BARRIER X Reviews

hard game but fun to play and visually good

Cheap, but not a bad game

It's Race The Sun with the psychedelics turned up to 11

[b]Barrier X will have you staring into strobe lights as they light your face and eyes with a boatload of colour, all the while your brain is attempting to comprehend the mechanics of the game as you zip, zap & attack across an inconceivable path.[/b] The steam description does not lie, the game is fast and throws challenging mechanics at you with each new level; for example one stage will introduce near mandatory lanes that punish you if missed while another stage will introduce an AI combatant that you're required to destroy before it kills you. The mechanics can be mastered and beaten but the amount of visual clutter is overwhelming, regardless if you get into a flow state the game is incredibly addicting. Barrier X is chaotic & not for those prone to sensory overload, It riddles you with effects & distorts time when you’re in a flow state; seconds feel like less and it’s easy to lose a chunk of time trying to improve your records. If you're into high speed endless runners or rhythm games you'll more than likely enjoy Barrier X & its challenges but if you want a chill runner, I don’t think it’s for you. If you do end up purchasing & playing the title, I recommend your own music playlist over the in-game soundtrack. I found [i]Bury the Light by Casey Edwards & Victor Borba[/i] and [i]Cult of Personality by Living Colour[/i] fit the gameplay flow perfectly. [i]Personal note:[/i] I was curious to see how I reacted to the stimulation and quick thinking the game oozes, so I recorded a five minute run where I died & beat my record numerous times; It was fascinating watching my pupils dilate, face flash with various colours and my microsecond reaction before starting another run after swift failure. [b]Barrier X if it meets your criteria is worth $4.50AUD but if you aren't quite sure I recommend picking up the game when it drops to $1.35 during sales.[/b]

I played this game back in 2016 (this review is being written in 2025) around the time it came out on mobile. I absolutely loved the game, but I forgot about it after I lost the old phone. Today, due to some stroke of luck and a little help from ChatGPT I was able to find this game again. And even today, the game has no ads, nothing to waste your time, and is still well optimized. Really love the game. I have 1000+ hours on a few games but THIS IS THE FIRST REVIEW I AM WRITING ON STEAM FOR A GAME.