Be Brave, Barb

Genre: Auto-Runner

Players: 1

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Review:

Be Brave, Barb is a side-scrolling Auto-Runner with light Puzzle-Platformer elements released on PC and Nintendo Switch in 2025 where players take the role of an anthropomorphized upturned potted cactus plant trying to recover the lost pages from her journal of positive affirmations after they were blown away by a dark cat cloud king.

Coming from Thomas K. Young, the creator of the Fowlst series and Dadish series, Be Brave, Barb has a presentation that’s probably most reminiscent of Dadish 3D, with extremely simple 3D visuals that are nevertheless still colorful and charming in spite of this simplicity. This is backed by a synthesized soundtrack that’s not especially memorable, but fits in with the rest of the presentation well enough.

However, that’s not to say that the visuals are the only place this game brings the charm. We get to know Barb both through the affirmations she collects through the game and through brief conversations she has with her therapist between worlds, and she gives the impression of an adorably timid but witty person with delightfully amusing affirmations like “I don’t owe anyone anything! Not paying my bills is a form of self care” and “I am the master of my own destiny. I am also the master of my own density. I am very bouyant!”, but there are also just plain adorable ones like “I am going to do so much cool stuff. I’m going to make me so proud of me.”, comments that just make you want to give her a big hug. Well, except she’s a cactus, and that would really hurt. The psychiatrist is amusing as well, with “helpful” remarks like “I think your problem is overthinking. You should try underthinking instead.”

However, just in case you thought Be Brave, Barb was trying to use this charm to cover for lacking gameplay, you might be surprised to discover that this is a really clever take on the genre. When Barb walks off the side of a platform, instead of falling, she’ll just start walking on the next side, with her gravity re-orienting to this new direction. And this game’s challenges and puzzles are built around this idea – you need to time your jumps to ensure that Barb sticks to the right side of platforms, or jump before she moves to a side and changes her gravity, and the game finds plenty of interesting ways to use this.

When it comes to complaints, my main one is that Barb’s move set is extremely limited. She can jump, or you can hold down the jump button to jump a bit higher – that’s it. While I appreciate aiming for elegant simplicity, I do think the game can get a bit repetitive even when the stages vary wildly, and additional moves would address this issue.

Still, this is a creative take on the side-scrolling Auto-Runner genre, one filled with tons of personality, and creative level design built around a clever gameplay mechanic. Fans of Auto-Runners and Platformers looking for something a bit different should definitely give this one a look.

tl;dr – Be Brave, Barb is a side-scrolling Auto-Runner with light Puzzle-Platformer elements where players maneuver an anthropomorphic potted cactus plant who can go off the sides of platforms and change her gravity to reflect this change in direction. It’s a clever game mechanic that the game makes good use of in its excellent level design, even if the core gameplay is a bit too simple. And on top of everything, this game has an adorable presentation with a really lovable protagonist. Platformer fans looking for something a bit different should definitely try this one out.

Grade: B

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2025 Game Awards:

Runner-Up: Best Platformer, Funniest Game, Most Overlooked, Best New Character (Barb)

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