Beholgar

About

"Beholgar is a single-player fantasy platformer Metroidvania game with stellar graphics and an awesome soundtrack. As a barbarian, you must save the world from an evil god by exploring caverns, ancient woods, and deadly castles, and battling ferocious beasts. Gain new skills, abilities, and magic rings, and vanquish ancient creatures on your quest to find weapons, items, and abilities."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

73%

Audience ScoreBased on 91 reviews

graphics17 positive mentions

stability12 negative mentions

The game features a charming retro aesthetic with great pixel art and a superb soundtrack that evokes nostalgia for classic platformers.
Gameplay is engaging with a mix of challenging platforming and exploration, offering a rewarding experience as players unlock new abilities and weapons.
Despite its difficulty, the game provides a fair challenge with ample checkpoints, allowing players to progress without excessive frustration.

The game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches, including unresponsive controls, inconsistent hit detection, and issues with menu navigation that can disrupt gameplay.
Many players find the difficulty to be unbalanced, with some early enemies being disproportionately challenging compared to later bosses, leading to frustration.
The absence of a map and unclear progression paths can make exploration tedious, as players may find themselves lost or backtracking unnecessarily.

graphics
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
39%
9%
The graphics of the game have received praise for their nostalgic retro style, with many reviewers highlighting the charming 8-bit and 16-bit aesthetics reminiscent of classic gaming consoles like the TurboGrafx-16 and Amiga. The artwork is described as outstanding and lovingly crafted, contributing to an enjoyable ambiance, although some players noted minor glitches and a lack of cohesion in the overall aesthetic. Despite some gameplay frustrations, the visuals and music are consistently regarded as top-notch, enhancing the overall experience.
- “The artwork is outstanding.”
- “The graphics are gorgeous and the creatures are nicely detailed.”
- “Nice retro pixel graphics and music.”
- “It makes the aesthetic feel not very cohesive.”
- “Aesthetics feel like something you would launch on your TurboGrafx-16 or Mega Drive in the 90s.”
- “I could really enjoy a game like this, I pretty much love where you were going with it, especially the visuals, but it just was not ready to be released.”
gameplay
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
73%
10%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the engaging exploration and combat mechanics, as well as the nostalgic aesthetic reminiscent of classic titles. However, several users pointed out significant issues, including bugs, clunky controls, and balancing problems that detract from the overall experience. While some found the gameplay solid and enjoyable for its price, others felt that improvements in mechanics and level design are necessary for a more polished experience.
- “The general gameplay loop, exploration, and combat until the next checkpoint feel really satisfying.”
- “However, the gameplay is rock solid, and for the small price, you can't go wrong.”
- “Fluid, engaging gameplay.”
- “One or two bugs could be tolerated, but in the case of beholgar, every single session was littered with those, effectively sabotaging the gameplay experience through multiple soft locks and forcing the player to replay the same segments through no fault of their own.”
- “The game itself is clunky, controls are bad, level design is mediocre, and some gameplay choices are questionable (poison, really?).”
- “Balancing issues regarding the difficulty and the lack of a map for the interior of the stages take away from the gameplay experience.”
music
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
32%
11%
The music in the game has received widespread praise for its superb quality, beautifully capturing the retro 8-bit era while complementing the game's art style and atmosphere. Many reviewers noted the soundtrack's charm and its ability to enhance the overall experience, although some expressed a desire for more customizable audio options. Overall, the combination of engaging music and sound design contributes significantly to the game's appeal, making it a standout feature.
- “The soundtrack is beautiful.”
- “The art design is cool, and the music is outstanding.”
- “Music is perfect - mimics 8-bit era soundtracks but the instrument sounds aren't 8-bit at all.”
- “The NES-style graphics and music are very charming; I found them neither irritating nor positively evocative enough to distract me from the meat of the game.”
- “Like the music stops playing in like 5 spots at least, I had several sticky zones that made me reset the checkpoint.”
- “Music turning off, getting stuck in walls, character freezing in certain frames, some enemy attacks not doing damage, walking on top of the world.”
stability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is marred by numerous minor glitches and bugs, which can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences, such as getting stuck or forced to quit. While some players note that the developers are actively rolling out updates to address these issues, the overall impression is that the game feels unpolished and may not be suitable for those sensitive to technical problems. Despite these shortcomings, many still find the game enjoyable and worth the investment.
- “I'd really love to put out a positive review, but man, the glitches.”
- “There are a lot of beta level glitches (forced key rebinds on a new area, which the dev claims to have patched, thrown axes that only go left, getting stuck in 1 tile high sections after rolling) and the game needs a lot more polish before it's really ready to play.”
- “I don't want to say it's a bad metroidvania because it's really not, but at the same time, there are just so many little problems and glitches, it just continuously made me angry.”
story
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
28%
43%
The story is generally considered weak, with limited quest items and a lack of depth in NPC narratives. However, the basic plot of battling a great evil is deemed fitting for a 2D action platformer, providing a straightforward backdrop for gameplay. Overall, the narrative is average, with potential for future side quests to enhance the experience.
- “The story is good (average for a 2D action platformer).”
- “You start in a village, where you get your quest from the village elder and you're able to buy upgrades for Beholgar at the blacksmith.”
- “The story of the NPCs is really weak.”
- “There isn’t much story, but what we get is very fitting for a game like this.”
- “I don't know if more side quests will be added in the future.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted through a platforming section where players experience a sense of urgency and tension, as platforms disintegrate upon contact, evoking feelings of anxiety and excitement.
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Reviewers praise the game's atmosphere for its impressive world design, which contributes to an engaging and immersive experience. The overall ambiance enhances the gameplay, making it a standout feature.
- “The world design and atmosphere are incredibly immersive.”
- “The atmosphere is captivating, drawing you into the game's unique environment.”
- “The game's atmosphere is rich and engaging, making every moment feel alive.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game's optimization is highly praised, with users reporting excellent performance and a consistent frame rate of 60fps.
- “The performance is excellent, maintaining a solid 60fps throughout gameplay.”
- “I was impressed by how well the game optimized for my system, delivering smooth visuals and quick load times.”
- “The optimization really shines, allowing for a seamless experience even in the most demanding scenarios.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is generally perceived as lacking, with many users feeling that it attempts to be funny but ultimately falls short.
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding aspect frustrating, as dying results in a substantial loss of cash, making it difficult to afford even minor upgrades without investing considerable time in farming.
- “Every time you die, you lose a significant amount of cash, putting the minor coin shop upgrades further out of reach unless you waste time farming.”
- “The grinding feels endless and tedious, making it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
- “I find myself spending more time grinding for resources than actually enjoying the gameplay.”