
Joining a seemingly never ending list of retro-inspired platform games, Cybarian: The Time Travelling Warrior has perhaps one of the most far-fetched premises around. You play as Cybarian, a butch barbarian from olden times who discovers the coveted Sword of Ages. Upon wielding the mighty sword, he suddenly gets magically transported way into the future where neon lights and speeding motorbikes reign supreme.
The inhabitants of this cyberpunk environment are not the most friendly of folk, so it’s up to Cybarian to make his way through four levels jam packed with pesky foes and deadly obstacles. Originally pitched as a mixture of Mega Man and Streets of Rage, Cybarian: The Time Traveling Warrior is exactly that, and it genuinely works a treat. The stage layouts are very much reminiscent of classic Mega Man games, with conveyor belts, deadly columns of fire and spring boards all part and parcel to the experience. The combat, on the other hand, is very deliberate, requiring precise timing and an essential mix of offence and defence to succeed.

If you’re one to button mash your way through action games, you’ll find the experience frustrating from the off. Cybarian’s main method of attack is a basic three hit combo, but tapping the attack button at breakneck speed simply won’t work and will result in Cybarian tripping over his own feet. Instead, you’ll need to find a specific rhythm in order to complete the combo. It can take a little while to get used to - particularly since the game gets cracking right away without even a hint of a tutorial - but once you find your rhythm, it makes for incredibly satisfying combat.
Once you get to the end of each stage, you’ll need to take down the boss waiting for you. These are really great sequences that require you to make the most of your abilities. You’ll need to dodge projectiles, keep well out of range of the boss’s reach, and even keep an eye on the environment itself, which likes to play tricks of its own. Once the boss tires itself out, you’ll be given ample opportunity to unleash a flurry of combos before it gets back up and running again.
Clearing each stage will grant Cybarian a new ability. This can be something as basic as a dodge roll (which becomes essential in the latter levels) or the ability to hurl the Sword of Ages across the screen, obliterating any enemy in its path before returning to your hand. There aren’t many levels in the game, and as such the new abilities are pretty limited in nature too, but each new stage does a great job of introducing obstacles specifically catered to utilising whichever new ability you happen to have unlocked previously.

You’ll need these abilities, too. Even on its easiest difficulty, Cybarian: The Time Traveling Warrior is rock solid, and the latter boss battles in particular will give even the most skilled of side-scrolling veterans a fair amount of grief. But there’s something about the pick-up-and-play nature of the experience that makes the temptation to have “just one more go” irresistible. That said, dying will take you right back to the beginning of the stage (unless you’re up against the boss), so it can prove to be a bit demotivating if you manage to clear the majority of the level only to be sent right back to the start.
In keeping with the theme of cyberpunk, the game displays typical retro themed graphics with blocky character models, bright pink and yellow colours, and a pretty strong scan line filter, which you can turn off if you want. The overall look of the game is pretty great (though we can certainly see how it might irk players who might be fed up with old school graphics) and it’s backed up by a great soundtrack that really suits the game’s cyberpunk setting. Considering its more than reasonable price, it's a great little package.
Conclusion
Cybarian: The Time Traveling Warrior isn’t a very long game by any stretch of the imagination, but when you take into consideration its low price point, it really is a no-brainer. Engaging, tough combat combined with superb retro graphics and a killer soundtrack make for an experience that fans of old school action titles will relish, if only for a short amount of time.
Comments 27
I will definitely buy this when it goes on sell. I would of bought it strait out if it wasn't for the difficulty. I just don't know if i have the patience/heart to beat a super hard game again. Like i did with Ninja Gaiden (XBOX) & Dark Souls (PS3). Even if it is less than half the price of a movie ticket.
Edit: Just bought it because it is on sell 20% off here in the U.S!
Looks nice, probably wait for a sale, too many good games coming out in so little time.
Ha ''Cyberpunk 577BC''
Does it run at 60fps? I know it's likely it does, but there are games out there with basic graphics that still don't run perfectly at 60fps. Devious Dungeon only targets 30fps!
@BacklogBlues Its like 3.99 on the U.S. if im not mistaken.
It isn't the $2.50 that's important to me @nimnio it's the fact that if i;m going to be forced to buy digitally i want it on sell. And around here $3(U.S) will buy you a joint legally at the adult smoke shop. And $3(U.S) should buy you one in Canada too as it's like $5 Canadian.
Thanx @Maverick_D Just bought it.
I’ll pick this up tonight after I get off work. If it’s just $5.00 then I got nothing to lose, honestly. I just made $100.00 commission at my job, so I think I’ll survive if I don’t like the game. Haha.
@BacklogBlues No prob!
@nimnio there should be a pool like that after every review. Didn't know the price was that good, I'll buy it when I get home then.
I would expect it to be around $19.99 @nimnio. I don't complain about the Switch tax. I understand it cost money to make a game cart, manual, and game case. I'm going to buy Gris physically for $42.40 (Game,Tax,Shipping) knowing you can buy it digitally sometimes for $14.44.
Looking at the graphics it looks a lot like that little gem Tiny Barbarian ( apart the final boss).
But are they related by any chance or no?
I am surprised that people actually like playing games that look like this on their modern gaming devices in 2019.
@nimnio one more bullet point choice: wait for it to be patched to run at 60 frames per damn second
Cybarian does run at 60fps. It's also pretty fun. I'm glad decent games like this that often launch first on Steam make it over to Switch. I was excited when Kero Blaster and Cave Blazers made it over to Switch (both of those run at 60fps too, by the way).
@60frames-please Ha ha are you joking? Please be joking.
This is a really fun little game, very difficult to begin with and then it just gets harder. Learn the combo in the first screen or you will end up hating it very quickly.
@YANDMAN you mean joking about having a category about waiting for a game to be patched up to 60fps? If so, nope, not joking. Some of my favorite games on Switch run below 60fps, and I play them a lot, but I always want games to run at 60. It makes a huge difference to me. I even avoid some games just because they don't run at 60 (of course they can't be too good of games or I'd break down and play them). Right now I'm pissed about Bloodstained running at 60fps on everything except Switch.
So Cybarian is basically the barbarian version of "Samurai Jack"?
@BacklogBlues Then you're just a rich idiot. It's never worth paying so much extra money just because you're a physical snob. There's absolutely nothing wrong with buying games digitally, and even the collector types recognize that small indie titles should be digital only and will buy them that way if it's the only option.
@60frames-please O.k i see you were actually being serious so lets address this. O.k i understand frustration with certain switch ports not running at 60FPS and for me personally it's why i do not buy multi platform games on the Switch. The ability to play it outside of my house does not override the want for a better play experience. But with respect of Cybarian you are being rather foolish. It is very clear to see that this is an old style platformer with very pretty albeit basic graphics. This style of game and graphic are not going to be system taxing in a way that other games of which you may have a gripe with most definitely will. I find it hard to imagine how anyone could seriously look at this game and wobnder if it ran o.k or not? Hence why i asked if you were joking or not. The game is very fun, very tough and runs beautifully...obviously. My advice to you it to assume that no games on switch run at 60fps and then you will be pleasantly surprised when they do. The system as we all know was underpopwered from release and is often difficult to optimize in comparison to other formats. Until a pro system is released this will forever be the case. I feel like pretty much everyone gets this at this point.
@BacklogBlues If you're not rich, then you're even more of an idiot and a physical snob, since it makes absolutely no sense to pay more for physical, especially with the differing amounts you're talking about. Not even being able to sell the game when you're done with it (which should only be a rare occurence if you just do your research before buying) is going to make up that kind of monetary difference! You should definitely be buying digital when it's cheaper and saving some more of that fixed income for necessities.
EDIT: Well, I suppose it can be an issue if you're running out of storage space and can't afford to upgrade your storage, but you admitted that you're still buying digital eShop games when they're on sale, and it still doesn't justify your views as a primary shopping outlook. Besides, if this were really the reason, you'd be better off just not buying some games at all rather than spending a ridiculous amount of extra money just to get a physical copy.
@nimnio This may be true, but there's no need to insist or even prefer 60 FPS with many genres. Some genres like racing and fighting games should absolutely run at 60 FPS whenever possible (although I can never tell the difference), but many other genres like 2D action platformers play just as well at 30 FPS as they do at 60 just as long as it's a rock solid 30 that almost never drops from there.
Let me guess your not a mature adult yet AKA your under 26 and brain has not fully developed yet @BulbasaurusRex. Actually i bet your child and still in school. Go troll someone else. IGNORED!
@YANDMAN Quad Fighter K, Devious Dungeon, Monster Slayers... Those are just 3 Switch games with simple graphics that don't even try to target 60fps. I wish it was foolish to question the frame rate of a game like Cybarian, but it's not. For sure, the vast majority of 2D sprite based games on Switch run at 60fps. I just feel burned when I buy one and it targets 30fps. It's an unpleasant shock.
Also, I kind of was joking about the category thing.
Also, I don't expect Hellblade, Wolfenstein, Witcher 3, etc to run at 60fps on Switch. I'd love it, but know it's just not happening. I am disappointed when games like Kirby, Pokemon, Octopath Traveler, Bloodstained, and Luigi's Mansion 3 target 30fps. Luigi's Mansion would look incredible and be really fun at 60fps in handheld mode!
Quad Fighter K was bulit from the ground up to mimic a Famicom game, it was never meant to run at 60FPS.The system needs more ram as an obvious and basic adjustment and lets not forget the original system set-up had less ram it was only due to the likes of Capcom saying that they couldn't port any of their games to the intended chip lineup that Nintendo improved it to what we have now. The silly thing is by the time a 'Pro' version launches they will already be using old chips again as they won't use the latest versions to keep cost down. Nintendo's clever evolutions come at a cost. I would just like to see them with a competetive system.
@nimnio I work within game design and trust me i know what i am talkign about. Yes there are times when a retro aesthetic can demand a lot of juice i know of one such game that runs the PS4 at absolute maxed everythign and still isn't as good as on a moderate PC. it's about optimization in most cases. But looking at the actual assets that are in use in this game is is very clear and easy to see that it isn't a system taxing game.
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