Barbarian

Game review

Barbarian, released in 1989, is a game inspired by the classic action-packed milieu of Conan the Barbarian, a popular movie from the eighties. In this game, players take control of a barbarian character, viewed from a side perspective, and guide him through a series of obstacles and platforming challenges. The game attempts to capture the essence of a barbarian's adventure, presenting various levels filled with hazards and enemies. While the concept of navigating a rugged warrior through perilous landscapes is intriguing, the execution of the gameplay in Barbarian falls short of its ambitious vision.

You take on the role of a valiant barbarian tasked with going through a long series of dungeons and dungeons and defeating the master Necron wizard who awaits him at the end. Barbara's opponents are diverse. On the way you will meet classic human opponents, but also various demons, other strange creatures and even a great dragon. The dungeons are also varied and the backgrounds change to keep it from looking monotonous all the time. You will also overcome the set traps, which are scattered in the game innumerable.

As your barbarian you can walk, run, jump, fence and so on. In terms of available equipment, you are equipped with a large sword from the start, which you will use for most of the game. But later you will also find a bow, into which you will collect arrows along the way, and last but not least, you must also find a shield. You can control your character in several ways. You can use a joystick, but also, for example, a keyboard on which the game is controlled using function keys (F1-F12).

One of the primary issues players might encounter with Barbarian are its controls. The game was originally designed with joystick controls in mind, leading to a less-than-optimal experience for those using a mouse and keyboard. This design choice affects the gameplay significantly, making the controls feel clunky and unresponsive at times.

The game was fairly well-received at the time for its very good graphics, but it was criticized for its difficulty and lack of a save system, which led to frequent repetition of the initial levels.