Metascore
63 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 22 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 22
  2. Negative: 3 out of 22
  1. The visuals are excellent, with the interactive backgrounds looking great and reacting perfectly.
  2. A refreshing change from the old 3D fighter molds we see a lot of today. The character's unbalanced strengths is definitely a weak point and can make this a frustrating game for some, so I give you that warning.
  3. Much like the original "Legacy of Kain," this title's quest mode has a really cool, creepy story that kept me wanting to see more and more as I took my little demoness through.
  4. The quest mode can get boring once you unlock all of the powers for your character, but you may still want to keep playing it if you enjoy the controls and such enough.
  5. Though some of the button-smashing combos are tricky to execute, the multiplayer action is solid, and the quest mode stirs in puzzle solving for antisocial savages who prefer going solo.
  6. Like Capcom's "Power Stone," Barbarian steps up to the plate, and whiffs. [August 2002, p.79]
  7. 78
    A sometimes-enthralling mix of swords and sorcery and old-fashioned beat-em-ups, the Saffire-developed fighter definitely deserves a closer look.
  8. Playing the game is a bittersweet experience. It’s strangely diverting, but all the time you’re thinking of what it could have been with a bit more testing and tweaking.
  9. LLike an evolved "Power Stone." It's also pretty good. [Sept 2002, p.31]
  10. The most entertaining feature in Barbarian is, without a doubt, the interactive environments.
  11. 70
    With just mediocre features, Barbarian weighs in as just an average brawler. [July 2002, p.76]
  12. 61
    A repetitive game with pretty graphics that fails to inspire much of anything.
  13. Barbarian wasn't all that I expected it to be, in terms of intelligent in-game evolution, but it delvers a lot of freshness never the less. [May 2002, p.50]
  14. The gameplay mechanics are pretty basic and repetitive, and the storylines are so bland that there's not much value in finishing the game with every character.
  15. Sadly this game runs out of steam way too quickly but it does have a multiplayer option worth the price of admission.
  16. Indistinct characters, painfully hokey storytelling, poor AI, and a shallow combat system add up to a disappointing experience.
  17. If you're looking for a new fighting game, don't mind simplistic controls and having volumes of tedious storyline read to you by a man with about as much vocal intonation as Leonard Nimoy, this is your game.
  18. Yet the action isn’t complex, and most enemies can be defeated within your first attempt by simply relying on rapid button tapping.
  19. In the form of fine visuals and interesting gameplay, it has some redeeming qualities. It doesn't have the depth or character designs to make it a memorable fighting title.
  20. Not worth your time...The problems with Barbarian are absolutely unacceptable for the fighting game that it’s trying to be.
  21. If Sapphire put as much emphasis on the combat as they did on conjuring gritty stories to back each fighter, Barbarian could have been a lot better. [July 2002, p.115]
  22. The sloppy swordplay and imprecise magic attacks just make the game look like an alcoholic staging of Medieval Times. [June 2002, p.97]
User Score
tbd

No user score yet- Awaiting 1 more rating

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 1 out of 2
  1. JimmyCricket
    10
    It rocked Darrell Oville's world. It totally turned him out.