Fightingfantasy

It starts off strong, charming and mysterious with a well written setup, full of personality. The problem is, it’s way too long, repetitive and samey. The map design could’ve been streamlined, and the gameplay could’ve used more variety. It’s very puzzle heavy, and while some will adore it, I found it to be a bit on the tedious side. There needed to be better signposting vis a vis where to go next; all metroidvanias have that problem, but at some point it just got a bit too overwhelming: all my exits are blocked, do I go up, down, or around and around in circles? I did get a good 7 hours out of it, but a lot of that was being lost, and maybe 20% was dying to the three headed boss: holding down charge strike, while throwing a cherry at the boss and timing the blow so you land a hit, but don’t get hit, was when I started to not want to keep playing. It does feel like a chore, even if I did enjoy the atmosphere and storytelling. The game needed a bit more focus, and would’ve benefited from more distinct areas. I think of something like Chasm, which takes place in a…chasm, but had tons of variety in both enemy design as well as environment, great combat and loads of replay value. I doubt most will want to go back to this dungeon for another round, bat or no bat. Overall, loved the music, didn’t care for the graphics, or the gameplay loop. Great metroidvanias are an art form, and while Batbarian certainly makes a strong first impression, it couldn’t hold my attention beyond the 7 hour mark, once I realized the game wasn’t going to get any better. Hopefully round two from this no doubt talented developer will be a stronger showing.

What kind of metroidvania doesn’t have a map? Very silly omission; one that makes an already frustrating game even more of a slog. The platforming is very loose; Beholgar will fall off the rock with the tiniest flick of the stick. Checkpoints are generous, but the game needed tightening up: enemies keep coming at you no matter how hard you hit ‘em, and there are several whose attack patterns are pretty much unavoidable. You will die needlessly, over and over again because the enemies are everywhere, relentless, and often it’s a matter of luck and not skill. Cardinal sin in a game like this. You cannot change your ranged weapon. If you’re stuck with the useless axe or boomerang, you can’t switch to the arrow or fireball. Lame. Again, how do you make a metroidvania and forget to include ranged weapon switching? R2 is just sitting there…The game needed serious tightening and more play-testing. There is almost a retro classic there, but even with gigantic nostalgia goggles on, Beholgar is just average and annoying. The test for these sorts of games, for me anyway, is how they would’ve been received had they come out in the 90s. Looking like an early Amiga or Euro Genesis game, I think most reviewers would’ve fallen in love with the graphics and music (both are a solid 9/10) but complained about the very unpolished hack n’ slash, poor platforming and lack of depth. I hope the next release from this publisher builds on the considerable talent of its programmer and finally delivers on the promise of a retro masterpiece along the lines of a Cyber Shadow, an Infernax, or even an Odallus.Huge wasted opportunity.

What kind of metroidvania doesn’t have a map? Very silly omission; one that makes an already frustrating game even more of a slog. The platforming is very loose; Beholgar will fall off the rock with the tiniest flick of the stick. Checkpoints are generous, but the game needed tightening up: enemies keep coming at you no matter how hard you hit ‘em, and there are several whose attack patterns are pretty much unavoidable. You will die needlessly, over and over again because the enemies are everywhere, relentless, and often it’s a matter of luck and not skill. Cardinal sin in a game like this. You cannot change your ranged weapon. If you’re stuck with the useless axe or boomerang, you can’t switch to the arrow or fireball. Lame. Again, how do you make a metroidvania and forget to include ranged weapon switching? R2 is just sitting there… The game needed serious tightening and more play-testing. There is almost a retro classic there, but even with gigantic nostalgia goggles on, Beholgar is just average and annoying. The test for these sorts of games, for me anyway, is how they would’ve been received had they come out in the 90s. Looking like an early Amiga or Euro Genesis game, I think most reviewers would’ve fallen in love with the graphics and music (both are a solid 9/10) but complained about the very unpolished hack n’ slash, poor platforming and lack of depth. I hope the next release from this publisher builds on the considerable talent of its programmer and finally delivers on the promise of a retro masterpiece along the lines of a Cyber Shadow, an Infernax, or even an Odallus. Huge wasted opportunity.