Heavy Barrel
Arcade
Nostalgia Factor:
When I was a kid, I would occasionally play Heavy Barrel in an arcade at a local bowling alley. This was the late 80s, going into the early 90s. I was never very good at the game, and in fact, I did not pay it much attention. It was one of those games I'd only throw a quarter in every once in a while, when I was getting bored of all the other games to play. The main thing I remember from the game is how the demo that loops when no one is playing always shows a battle taking place on a moving elevator. As an adult, I had to Google the game using this vague description to get the name of the title. As soon as I saw the name "Heavy Barrel", it all came crashing back to me.
One of the great things about my Retropie is how I can go back and play games that I haven't even thought about in 30 years. And that's what I am doing here. Heavy Barrel. I haven't played this since I was about eight years old. And now here I am at 42, ready to finish this game off and file it away forever. Let's freaking go.
Story:
"Mission: Destroy enemy's underground artillery base."
This one sentence as you parachute in at the beginning of the game is all you get for a storyline.
Gameplay:
This is one of those games that can be easily beaten if you have an endless supply of quarters. There is no real strategy involved, aside from "blast away at your enemies and expect to die every few seconds". I'm not sure if the term bullet hell applies here, but I am saying it does. Everywhere you turn is something that kills you, and staying alive is for the most part a futile affair. But as long as you have enough quarters, you'll eventually make your way to the end.
In concept, the game is easy to pick up and play. You control your little soldier character. You can fire in eight directions. You can throw grenades. You march forward as the screen scrolls ahead, blasting all enemies in sight. You pick up weapon upgrades. You fight boss characters. And you die. Again and again and again. Like I said before, there is really no escaping it, unless you are some kind of Heavy Barrel fanatic that has played through the game thousands of times. Even trying my absolute hardest to stay alive, it never seems to happen for more than a few seconds at a time.
The game can be beaten in about 20 minutes, give or take. It is very short. While I enjoyed the game, I can't say it is something I was overjoyed with. There's little strategy aside from to just keep relentlessly attacking and keep dying. When you have an unlimited supply of quarters and there are no real consequences for dying, it really takes the fun out of things. But what other choice is there? Even when I focus on playing more conservatively and trying to stay alive, I just end up dying anyway. Might as well just bull rush every time. Again and again. How fun.
Graphics:
I don't think this game looks like anything special. I'm sure it looked decent for its time. But visually, it doesn't do much to draw players in. And that's even with me usually being able to be objective about this kind of thing. I just don't think the game looks great. Not that it looks bad. It's just very forgettable looking.
Sound:
There is nothing memorable about this game's music or sound effects. I just finished playing through this fifteen minutes ago and I can already remember nothing about how this game sounded. Nothing. I'm sure it does a good job. I would have noticed if it sounded terrible, right? I suppose. But part of my problem with the game is how drab the gameplay and graphics are. The music certainly isn't helping its case.
Overall:
Meh. That about sums up my entire attitude towards this game. Everything about it is just so forgettable. The music, story, graphics, and especially the gameplay. You just power through hordes of enemies, blasting as many as you can, before you eventually die. Pop in another quarter, pick up right where you left off, and keep going until you die again. Repeat this about twenty to thirty times. If you can keep pumping in quarters, eventually you'll beat the game. It must have taken a small fortune to beat this game!
I appreciate the game for what it was at the time it was released. But when I look at it now, the game really suffers. Especially considering the fact that I don't come in wearing rose-tinted nostalgia glasses. There is nothing here I haven't seen dozens of times already. The theme is not interesting. The graphics and production value don't really draw you in. There's no special gameplay mechanics that keep things interesting. The game just... is what it is. If you like this kind of game, you'll like Heavy Barrel. If you're indifferent towards them, like me, you will not find much to get excited about here.
I know this game is somewhat beloved, so I feel a bit like a heathen for giving it such a low score. But what can I say? I didn't hate the game, but I didn't really have fun with it either. And now that I've completed it, I do not see any reason to come back to it again, unless it is later on in life to play through it with my son in two-player mode. I guess if that ever happens, I'll give the game a re-review and see if my opinion has changed on it. Until then, I am filing this one away as below average and not worth your time.
THE GRADE:
D+
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