It's a short exploration platformer with secrets around every corner. It is a cryptic game. It doesn't explain the purpose of the items you collect. Not every secret has a hint towards it. It places trust in you to experiment and rewards you for understanding its world.
Barbuta is part of UFO 50, a collection of games by a fictional developer. Within the fiction, it was released in 1982. It has limited lives, slow movement, and jumps with no air control. It evokes a style of game that is rarely made anymore.
I think I like this kind of game because you don't really know the boundaries of the world. It becomes exciting to see the possibilities unfold. Of course, it's possible for a game to feel that way while having unlimited lives, snappy movement, and controllable jumps. I think this bucking of modern conventions serves to establish an identity for the game. It's not that the game would be worse or better if it was more modernized, but it would be a different person. I would probably still want to be their friend either way.
I don't want to oversell Barbuta too much; it feels a bit predictable at times if you're familiar with similar games. It's not a revelation, but it's a fun and cute little adventure.
