Baldo: The Guardian Owls

 PC
User Score
4.9

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 19 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 19
  3. Negative: 9 out of 19

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  1. yand
    Oct 10, 2021
    6
    Прошёл Baldo: The Guardian Owls за 63 часа.
    За красивой картинкой скрывается абсолютный клон ранних Зельд, максимально недружественный к игрокам. Все элементы геймплея до боли знакомы, но не доведены до ума. В игру сложно начать играть и также сложно её не бросить. Постоянно приходится догадываться, что делать дальше, как это пройти, куда идти, зачем это вообще и пригодится ли потом.    Прошёл Baldo: The Guardian Owls за 63 часа.
    За красивой картинкой скрывается абсолютный клон ранних Зельд, максимально недружественный к игрокам. Все элементы геймплея до боли знакомы, но не доведены до ума. В игру сложно начать играть и также сложно её не бросить. Постоянно приходится догадываться, что делать дальше, как это пройти, куда идти, зачем это вообще и пригодится ли потом. Разрабы добавили подсказки по каждому заданию, которые можно получить за деньги в городской библиотеке. Я ими редко пользовался, в итоге десяток заданий так и не выполнил, полные комплекты оружия и брони не собрал. Да оно и не требуется для прохождения.
    Если мало жизней, рядовые враги практически всегда могут убить героя, даже если вы знаете их слабые места. Так как трёх сердец жизней на старте и до половины игры крайне мало, умирать будете каждые две минуты. В игре приличные боссы, кроме финального, со многими из них придётся повозиться.
    В общем, Baldo получилась очень неоднозначной. На каждый плюс полтора минуса. Странное повествование, неадекватная сложность, затянутые подземелья, неочевидные решения. А ещё полностью слитая концовка. Разработчики старались, но опыта на всю игру им не хватило. Тем не менее, поставлю ей 6 из 10.

    P.S. В ПК-версии немало технических косяков:
    1. Неправильная раскладка клавиатуры/мыши - пофиксили.
    2. Постоянный сброс выбранного языка - спустя полтора месяца не исправили.
    3. Если 10-20 раз подряд умереть и загрузиться, то игра может вылететь.
    4. В некоторых уровнях можно застрять, не подгружаются освещение и текстуры.
    5. Со второй половины игра работает в окне, на весь экран запускаться не хочет.    … Expand
  2. Dubeau
    Sep 5, 2021
    5
    Baldo has everything a Zelda clone should have, but it is realized with less flair for coherent gameplay. The story seems ok. And even if you have all the goods of Zelda, the interface is really strange to handle. The combat is frustrating because your Baldo, is kind of slow and clunky to control. There is also some very slow side quests. A flagrant lack of direction and focus on where toBaldo has everything a Zelda clone should have, but it is realized with less flair for coherent gameplay. The story seems ok. And even if you have all the goods of Zelda, the interface is really strange to handle. The combat is frustrating because your Baldo, is kind of slow and clunky to control. There is also some very slow side quests. A flagrant lack of direction and focus on where to go and what to do. You eventually get it, but for a children, this might become frustrating really fast. The map barely helps. The fast travel is almost useless. I give the game 52%. I am a big lover of Zelda clones, and I feel that Baldo hasn't gone the right way for that type of game. It's fun but frustrating and will require internet helps.… Expand
  3. Shanwagbo
    Aug 27, 2021
    9
    Baldo the Guardian Owl's is fantastic so far nice graphics not very much handholding and filled to the brim with charm I really can't wait to dig deeper into this game and from the looks of the world map there will be plenty to explore :)
  4. DominicBarbon
    Sep 5, 2021
    1
    Alright, where to start. This game feels like a passion project, and there are things about it that I really like. I would say I managed to enjoy it up to a certain point but it really feels like a game made by artists who lacked a programmer and decent combat designer.

    Visuals are great. The environment art and Ghibli feel of the game are spot on. The character art feels like student    Alright, where to start. This game feels like a passion project, and there are things about it that I really like. I would say I managed to enjoy it up to a certain point but it really feels like a game made by artists who lacked a programmer and decent combat designer.

    Visuals are great. The environment art and Ghibli feel of the game are spot on. The character art feels like student work, but its not so bad that it brings the game down. A lot of the characters are at least visually interesting. The music is good, but constant.

    UI is bad. The coders clearly didn't know how to get an on button down or on button up event, so navigating the UI is a mess. Also, the game just seems to be missing an exit app button? Thats like two minutes of work, so not sure what thats about. Did they just forget lol?

    The puzzles are okay, but need some work. There are a lot of arbitrary rules for how the game works that really don't make a lot of sense and aren't communicated well. Sub par UX. The level design itself is pretty good. The first level is small but interesting. The boss fight at the end just doesn't make any sense. I had to watch a video to understand why my hits weren't landing when they clearly should have. You have to hit him at a specific time, which really isn't communicated at all.

    Combat is just abysmal. They should just remove it if they are unable to fix it. There are no real stagger animations or wind ups. No viable strategies for defeating enemies. Combat actions are waaaay to slow and clunky to the point of being really frustrating. The combat really gets in the way of an otherwise decent (if unpolished) game.

    I want to like this game, but it really seems like this is their first attempt at something and they don't know what they are doing. I kinda want to help them fix their issues. I wonder if they would accept free help from dev who likes the idea, but is pretty disappointed with the execution lol. Can't recommend in its current state.    … Expand
  5. infogabbiano
    Sep 22, 2021
    10
    This game is an absolute gem, it reminds us what a videogame should be, nothing driven, nothing linear, just simple exploration and everything you accomplish is actually YOUR accomplishment.
    Graphics and Music are absolutely gorgeous, it was more than a decade i didn't forget i had to go to sleep, of course there are many things that could have been done better, but since main bugs and    This game is an absolute gem, it reminds us what a videogame should be, nothing driven, nothing linear, just simple exploration and everything you accomplish is actually YOUR accomplishment.
    Graphics and Music are absolutely gorgeous, it was more than a decade i didn't forget i had to go to sleep, of course there are many things that could have been done better, but since main bugs and problems are already gone, make yourself a gift and play this game cause it deserves.    … Expand
  6. BelthazarBR
    Aug 28, 2021
    10
    If I had to use one word to describe Baldo it would be CHARM.

    This game is an absolute joy to play and you can clearly feel the passion the developers put in each and every corner of the world they created. It has some quirks and definitely doesn't hold your hand (some of the puzzles are TOUGH), but it's never unfair and the solution comes to you if you think and experiment enough.    If I had to use one word to describe Baldo it would be CHARM.

    This game is an absolute joy to play and you can clearly feel the passion the developers put in each and every corner of the world they created. It has some quirks and definitely doesn't hold your hand (some of the puzzles are TOUGH), but it's never unfair and the solution comes to you if you think and experiment enough.

    It has plenty of content, with a main quest that can last up to 50 hours and a lot of side content in the form of mini dungeons with puzzle challenges and side quests. But the real star of this game are the main dungeons, which are all huge and very clever, with puzzles that interact with each other and really make you think in order to progress. I definitely recommend this to any player that likes old school Zelda or puzzle/adventure games in general.

    And again, I can't stress enough how good this game looks in motion, it's ridiculous. It has a style that's inspired by studio Ghibli and it shows, all the environments are really detailed (the house interiors are incredible, with little details that add a bit of environmental storytelling and help flesh out the NPCs) and the characters are quirky and unique. And the music... God, the music! It's all around fantastic with tunes that will stick in your head while you're not playing and don't be surprised if you start humming some of the songs.

    And the best part: it's also pretty cheap, $24,99 for more than 50 hours of playtime is a STEAL.

    Go buy it now, you definitely won't regret it.    … Expand
  7. Landsalkerer
    Sep 2, 2021
    2
    Honestly, LOVE the game but it has ISSUES!

    Love this game and it could really be my favourite Action/Adventure RPG of all time but it's in need of some serious reworking/re-balancing.. here's a few things I feel that needs to happen to make the game better/enjoyable for everyone.. 1. Change the game's title to.. 'Baldo and The Guardian Owls' would be better. There's just something about    Honestly, LOVE the game but it has ISSUES!

    Love this game and it could really be my favourite Action/Adventure RPG of all time but it's in need of some serious reworking/re-balancing.. here's a few things I feel that needs to happen to make the game better/enjoyable for everyone..

    1. Change the game's title to.. 'Baldo and The Guardian Owls' would be better. There's just something about the title used atm that's bugging me and I don't know what it is.

    2. The game is just ridiculously hard, all that dying just to progress anywhere in the game, it NEEDS re-balancing for every monster. It's a guessing game if your going to survive each and every room/area because all the monsters can 1 shot you, game over > restart! even with more hearts. The devs need to incorporate a system that's similar to Legend of Zelda instead with how the monsters work atm cos it's just ridiculous entering areas.. especially caves.. 100% thinking all the time if you're gonna get r.@.p.e.d by orcs is NOT a great game. I get you probably dont want your game to be easy but atm its just too damn hard.

    3. Getting knocked down, when you are getting up it takes too long which in turn allows monsters to hit and kill you instantly, game over > restart over and over yet again, especially if you die at a cave entrance that has a few orcs there waiting.

    4. Clearly you see I have issue with how tough the orcs are, if i'm experiencing this then also every other player on the planet is also. These orcs need their strength lowered and their Health too. I have a feeling you've just copy/pasted the same monster with same stats all over your game.. you need to have weaker versions of the same monster that gradually get harder as you get further into the game.. THIS is called balancing.. it like you've put end game monsters at the beginning.

    5. The 1st dungeon needs to be made easier with the monsters, EVERY monster in there can kill you instantly, the tentacles, the rats, EVERYTHING! This is meant to be your introductory into how dungeons are expected to work later in the game and well, all it did for me was pi.s.s. me off dying over and over just to progress further. I have the patience of a rock so stuck with it but I get the feeling by about the 20th death people would turn your game off, refund it, never play it again.

    6. Scrap suggestion point 1, you could just name it 'Baldo: The Gameover Caper'.. LOL!    … Expand
  8. Outlander999
    Sep 15, 2021
    8
    Baldo is an ambitious project.... created by two people.

    In some aspects it's rough, but if you spend enough time in it, you'll be surprised. The combat system isn't an easy one. You need to discover the weak points of every enemy you face. If you charge them, youll' just die in one shot. BUT try to get them from behind, or with an attack the right distance/moment, and you'll win. The    Baldo is an ambitious project.... created by two people.

    In some aspects it's rough, but if you spend enough time in it, you'll be surprised.
    The combat system isn't an easy one. You need to discover the weak points of every enemy you face. If you charge them, youll' just die in one shot. BUT try to get them from behind, or with an attack the right distance/moment, and you'll win.
    The game's pace is pretty slow: full of hard puzzles that deserve your time.
    In a medium/high-end PC, Baldo is smooth as butter and I haven't seen a single heavy bug (in the first negative reviews seen online, people talked about game breaking bugs, but they're all corrected with patches Hotfix 1 & Hotfix 2.)
    Visually the game is just magic, a great world in the taste of Ghibli anime. Seems incredible that all this world has been created by only two people. Also the musics are great, orchestral, emotional.
    The game is long (circa 50 hours), and the more you'll play, the more you'll want to play again.
    For me BALDO is a little gem, came with some problems, but all in all the game deserves respect.    … Expand
  9. robomartion
    Jul 27, 2022
    9
    Its rough around the edges but its more Zelda than Breath of the Wild is. The puzzles are actually head scratchers and the gameplay is quite challenging if at times unforgiving. The non linearity and no-hand holding and mechanics driven progression as opposed to just going through the motions make the game addicting to play, something I haven't truly experienced in a game in some time. TheIts rough around the edges but its more Zelda than Breath of the Wild is. The puzzles are actually head scratchers and the gameplay is quite challenging if at times unforgiving. The non linearity and no-hand holding and mechanics driven progression as opposed to just going through the motions make the game addicting to play, something I haven't truly experienced in a game in some time. The graphics especially in doors and around towns are at times AAA tier and look just as good as Ni No Kuni. With a bigger budget to fix some of its peculiarities, Baldo would easily be counted amongst the all time Zelda greats, but then it might just lose its soul in the process and end up just like every other game today, so I am content with it the way it is: a rough diamond.… Expand

Critic Reviews

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Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. The Games Machine
    Sep 4, 2021
    86
    A complex, amazing Zelda-style action adventure set in a beautifully crafted world with plenty of towns, creatures, buildings, shops and NPCs. There’s a lot to discover and a lot to play, although some mechanics might feel dated to younger players. The game suffers from some still-to-be-fixed bugs which can be annoying. Overall, NAPS Team did a great job, and brought us a game that Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli could have done themselves.
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