Tiny Barbarian DX

Tiny Barbarian DX is an indie gem. Old-school challenge mixed with modern conveniences make for a package that's hard to put down. Checkpoints help make use of the Switch's portability and old-school difficulty makes you want to play it on your TV at home; it offers challenge and charm in spades. The gorgeous pixel art, great soundtrack and co-op are all positives in the adventure; once you pick it up you won't be able to put it down, if you're willing to pay the price. At its budget retail price we found Tiny Barbarian DX to be a bit light on the content side, as the game can be completed in six hours or less, depending on skill levels. If you're going to pick this one up we recommend skipping the eShop download and going for the physical edition as it at least contains some cool stuff - as Nicalis is becoming known for - to add value to your purchase.

Tiny Barbarian DX is a great throwback adventure that tries to blend the best of both worlds, with clever platforming stages and challenging bosses that threaten to destroy many Joy-Cons. Fortunately, the game is very forgiving, by offering unlimited lives and constant checkpoints on nearly every single screen. With shiny diamonds to find, coins to collect, and food to regain health, the campaign is heavily reliant on its point-based system to extend the longevity of this game's playability. If bragging rights for high scores doesn't sound interesting, though, then playing through the campaign once is enough to fill in that longing void for the 8-bit and 16-bit games of old.

Tiny Barbarian DX is a solid retro action-platformer with a gorgeous pixel based art style and great music. While the simple control scheme and repetitive nature of the title won't blow your mind, there is enough enjoyment and fun to be had while playing in spurts.

Tiny Barbarian DX is definitely a nod to the challenging games of the 8 and 16-bit era. Armed with colorful retro-styled graphics and head-bopping tunes, this game will challenge you and frustrate you just as much as its spiritual predecessors. This game might not have anything groundbreaking, but at least it is bite-sized enough to keep you coming back.

Tiny Barbarian DX succeeds at recreating an action platormer experience that's reminiscent of the 8 and 16-bit eras and its very good control system is certainly key at that. It does not live up to its inspirations, however, as its lack of charisma leads to generic and bland levels, despite a good lifespan, and a level of difficulty that is way too high will make it rather inaccessible for many players.

Tiny Barbarian DX may look like just another indie platformer on the surface, but it is so much more than that.

Tiny Barbarian DX is a lot of fun, uncomplicated, challenging and yet hard to put down. It’s perfectly suited to the Switch in both handheld and TV mode. Whilst it’s not one of the cheapest games available on the Switch it is good value for money in terms of its overall quality and length. I would highly recommending snagging the physical release if you can as you also get some neat extra goodies.

Tiny Barbarian DX is much bigger than I ever expected, and a joy to play from beginning to end.

All said Tiny Barbarian DX is an excellent throwback-style title that celebrates what was great from that era without being satisfied to hide behind it. It builds on the style of play of many classic games and turns it all into something better, all while maintaining that signature difficulty that was so common in that era. What’s great, though, is that the challenge comes from well-crafted levels and not from wonky or inconsistent control. If you’re itching for something that will make you nostalgic or just want something to suck up a fair number of hours with varied side-scrolling hack-and-slash gameplay Tiny Barbarian DX delivers!

Tiny Barbarian DX is a decent take on retro 2D action games.