Having worked through more than a few titles in the eShop that have been throwback experiences of sorts, I’ve seen both games that have honored the past while still feeling modern and those that have made a variety of serious errors. While it’s true that people can feel nostalgic for aspects of play from earlier generations, and opinions may be mixed on what constitutes great gameplay, there are absolutely some sins from the past that shouldn’t be brought forward. There’s no question that Barbarian Saga, for the most part, leans into an older-school feel, the issue is that despite having more modern visuals, most of its gameplay still feels stuck in the past.

There was a time, long ago, when the concept of there being so many games to play that people would have substantial backlogs of titles they intend to one day return to, would have been mind-blowing. Way back in the cartridge days, especially before video game rentals were a common thing, you’d go to the store, look at the boxes on the shelves, and desperately try to buy something that didn’t suck. For the people who endured this era, I’m sure they are all too aware of the pain of either you or one of your relatives making the mistake of getting something terrible… and you were going to be stuck playing it anyway, because it could be the only new game you’d have for months. Unfortunately, the reason I’m sharing that story is that Barbarian Saga feels like it would have been at home in that very scenario, except these days people should no longer need to be stuck playing games that are thoroughly outclassed by their competition.

Putting it simply, the controls are pretty stiff, your moves are too limited to help avoid monotony setting in quickly, and the overall design of the map is a hot mess. Sure, you could argue that at its roots it’s a Metroidvania at heart, and you’ll encounter spots you’ll need to return to later once you get the means to get by them, but at some point the player’s experience and keeping them engaged needs to come into consideration. For far too long the game feels like it’s all stick and pretty well no carrot, making you explore quite a lot without feeling like you’re really getting anywhere. For the most part you’ll simply be stuck on the only path you can navigate from the start, seeing many places you can’t yet go, and trying to hold onto life against level design that feels purposely determined to be annoying and slow you down with a combination of cheap enemy placements and simply chipping away at your health little by little. Getting around will sometimes take you through a series of what feel like pointlessly small and sometimes empty rooms, making the game feel more like it’s going through the motions rather than delivering a well-planned experience. While it doesn’t look all that bad, it’s hardly all that good either in the areas that count, and will easily get lost in a sea of titles with better designs and execution.