Thomas Ok. Younger might not be a developer you’re overly conversant in, however he’s rapidly turn out to be one in all my absolute favorites of all time. He’s the creator of a handful of attention-grabbing small indie titles. There’s Molecano, which is a cross between a phrase search and a method sport. There’s Tremendous Fowlst, which performs like a traditional arcade sport a few murderous hen. However what I can solely assume is his greatest success, and the way I got here to know his work, is Dadish.
Dadish is a few radish who’s in search of his youngsters. It’s a reasonably primary platformer with charming visuals and hilarious writing. It’s the epitome of online game consolation meals for me, and I imply that as the best praise doable.
There have been 3 common Dadish video games, plus Every day Dadish, a sport the place you may solely play one degree per day, however there are new ranges for daily of the 12 months, and Dadish 3D, his first try at a correct 3D platformer.
He’s by no means made a sport I didn’t like. So when 2025 kicked off with a model new one, I used to be thrilled. That sport was Be Courageous, Barb, the topic of at the moment’s evaluation, however there’s a tad extra context I’d prefer to carry ahead earlier than we get to it.
When it was launched again in March, I reviewed it for Nintendo Drive Journal. However what’s occurred since then I kind of really feel makes Barb all of the extra spectacular. Younger has launched not one, however TWO extra video games this 12 months. Nicely, he’ll. He launched Dunkadillo in September, and Dadish 4 will likely be out subsequent week.
Now, I’ve all the time been a top quality over amount type of man. It’s why I like Mario video games a lot greater than Sonic. Sonic video games come out on a regular basis, they usually’re hardly ever as much as the identical high quality of a Mario platformer. (Sonic Mania however. That sport guidelines).
However the factor with Younger’s video games is, they’ve all been various levels of nice, together with this 12 months’s trio (presumably. I can’t think about Dadish 4 will likely be a letdown). So with that in thoughts, I needed to correctly evaluation his 2025 trilogy right here, beginning with a recent take a look at Be Courageous, Barb.
Be Courageous, Barb isn’t solely dissimilar to Dadish. In actual fact, it seems to have been constructed on the framework of Dadish 3D, besides the gameplay is 2D. It’s nonetheless a platformer the place ranges include a secret merchandise and a end. You’ll press related buttons, encounter related obstacles, and even hear loads of the identical sound results. That is possible how Younger was capable of make 3 good video games in the identical 12 months, recycled property.
That mentioned, all of it works, and completely has its personal character. And character is, at the least to my thoughts, Barb’s best energy.
Be Courageous, Barb is a few cactus named Barb. She’s been going by a troublesome time, and is in remedy. She’s obtained a e book of optimistic affirmations, and is pleased with being a piece in progress. However in the future, a bizarre cat cloud factor confirmed up and zapped her e book. So she units out to seek out all her lacking pages, and get her confidence again.
It’s all written with Younger’s signature wit, nevertheless it’s unimaginable to not root for Barb. She’s a really cute, bizarre little factor, and I discovered myself immediately hooked up to her. (I additionally suppose cactuses are neat, in order that most likely didn’t damage.)
What makes Barb completely different is that it’s an auto-runner. The one direct management you may take is leaping. The place this will get further sophisticated is that gravity makes little or no sense on this world. The easiest way I can clarify it’s that it’s a cross between Tremendous Mario Galaxy and VVVVVV. Let’s say Bartb is strolling ahead, however forward of her is a 90 diploma angle downward. When you preserve transferring ahead and do nothing, she’ll alter her gravity as soon as she hits that angle. Nonetheless, the sport’s gravity is tied to Barb, and never the floor. So, if she approaches that very same angle, however jumps, she gained’t wrap round in midair like Mario, however as an alternative her gravitational pull will stay unchanged till she lands. And she will be able to land on any floor she is available in contact with. So in case you bounce and hit your head on a ceiling, Barb will robotically flip over and begin strolling on mentioned ceiling. I hope that is smart.
It’s quite a bit to wrap your head round, nevertheless it actually works when you do. It’s not good, nevertheless it makes for some very intelligent puzzle platforming.
Bosses are a little bit of a pushover because of the boundaries of Barb’s maneuverability, however contemplating the way in which the sport works, it’s type of spectacular that Younger was capable of suppose up boss battles to start with.
The visuals, alternatively, are a little bit of a problem. Not when it comes to artwork path. The sport is splendidly bizarre trying. The issue with the visuals comes from the mounted digicam angle. Since this sport runs on the Dadish 3D engine (presumably) it made it doable to current it from a extra dynamic digicam angle than the 2D Dadish video games. The difficulty is, the tilted angle the digicam is mounted at makes sure jumps far more tough than they have to be. If the digicam had the power to regulate relying in your positioning, that might be a horse of a unique shade, nevertheless it doesn’t. So attempting to find out the place it’s protected to leap can turn out to be an actual chore.
The music, on the opposite OTHER hand, is an absolute treasure. It matches the weird nature of the worlds Barb has to journey completely, and there’s one thing in regards to the music within the Bubu Burg phases particularly that’s actually one thing. I can’t put my finger on it, however that music, simply wow. What a piece of brilliance.
Be Courageous, Barb is a superb diversion for folk who get pleasure from an excellent difficult platformer. It isn’t fairly Dadish, nevertheless it’s a extremely attention-grabbing experiment that I sincerely hope he follows up on. There’s loads of potential right here, and Barb herself is such a pleasure to look at. I extremely suggest giving it a go.
Be Courageous, Barb is on the market now on Nintendo Change and Steam
