Overall Tiny Barbarian DX starts running out of steam earlier than expected. Much of what it offers has already been seen, and some of the design choices were misguided. Glitches unique to this Switch port also do no favors. You can get better for $29.99. A patch and price reduction will help. Despite a fair amount of content and some positives, this one is for fans only.
Tiny Barbarian DX
StarQuail Games · Oct 10, 2017
About
Steel yourself for a relentless display of might and muscle…brawn and bravery…magic and mayhem! Inspired by heroic fantasy fiction, Tiny Barbarian DX combines engaging 2D platform action and combo-based hack-and-slash combat with retro-style pixel art and a loincloth-stirring chiptune soundtrack.
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Critic reviews
- 8.0In any case, Tiny Barbarian DX is much bigger than I ever expected, and a joy to play from beginning to end. It’s a fantastic throwback to the days of 2D platformers in which character was just as important as a sky high difficulty curve. You’ll die, die and then die again, but you’ll only ever lose a minute or so of progress, keeping you going back for more. Full of epic boss fights, colourful environments and challenging scenarios, Switch owners need look no further than Tiny Barbarian DX to fulfil their old-school platforming needs.
- 7.0Tiny Barbarian DX is an indie gem. Old-school challenge mixed with modern conveniences make for a package that's hard to put down. Checkpoints help make use of the Switch's portability and old-school difficulty makes you want to play it on your TV at home; it offers challenge and charm in spades.
- Although the artwork is very pretty and the gameplay feels good, there really isn't anything too ground-breaking here. Playing through the game really made it feel much more of a throwback title rather than a new boundary-pushing adventure. This in no way means that the game is boring or that there aren't any surprises, just more of a tried and true experience. If you are longing for some retro action, this game's got it all. The beautiful art, killer soundtrack and punishing difficulty really help the game deliver on what the developer set out to make, a solid action-platformer.
- 7.0Tiny Barbarian DX is a great throwback adventure that tries to blend the best of both worlds, with clever platforming stages and challenging bosses that threaten to destroy many Joy-Cons. Fortunately, the game is very forgiving, by offering unlimited lives and constant checkpoints on nearly every single screen.
- 5.0Out of all of Nicalis' Switch ports so far, Tiny Barbarian DX certainly feels the sloppiest of the bunch. Self-proclaiming itself as a sword 'em up was perhaps a poor move as there's never an in-game need to experiment with combos.
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