As you would expect, each opponent is a better fighter than the last, with greater intelligence and better reactions to your attacks.īoth fighters would start the game with a full amount of energy which would be depleted by the landing of succesfull blows. The aim of the game is to defeat Drax's series of opponents in one on one battles of swordplay. That Barbarian is you - and it is time for the tournament to commence. If she is not delivered to him then he will unleash his powers on the Jewelled City - which will probably mean not the best of times for the local townsfolk.Īs a compromise, he agrees to let the champion swordsman of the city (a strange Barbarian, who saunters in from the northern wastelands) to compete against his own band of fighters. An evil sorcerer who goes by the name of Drax (sounds like a carpet cleaner) has a fancy for a rather tasty princess called Mariana. In a slight twist in the beat em up genre, there is a backstory to go with the game. The game was an instant hit, and the versions for the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 sold really well.īarbarian is set in a land of mythical creatures, warriors, wizards and warlocks, which made this classic fighting game a bit different from most other offerings in this mould. Palace software released Barbarian in 1987 and it notched up a high score in Crash magazine, earning an overall of 85% which was a very good score.
This game really built on past succesfull beat em ups such as Exploding Fist and Yie Ar Kung Fu. This arcade game was well received when it was released due to it's gameplay, nicely animated graphics and the fact that you were fighting with swords rather than feet and fists. We have already had one classic beat em up on the ZX Spectrum from Melbourne House in Way of the Exploding Fist - so let us discuss another good fighting game from another company (Palace software), Barbarian.