Baroque review (Wii)

Role playing games are certainly an acquired taste and Rising Star’s Baroque is certainly no different.

The game follows the adventures of an unnamed (the character is given a handle by the gamer much in the style of The Legend of Zelda series) lead in a post-apocalyptic world following the ‘Blaze’, which has almost destroyed humanity.

Herein lies the most beautiful aspect of the game – its storytelling. In the distorted future, the sins of the remains of humanity represent themselves in physical disabilities.

The characters encountered in Baroque are both touching and humorous. The lead must battle his way through a series of dungeons to atone for his unknown sin – one that is so grave it has cost him the power of speech.

Unfortunately, the story is often held back by the difficult gameplay, which requires immense levels of patience.

The adversaries faced in the game are skilled and difficult to kill at the best of times, with the tricky controls making it even harder to make sufficiently speedy progress.

Monsters can be vanquished by using the B button and the motion sensors in the Wiimote, but targeting enemies requires a tremendously steady hand and quick timing with the use C button on the Wii Nunchuck.

In spite of the difficult controls, the use of the Wiimote as Nintendo intended is particular welcome, especially as the game could equally be at home on the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3.

Indeed, the game was initially released without fanfare or critical claim some time ago on the now defunct Sega Saturn in Japan, but has been ‘upgraded’ for the Wii more than ten years on.

While attacking enemies is tricky, what is most perplexing is that there is no way to block an enemy attack. This means that you have to fight or flee in order to win or lose battles.

There is one part of the game that is wholly positive, specifically the range and use of items that can be collected.

The futuristic swords and guns add a different dimension to the game and you can pick up items of clothing, food and other goodies that can be used as body armour and to replenish health.

Despite the difficulty and frustration of playing this title, it is an enjoyable experience. The graphics are particularly sharp – especially for the Wii – and, while the characters could have more depth, they are spectacular in appearance and are visually stunning.

In addition, the music in the game is also good. While it is geared towards fans of rock and ‘emo’, the soundtrack is in keeping with the spirit of the game and the songs are well constructed.

Due to the pleasing design and original story, Baroque has the potential to be a successful title.

However, with the twitchy controls and difficult gameplay (every time you die, you start from the beginning) the gamer has to have a tolerance for frustration to get the most out of it.

Rising Star could have had a hit on their hands if they had made the game slightly easier and simplified the controls – instead they have an attractive, almost unplayable near miss.

6.5/10

Leigh Jackson