Ludography
43/100
Players10 ratings
Barbie: Explorer cover

2001 · Runecraft · Action

Barbie: Explorer

PlayStation console exclusive

Explore the world with Barbie. Travel to Tibet, Egypt, and the African jungle on a mission to find four ancient, jeweled treasures. Run, jump, swing, climb, and dive to avoid obstacles and deadly pitfalls in a race to unlock the secrets of the Mystic Mirror. Travel only with Barbie or bring a friend, as this game supports up to two players.

Released
2001
Platforms
PlayStationWindows
Genres
Action
Developers
Runecraft
Publishers
—
Series
Barbie
Modes
Single-player
Perspective
Third person
Themes
Action
Country
United Kingdom
Age ratings
ESRB E
Languages
English

About

Barbie: Explorer is a Microsoft Windows and PlayStation game featuring Barbie. It was developed by Runecraft, published by Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing and was released in 2001.

Keywords

  • female protagonist
  • action-adventure
  • traps
  • kid friendly
  • climbing
  • licensed game
  • monkey
  • voice acting
  • polygonal 3d
  • games for girls
  • treasure chest
  • based on - brand

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The player takes control of Barbie, running, walking and climbing her way through the level. The protagonist has no attack, with the player instead solving puzzles and platforming to get to the level's end. The main hazards in the game are animals (such as camels, elephants, and goats), which do not actively try to attack the player and instead roam around the environment. The gameplay was seen as an attempt to imitate the success of Tomb Raider.

Story

While working as a reporter, Barbie discovers an ancient mirror in a local museum which is missing 4 pieces, and which when completed will have its power unlocked. She decides to find these pieces by setting off on an adventure around the world to find these 4 treasures. These locations include Tibet, Egypt, Africa (all accessible from the start) and the final unlockable area, Babylon. Each of these locations has three levels, concluding with a boss.

The game ends when the four artifacts are found and Barbie goes back to the museum. She places each artifact in its respective spot on the mirror and it is repaired.

Reception

In a review in PSX Nation, J. M. Vargas called the game a "G-rated Tomb Raider clone" without any challenge and an "unbearable" set of controls. They were critical of graphics, especially the animation which they called "atrocious, canned, repetitive and mannequin-like in its awkwardness". Vargas would give the game a 61% overall.

Michael Lafferty, writing for GameZone, was more positive, giving it a score of 8/10. He complemented the game by saying that while the arcade style was predictable, the action is nonstop within levels and it offered "young gamers a Tomb Raider-esque arcade adventure".

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
PlayStation4 September 2001North America · Europe 7 December 2001
Windows4 September 2001North America · Europe 7 December 2001

In the same series

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Collections1 collection

Platform libraries

Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.