Beardbarians

Beardbarians is a multiplayer fighting game where you use your beard to battle friends or CPU opponents, or team up to defend a gem from goblins. Its cast of characters has distinct movesets and abilities, and its matches take place across a variety of stages.

Beard combat

Each character can attack, block and grab with their beard. Attacks can be aimed in any direction and charged for extra power. Blocking mitigates damage, but blocking too much destroys your beard and leaves you defenceless for a few seconds. Grabs have less range than attacks, can be aimed in any direction and ignore an opponent’s block; grabbing an opponent lets you carry and throw them. The combat follows a rock-paper-scissors system: grabs beat blocks, blocks beat attacks, and attacks beat grabs. You can also fight alongside an ally in team battles.

Characters can run, jump, double jump, dash and wall jump, as well as use six character-specific abilities: neutral, side, up, down, block and recovery. The block ability is primarily defensive, while recovery helps you regain height and distance and get back onto solid ground. Each character has a distinct moveset, and a replayable tutorial featuring Dummy teaches the basics.

The characters

The roster includes:

• Dave: A jack-of-all-trades with no major strengths or weaknesses who primarily attacks with his shield. He fights for money to support his gardening hobby, grows food that lets him be a vegetarian who eats meat, and loves his pet rock.
• Transister: An arcade-machine enthusiast who gained the ability to conduct electricity after a minor shock. She relies on extensive combos and fast mobility, but is light and has short range.
• The Moustached Muscle: A long-time champion and famous ring veteran. He can struggle to close in, but is dangerous at close range, especially when he grabs and throws opponents.
• Carla: A camper and practiced hunter of food from other people’s tents, she is good at hitting stationary targets. Her quick projectiles help her keep opponents at bay at medium to long range, though she may need to get close to finish them.
• Goaty: A goat and a fast fighter with powerful attacks. She needs to recharge her stamina if she pushes herself too hard.
• Alakaspam: A magician whose spellbook is focused on FIREBALL. He uses fireballs and other projectiles to create a barrage that opponents must avoid, though landing hits is key.
• Captain Brawnybeard: A traditional pirate who owns a boat but cannot pilot it. His lover and the ship’s former owner, the ghost Shavey Jones, helps him. He controls space with traps and powerful but risky bursts of speed.
• Trim Reaper: An eldritch being that has taken a new form to compete in its favourite sport. It combines a scythe with weaker godly powers and uses its long reach to swat opponents away.
• Kami: A fighter whose game plan centres on deception. He approaches from different angles and varies his timing to start powerful combos.
• Beardhoven: A songwriter whose music can attack anyone who hears it. He fires musical projectiles and can change their speed by adjusting his tempo or striking them with his lute. His versatility offsets his slow mobility.
• Stalagmight: A meteorite transformed into a “normal” rock. It is slow and nearly helpless without ground beneath it, but is very heavy and can manipulate giant meteors and cause earthquakes.

Battle stages

Fights take place in a variety of locations, including wrestling arenas, outer space and a giant arcade cabinet. Stages can include items that give fighters a boost, and items can be turned off. For more straightforward matches, there are five basic layouts for testing skill without interruptions.

Protect the gem

In Protect the Gem, you face waves of goblins alone or with a friend and try to protect your gem. You unlock upgrades as you progress to strengthen yourself or change the battlefield to your advantage, while the goblins also gain upgrades. The mode includes a global leaderboard that tracks how long you hold out.

Online and other modes

Online matches are available through Quickplay and private lobbies, for playing with people around the world or arranging a private match with friends. Beardbarians also has a 2–4 player battle mode for fighting with friends or CPU opponents, and Beardbarians TV lets you watch four CPUs fight.

Charms and achievements

In-game achievements unlock wearable beard charms. You can display up to three charms at once, each representing an achievement you have earned.