Barbie (1984, Commodore 64)
The first official Barbie game was effectively a simulator for getting ready to go out, in which Ken invited Barbie on a series of dates – to the pool, a party, a tennis match – and the player then had to zoom off in a yellow convertible to buy the correct outfits. It was annoying that Ken got to pick all the activities, but the detailed graphics and use of digitised speech were impressive at the time.
Lost Word of Jenny (1987, NES)
I wanted to include at least one ridiculously obscure entry and here it is. Lost Word of Jenny is a surreal Japan-only platformer based around toy manufacturer Takara’s localised version of Barbie – although she had to change her name to Jenny when the company lost the official licence (and Ken’s name became Jeff). In the game, Jenny has to find her way back into a theatre musical by locating sections of a door code in weird locations, including a pirate ship, a giant cake and outer space. Along the way she is attacked by angry puppies, a pumpkin man and a vengeful death skeleton. I don’t think any of this made it into the forthcoming Barbie movie.
Barbie Fashion Designer (1996, PC)
There are plenty of other “dress up” Barbie games out there (Barbie Fashion Show, Barbie Magic Hair Styler, Barbie Beauty Boutique etc), but this is the best, allowing players to design a huge range of outfits and then watch Barbie model them on a catwalk. Better yet, the game came with fabric-backed paper so you could print out your designs and make outfits for your real-life dolls. Now considered a classic, it was recently put into the video game hall of fame at New York’s Strong National Museum of Play.
Barbie Storymaker (1997, PC)
Designed by Mattel’s own development studio, Barbie Storymaker allowed players to make their own short animated scenes and stories, choosing the location, characters, objects and interactions via an intuitive point-and-click interface. Like the excellent The Simpsons: Cartoon Studio this was a genuinely creative game that explored the potential of the multimedia CD-Rom era.
Detective Barbie: The Mystery Cruise (2000, PlayStation)
In the 2000s, Barbie moved away from the dressing up and role-playing elements of traditional doll play and started to explore video game genres. This third title in the Detective Barbie adventure series had players exploring a cruise ship to discover the whereabouts of stolen artworks, interviewing passengers and looking for clues with her range of high-tech gadgets. It’s a fun puzzler with a range of mini-games that supported two players, and each time you play the culprit is different.
Barbie: Explorer (2001, PlayStation)
An obvious take on Tomb Raider, Explorer puts Barbie into the Lara Croft role, travelling through African jungles and Tibetan mountains to retrieve pieces of a magical mirror. There are lots of puzzles and traps and the player can unlock power-ups, which amusingly include “tip-toes”, allowing Barbie to navigate unstable platforms using the doll’s familiar raised-heel stance. You also avoid rather than shoot wild animals, which makes Barbie more ecologically responsible than Croft.
Barbie Beach Vacation (2001, PC)
There had to be a beach game on the list and this 2001 effort from Australian developer Krome Studios (also responsible for several Spyro the Dragon and Star Wars games) is the best of a small bunch. It’s essentially a collection of mini-games, from sandcastle building to scuba diving and water skiing, and you can change outfits and take photos as you go. It’s worth a look for the crude 3D polygonal visuals, which send Barbie on a truly terrifying trip into the uncanny valley.
Secret Agent Barbie (2001, Game Boy Advance)
Released alongside a similar PC title, this 2D adventure platformer had Barbie travelling the world attempting to track down the stolen crown jewels, using an arsenal of gadgets and stealth abilities to escape enemies and solve puzzles. A cross between Prince of Persia and Metal Gear Solid, but with better outfits.
Barbie Horse Adventures: Riding Camp (2008, GBA, PS2, Wii, DS, PC)
The best title in the Barbie Horse Adventures series is essentially Red Dead Redemption without the violence. You ride a selection of horses around a large island environment enjoying the varied scenery and occasionally taking on mini-quests for non-player characters. It’s nicely open-ended and relaxing, and would surely have garnered more attention from video game sites if it weren’t for the Barbie name.
Barbie and the Three Musketeers (2009, Wii, DS, PC)
Lots of Barbie games of the 2000s were tie-ins with her animated movies of the era, often based around classic stories and fairytales; this gender-swapped take on the Dumas novel is my favourite example. It’s a very decent platforming adventure with lovely evocations of the French countryside, and you get a pet kitten who can squeeze into hard-to-reach areas (which, in my opinion, makes it superior to the Dumas original).
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