Tiny Barbarian DX

Action games such as this one have come far from pixelated graphics, two-button controls, cheesy plots, or more arcade action than you can shake a joystick at. Occasionally, though, a game comes along to remind us of the retro fun from the good ol' days of gaming. That's where Tiny Barbarian DX comes in. The classic-style hack-'n'-slash game feels like someone reached back into the '80s and pulled out an unreleased gem from the heyday of the Nintendo Entertainment System. The only thing missing is the old-school gamepad. There's not a lot to learn here; outside of moving, you spend the entirety of the game using only two buttons: attack and jump. It's a simple idea and a surprisingly addictive one -- at least for a while.

Unfortunately, the very thing that works in Tiny Barbarian DX's favor is also its biggest flaw. When you're working with such a basic formula, it's difficult not to fall into a trap of repetition. After a while, the nostalgic feel begins to wear off, and then you're left feeling like you're just going through the motions. This is made worse by the game's overall lack of story. You get the gist of a plot at the start, but by the time you're in the thick of things, you've already forgotten why you're running around killing anything that moves. There's an attempt at distracting players from the repetition later in the game by ramping up the difficulty, but that only translates into a few trickier jumps and more baddies attacking at once. Tiny Barbarian DX is a fun bit of a throwback to gaming's past, but in the long run, it simply lacks the substance to leave a lasting impression.