Batbarian: Testament of the Primordials | PS4 Review

Sounds like the name of a Saturday morning cartoon, doesn't it? This quirky fourth wall breaking Metroidvania is more than just some odd idea thrown at a wall hoping it will stick though. It's actually a very well designed, and coherent plot inclusive action adventure that could give other games in the genre a proper run for their money. Not only is it built well, and fun to play, but it also harbors an indie appearance that heightens the already quality presentation. Through pixels, and well animated sprites Batbarian comes to life in such a way as to inspire invested gamers to keep on playing. There's plenty of challenging puzzles to overcome as well as you find out the who, where, when, and why of your given dilemma ...

If you fancy a fantasy action adventure featuring a barbarian, and their luminous pet bat Pip then you are in for a treat. Through this dynamic duo, and a handful of other helpful characters we get to try, and find our way out of a cavernous pit. Seems the hero or heroine of the tale got pushed off a cliff into an Earthly abyss filled with secrets, loot, and beings that were meant to remain imprisoned there, indefinitely. As a guest of happenstance you can't help, but search for an exit yourself, and this will require some effort from you, and your winged partner. As the Batbarian you wield a weapon. If choose the female version that weapon is slashing claws, and if your choose the male counterpart it's a sword that would make Conan proud. These weapons allow you to dispatch creatures through melee attacks. Alongside that base attack which can be combo'd you'll find that your bat pal Pip also comes in handy, but more so for opening up areas, and triggering switches than directly attacking anything. By aiming with the right thumbstick, and releasing it you can toss various berries that will cause Pip to react in certain ways. The fetch berry is good for illuminating crystals that make platforms appear or doors open. There's also a sticky berry that will delay Pip's return for platforming that requires timing. In regards to helping out with the enemies there's also a spiked bomb berry which will dizzy and flip armored creatures so that they can be attacked with your base weapon. As you continue onward on your journey you will find more such berries adding to the Pip partner mechanic.

Aside from the complimentary duo mechanics sometimes a third party member is introduced. Wherein a tag along character acts as a support than can be used to open up previously blocked of locations, or to attack enemies, among other things. Besides being additionally applied mechanics themselves these temporary companions can be talked to at a campfire to further build upon the backstory of the plot, and the character themselves. A sort of multiple choice Q & A session for lore sake. At times the campfires you discover will also bring back memory recollections, and add flavor text to the story that is being advanced by your on foot progress. A lot of the textual conversation you'll run into is self-aware, and fourth wall breaking. Adding bits of humor and context to your character's situation. As far as the campfires go it is your save, and teleport station. A way to heal up, and save progress. That, and teleport to other previously found campfires when you reach a certain point in your playthrough.

Progress in Batbarian, as it were, is done in a a more modern Metroidvania fashion. There's a lot of puzzle platforming to deal with in the maze-like environments, and plenty of looting opportunities to partake of in order to build up your character. Health, a key component to progress, is a limited commodity, and acts as the Game Over mechanism should you lose it all in your fight to the exit. Something that's crucial to mind, and should be kept track of as campfires are few and far between. Should you die along the way you'll be prompted to either continue from a checkpoint, or continue from the last campfire you visited. The difference being that checkpoints will not give you full health if any's missing whereas campfires do. In regards to stat progress your character does level up through gained experience points as well. Something that is rewarded by killing enemies, or reaching new areas. When your character gets the level up notice a slot machine will spin on screen. By pressing "X" you will be awarded one of three stat upgrades depending upon which icon the slot machine stops at. There's strength, defense, and awareness to upgrade. The first two stat types are self-explanatory. Awareness however comes into dungeon lighting, and trap or switch revealing. Helping you to better spot the key interactive objects in any given space. The game's locations are not fully lit being in the abyss that they are, and do have some darkness as to make your bat Pip useful as a mechanic. Thankfully Pip is there to help you in that regard.

When it comes to loot, and secrets there are plenty hidden, and just out of reach. You'll be collecting gold coins from broken pots, and chests as well as finding berry stock upgrades, and stat boosts. Heart refills are also a thing in the game. Initially you start with only three hearts, but those three hearts can take more than three hits. Like the boss health indicators. Speaking of bosses you will encounter boss fights as you make your way from start to finish. They will usually gift you key items that will help you unlock newer locations. All locations are shown via touchpad map which you will ultimately find pieces to as you explore. In addition to the map you'll find an inventory menu featuring your character, and Pip's profile and stats along with all the items you have collected along the way. There's also a bestiary that showcases all of the creatures you've encountered, and defeated including all of the bosses. For those of you looking for any easy mode that doesn't happen until you've died enough times. After which a sort of cheat menu with on or off toggles will be made available via the options menu. Things like double items when collected or double berry pick-ups as well as health modifiers can be switched on or off at your choosing. You'll also find in the settings menu a way to personally remap your controller in full to your liking.

The Verdict ...

I really dug this new Metroidvania. I would have passed it up had I not stopped to watch the trailer. I do believe it's going to be a sleeper hit. I don't believe many gamers know about it though, and most like me would probably have passed it by due to the title and cover art. Don't let that fool you though. Batbarian is a solid Metroidvania which closely resembles games like "Castlevania: SotN" more so than others in the genre. The action and the puzzle elements are all superbly done, and impressively so. The game does also have replay value in that there are multiple choice Q&A conversations blended into the storytelling. That, and the two different Batbarians to choose from add a little something extra worth experiencing. Let me not forget the actual secrets hidden behind walls for all those trophy hunters out there. Be sure not to miss out on this one if you are a fan of Metroidvanias. It is worth every cent!!!