Console: iOS
Pros
* Fans of the original will find several elements familiar
* Decapitations are a blast to perform
* Multiplayer option is very welcomed
Cons
* Final boss fight can be tough due to clunky controls and sluggish movement
* Unlockables are poorly executed
Barbarian – The Death Sword is a remake of a classic game by the same name first released on the Commodore 64 in 1987. I personally logged quite a number of hours with my nameless Barbarian fighting warrior after warrior in a quest to save Princess Marian from the evil wizard Drax. The entire experience was numerous one on one sword battles to the death, facing what seemed like an endless number of opponents. The simplicity of the combat is what really fueled my interest in the title, not to mention it was the only game that I knew of that had decapitations. While this game was a favorite for both my brother and I, neither one of us was ever able to get far enough to face the wizard leaving us with a feeling of curiosity as to what the conclusion had to offer.
With the release of Barbarian – The Death Sword for the iOS, I had the chance to revisit the series and make an attempt to bring closure to a mysterious title from my past. I was very curious as to what this version had to offer, and wanted to see if it could measure up to the standard that I still hold for the original version.
Immediately fans of the original will pick up on the similarities between this and the original title. The character models and environments shift from the sprite drawn look of the past, to rendered 3D models that look great despite their simplistic nature. The general aesthetic of the game is very similar to a Nintendo 64 game to be honest. It was pretty cool to see a static drawn background from the past re-imagined into a 3D arena.
Music in this game is another plus. Throughout the story mode, we are supplied with an Orchestral Score that fits setting well. My favorite part of this experience was when I realized that one of the tracks being played was a remake of the theme for the C64 version.
Presentation is the strongest aspect of the title. Fans of the original will notice elements that help with nostalgia, while newcomers will enjoy the scenery and motion comic style cut scenes of the Story Mode.
Single Player : C
Game mechanics / Length / difficulty
Gameplay can be a mixed bag with this one. On one hand Barbarian stays true to its roots by keeping the simplistic controls of the original. This can be great considering playing this on the iPad requires the use of the touchscreen for attacks and movement. The downside to this is that there isn’t anything new in terms of gameplay to be offered. Is this a bad thing? I think that depends on the individual, however I found the fights became stale after a few lengthy sessions.
There are a few game modes offered in this package which include Story Mode, Arcade Mode, and Survival. Multiple difficulty settings are offered as well. I think this aspect was a step in the right direction for the series giving the player more than just a generic bare bones approach. The Story Mode will progress the player through four different chapters containing about 16 enemies. ***Spoiler: Highlight to read The last of these opponents being the evil wizard Drax***. This brings me to my biggest complaint about the game. I absolutely loathed facing the final boss. This part of the experience was not at all enjoyable for me as I became really annoyed with the sudden required change of gameplay. You spend the entire Story Mode battling opponents in one on one sword battles just to be faced with a boss that completely changes the rules. Suddenly you are required to jump and duck your way across the screen while dealing with stiff controls and a non-responsive character. I was really disappointed with the execution of this section as I felt the challenge didn’t come from the difficulty of the boss, but rather poor controls. I knew most of the time what was expected of me, but I had a hard time getting the character to do exactly what I wanted him to do in the situation. Maybe this complaint is an unfair assessment since I never made it to the final boss in the original and completely missed a change of gameplay that would be required to keep the title true to its roots. Regardless, the shift of game mechanics is likely to confuse newcomers and possibly discourage players as they struggle to overcome the technical issues of its execution.
Barbarian – The Death Sword also features Arcade mode, which is a basic fight mode that leaves out the theatrics and focuses only on the combat. Survival is more of the same as the player tries to survive as many back to back fights while not regenerating health. These modes bring me to my next complaint. Everything is locked from the start leaving you with the task of completing the Story Mode before anything else is available. This would be perfectly fine if the Story Mode didn’t require you to face the nearly impossible boss battle. I feel that this design choice really alienates the casual audience leaving only the dedicated to complete the required steps in order to enjoy the most basic mode of the game.
Multiplayer : A
Game mechanics / features / Online features
Look at that! This game really includes multiplayer and does it the right way. This competitive versus mode allows you to battle a friend across multiple platforms. You have an iPad and your friend only has an iPhone? Simply not an issue, I would love to see more titles take this route and give the players the flexibility to play against their friends without being concerned about hardware requirements.
Replay Value : C
Lasting appeal / Bonus Content / DLC
Once again this is a tricky one to grade. I have a little more love than most for the game since I was a fan of the original. The basic combat mechanics worked well back in 1987 and since this is a mobile release I think maintaining the simplistic structure was a wise choice. Whether or not this could hold the attention of a newcomer would be interesting to see. In the end Barbarian – The Death Sword is a very simple fighting game that offers only a couple of gameplay modes. It does execute the multiplayer element well and could prove to entertain for a few hours. Even being a long time fan of the original, I can see the potential for gameplay getting stale quickly.
If you are a fan of the original, feel free to give the game a try. You will experience elements that will bring back memories and make the journey worth the price of admission. Having said that, don’t expect a huge step forward. If you are completely new to the series, enter at your own risk. It is a pretty decent way to waste a few hours, but if you are looking for an epic journey I recommend looking somewhere else.
Overall : C+
