Baldo: The Guardian Owls

 Switch
User Score
5.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 75 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 75
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 75
  3. Negative: 32 out of 75
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  1. Garathiel
    Aug 29, 2021
    0
    Controls are laggy, gameplay is so repetitive and seems to be not playtested... Asked for a Refound after 4 hours. THIS is Not what it seems from the trailer, watch a stream on Twitch before buy.
  2. Murderous021
    Aug 29, 2021
    0
    This game was such a let down honestly I was so excited but it’s a lie! It’s not just hard it’s unforgiving you have hearts and things to heal yourself but you get one shot by pretty much everything so what’s the point. I asked for a refund from Nintendo cause it’s almost unplayable you fall from any height you die there is hidden holes in the floor you die and the first dungeon you don’tThis game was such a let down honestly I was so excited but it’s a lie! It’s not just hard it’s unforgiving you have hearts and things to heal yourself but you get one shot by pretty much everything so what’s the point. I asked for a refund from Nintendo cause it’s almost unplayable you fall from any height you die there is hidden holes in the floor you die and the first dungeon you don’t get anything to defend your self so you will die 100 times at least! It’s clunky to say the least as well and fetch questy also with no direction on story just a bad game don’t waste your time or money there is so many other games that are way better!… Expand
  3. bennett1
    Aug 29, 2021
    4
    The game runs terribly, the damage system makes zero sense, a lot of input lag, sound effects are very delayed as well, and everything blends together visually in dungeons. The only redeeming quality is the art style at points, but the models are very low poly, and the good soundtrack. Definitely not worth 25$, maybe get it on sale if they do a lot of patching.
  4. 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
  5. Dranea
    Aug 30, 2021
    3
    Sadly, this is a really bad game, with a lot of problem in particular in the game mechanics and maps.
    The game suffered a crippling input lag, the difficulty is really bad balance, the visual itself is bad and increase the gameplay difficulty because you can’t clear see the game map.
    A good artistic style isn’t sufficient alone. This is a game, not a art print Mi dispiace dire che questo è    Sadly, this is a really bad game, with a lot of problem in particular in the game mechanics and maps.
    The game suffered a crippling input lag, the difficulty is really bad balance, the visual itself is bad and increase the gameplay difficulty because you can’t clear see the game map.
    A good artistic style isn’t sufficient alone. This is a game, not a art print Mi dispiace dire che questo è un pessimo gioco. Purtroppo rotto nelle sue meccaniche fondamentali. L’imput lag tremendo rende il personaggio ingestibile, la difficoltà è mal calibrata con nemici capaci di ucciderti all’istante, la mappa stessa e un dedalo di cadute mortali (spesso non comprensibili, puoi morire saltando un gradino) e il posizionamento degli oggetti e della telecamera impediscono spesso di veder correttamente l’area di gioco, rendendo il titolo INCREDIBILMENTE frustrante e livellando qualunque cosa di buono abbia.    … Expand
  6. Pelas6
    Aug 30, 2021
    0
    Terrible game, saved only by its graphic style. I really think that devs should have done MUCH more.
  7. ascensoPT
    Sep 2, 2021
    0
    So much bugs that makes impossible to play it. Some events don't trigger automatically as supposed which make you to start the game all from the beginning. The Save&Load doesn't work, if you do it, all your items (non key items) get reset. The only solution is to never turn off. But that doesn't work also since sooner or latter you will get the first problem i've mentioned

    Also, worth    So much bugs that makes impossible to play it. Some events don't trigger automatically as supposed which make you to start the game all from the beginning. The Save&Load doesn't work, if you do it, all your items (non key items) get reset. The only solution is to never turn off. But that doesn't work also since sooner or latter you will get the first problem i've mentioned

    Also, worth to be added, the controls are weak, there is no tutorial, maps don't make sense, etc etc    … Expand
  8. Jbrum03
    Sep 10, 2021
    1
    A waste of time and money. Monotonous quests. Lack of direction. Ridiculous bugs that make it hard to persevere. The charming graphics can only cover up so many blemishes. Bless the developers for taking on such an ambitious task, but I can’t sugar coat how disappointing this all was. I feel guilty for hyping it up so much to friends. No one in my circle is too stoked on what theyA waste of time and money. Monotonous quests. Lack of direction. Ridiculous bugs that make it hard to persevere. The charming graphics can only cover up so many blemishes. Bless the developers for taking on such an ambitious task, but I can’t sugar coat how disappointing this all was. I feel guilty for hyping it up so much to friends. No one in my circle is too stoked on what they purchased. We all love Ghibli and we all love Zelda, but I have no love for this game… Expand
  9. MarioBaldo
    Sep 12, 2021
    0
    Completely broken game! The worst thing is the developers who downplay bugs and blame gamers.
  10. MattMarySenn92
    Sep 12, 2021
    0
    I am disgusted with this game. Too many bugs, it's unplayable. Even Nintendo is granting refunds for too many complaints.
  11. Betakarotin2
    Aug 29, 2021
    1
    This game is nothing was I thought it would be. I hoped for a zelda/ninokuni hybrid. What I got is an annoying anime dark souls.
  12. Cbogdan
    Aug 30, 2021
    1
    This game is clunky, slow-moving, full of bugs, and all around not fun to play. It plays like a beta testing game - I can’t believe they released it in this state. Literally unplayable. The only redeeming quality is the graphics.
  13. Tarrahubert
    Sep 1, 2021
    4
    This game has such potential but is a complete disaster. Starting with losing your earned heart containers & orbs upon saving and reentering the game. Things to collect are landing where you cannot reach, more specifically because there’s no jump option. Fighting is a joke when you die in one hit. Creatures should become harder throughout the game, not be nearly impossible from the start.This game has such potential but is a complete disaster. Starting with losing your earned heart containers & orbs upon saving and reentering the game. Things to collect are landing where you cannot reach, more specifically because there’s no jump option. Fighting is a joke when you die in one hit. Creatures should become harder throughout the game, not be nearly impossible from the start. I haven’t seen a way to replenish hearts. No obvious direction in this game making it difficult to navigate. What a disappointment.… Expand
  14. MJ3000
    Aug 31, 2021
    2
    Graphics and soundtrack are awesome, the game itself is a clunky mess. The difficulty is exaggerated, enemies are unfair and unforgiving, the game design is pretty bad. Controlling Baldo feels clunky and imprecise and there are many cheap deaths. You'll die hundreds of times that it becomes annoying. There are also game breaking bugs that you can't proceed and you have to start from theGraphics and soundtrack are awesome, the game itself is a clunky mess. The difficulty is exaggerated, enemies are unfair and unforgiving, the game design is pretty bad. Controlling Baldo feels clunky and imprecise and there are many cheap deaths. You'll die hundreds of times that it becomes annoying. There are also game breaking bugs that you can't proceed and you have to start from the beginning. In the current state, the game is not worth the money!… Expand
  15. avisekai
    Sep 3, 2021
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. they didnt QA this crap, i found a massive problem with the game and antil they fix it you should not buy it spoilers a had but its also a warning if you have the game:

    so im in the bobo pit (one of the last places in the game), and there are 3 keys and 4 locks, one of those locks have 2 more keys behind it , so if you waste your 3 keys on the 3 wrong locks like i did your game is wasted and you can't finish it, i found out about it after looking all day for the 4 missing key and when i gave up and looked on youtube i found out i choose the wrong locks to open and now i cant go back,its also an easy fix, some of the chest have a 10 dindi or 5 orbs in them (which is usless at that point) just switch its content with one of the keys blocked by the lock that have 2 keys behind it , are the developers monkeys? (link omitted per site rules)    … Expand
  16. 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
  17. Michele832
    Aug 29, 2021
    0
    This is a Fraud! 0 Tutorial, 0 Story, input lag delay in commands, You can die and fall at anytime due hidden holes or bad enemy hit boxes.

    They throw you in the first dungeon without any weapon or shield and after clearing the first dungeon you are not awarded with anything,, noto even an heart. I was attracted by the studio ghibli style and beautiful and colorful graphics BUT BEWARE! if    This is a Fraud! 0 Tutorial, 0 Story, input lag delay in commands, You can die and fall at anytime due hidden holes or bad enemy hit boxes.

    They throw you in the first dungeon without any weapon or shield and after clearing the first dungeon you are not awarded with anything,, noto even an heart.
    I was attracted by the studio ghibli style and beautiful and colorful graphics BUT BEWARE! if you love ZELDA , DO NOT BUY THIS!    … Expand
  18. Thephilisopher
    Aug 31, 2021
    1
    Beautiful art direction weighed down by glitches and inopportune moments of frustration. A game inspired by studio ghibli and Zelda influences that fails to execute is an insult to the community. This is and should only be an Apple Arcade game not released on other consoles. Unless a patch fixes these issues stay clear. The gameplay is clunky, response times are sluggish and being one shotBeautiful art direction weighed down by glitches and inopportune moments of frustration. A game inspired by studio ghibli and Zelda influences that fails to execute is an insult to the community. This is and should only be an Apple Arcade game not released on other consoles. Unless a patch fixes these issues stay clear. The gameplay is clunky, response times are sluggish and being one shot by enemies is tedious. Who ever approved this game to be released on consoles needs to be checked… Expand
  19. marcJohu
    Aug 29, 2021
    2
    Viel zu schwer (Hits der Gegner nicht verhältnissmässig zum Stand im Spiel) was nur durch die plumpe und träge Steuerung verstärkt wird. Perspektive oft unübersichtlich was dazu führt das man oft ohne es zu merken in denn Tot rennt. Leider eine herbe Enttäuschung
  20. Nasholo
    Sep 13, 2021
    0
    Shoddy design, hundreds of bugs does not allow the player to enjoy the experience. Controls are laggy, gameplay is repetitive and seems like it was released in a prealpha condition. The only positive reviews are coming from italian media, which is not a big surprise since italy is the developers country of origin.
  21. KeepItToUrself
    Nov 9, 2021
    3
    TL;DR:
    Baldo has some potential, but it needs another 15 years of development before I could even think about recommending it.
    PROs: - looks good (some facial expressions are awkward but other than that it looks okay) - good music - some interesting looking side characters (the frog bard, the cat witch, ...) - relatively long game CONs: - boring story (think "Our princess is in    TL;DR:
    Baldo has some potential, but it needs another 15 years of development before I could even think about recommending it.

    PROs:
    - looks good (some facial expressions are awkward but other than that it looks okay)
    - good music
    - some interesting looking side characters (the frog bard, the cat witch, ...)
    - relatively long game

    CONs:
    - boring story (think "Our princess is in another castle")
    - most abrupt and unsatisfying ending in gaming history (You land the final blow on the bad guy, then there is a super short animation and then it just says "the end". This is NOT a finished game, guys.)
    - unfair fights (not "hard" as in Hollow Knight or Dark Souls, just unfair)
    - no game balance (there are regular enemies that look like robotic owls that you fight over and over, but they are harder than the final boss)
    - bad hit boxes
    - input delay (even on the world map and in the quest log)
    - BUGS, oh so many bugs (Just to name one: There is a certain room where you have to kill 3 ghosts in order to progress. I needed approx. 20 attempts, because the ghosts either got stuck in a wall somewhere or just didn't spawn at all.)
    - characters are boring other than their looks (after finishing a quest, the NPC that gave you the quest will just repeat his quest text over and over, like you never did the quest)
    - horrible sound effects (doesn't matter if you kill a spider, or a rat or a big tentacle, they all sound the same)
    - LOUD sound effects (opening chests is ridiculously loud)
    - no sound options (other than master volume)
    - no graphic options (other than some blur)
    - bad UI and UX (Take the master volume slider for example. You would think that "right" key increases the volume and "left" key decreases the volume, correct? Well, no, that's not how it works.)
    - broken ingame economy (there is a ton of items with the only purpose to sell them for money, but for some reason you can still buy those items)
    - lots of backtracking...
    - ...and that backtracking doesn't even pay off, as enemies won't drop any items 90% of the time
    - ...and that backtracking takes forever because Baldo doesn't have any stamina    … Expand
  22. 1cosmos
    Mar 17, 2022
    0
    This is not how to design a game. There are hard games and then there is Baldo, a game that is buggy, and untested, designed solely to make the players' lives miserable. Many games are hard but not unfair. Baldo is hard due to sheer stupidity of the devs and unfairness. It does not qualify for a score...

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
59

Mixed or average reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 4
  3. Negative: 1 out of 4
  1. Hey Poor Player
    Feb 14, 2022
    70
    Baldo: The Guardian Owls may have had a rocky launch, but the issues have been cleaned up to such a degree that the low scores earned months prior don’t necessarily apply anymore. I’d recommend caution before jumping into it, however — even in a perfectly playable state, Baldo: The Guardian Owls is still a polarizing title. If you love cozy aesthetics with design choices that feel more suited for the 90s – 00s, Baldo: The Guardian Owls should definitely be on your Wishlist. If not, well… in the worst case, I’ve found it to be a fantastic cure for my insomnia.
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  2. Switch Player
    Oct 4, 2021
    70
    Baldo is a mixed bag of delights and disappointments. I don’t think it will ever become the game it should have been, but for those willing to overlook or approach with an open mind, there’s a decent game here.
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  3. Everyeye.it
    Sep 14, 2021
    55
    Ultimately it is difficult to promote Baldo, his flaws are obvious and even assuming that all the technical problems are solved by future patches, it would remain the heart of a frustrating and badly balanced experience.
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