Review: Tiny Barbarian DX (Switch)

by James Charlton

Tiny, yes - but very hard.

Imagine if Meat Boy’s levels were ten times larger, now remove the wall jump and add a Shinobi style swordplay and throw it all into the world of Conan the Barbarian. Congratulations, you now know what Tiny Barbarian DX plays like!

Have no doubt, this game is very hard, and from the moment you start the game it will remind you of that fact. There are no tutorials, no power ups, and nothing to help you along the way except your honest to god platforming skills. Pixel perfect timing is asked of you on a regular basis, and if you can’t do it, suck it up and try again.

Thankfully worlds are broken down into screens, i.e. once you reach the furthermost right side, you will be placed back at that point if you die. Once you clear all the screens on a world and beat its boss, you will progress to the next world and your game will be saved. If you quit the game on screen four of five, you will have to do it all again from the start of the world.

There are some rare secret blocks to find by slashing at parts of the scenery, but your reward will only be a roast chicken that restores one block of life. You will also usually die getting to the chicken, or immediately after.

The pixel art of this game is something to behold, crystal clear sprites on top of simple but engaging backgrounds. This could be an NES game, except it’s in widescreen and no matter how many things are on screen at once it doesn’t slow down. The music also fits right into the era with some awesome chip tune tracks, worth a listen outside the game for sure.

I really enjoyed the level variety. Every world looks different and new platforming elements are introduced gradually. The bosses are also very cool, each once asking you to figure out the best way to beat them whilst trying not to die. My favourite so far has to be the giant worm you defeat by riding a golden lion whilst a fair maiden clings onto you from behind.

Don’t let the cute animations of the character flexing his muscles at you trick you into thinking this is a game for everyone. I can only recommend this to fans of hard platformers who want a gloriously retro experience right down to the feeling of wanting to call the Nintendo Hotline for help.

Oh, and that’s what she said.

Final Score: 7.0

(Review code provided by the publisher)

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