In a time of legend long past, when video games were still emerging from the primordial mists and magic still flowed through all things, there were games of ultimate power. These games didn’t concern themselves with Italian plumbers or sad surrogate dads, but with fierce warriors who shirtlessly strode into battle, their muscles on glorious display, to cut down their foes with swords and prove themselves the strongest and manliest of all. I speak, of course, of barbarians. And though, in recent decades, games focused entirely on the heroic exploits of barbarians have been few and far between, we now find ourselves in the midst of a mini-renaissance of barbarian games! To quote the 1982 film Conan the Barbarian, “That is good. That is good.”
Before we look at these new barbarian games, let us pay our respects to the noble barbarian games of old. Of course, there’s Barbarian for the Amiga, an awkward platformer that is still awesome because your sprite is a shirtless, muscular warrior wielding a huge sword. Then, of course, there’s Barbarian for the Amiga, a fighting game that made a friend and I laugh endlessly as we cut each other’s heads off again and again. (Here in the U.S. this one was called Death Sword but it will always be Barbarian to me.) If I list every barbarian game of the era, I’ll be here all day, but other notable ones include Sword of Sodan (avoid the Genesis version at all costs) and perhaps the most legendary of them all, Rastan, Taito’s tough-as-nails 1987 arcade game with a pulse-pounding soundtrack and a barbarian hero to rival the likes of Conan himself. Behold it here in all its glory.
In addition to being arguably the most famous barbarian game of the 1980s, Rastan is also the one whose influence on the two brand-new barbarian games that are giving the genre a mini-renaissance is most clear. First of all, there’s Abathor, a side-scrolling action game available on every current platform. Abathor lets you and up to three friends embark on an epic hack-and-slash quest across dozens of stages, and while at first things may feel a bit easy and ordinary, rest assured that as you progress, the intensity ratchets up mightily. Thus far I’ve made it to the game’s fourth zone, and I’m really impressed by how it’s now starting to throw constant surprises at me, all manner of new perils and new situations that are keeping me on my toes. If anything, I’d urge you NOT to watch the trailer below, because I think it’s better to discover what the game has to offer yourself. However, if you want a peek at the game’s gorgeous pixel art and old-school gameplay, look no further. Abathor is definitely a worthy successor to the barbarian games of old.
And then there’s Volgarr the Viking II. Now look, Abathor ain’t exactly a walk in the park, but Volgarr II, like its 2013 predecessor, leans into the difficulty of the 1980s games that inspired it—hard. Volgarr may be a muscular viking warrior but he still dies in one hit by default, and playing it, you will die, a lot. This is the kind of game that demands that you study, memorize, and master it, remembering where enemies spawn and how they behave so that you know how to tackle them and ultimately emerge from the level triumphant. Maybe that sounds like a chore to you, but let me tell you, my time with Volgarr II has reminded me just how immensely rewarding games with this kind of difficulty can be.
I can see myself in real-time figuring out how to navigate the challenges it puts before me, and developing that kind of mastery is immensely satisfying. Also, if you played the original ten years ago and decided it wasn’t for you, don’t write off this sequel just yet. In every way that counts, it’s just as challenging as its predecessor, but it also gives you a few more tools that just might give you the encouragement and support you need to succeed—things like mid-level checkpoints and one helpful feature I refuse to spoil, it’s so twisted and inventive. I still have a long way to go in Volgarr II, but I know it offers the kind of satisfaction I’ve rarely experienced from a game since the likes of Ninja Gaiden and Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts were commonplace. Like Abathor, you can now find Volgarr II on pretty much every platform that still gets new video games.
Okay, so two games may not seem like a lot, but for a subgenre that has seen so little activity in so long—specifically tough, side-scrolling hack-and-slash action games about barbarians—two great entries landing at right around the same time feels like a veritable feast of riches. For people like me who’ve been longing for a return to the glory days of Rastan, feast well, my friends. Valhalla awaits.
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