Barbaria
- February 9, 2023
- Stalwart Games, LLC
- 17h median play time
Get on Steam"Barbaria is a VR fantasy hack and slash game with both multiplayer and single-player options. Experience systemic combat and enemy AI while building defenses and using a variety of weapons. Competitive asynchronous multiplayer allows you to attack other player-created realms to increase your mightiness and receive rewards."
PC
Virtual Reality
Windows
Oculus Rift
PlayStation
PlayStation VR2
Reviews
- The game offers a unique blend of base building and engaging melee combat, reminiscent of titles like Gorn and Dungeon Keeper.
- Players appreciate the fun and addictive gameplay loop, with the ability to raid other players' bases and watch replays of their defenses.
- The developers are responsive to feedback and actively work on updates, enhancing the game's content and fixing bugs.
- Performance issues and bugs, such as lag spikes and disappearing items, can detract from the overall experience.
- The combat mechanics, while fun, can feel simplistic and may lack depth for players seeking more complex gameplay.
- Some players have reported frustrating balancing issues, particularly with matchmaking and difficulty spikes that can lead to repeated losses.
- gameplay27 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a mix of engaging combat, base-building mechanics, and community-driven content, offering a unique and enjoyable experience, especially in VR. While the mechanics can be frustrating at times and progression may feel grindy, the overall fun factor and intuitive controls make it accessible to a wide audience. However, some players find certain aspects, like the archery mechanics, lacking in depth compared to other VR titles.
“The gameplay is fun.”
“This game is fun, has good humor, interesting mechanics, engaging combat, and castle building.”
“The stylish combat, base management mechanics, prompt bug fixes, and enjoyable magical moves make it a must-try for fans of sword combat games.”
“The mechanics are just so frustrating at times that it makes you want to toss it into the dark corner of your library to play some other day.”
“Sadly, invading is a borderline necessary portion of the gameplay, so I fear that I'll have to get accustomed to the '2 losses - 1 win' routine so my ranking keeps placing me at a level where my skills can stand a chance.”
“The bow and arrow mechanic is too simple; it feels primitive compared to the bow and arrow mechanics from other games.”
- graphics15 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their high quality and clean, sharp art style, particularly in VR. Many players appreciate the tabletop miniatures aesthetic and the smooth performance even on high settings, with some reporting steady frame rates. While some may not prefer the art style, it is generally seen as fitting and enjoyable, enhancing the overall gaming experience.
“The graphics on the lowest settings are insanely good; the game plays really well, getting those chain reaction hits or hitting a dude's head off mid-air and then chopping his head so it sticks to your axe so you can smash it into the next dude is so much fun.”
“I really like the art style, and my 2060 runs the game on high settings without any issues.”
“I also love the graphics and art style; very clean and sharp for a VR game and reminiscent of 'Orcs Must Die'.”
“Personally, the art style is not for me, but I have to admit it helps take the sting out of losing when the person who beat you looks like a goofy 80's style He-Man.”
“Graphics, sound design, and animations (as mentioned before) are all really top tier!”
“On the highest graphical settings, I was getting steady 90 fps.”
- story10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The game's story is considered minimal and lacks depth, with players expressing a desire for a more developed narrative or a dedicated story mode. While there are elements that provide progression through acquiring new heroes and items, the overall storytelling is seen as underwhelming and reminiscent of other games without fully realizing its potential.
“I think this is a good game but I wish it had a story mode or something like Bone Lab and a long story too.”
“An amazing game and a flashback to the criminally underrated The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot, Barbaria combines dungeon building with Gorn-style combat in a rogue-lite style.”
“There's a bit of story to give us progress and items (getting new heroes, traps, weapons, minions, bases, magics, etc).”
“☐ no story”
“It's a mission selection system so you're never directly head-to-head vs. another player though.”
- music9 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in Barbaria is highly praised for its upbeat and fitting orchestral style, enhancing the game's quirky atmosphere and gameplay experience. Reviewers appreciate how the soundtrack complements the humor and art style, with many expressing a desire for the soundtrack to be made available for listening. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature that adds to the enjoyment of the game.
“The music is definitely on point and puts a little pep in your step while you slay.”
“I thought the ridiculous orchestra music was just for the trailer... I was wrong and, like so much about this game, it is weird, but fits perfectly.”
“The music is great and fits well.”
“I thought the ridiculous orchestra music was just for the trailer... I was wrong, and like so much about this game, it is weird but fits perfectly.”
“I'll write a more detailed review, but I'll leave this here in case someone knows: please make the soundtrack available!”
“From the concept to the music, right down to the art style.”
- optimization7 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is inconsistent, with initial smooth performance often giving way to significant lag and glitches, particularly during intense combat scenarios or when multiple enemies are present. Players recommend installing the game on an SSD to mitigate longer load times experienced on mechanical drives, but some still encounter frustrating performance issues that can disrupt gameplay.
“At first, the game runs smoothly, but then some glitches happen and everything starts lagging horribly, essentially breaking the game.”
“Performance could be better.”
“Performance-wise, definitely install on an SSD as I noticed slightly longer load times on a mechanical drive.”
“The only word of warning: performance chugged a little when there were multiple enemies coming at me.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for being well-integrated and entertaining, contributing to its fun and engaging gameplay. Players appreciate its silly, cartoonish style and clever comedic elements, which enhance the overall experience and make it accessible to a broad audience. The combination of humor with unique mechanics and engaging combat adds to the game's charm.
“There's a solid amount of content here, it continues to get updated, and I appreciate the humor injected into the game.”
“Hilarious and well thought-out.”
“Its the most unique and detailed VR hack and slash game I've ever played; its silly sense of humor and cartoon brutality is great, and the way the combat mechanics work makes this game playable for essentially anyone.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game is highly regarded for its replayability, featuring daily challenges that provide a fresh experience and contribute to its appeal among VR titles. Players express a desire for more variety in gameplay elements to enhance long-term engagement and competitiveness. Overall, it stands out in its genre for encouraging repeated play.
“This is a very replayable VR game; with 22 hours in so far, I can say it's probably in the top 5 of my favorite VR titles.”
“The game is very replayable with 2 daily challenges every day that almost feel custom-made each time but are on a rotation.”
“I'd see myself playing this again, as it has a replayable edge over other games in the same genre.”
“I hope there's more variety added to the defenses to make going against other players really intriguing, as that would also give this game a lot of long-term replayability.”
“While I enjoyed the game, I found that once I completed it, there wasn't much incentive to play again.”
“The lack of diverse gameplay options makes it hard to justify replaying the game after finishing it once.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, often requiring excessive hours to farm currency, which can feel monotonous and overwhelming.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“When you're forced to farm currency, it can be tedious and monotonous.”
“Do you have 17 hours to spend on grinding this game forever?”
- monetization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players have noted the presence of a second currency, blue diamonds, in the shop, suggesting potential future monetization that could involve paid elements. Concerns have been raised about the possibility of a "pay to win" model or excessive grinding requirements, with hopes that the game will avoid these pitfalls.
“Hopefully I am wrong, and if I'm not, then I hope that the monetization will not be 'pay to win' or 'pay or grind till you die' type.”
“I noticed in the shop that there is a second currency, a blue diamond, but I haven't seen it anywhere in the game, hinting that it might be a paid currency introduced in the future.”
“Hopefully I'm wrong, and if I'm not, then I hope that the monetization will not be 'pay to win' or 'pay or grind till you die' type.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is generally solid, with only minor glitches reported, such as occasional issues with blocking mechanics and some performance hiccups. These problems appear infrequently and often resolve themselves after changing maps.
“You go in, beat some stuff up, and grab any crystals you see until they break. The only glitches I've encountered involve blocking, where sometimes the fist block or the weapon block gets you hit by projectiles and arrows. I've only seen this twice, and it went away after I invaded a new map, but there are some minor performance issues.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it frustrating to progress. Stability is a major issue that needs to be addressed.”
“I experienced several instances of lag and freezing during gameplay, which really detracted from the overall experience.”
