Don't fix what's not Baroque

[Endesu]

So... anyone else pick up the latest import, courtesy of Atlus USA?


(My purchase of choice)

Baroque (which is an updated port of an earlier Saturn/PS1 title that I also own) is, to be sure, one of the most bizarre games I have ever played.

(Intro here)

Are you familiar with most video game plots being clearly spelled out for you? The story in Baroque is both vague and difficult to grasp; plot strands alter from time to time and will either contribute to your understanding or build up an ever-murky state of confusion.

(Promotional video)

Are you familiar with most video games being forgiving in terms of player death? Not so in Baroque. Much like the 'rogue-likes' it is apparently based off of, death is punished severely... you are dropped back out of the central dungeon, right back at Level 1, with no equipment and no items on hand.

(Basic gameplay montage)

On the other hand, are you familiar with video games cutting off your experience post-partum and forcing you to start anew? Not so in Baroque; death is only a part of the experience. While, arguably, you could live on and succeed in mastering the tower (the aforementioned central dungeon), death is also acceptable... you will start at the very beginning, to be sure, but things will have changed, and the flow of the game itself will eventually be heavily altered.

Are you familiar with many games being overly friendly in terms of health provided to the character - plentiful items and the like? Not so much in Baroque. There is a Vitality meter which begins draining as soon as you begin - before you even enter the tower - and continues to bleed out until it reaches 0... at which point your health starts to bleed away as well. Naturally, reaching 0 in Health equates to death. The benefit of VT is that, while you have a constant supply of it, your HP will regenerate... so it's very important to balance both, to say nothing of such status afflictions as poison, paralysis, lust, and the like.

There is more, to be sure - the twisted character and enemy design, the ever-shifting nature of the tower floors, the fact that items you equip show up on the main character (a factor that pleased me quite a bit), the five or six menus of unlockable sounds, background information, and the like... there's simply a lot to Baroque.

I'm enjoying it thus far... it's difficult, but it's fair, and the experience, which brims with sinister music, dark, gnarled tunnels, and nightmarish enemies is almost comparable to a classic survival horror title. Those who dislike horror elements and/or rogue-like elements may... not care for this title so much. And, hey, that's okay. To each their own.

I recommend each and everyone of you give it a shot, though... provided you can find a copy. (Muwahahaha etc) Now, as the Coffin Man would say, go and play, goddamnit!

PS I would embed YouTube videos in this but I'm not quite sure if that's possible with this forum format. So eh.

[PriamNevhausten]

Sounds interesting. I may have to pick this up, on the unlikely occasion that I have some money to spare. Or maybe in a few months, after I'm done with my finishing-old-games-I've-started kick.

Either way, it looks neat.

And, I couldn't resist the topic change. Not with a header like that.

[Endesu]

Sounds interesting. I may have to pick this up, on the unlikely occasion that I have some money to spare. Or maybe in a few months, after I'm done with my finishing-old-games-I've-started kick.

Either way, it looks neat.

And, I couldn't resist the topic change. Not with a header like that.

A fair attitude to take, concerning the $40 price tag, but remember that while some Atlus titles stay in stock far beyond their release, others become incredibly, insanely obscure. Most stores have only stocked 1 or 2 copies, and typically those copies were reserve copies... so it may not be easily findable in a few months time.

Just puttin' that out there.

Also, I know. That's why it's there. In fact, I'll place a few of the 'jokes' here so that people don't feel tempted to spam them...

If it's Baroque, don't fix it.
Going for Baroque.

[Archmage]

Sounds kind of neat. I'm pretty behind on gaming to begin with, but I'll have to look into it in the next month or so, probably post-finals.

[Capntastic]

Is it fun? Because I like roguelikes but I also like fun.

[Endesu]

... damn you, Priam! You would have to use one that I didn't think of.

Also, I believe it is fun, but you might not. The camera is quirky, the combat could be considered clunky, and then there's the constant HP/VT issue. In your case, I'd give it a rental.

[Capntastic]

ATLUS sent out a five dollar coupon to all the people on their mailing list to try and get people to buy this and other recent releases, so if it's 35 dollar fun, tell me and I will get it.

[Clark]

I just bought this, and decided to give it a try on hard. I died pretty quickly but it still doesn't seem so bad.

I like the soundtrack and the action-rpg method of combat and movement. I agree that equipment showing up on your character is a nice touch.

One very minor thing that bugged me is the limit of five letters for the name entry. I know that is not important, and it isn't really detracting from the gameplay.

Still, it bothers me that games like this and Rune Factory couldn't spare even a single letter more, while much older games had more room for names. Much like how it bothers me when games have loading screens when Jak & Daxter back in 2001 managed to eliminate them by integrating the loading times seamlessly into the gameplay somehow.

But enough about that rant. So far the game is fun for me, and I could see someone who actively enjoys rougelikes having fun as well. That this game is real time might take some getting used to, but overall it seems like a good choice.

[PriamNevhausten]

I think calling this a roguelike is an error. This game actually takes some skill in fighting, rather than just in planning the fights and then attackattackattacking. This is perhaps closer to Ys 5, or Zelda 2, in that way.

You know what this game feels like? The Ehrgeiz adventure mode. And I mean that in a good way, that bit was pretty fun.

[Capntastic]

Ergheiz Adventure mode was a roguelike too, what with the randomized dungeons and loot and severe punishments for death. I loved it so much!

[PriamNevhausten]

What I'm getting is that the entirety of what makes a roguelike is a randomized dungeon. CRPGs hate it when you die, they have loot, they have battles. Yet they are not roguelikes?

[Capntastic]

I would discuss the finer points if this but goddamn I am almost late for work SO CONSIDER THIS A BOOKMARK

[PriamNevhausten]

Zero has been at work for a long time =(

Also, this game is....confusing. I'm not sure if I've lost or won or what! But for now, I continue playing because I keep killing the hell out of things.

[Endesu]

Thing about Baroque is that you know you've progressed when something changes in the outer world... say,

Spoiler:

Long Neck deciding to bury himself

, or

Spoiler:

the number of dungeon floors increasing

.

Spoiler:

Have you killed Long Neck and shown his Idea Sephirah to everyone

? That basically sets you on the track towards the 'ending' of the game.

[PriamNevhausten]

No, but I think I'm about there. Maybe. I mean, he asked for a thing, and I am like, hey, I have this thing. Now all I gotta do is get it to an Orb and I'm golden.

Good to know there's progress being made, though! I was tired of them talking about

Spoiler:

crystals

and me not having seen or heard a lick about 'em.

[Ark]

Hey, this game finally got delivered to me today! Whoop!
I Kicked the first 5 floored towers ass (You mean the easy introduction!) but now I've died two more times, my guns gone and I can't get enough of that coffin guy, Goddamnit!

Random thoughts after an hour or so play time:
The music in this is cool. Every review I read was like "Music: Dull" but I'm all "Wheee, this music is cool" so yeah, cool music. Throwing fish bones, who'd of thought that would make such an awesome weapon? not me, but they are. Boney wings makes vitality drop slower, one of the weirdest accessories I can think of. She's reading my goddamn mind! Why is my eye ichy!? Puddels are bad. Do not step on the puddels. Awesome intro is cool too. Throw meat at the four armed thing.

So yeah, I'm digging this very weird game. Flying crying angel babies! Never gets old.

[Trentin]

I like challenging dynamic games that keep you awake ^.^!
I might try it one day.

[pd Rydia]

Cho! You gotta Wii?

Wii code, now!

[Ark]

No, sorry, I have it for the PS2, not the Wii.

I am still Wii code-less, Goddamnit.

Also I reached level 16 and done the whole "oooooh and walk forward and BANG" thing but I've probably missed... A damn lot. Its not my fault Goddamnit, they give me this ever decreasing vitality and so I'm always in a damn rush, so I run through the place, killing and killing or running away, and as soon as I see a levels exit I'm like "Here I go!" and go to the next level right a way. I've probably missed a freak ton of things knowing my luck. Still I recon this thing will reset at least two more times on me. At least.

Lust is the best status effect ever and totally nearly killed me to Goddamnit.

[pd Rydia]

:[