Screw You, Bear Dad

About

Screw You, Bear Dad is a chaotic text-based adventure that leans hard into absurd humor and unpredictable storytelling. Developed by Strange Scaffold, it follows a disjointed narrative where players navigate surreal scenarios involving drug-fueled introspection, elderly women piloting helicopters, and bears in all their forms. Written by Xalavier Nelson Jr. for the 2016 Annual Interactive Fiction Competition, the game uses punchy dialogue and darkly comedic twists to explore themes of coping with life’s messiness. What sets it apart is its unapologetic weirdness. The game thrives on sharp wordplay and tonal shifts that blend the mundane with the bizarre, like pairing existential crises with cartoonish action sequences. Its web browser format keeps it accessible, while the punchy 60-minute runtime makes it a bite-sized experiment in experimental fiction. Players looking for traditional structure will find little here, just a whirlwind of irreverent ideas that stick around long after the credits.