Barbarian will hit the store shelves on February 2002. Anyhow, it seems Saffire has transformed the game into something different from the original idea of a standard fighting game. In fact, the final game should be a hybrid of different genres, an action-fighter characterized by typical RPG elements and many interesting surprises.

Story and Gameplay
Actually, the story of Barbarians is not much more complex than the one of too many fighting titles out there. An evil mage, called Zaugg, has used his powers to curse the land of Barbaria. In an age of darkness and destruction a group of heroes, wielding great powers, have decided to defeat Zaugg. But according to the prophecy, only one of them will be able to save the land.

What’s much more interesting is the fact that the game is characterized by a non-linear progression of the events typical of classic RPG games and absolutely unusual for what was originally planned as a fighting game.

Basically, at the beginning of the game, you will have to choose one of the 10 playable characters. You then start with your first quest and once you’ve successfully completed it, you will have the possibility to make a choice. Overall, the game will feature more than 30 in-game choices, for an impressive total of 300 different quests to follow. In each quest you have to fight other characters following the rules of engagement of that particular mission, and you’ll earn upgrades for your own character just like in a RPG game.

It’s important to notice that you will be able to use these upgrades not only in the ongoing quests, but also in the multiplayer modes. In fact the game will support the use of Ps2 multitap for up to four-players games.

The Characters

	Dagan He is the last of the Dolok tribe. Zaugg's men murdered his wife while he was away from his home in the Lost Fortress of Skurlock. Revenge is his only scope.
	Keela A sword master and a princess, her father, the King Of Argos died in his quest to find the mighty Bloodsong stone. Keela wants to continue her father's quest.
	Magnus Once he was the scourge of the Northern Seas but in a battle against the King of Argo they exchanged deathblows and both died. But Magnus, driven by his determination to regain his stolen Bloodsong stone, didn't fade in the realm of the dead.
	Oops It is the result of Zaugg's experiments in the realms of dark magic. Zaugg gave new life to a decayed body thus creating Oops. Hating his existence between the living and the dead, Oops want his revenge on Zaugg.
	Malik Once Zaugg's apprentice, Malik learned arcane magic and became a strong warrior. He hoped to rule in Zaugg's place after his master's death. But Zaugg discovered the secret of life and death thus cheating his imminent death. Furious of the new powerful body of his master, Malik is in search of the Elements of Ascendancy, artefacts that could give him the power to destroy Zaugg and rule over the land of Barbaria.
	Bobo Bobo is just a beast, a carnivorous ape in continuous search of food to feed his hungry body. But because of Zaugg's curse, the land of Barbaria is desolated and scarce in food. In some way, Bobo needs to fix his world.
	Number 21 A man with no home, no family, no past. Imprisoned as an orphan, Number 21 has lived his whole life in the Prisons of Akrowla. But as a consequence of the gloom that has spread throughout the land of Barbaria, his prison was abandoned and he was able to escape. Now he is in seeks of vengeance, searching for the ones that imprisoned him so long ago.
	Jinn Jinn is a demon of the underworld, with the role to torment the souls of the damned. But since Zaugg's magic has opened a portal to the underworld she has decided to torment and torture the living.
	Phade She is an assassin hired by Zaugg and many others, an "artist" in her dirty work. Her desire to perfect her art has now turned to ancient artefacts and Zaugg's extraordinary powers.
	Eyara She is the nature's guardian. Eyara protects the plants and all the living creatures on earth. But Zaugg's minions corrupted her Eden. Only defeating the evil, she can bring peace back to her land.

It seems that Barbarian could bring something new in the world of Sony Playstation 2. We'll have updates on this release from Titus and Saffire as soon as new information are made available.