I keep having memories of this old handheld video game from the early to mid ’90s. It was sort of fantasy-themed, very Conan-like, and involved using actual trading card-like cards that you had to insert or scan into the device. The gameplay was unique and different from typical games back then, but I never fully figured out how to play it. I’ve tried searching online for it but can’t find anything, which makes me wonder if it really existed or if I’m just imagining it. Does anyone else recall a game like this or know what it might have been?
3 Answers
Sounds to me like you might be thinking of the Barcode Battler. It was a handheld system in the early ’90s that used barcode scanning on cards to pull stats and characters into the game. The fantasy theme also fits some versions that had monster and warrior cards. It was pretty unique at the time, kind of like a proto card game that mixed physical cards and digital gameplay.
Just to add, if it wasn’t handheld or barcode-based, there was the HyperScan system around the 2000s that also used cards to play games, but that’s probably too late and not handheld. So Barcode Battler or Scannerz seem like your best bets for early to mid-90s handheld card-scanning fantasy games.
Another possibility might be Scannerz or Barcode Scannerz — they were similar devices that scanned barcodes on cards to unlock creatures or items in the game. I remember they sometimes looked fantasy-themed too but were notorious for being glitchy and hard to use, which might explain why you never figured out how to play it perfectly.
Oof Scannerz! I vaguely remember hearing about something like that, and yeah, I definitely struggled with it back then. Makes sense if that was what I had.
Yeah that Barcode Battler sounds promising. The timeline and the idea of scanning cards match pretty well with what I remember. Thanks for pointing me towards that!