For the unfamiliar,. Barbarian was a game that came out during the Commodore 64 era. It eventually found itself onto the Amiga and presented itself as a one-on-one fighter game. It was also notable for the use of gore and inclusion of decapitations, making it something of a spiritual fore-father to Mortal Kombat. It was a controversial game with a) it being banned in Germany because the violence and b) having Maria Whittaker on the box art.
But what I find fascinating about the game is the setting. Get past the obvious inspiration from Robert E. Howard's famous creation and the game presents a rather bleak setting.The background to this game is that some warlock has kidnapped a princess and it's up to the PC to go rescue them. But if the Princess in question is indeed a princess then she is of royalty and part of a ruling family. But what exactly is the ruling family actually ruling? Judging by the setting presented in the game, the land is sparsely populated and is kinda bleak.
Don't believe me? Watch this video of the Amiga version:
Original video located here. Accessed 5th August 2015
I counted eleven people in this game: The PC, the Warlock, the Princess and eight combatants. They are the only people in this game. We have forests, dungeons and volcanoes but no sign of civilization whatsoever.
So what kind of kingdom is this? An empty and wasted one? Does this Princess have any authority? Does the royal family in question have ANY authority? Is this princess even worth saving?
I do recall making a post how I noted how the original Legend of Zelda could work in a desolate setting but it would seem someone was way ahead of me....
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