Baroque (wii: 2008): Reviews

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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games.

Baroque


8.1

based on 20 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 14 votes
Read user comments
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Cheat Code Central

Official Website

Baroque is a dungeon-crawling action RPG in which you awaken to find the world in ruin, your heart beset with unexplained guilt. A cataclysm has destroyed the cities and empires of men and disfigured the spirit of humanity. In this nightmare, it falls to you to descend a mysterious tower in search of absolution. Battle merciless foes through treacherous dungeons, scour for new items to aid you in your travels, and unlock the secrets of a devastated land. You will find death in the depths, yet learn that death is not the end of the story; in the twisted world of Baroque, it is only the beginning. With its many ever-changing levels, each teeming with perverse monsters and tormented souls, the world of Baroque is a frightening and unforgiving realm. Take part in a unique story progression system in which the end of your life only serves to drive the adventure forward. Each time your character dies, more secrets about the forsaken world are revealed! The player has full control over how he shapes his character and how he plays the game. Find and equip a vast assortment of weapons and items, some with a variety of uses. Acquire powerful stat-boosting parasites and combine them to multiply their potency. Only the resourceful will survive! [Atlus USA]

PUBLISHER:	Atlus USA
DEVELOPER:	Sting
GENRE(S):	Role-Playing Game
PLAYERS:	1
ESRB RATING:	T (Teen)
RELEASE DATE:	April 8, 2008

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

RPG Fan

The gameplay can be cheap, but it does have a good degree of challenge. Technical aspects are weak, but there is some style going for it.

Games Radar

It takes a certain type of person to plunge into a deep and randomly generated dungeon, but if you’re that type, Baroque is a very satisfying plunge.

Zentendo

Baroque is a marmite game: you’ll either love it or hate it. It’s a piece of interactive fiction genius and although the gameplay can be a little poor at times, the entire package is great and is well worth picking up if you enjoy a hard, dungeon crawler challenge.

GameSpot

A fiendishly difficult, randomly generated dungeon crawler that at times can be an incredible work of interactive fiction, and at other times, a muddled mess.

Cubed3

Baroque is an odd one, even by roguelike standards. It has all the elements of the genre that will put off 'regular' players – random dungeons, deadly difficulty spikes, loss of items and experience on death – but it also suffers from technical shortcomings that even roguelike fans won't enjoy.

NGamer UK

You know us, we love to champion the odd outsiders, but Baroque drinks your praise only to then puke it in your lap. Horribly interesting. [July 2008, p.62]

IGN

Baroque is unique in concept but lacking in fun. That idea that you have to die in order to put the pieces of your life together is interesting and could work, but you still have to give the player a sense of direction and accomplishment.

n-Revolution Magazine UK

Not a terrible game but if you want to be scared witless, go for Resi 4 instead. [Issue#22, p.78]

Edge Magazine

The only area in which the game satisfyingly realises the twisted ideas is in mental ailments. [July 2008, p.96]

Thunderbolt

Investing time and money into Baroque comes down to your tolerance for the genre - those experienced with ‘roguelike’ dungeon crawlers should find a lot of hidden depth here mixed in with an engaging story. For everyone else, Baroque is a more often than not, distant, vague and unfairly difficult experience you could probably do without.

games(TM)

Settle into the initially jarring pace of the game and it eventually becomes the sort of RPG that you simply play for the sake of playing, immersing yourself in the world and discovering its many surprises as you go. [Sept 2008, p.108]

Maxi Consolas (Portugal)

Just in case you’re great fans of long journeys inside dungeons, almost no conversation and don’t mind restarting from zero every time you die…you can probably find it somewhat interesting. But the majority of players will turn their backs at this concept. [July 2008]

Games Master UK

We love original ideas, but there's no point in crazy innovation if you don't nail the basics. [Sept 2008, p.80]

Cheat Code Central

It's a real pity that there are so many parts of Baroque that don't work, because the title also features some innovations for the dungeon-crawling sub-genre.

Official Nintendo Magazine UK

It tries to be different but falls flat on its face. It's repetitive, dull and we doubt that you'd see out the first hour. Avoid. [Sept 2008, p.93]

AceGamez

If only the graphics were prettier, some better character customisation was included and the punishment for death had been significantly reduced, then Baroque could have been sitting smugly near the top of the Wii game chart, instead of floundering about in the lower regions.

G4 TV

If wandering through endless hallways and engaging in unsatisfying, three-move combat for countless hours with no indication as to your progress or your objectives is your idea of a good time, then Baroque will satisfy you to no end. If you find yourself tearing your hair out just reading that description, stay away…far away.

Destructoid

The first twenty minutes of playing this game, I detested every second of it.

Gamervision

If a dungeon-crawler with mediocre graphics, terrible combat, annoying characters, and no story sounds appealing to you, then you should definitely run right out and buy this game.

Nintendo Power

All in all, Baroque has few redeeming qualities, and your money is better spent elsewhere. [Apr 2008, p.90]

The average user rating for this game is 8.1 (out of 10) based on 14 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Jojodahobo H. gave it a10:
OK, you critics are entitled to your opinion, but severely abuse that right by giving this game such low scores. It was awesome, and creating characters made it more awesome. I almost always agree with the critics, but you got me on this one.

A H gave it a10:
Great game. You'll get a bit tired of Gray and Brown, but overall, the graphics, combat, music, items and most importantly, the story are all great.

Chris C. gave it a5:
The idea of the game is really good. The battle system is just poorly designed. Poor control, no real combat options other than 'attack', and your ability to survive in the dungeon is completely based on the quality of the item drops you happen to get.

Hodge gave it a7:
If you like Roguelikes, you'll love this. If not, you'll hate it. Really, you'd think reviewers would have enough of a background in niche gaming to see a game like this for what it is. It's a Roguelike (a dungeon crawl with RPG game mechanics. Unlike most RPGs, there much more emphasis on survival and using what comes your way through random item generation, and far less on simply accumulating power). The story is actually well-developed for a Roguelike, and hinges on exploration and experimentation with changes each time the game world resets. This happens upon either death or reaching the bottom o f the main dungeon. Each reset causes a change in the world, as long as you managed to find a way to advance the plot. Nothing is spelled out for you, but so far I haven't encountered anything that couldn't be figured out through experimentation. On the other hand, there is a genuine sense of mystery to the plot that's generally lacking in games. At the end of the day, though, it's not a pretty or polished game. But it is quite good at being what it's meant to be, which is a niche game aimed at a set of gamers who don't really care about graphics or polish in the first place. 7.8.

Roland S. gave it a10:
Ignore the Destructoid score of 4 it is the worst review I have ever seen. Here is a quote that captures the effort and intelligence behind the review: "The game NEVER tells you this clearly, and it was only after I read the instruction manual that I understood how this worked." What else can I say? A 10 it may not turn out to be but it certainly does not deserve such treatment.

Huey F. gave it a0:
This game is horrid. The gameplay is repetitive and the controls are basic and uninspiring. You can punch/slash/throw. that's it. You have to die repeatedly just to progress with the story, of which makes no sense until you get to the end. Bland at best. Makes for a great Coaster though~

Tom S. gave it a9:
Ignore the Destructoid review - they're known for awful attention-grabs like that, and the reviewer only pretends to understand the genre. If you enjoy roguelikes, you'll have a blast with this game.