Barbara-ian

Barbara-ian is the main character of this low-poly dungeon crawler which runs super smooth and offers tons critters to slice through. She’s a viking warrior that won’t take a break until she finds and kills the dungeon master, that is, unless she’s killed first. But even so, the break is just under a second because that’s how long it takes before she respawns, ready for some more killing.

Barbara-ian is what you can bring as an example of a game that’s built for the smoothness of the ride and not its looks. In the graphics department the game doesn't really shine although its simplified visual style doesn’t do it any harm either. And you get a better sense of that just as soon as you start swinging your sword at the enemy.

At this time there is no HUD to speak of, not even a simple health bar which means that apart from your reflection in the monitor, there really isn’t anything to distract you from combat. There is no inventory to stuff with items or gold and neither are there skills to speak of. Once again, this isn’t a bad thing since the game is purely focused on having you swing your weapon the best you can so you can go as far as you can.

One thing that Barbara-ian implements is one hit one kill. It’s enough to hit an enemy just one time and it’s dead, however, that applies to you as well. Pick a wrong time to attack or stumble into a corner and you’re pretty much dead. That’s how it should be in a dungeon crawler after all.

You don’t get an inventory or special abilities to use but there is a dodge move and a sprint that come in handy when monsters start to gather in large numbers and your only, and temporary, solution is to run away.

As far as weapons go, you’ll have more than just the initial sword to use. Across the procedurally generated levels you’ll find chests and smashing them reveals a randomly placed weapon which can be a crossbow, a replica of Thor’s Mjolnir (lightning features not included) or even a giant sledgehammer.

On a closing note, Barbara-ian is a really neat game. It’s simplicity might make it a bit underwhelming for some but if you’re looking for a fast-paced dungeon crawler to spend some time with, this one is pretty good.

Download the demo, see how it feels and if you get some positive vibes or have some feedback for the developers, stop by the Barbara-ian Greenlight page to show your support.