Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Game
Game2020
Batbarian: Testament of the Primordials
Developer Unspeakable Pixels
Batbarian: Testament of the Primordials is a snarky action-adventure puzzle game with a good dose of humor. Explore hundreds of secret-filled rooms, fight big bosses, gather companions for your party and use the powers of Pip—your bat buddy—to solve puzzles and escape the eldritch abyss! From the Steam store page
179 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky) · newest Sep 26, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
82
LovedLoved
140 positive · 31 negative
95% range 75–87%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 140 | 31 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
8 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
236 of 290 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 179 · most liked firstDisclosure: Main dev is my brother. Fun fact: Main dev started drawing cave dungeon levels full of monsters, traps and fireballs on large sheets of paper at age 7. So he knows his stuff. This game is a great Metroidvania full of hidden secrets. The whole game is drawn by pixel by pixel and a lot of work has been done on the light effects. Musics are beautiful. Dialogues are fun and full of surprises. Batbarian can be quite challenging when it comes to bosses but there is always a way to manage…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →🎤Introduction Batbarian: Testament of the Primordials (Referred to as just Batbarian from now on) was somewhat of a surprise for me in terms of difficulty, since I’ve played through several Metroidvanias in the pastI knew what to expect on the surface. However, this title in particular thoroughly put me through my paces in regards to the boss fights which was somewhat unexpected on first glance of this title. Boss fights is definitely where this game shines the most with exploration and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Alright, so this game starts pretty nice. The movement feels good, and at least for the earlier level designs, they're moderately challenging and feel satisfying to complete. The design is clever. The writing is nicely tongue-in-cheek, and I generally like the setting and the characters. The art is exceptional at getting across more detail than is technically present - a real testament to how skilled the artist is. The music is great, the sound design is solid, the color palette is vibrant and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I tried to like the game but nope, didn't work out. Bad mix of a puzzle game and a metroidvania, clunky platformer, tiny hit boxes, stupid artificial difficulty. Too bad, the humour is there and the music is rad. The 1st game I'll not finish, too much frustration and not enough joy
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →expected a metroidvania. got a full on puzzler. that is on me but maybe this is the game for you. jumping doesn't feel too good, very responsive to get airborne but a sharp cutoff midair. cojote time on platforms feels way too low, can't rebind keys to d pad control without sacrificing item selection through the stick. stat one armed bandit on level up does not feel good. puzzles felt good up to where i played. graphics are toptier. humor is good. story seems interesting. e: put in a few…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Batbarian is not a bad game, and it has several good things going for it, but ultimately despite me trying very hard to give it the benefit of the doubt it didn't end up winning me over and I found myself not even having the patience to beat it. First, the good: The presentation is excellent. I love the tiny, well-animated sprites, the dialogue is fun and the plot offers enough to keep me interested. Like most Metroidvanias, it is satisfying to get progressively stronger, to gain access to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Finishing the game took around 14 hours for the best ending, with most of the secrets collected. Overall impressions of the game will be relayed through pros and cons. Pros: -Unique light mechanic, and it ties in perfectly with the bat companion, -The writing in this game is hilarious, really well done. -Cool dark art-style, fits well with the light mechanic. -Some of the late game puzzles are interesting. -Dialogue options that can actually change the outcome of the story; quite the surprise.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ultimately, this game is not much of a metroidvania, its a puzzle platformer. Good controls, and responsivness but all the power ups, levels, etc mean squat, you will be dodging invincible enemies forever. Its ultimately unsatisfying in that there is a lack of accomplishment in advancing through the game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Do yourself a favor and pick up the OST. It's rare for a Metroidvania to nail the music so well, but the electric violin kills it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwtPiakdwaQ If you want to see my first impressions as they happened, watch my video above. Batbarian: Testament of the Primordials is a straightforward Metroid-style action-platformer with dialogue choices. Control starts off mediocre but feels good the moment you gain the ability to sprint. You have an adorable bat named Pip and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I highly recommend this game, it's cute, original, well done and fun. The OST slaps hard as hell, too.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fun for the first two hours or so but then the difficulty spikes incredibly quickly, and you're stuck with a lot of rooms that have you wondering if you're doing something wrong or the game isn't working properly. Many rooms with jumps that I thought were impossible but I just missed because the controls are wonky. I hit levels with rocks only for them not to move. Most frustratingly, I'd progress very far only to realize too late that I'm short an item I need to advance further, then I die…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Quick review after a few hours of play: Solid and responsive controls and feel, great mood and style, and a world that begs for exploration. Pacing is nice, progression feels rewarding. Interesting puzzles and platforming challenges. Elegant design and some good laughs and surprises with the storytelling.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is good, the characters are funny, the combat is okay, the bosses are more or less interesting, the only thing that killed all the fun for me from this game is that it's not so much a metroidvania as it is a precise platformer, in places it's damn pixel accurate, I hate platformers like that :/
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Un metroidvania bárbaro, con un murciélago que agarra poderes elementales y compañeros que son medio inútiles pero te hacen reír. Tiene diálogos super graciosos pero no deja de ser una trama seria típica del género. Hay momentos donde el pixel-art es maravilloso, y la música está buenísima. Recomendado si te gustan los metroidvania y estás buscando un indie copado.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So... I am giving thumbs down rather than thumbs up, because this game did not entertain me one bit, and I gave it a fair time (95 minutes). I like metroidvanias, I like puzzle solving, and I don't mind platforming and combat - but any of these things, in this game, felt fun. There's the typical stuff - you traverse and explore the map, you fight some monsters, collect gold to buy equipment, you platform around, you encounter puzzles you can't solve quite yet because you need new abilities. The…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game looks cool but its pretty lame. Your to dependent on the bat. If you run out of fruit in a situation where you need fruit to feed the bat to progress you can't progress. Played for 30 mins then returned.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Starts out really good, has that good old-school platformer feeling. Dialogues are funny, the whole setting is great. Action is very simplistic and not hard. After a few hours you start to realize that this game is neither RPG, neither Metroidvania (only very slightly). It's just a pure puzzle platformer with sometimes funny dialogues. Map exploration is fairly linear in a sense, but you will encounter many locked doors or inaccessible passageways in your way and you have 0 clue how to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This has to be one of the best metroidvania games out there. Why? Because of the bat. Yep - i'm biased - also, the humor is on point and the gameplay is great fun. but... bat friend. that's why. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPPUOHmHrCY
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →🟢 Plug and Play Tested on: OnexPlayer Mini Pro 6800U [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/42772030-Handheld-Friendly/] Follow Handheld Friendly
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →TL;DR: A fun, charming, 12-20hr Metroidvania focused on action and technically-challenging puzzle-platforming, with plenty of secrets to track down, optional challenges, and a fair bit of world-building to satisfy explorers. Multitasking is required through timed precision platforming sections, and toggle-able assists provide a great approach to adaptive difficulty which might feel necessary in the late-game. And Pip is adorable. Can't wait to see what Demonic Pixels conjure up next! An…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A very good game that gets a bit too puzzly for it's own good near the end (and this is coming from a guy who loves puzzles). This game is a super tough, super fair, metroidvania. Most of the game is appropriately difficult, but near the end that curve spikes way the heck up. My biggest complaint is the lack of story. Sure your companions have a few things to say, but after a handful of lines are silent most the rest of the game. Also, your personal backstory is neat, but you only get a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What a blast! For me, the best Metroidvania out this year. i LOVE the world, humor and game mechanics, i totally recommend it! EDIT: To the user called Food4MyBrain your negative review is unfair, fruits are unlimited there's no way you can get stuck, so learn how to play video games before commenting or rating. --- Mais quel pied !! Pour moi le meilleur Metroidvania de cette année, l'univers, l'humour, les mecaniques, J'ADORE !!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →oh man it's out ^^ Charming AF metroidvania with WAY too much to do in it ( 12 hours, and I was slightly past the halfway mark? ) Controls are tight ( on controller, you can't use D-Pad to move your char, but you get over it after you realize why ) Huge, Sprawling metroidvania, very simialr to Hollow Knight in this regard. The writing is very charming, oftentimes chuckle-worthy ( alot of the engagements involve you selecting your repsonse, and they all have unique dialogue back-and-forth as…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A must buy metroidvania that has some originality by having Pip the bat as a part of your controls that takes some getting used to, along with companions that are used with a simple press of a button. Lots of challenge and over 20 hours of gameplay. Do not miss this one!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm not enjoying this much, this will probably be the first metroidvania in a very long time that I don't complete. It could just be my own experience but I do feel that the game price makes it overall not worth buying. You can find better for the same price or similar games for a cheaper price.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good, solid platformer with beautiful pixel graphics, that doesn't take itself too serious. It's more of a fighty-type platformer, good for people who don't like to do a billion jumps in a row until the manage the perfect one. Music is also very good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZvN-JkmpfI
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Format reminds me of Unepic, but the gameplay is very tedious. Darkness everywhere, constantly throwing your bat fruit to light up where to go. Extremely boring and annoying boss fights and trap rooms. On the plus side, it has nice, humorous writing.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game went from enjoyably challenging, (even with turning on the "easy mode" features) to outrageously difficult and frustrating... So, very poor challenge balancing...
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Breath of fresh air! Batbarian focuses on atmosphere; it captures the feeling of being trapped within a dungeon. Enemies are strong, rests are few and far between, and the darkness is nearly all-encompassing. All this allows the game's relationships to shine--and there's no bond deeper than the one between a barbarian and their bat. It also allows the quirky sense of humor to land, which is probably the game's most stunning accomplishment. I'd recommend playing with the assists, especially for…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →More platform, puzzle game. As nothing to do with metrovania.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not a horrible game, but mediocre at best. The combat and the puzzles were both pretty simplistic. I never derived much satisfaction from killing things/solving puzzles. Music was solid but not memorable. Worth buying only if it's on sale and you've already played every single good platformer on Steam.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →How am I going to wake up and log into work tomorrow when I can just keep playing this game? If I manage to resist ill have to at least throw on the sound track. Its amazing! In all seriousness the pace, sense of exploration, amazing art, clever humor, and perfect difficulty curve really pull you into Batbarian. More in depth review coming; so far I highly recommend this game and can't wait to keep playing.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Disclosure - I know the devs and received a free beta build to test. That said....This game is a strong buy!! Not sure if my hours played will show up with this review but I put in over 100 hours and loved every single moment. This world is IMMERSIVE. Wonderful dynamic pixel art that is by turns cute, demonic, and frightening. Every character's animations show the love and care that the devs put in. Each area has a distinct feel that is complemented by an out-of-this world soundtrack that…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →ayo? a good game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Super Fun! the writing is awesome! There's dialect options and the puzzles and exploration are top notch. Fun retro music too.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Once you pass the initial frustration, this game gets very addictive! In the beginning, I felt a little too lost because wasn't sure which direction to go, didn't know where to look for secret items, some puzzles seemed impossible, etc... I can see why some people get too frustrated to keep going. However, as you learn the structure of the dungeon and get the hang of solving the puzzle, this game gets very addictive! I especially got excited when Pip (the bat) acquired the fire aura, which…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i saw this game and thought it looked kind of interesting and it exceeded my expectations. don't expect newer castlevania or bloodstained level of gameplay, but i'd say it is comparable to the SNES era castlevania games as far as expectations.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is and should be a simple review. If you like running, jumping, fighting monsters, unlocking new abilities and areas, finding items, exploring dungeons, finding secrets, going up against wild and creative bosses and laughing at extremely well written dialogue, this game is for you. On top of all this you will fall in love with the world's cutest animated bat. Everything in this game from the jokes to the character animations to the AMAZING soundtrack has been done with a level of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →2 Minute Video Review: https://youtu.be/MRa7iAkiLE8 This game is awesome! A very enjoyable 2D Action Metroidvania with lots of puzzles. I only had one minor issue with the exploration that I detail on the video, but this is still a great game that you shouldn't miss out on!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Wanted to like this and it started out great, but after a while it turned into something I didn't really want to play. I enjoyed the humour, the presentation and the fact I thought I was getting a Metroidvania. Only issue is, it's not a Metroidvania, it's a puzzle platformer, and at times, a very tough one. This wouldn't be a major issue save for the fact the actual control of the character is less than responsive and jarring. There are "dead zones" of initial input where the character…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This isn't bad. Reminds me a little bit of Souldiers but more retro, with more simple and straightforward combat. It's hard to pinpoint what turns me off of it. There are the puzzle platforming elements with plenty of annoying traps - something I'm not fond of. It's mildly unpleasant playing a game where you are always in the dark as well, particularly in 2D. 3D horror like Resident Evil works fine. While you can turn off the darkness, I feel like that goes against the whole point of the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game all around. Great music, great pixel art, great little puzzles (except for one, I had to look up a video), surprisingly funny writing. Some pretty ball-busting boss fights later on. The boss with the big claws that burrows is trash though, some pretty annoying RNG element to whether his patterns' timing line up and allow him to be damaged effectively. Other than that, any problems I had were a skill issue. 9/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The worst part of most good games are the gimmicky dark levels with limited emanating light. This whole game is that. Horrible idea. However, the developers blessed us with accessibility options making the purchase worth it and the dumb darkness moot. You can set it so there’s better lighting so the beautiful levels reveal their pixelated goodness. I tried the demo and hated the low visibility. I saw the setting buried after you start a game and tried it again for a much better experience. Its…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very good. I bought it after testing the demo and I do not regret anything. It is exactly what the demo sells. Good plateformer with secrets, puzzles, secrets in secrets, fights, boss that are not boring till now... all the ingredients are here. Not clunky at all. Checkpoints everywhere. Good exploration. Character skills increase by different ways. Imaginative. And it is stupid fun. Largely inspired from the classics such as Wonder boy and well done. --Edit-- Hard at times. Especially if…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Batbarian is a well-made exploratory platformer/Metroidvania, capable of giving several hours of fun thanks to some out-of-the-ordinary mechanics and a satisfying narrative. [url=https://mr-skeltals-thoughts-deposit.blogspot.com/2021/12/batbarian-review-light-in-darkness.html]Read the full review here For all the reviews follow my steam [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41438865/]curator
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have a lot of thoughts about this game. It's well written, it's funny, the central mechanic of using the right stick to throw things leads to some interesting design and puzzles. But the sparse metroidvania elements clash with the precision platforming in ways that are ultimately too frustrating to recommend. Enemy damage is extremely high and it's easy to become trapped in a fight where your only options are play perfectly (sometimes against enemies that only exist in that room and have…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i did not like anything in this game and jumping is atrocious tries to be castlevania with precision platforming and fails at both
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pretty fun and humerous metroidvania. Be warned that it is fairly puzzle heavy but mostly reasonable to solve as to not drag the game down. Soundtrack worth noting is surprisingly good. If you don't mind puzzles this is probably a decent pick-up. Clocked in 16 hours to get 2 out of 3 endings, the final one would probably add a few more hours easily as it requires pretty much 100% collection.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I don't often give my opinion on a game (and I've played a lot...), but I was shocked to see the low number of reviews. This game deserves way more recognition. After the first hour of the game, here's how I would have summed up the game : a more accessible version of La Mulana, with the same kind of humour as The Messenger, but with interesting light-based mechanics. Now, I have finished the game (99,5%, missing one chest that is nowhere to be found) and here's what I have to say : + : the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Other than it's ungoogable name, Batbarian is an excellent Metroidvania that certainly matches the best of the genre has to offer. It's unique selling point is the strange , but effective, mix of platforming puzzle and precise jumping action that coalesce into well-crafted and demanding adventure. Below are noteworthy points: - Unlike most Metroivania, this isn't a character action game, most of the progression comes from your Pip, the glowing bat. Your traversal and combat options remain…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very funny metroidvania. When I write reviews, I like to give a fair look at both what the game gets right and also the things it could improve on, but honestly, I can't think of anything Batbarian really needs to do better. If you are a fan of these kinds of games, Batbarian is the real deal. It has a seriously funny story, charming characters, a detailed world, fun chiptunes, beautiful pixel art, and secrets galore! Batbarian is so jam-packed with secrets, I scarcely go even a couple rooms…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Batbarian: Testament of the Primordials is a Metroid-vania-esque dungeon crawler with RPG elements, healthy doses of tongue-in-cheek humor, and a great deal of platforming challenge. The mechanics (from the jump physics to melee attacks) feel solid as any decent platformer would have, but where Batbarian shines is the addition of Pip, the titular characters flying companion, and the methods in which you can use her to both solve puzzles and attack enemies. Unlike some games of its ilk, the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great combo of side scroller with a little RPG, problem solving, etc. but enough save points / easy reload that it's not frustrating. Nifty game controls that feel second nature. Can just as easily play for 20 mins as 2 hours.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a fun game, with surprisingly catchy music and a magic bat. Oh and a bunch of hilarious writing, with just a bit of jank but not enough to warrant anything but a footnote. Stab your enemies, throw fruit at various many things and sometimes rocks. Avoid traps, deftly dodge bosses, and smash treasure chests -- what else could a barbarian want? Solid game, well worth the price tag.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →❤ Audience ❤ ☑ Beginner ☑ Casual Gamer ☑ Normal Gamer ☑ Expert ☼ Graphics ☼ ☐ Bad ☐ Alright ☐ Good ☑ Beautiful ☐ Fantastic ♬ Music ♬ ☐ Bad ☐ Alright ☐ Good ☐ Beautiful ☑ Fantastic ☠ Difficulty ☠ ☐ Easy ☑ Average ☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master ☑ Hard ☐ Unfair § Bugs § ☐ Bugs destroy the game ☐ Lots of bugs ☐ Few Bugs ☐ You can use them for speedrun ☑ Nothing encountered ☯ Story ☯ ☐ There is none ☐ Bad ☐ Alright ☑ Good ☑ Fantastic ⚔ Gameplay ⚔ ☐ Frustrating ☐ Sleepy ☐ Boring ☑ Fun ☑…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This has been super fun and addictive so far. The game feels challenging but doable, and the puzzles so far have been fun and varied. The limited scope of vision based on your illuminated bat is also super fresh and I like the mechanic of both controlling your barbarian as well as the bat. Definitely requires a decent amount of coordination, but is super worth it when you managed to stick a great throw of the bat's berries. The humor element in the game is frickin' on point, and it doesn't…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Loving exploring the caves with my trusty bat companion Pip. Beautiful art, great soundtrack. The dialogue is clever and made me laugh. Interesting puzzles. Excited to keep playing!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a good old-fashion Metroidvania. Great art. Surprisingly funny. Light-hearted but also has tight controls. Also has GREAT soundtrack
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A very solid metroidvania; reasonably hard but fair, and apparently it has an "assists" thing for if it's too hard, which I didn't try. Bit more puzzle than your typical metroidvania, which I saw other reviews being not keen on but that was what made me get it. Most of the puzzles are fairly optional to get secrets and powerups. There was one that I found frustrating because I was doing essentially the intended thing, but too quickly, which caused it not to work - a room with an inverted V of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Tough Metroidvania game, with some humor.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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