Baldo: The Guardian Owls

 Xbox One
Metascore
tbd

No score yet - based on 3 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 3
  3. Negative: 1 out of 3
  1. COGconnected
    Sep 3, 2021
    67
    Baldo: The Guardian Owls is an audacious release that struggles to find its own identity. Although the Studio Ghibli-esque visuals are stunning, the issues with the gameplay make this a laborious plod through a gorgeous world. With a map that lacks clarity, you will spend hours of your time haphazardly wandering the terrain in search of objectives. Fans of traditional Zeldas will enjoy the interconnected, puzzle-filled dungeons but will be left annoyed and irritated by the inconsistent combat and odd design choices.
  2. TheXboxHub
    Sep 3, 2021
    50
    It’s not hard to imagine a game that fulfils the promise of a Legend of Zelda game set in a Studio Ghibli world, because it occasionally shines through Baldo: The Guardian Owls. But Naps Team needed an experienced hand to get more than ‘shines through’. They’ve locked so much good stuff behind terrible design decisions and a steep difficulty that your patience will run out well before the fifty hours it takes to complete Baldo, which is a crime against some fantastic art and music.
  3. Destructoid
    Sep 17, 2021
    35
    If you’re wondering why it took so long for this review to show up on Destructoid, I’ll tell you: I dreaded playing Baldo. Every night over the past three weeks, I looked down at my Xbox controller with unease, worried the next two to three hours of my life would be agonizing. And every night, that intuition turned out to be correct.

User Reviews

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User Score
4.5

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 13 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 13
  3. Negative: 7 out of 13
  1. Landsalkerer
    Sep 2, 2021
    3
    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    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!    … Full Review »
  2. Gups
    Sep 8, 2023
    5
    Bom, eu comprei esse jogo no lançamento com grandes expectivas, porém decepcionei muito com a progressão do jogo.
    Gráficos e a trilha sonora    Bom, eu comprei esse jogo no lançamento com grandes expectivas, porém decepcionei muito com a progressão do jogo.
    Gráficos e a trilha sonora são excelentes, personagens tem um carisma incrível, jogabilidade boa, mas o que decepciona nesse jogo é o sistema de progressão. Você fica perdido com facilidade, mesmo utilizando o mapa para auxiliar, é tudo muito confuso. Acho que faltou simplificar algumas coisas para torna-lo mais agradável.
    Tinha tudo para ser um Zelda Killer, mas faltou atenção no ritmo do jogo.    … Full Review »
  3. 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 everythingThis 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.    … Full Review »
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