived from the point-and-click shooter gameplay of the Pico series. Pico uses the Gun as a weapon. The Medicinal Herb appears as a healing item. |
Assassin | Pico vs Bear is a crossover featuring the Assassin series. The Commissioner appears as a major character in the game's story. Story elements of the Assassin series, such as a "debriefing" segment and the antagonists being hostile parodies of characters from popular culture, are featured in the game. |
References to the Pico series[]
- The gameplay of Pico vs Bear is largely lifted from Pico's School, which was a point-and-click shooter. During boss battles, the player could click on their enemy to have Pico damage them. The graphics of the dead children in the game and the design of the reticle are lifted from Pico's School.
References to the Assassin series[]
- In the game's introduction, The Commissioner shows a folder that contains information on Bary and his associates. The briefing depicts the ordinarily innocent children's show characters as violent and depraved. Each game in the Assassin series begins with a display of a folder containing information about the targets, who are selected for a variety of reasons, ranging from preparing violent acts to simply being annoying. Each target's section on the Assassin website held a disclaimer at the bottom that reads: "The Assassins Organization takes no responsibility for the loss of life of its employees or their victims. All actions taken are the sole responsibility of the individual assassin." Followed by a quip at the target's expense. The disclaimer is slightly changed in the first briefing screen to read: "The Assassin Organization takes no responsibility for the loss of life of anyone involved. All actions taken are the sole responsibility of the individual assassin. We don't need another cute bear."
- A Furby can be seen inside a microwave during the final boss battle with Big Brown Bary. This is a reference to the Assassin game Fubar Furby, in which one of the options to kill a Furby was to put it in a microwave.
References[]
- ↑ "December Updates!" on Newgrounds
- ↑ "February Updates!" on Newgrounds
- ↑ Pico VS Bear on The Cutting Room Floor
- ↑ Pico vs Bear on The Cutting Room Floor https://web.archive.org/web/20230423224340/https://tcrf.net/Pico_VS_Bear
Pico | |
---|---|
Characters | Pico • Nene • Darnell • Cassandra • Penilian |
Locations | Pico's School • Nene's Store |
Items | Medicinal Herb • Gun |
Crossovers | Pico vs Bear (1999) • Newgrounds Rumble (2007) • Meat Boy (map pack) (2008) • Indie Game Battle (2015) Friday Night Funkin' (2020) • Guppy's Quest (TBA) |
Crossover Entries | Pico's School: Love Conquers All (2021) |
Cameos | FDA (1999) • Disorderly (2003) • Madness Project Nexus 2 (2021) |