Beholgar Review | TheXboxHub

From a developer by the title of Serkhan Bakar and their publishing pals at Dolores Leisure is Beholgar. 

Beholgar is the title of the primary character, a hulking nice barbarian who’s out to avoid wasting the world. Suppose Conan the Barbarian after a course of steroids and also you’ll be in the precise ballpark. Billed as a Metroidvania-type journey, and with the just about compulsory retro-styled presentation in addition, is Beholgar a welcome entry to the style, or are we higher off enjoying Metroid, or certainly Castlevania? Strap in your furry pants, we’re entering into. 

Beginning with the presentation and that is very a lot a retro-styled product, with graphics paying homage to the glory days of gaming. In actual fact, if this was operating on a Tremendous Nintendo or an Amiga, you wouldn’t bat an eye fixed, and with interval right music to pay attention and groove alongside to, the tone is about good. 

Beholgar himself is an enormous, strapping lad, with a nifty line in not solely large choppers, but in addition with projectile weaponry. He’ll want them too because the enemies are just about as you’d count on – skeletons straight out of a Ray Harryhausen movie, goblins, and a few giant boss sort creatures too. All in all, it’s protected to say that Beholgar just about does all of the issues that you’d count on; there’s nothing significantly surprising. Learn into that what you’ll. I by no means used the phrase unoriginal…

So how concerning the story of the sport… why is Beholgar swinging his mighty weapon about and upsetting the respectable undead folks of the world? Properly, it seems that an evil sorcerer has learn a ebook; and never a self assist ebook about easy methods to be higher at life. No, he has taken within the pages of one thing that has invited an evil God to the land, and so it should take somebody with giant muscle groups and a pointy piece of metal of their hand to place this example to rights. It’s going to take a barbarian, principally, and fortunately that’s what we’re. Pausing solely to sharpen our sword, we should traverse the world, gaining new talents and spells, and be certain that this evil sorcerer sticks to Harry Potter books in future. 

Beholgar works as a Metroidvania at coronary heart. For these of you unfamiliar with the idea, principally two greats of the facet scrolling platform motion sport, Metroid and Castlevania, are fused collectively to explain any sport the place backtracking is required to get essentially the most out of the sport, revisiting previous areas with new talents to succeed in new areas and hopefully achieve some groovy loot. With me up to now? Properly, Beholgar matches this style completely, as talents that you may seize embody gloves that mean you can cling to the sting of platforms after which make your means up, while a double bounce comes about from discovering some boots, and so forth and so forth. 

With every of the save factors performing as a quick journey hub, Beholgar means that you can warp to any beforehand visited space of the sport, that means that the way in which is obvious to return to previous locations with new abilities and discover totally. After all, one factor that these sort of video games do usually want is a map, to point out the place you will have and haven’t been, and this can be a obvious omission in Beholgar. Wandering round early areas on the off probability of discovering a brand new bit does take the shine off the exploration a tad. 

What concerning the precise fight although, leaving apart the exploring? Properly, okay is about the perfect that may be mentioned of it. I’m not significantly a fan of enemies that stroll proper by way of repeated sword swipes and nonetheless poke you within the eye, and sadly this sport is stuffed with them. With even primary skeletons taking three hits to place down, it takes a deft contact to attempt to keep inside sword distance, however outdoors their vary. It’s pretty straightforward to proceed to be killed – frequently – by the simplest of enemies. 

Meaning you shouldn’t even get me began on the skeletons who throw axes, which cannot solely range the vary they journey earlier than they arrive arcing down, however also can go by way of stable stone once they go vertical, hitting you thru platforms. It’s not awfully real looking, and greater than somewhat irritating. Attempting to hit enemies with the number of ranged weapons at your disposal is somewhat higher, however with a restricted provide, you actually don’t need to miss. Seeing because the timing of the throws, particularly if you’re leaping, is tougher than a quadratic equation, the fight shouldn’t be one of many stronger factors of the sport. 

Sadly, neither is the platforming facet of issues. I actually do really feel that somebody ought to have had a phrase with Beholgar earlier than he set out on his quest, informing him that greasing the soles of his boots was a very dangerous concept. However they didn’t, and it’s. You see, leaping calls for absolute precision, and sadly when Beholgar lands, he slides somewhat means. That’s not essentially a problem on flat and degree floor, however within the depths of dungeons, surrounded by insta-death spike pits? A really dangerous concept. 

It goes with out saying that the perfect of those sort of video games function absolute precision, and controls that encourage confidence. Sadly, Beholgar doesn’t. You have to be properly ready for a lot of deaths, and far dangerous language, as you battle to succeed in the subsequent cauldron and save your progress. 

In conclusion and in Beholgar we’ve got a sport with some good concepts that’s marred by poor execution. The fight feels samey and but irritating, the leaping can have you chewing your joypad, and whereas Beholgar appears nice, issues like platform piercing axes are the nail within the coffin. With some consideration paid to the consumer expertise, Beholgar might have been a contender, however because it stands proper now, it’s arduous to advocate this to anybody however essentially the most ardent of Metroidvania followers. 

Beholgar is on the Xbox Retailer