Barda - Early Access Review
Packing your bag is the game in Barda, a roguelite climber where space is survival and every run hinges on how well you manage it.
Barda. Credit: Mudita Games
Barda from Mudita Games hit Early Access on Steam last month and shows promise. It blends physics-driven inventory management with a roguelite structure in a turn-based climbing adventure. This feels like one to watch.
From Steam:
In Barda, it won't be your sword that saves you. It's how you pack your bag. But hunger, fatigue and madness will take up space! Do your best as you climb an ever-changing mountain to spread the ashes of your grandfather, improve your base camp, and try again.
The core roguelite loop is simple: climb, manage your inventory, survive escalating challenges, fail, upgrade, and try again. As you move up the mountain, you find items to carry in your bag, and that space directly determines how far you go. Hunger, fatigue, and madness don’t just pressure you, they physically crowd your bag or warp the items inside it. Get hungry, and your stomach shows up in your bag, growing larger each turn if you don’t deal with it.
Barda. Credit: Mudita Games
Progression comes through challenge-driven encounters that demand specific items or skill checks. These checks tie to item types, and if you’re missing what you need, you can brute-force them barehanded, but you’re paying in HP to do it. Items also have durability, so nothing lasts forever. Lose all your HP, and you’ll wake up at the foot of the mountain, where you can upgrade your base camp and gradually unlock new items, biomes, and systems.
Managing your bag uses a physics-based approach instead of the usual grid. You move and rotate items manually, letting them settle naturally with gravity. You can press a button to shake the bag, and it’s satisfying to watch things settle into place. Large items can stick out of the top; as long as even a tiny bit is within bounds, they count. Anything left out is lost when you move to the next screen. Bag upgrades during the run give you more space, a single external item attachment, or perks.
The game looks great, but it feels oddly lifeless. The hand-drawn art and watercolor backgrounds stand out, and character designs are memorable. But characters and items aren’t animated at all, giving everything a sticker-on-glass look. There’s some subtle environmental motion, like swaying plants, but not enough to make the world feel alive.
What’s here feels a bit bare. The game is planned to stay in Early Access for 8–12 months, with a roadmap that includes new biomes, enemies, items, bags, and NPCs, along with story refinements and QoL updates. At $8.99, it’s easy to recommend if it looks like your cup of tea, but right now, it’s more foundation than finished experience.
Barda
Smart, tactile inventory design carries Barda early, even if the rest of the climb still feels thin.
