Ludography
Barbie Super Model cover

1993 · Action · Simulation

Barbie Super Model

Timed Sega exclusive

Help Barbie become a great fashion model! This is an arcade game with many different activities to participate in.

Released
1993
Platforms
MS-DOSSNESSega Genesis
Genres
ActionSimulation
Developers
—
Publishers
Hi Tech Expressions
Series
Barbie
Modes
MultiplayerSingle-player
Perspective
Side view
Themes
Educational
Country
United States
Age ratings
ESRB E
Languages
English

About

Barbie: Super Model is a one or two-player educational action video game that allows the player to play as Barbie. It was released for the Genesis, Super NES, and MS-DOS in 1993.

Keywords

  • minigames
  • fashion
  • female protagonist
  • based on - tv show
  • licensed game
  • minigame collection
  • games for girls
  • based on - brand
  • retroachievements

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The main part of the game comprises very simple arcade-style sequences. In each level, the player must navigate from one end of a horizontally scrolling area to the other, avoiding all of the obstacles and potential hazards coming towards the main character. Players can either do the "normal" difficulty level with everything or the "easy" difficulty level that allows younger children to try the matching games without dealing with the side-view levels.

The levels each have a different theme. The themes include driving Barbie's convertible in Hollywood, roller skating in Hawaii, walking in the snow during a vacation in Vail, and riding her bike in New York City. The arcade-style sequences are interspersed with sections that test the player's memory. At the half-way point of each level the player can practice Barbie's moves for a fashion show. At the end of each level, the player must correctly perform these moves from memory.

Reception

Barbie: Super Model garnered mixed reviews upon release. In a 2.8-out-of-five review, Nintendo Power described the game as "a sort of Sim Model experience", writing that while fans of Barbie may enjoy the interactivity, other players will most likely not be interested at all. Writer "Miss Chlevous" of GamePro, who scored the game a 2.5 out of five, found the presentation satisfactory but criticized the gameplay for being too slow-paced and primitive, recommending it only to Barbie fans and video game beginners. David Sheff used Super Model as an example of the lack of difficulty common in video games targeted towards girls, while other book authors were critical towards the game for its stereotypical emphasis on sex appeal, fashion and appearance.

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
Sega Genesis1 January 1992Worldwide
MS-DOS1 January 1993Worldwide
SNES1 January 1993North America · Brazil 1 February 1994

Editions and related releases

Ported as
Barbie: Super Model
Built on it
Barbie: Super Model

In the same series

Games like this

Collections1 collection

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