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Barbarian (Psygnosis)
Encyclopedia
Barbarian is a 1987
computer platform game
by Psygnosis. It was first developed for the Atari ST
, but eventually ported to other popular platforms of the home computer
era. Like most early Psygnosis titles, the cover artwork (part of "Red Dragon" figure/landscape) was by the popular fantasy artist
, Roger Dean.
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The game opens with a striking—for the era—animation of a muscle-bound barbarian cutting a chain with a sword. On the Amiga and Atari ST versions, the animation is accompanied by a loud digital sound effect, showcasing the advanced systems' multimedia
capabilities.
In the game, the player is Hegor, a barbarian
who must traverse several dungeon
s and underground habitats to defeat his brother, the evil sorcerer Necron. He has a sword
and bow
in his arsenal of weapons. Running and jumping, as with many platform games, comprises a large part of the gameplay of this title.
The game used a unique control system to make up for lack of more than one joystick
button on many systems. The player would first press the one button after which a "menu" of actions would appear along the bottom of the screen. The player then selected the desired action by cycling through the choices with the joystick and then pressing the button again when the desired action was highlighted.
In the original versions, this game tried to emulate the visual style of the game cover and opening animation. The game used very detailed and colorful sprite
s and a variety of thoughtful sound effects to accompany the onscreen action. The DOS version played digitized speech in the opening sequence and featured other sound effects using the PC speaker.
to the Amiga
, Commodore 64
, DOS
, MSX
, Amstrad CPC
and ZX Spectrum
. The release year for the ports was 1988
, except for the Amiga version which was also released in 1987 with the Atari ST version.
/1992
sequel, Barbarian II
. released alongside Leander
, and Ork, other platform-based action-adventures from Psygnosis.
#150 by Courtney Harrington in "The Role of Computers" column. Harrington gave the game 4 out of 5 stars.
1987 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* January 14, Nintendo releases Zelda II: The Adventure of Link in January for the Famicom Disk System in Japan only. The game would go unreleased in America for nearly two years afterwards.* February 20, Konami releases Contra...
computer platform game
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
by Psygnosis. It was first developed for the Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
, but eventually ported to other popular platforms of the home computer
Home computer
Home computers were a class of microcomputers entering the market in 1977, and becoming increasingly common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single nontechnical user...
era. Like most early Psygnosis titles, the cover artwork (part of "Red Dragon" figure/landscape) was by the popular fantasy artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
, Roger Dean.
Description
Multimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
capabilities.
In the game, the player is Hegor, a barbarian
Barbarian
Barbarian and savage are terms used to refer to a person who is perceived to be uncivilized. The word is often used either in a general reference to a member of a nation or ethnos, typically a tribal society as seen by an urban civilization either viewed as inferior, or admired as a noble savage...
who must traverse several dungeon
Dungeon
A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period...
s and underground habitats to defeat his brother, the evil sorcerer Necron. He has a sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
and bow
Bow (weapon)
The bow and arrow is a projectile weapon system that predates recorded history and is common to most cultures.-Description:A bow is a flexible arc that shoots aerodynamic projectiles by means of elastic energy. Essentially, the bow is a form of spring powered by a string or cord...
in his arsenal of weapons. Running and jumping, as with many platform games, comprises a large part of the gameplay of this title.
The game used a unique control system to make up for lack of more than one joystick
Joystick
A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...
button on many systems. The player would first press the one button after which a "menu" of actions would appear along the bottom of the screen. The player then selected the desired action by cycling through the choices with the joystick and then pressing the button again when the desired action was highlighted.
In the original versions, this game tried to emulate the visual style of the game cover and opening animation. The game used very detailed and colorful sprite
Sprite (computer graphics)
In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...
s and a variety of thoughtful sound effects to accompany the onscreen action. The DOS version played digitized speech in the opening sequence and featured other sound effects using the PC speaker.
Ports
From the Atari ST, the game was portedPorting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
to the Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
, MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
, Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
and ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
. The release year for the ports was 1988
1988 in video gaming
-Events:*June — Nintendo releases the last issue of "Nintendo fun club news";*July — Nintendo releases the first issue of Nintendo Power magazine.-Notable releases:*January 8, Konami releases Super Contra....
, except for the Amiga version which was also released in 1987 with the Atari ST version.
Sequels
The game spawned a 19911991 in video gaming
-Notable releases:*Microprose creates Civilization, Sid Meier's most successful game .*Electronic Arts releases James Pond 2 and Road Rash for Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, starting a series of games that were popular in the 1990s....
/1992
1992 in video gaming
-Events:-Notable releases:* Gremlin Graphics releases Zool, Amiga's answer to Mario and Sonic. It goes on to become the best selling Commodore Amiga game, boosting the already popular computer to be the leading gaming machine in Europe....
sequel, Barbarian II
Barbarian II
Barbarian II is a 1991 fantasy action-adventure game by British publishers Psygnosis for the Atari ST and Amiga 500. You once again take on the role of simple barbarian Hegor in a quest to destroy your resilient and nefarious brother, the sorcerer Necron....
. released alongside Leander
Leander (computer game)
Leander is a computer game for the Commodore Amiga developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Psygnosis in 1991. It was the first game to be developed by Traveller's Tales....
, and Ork, other platform-based action-adventures from Psygnosis.
Reception
The game was reviewed in 1989 in DragonDragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#150 by Courtney Harrington in "The Role of Computers" column. Harrington gave the game 4 out of 5 stars.