The late 90s were such a fascinating era of game design. You'd be twelve picking up the one game your parents would let you get every 1/2/3/whatever months and it could be anything from a basic platformer to something crazy like this.
That is so true lol. I remember 1998 when my parents gifted me PS1 on my birthday with two games - first Crash Bandicoot and... Final Doom. And so, I played CB during daytime and hid in my room like ninja to play FD at night :D
@w1d0wmak3RxD oh man dude that takes me back....playing silent hill when I get home from school and turning it off right when I hear the parents pulling into the driveway haha
Dear Ragnar, thank you so much for the work you do. Even when everything in my life is stressful and the day to day starts to feel impossible, your videos never fail to not only engage, but also calm me down immensely. I appreciate your style, the way you edit and narrate, and undoubtedly immense research of this beloved subject so much! I can always count on your channel to find something my neurodiverget, videogame and horror obsessed brain needs to deep dive into when the rest of the world ist just a bit too much. Thank you for everything you do, and I loved this video and will definitely look up ways to play this, even if it's only the Switch port/remake :)
My sister, and I fell in love with the Wii version when we had it. We'd always purposefully go get cursed by the Lust entities, and even to this day sometimes we'll just look at each other, and be like "Hey...Don't go crazy." And then we both proceed to copy the scene, and do the "Don't go crazy, don't go crazy, don't go crazy, don't go crazy." thing. XD
My guy, I just got done revisiting the remake because I had it as a kid and didn't get/hated it. As a twenty-something (and playing in fps mode) I grew to appreciate it now as a unique, if a little jank, dungeon crawler that is teeming with atmosphere. Def going to check out the original now that I can read it, thanks for the plug 💪
I wanted this game so bad back in the day, but as with so many great Saturn games, we were only teased with it before it was announced it wouldn't come westward. I had hope when it got ported to PSX, but that version didn't get released in English either. For some reason, I simply ignored the remake about 10 years later.
Guess that theology elective paid off, of all the references to get in a game review I wasn't expecting it to be Gnostic gospels lol. Thank you for the video.
Omg, I had no idea this had been translated.. I’m so excited holy shit 😭 I played the ps2 remake a lot but never got far in it and always wanted to check out the original, my teen years are littered with memories of Baroque ps2 music videos with Sound Horizon music on top, it was a big inspiration to me.
I'm so happy to see this game covered in such a way. I've always felt like I was perhaps the only person to know of Baroque. I've personally never thought of it as a great media series, having played the PS2 version and read the manga. But that being said, I will always applaud it for being unashamed to be itself. I'll have to consider going through a run of the original.
Having finished the video now, my early thoughts on this game was "Huh... Is this inspired by FromSoft's early games" which now I still think that. The release year was also the same year as Shadow Tower but my mind wandered to how King's Field 1's EARLIER concept was Mecha-Dungeon crawler. I do see the SMT/Early Persona-like "imagery" despite the games having no real... input from Altus I guess is the best way to put it? But now I wonder if somehow the influence on King's Field found its way into this games development and possibly inspired Shadow Tower: Abyss's change in identify from Demon's and Medieval Knights to a modern and near Science Fiction twist. You also have the similar "Tower" as the main location and delving into the earth. Though I'll assume thats just a common trope? Still, it very much has me curious about the games development as a whole and what really sparked the idea. I'll give the translation a shot sooner or later. Though I'm curious if ANYONE is working on a Saturn translation. Ive never heard of Sega Saturn emulation but hopefully its a thing!
@@RagnarRoxShow ...no, I very much disagree. Like I said, your "shouldn't work as well as it should" explanation is the most cohesive game pitch I've ever heard. By the sound of it it feels obvious to me that it would work. Survival Horror Roguelite FPDC with Procedural Levels/Gear and Strange Surreal Aesthetics sounds like a buncha stuff that'd be easy to see the benefits of mixing even in the abstract.
@@youtubeuniversity3638 ... on paper it shouldn't have work as well as it should. The only reason you think otherwise is because its RagnarRox doing the pitching.
If i may ask, what makes the saturn version the preferred version? I just havent messed w it yet and am curious as this game has become an all time fav since finishing the ps1 version recently
Its over all a MUCH better game visually, the PSX version has significantly worse lighting and color pallet and things also look squished because they fucked up the aspect ratio. sure the psx has an option dungeon but thats honestly not worth it when it looks so much worse. On a personal note i also feel like it PLAYS better on saturn though thats just my opinion.@@statiksea
A wonderful look at Baroque! And thank you SO MUCH for including THEY SPEAK in your credit sequence. That means a lot!! Nikki recently shifted to developing the game in a new framework. It's resulted in many visual, performance, and function improvements since the current demo. We're very excited to show off how the game has grown as soon as it's ready :)
@@huelu982 All the monsters in the game are people mutated by the great heat and the god refers to experiments that were done prior to the catastrophe, as far as I could understand they managed to find "God" and tried to use him which ended up causing the great heat.
I want to clarify, though, that the Grotesques are, in fact, based on the Archangel's own interpretations of people, specifically based on his own custom made tarot card deck; they are not transformations based on their previous lives, but rather an arbitrary image given by the Archangel's own conscious delusions rather than a mockery of their mental state. I wanted to state this because so many people accused the writers of presenting insensitive mental health representation, and this is absolutely not true at all.
It's positively sickening how well this channel serves my very specific niche. Every video is a wonder. Usually know of or have played each video's subject but Baroque is one I've completely missed, and I get a beautifully made video on not only what it is but why it's special. A treat and a testament to how rad this channel is.
i feel exactly the same way! even the way ragnar strings together a thought or feeling is very reminiscent of how my own brain operates. i have such fondness and appreciation for this channel!
What I truly and utterly love is seeing creature designs that have been consigned to the realm of obscurity. The high concept creatures in this game are just gorgeous and I feel like I've unearthed a wellspring of inspiration seeing them for the first time.
It's like a combination of body horror concepts, where existence is so painful that it brakes and resets your mind to pure primal instinct. Limbs replaced with either machine hodgepodged together, or mutated into masses of flesh. In summary, fuck'in metal! Makes me want to make something similar!
Things I really liked when playing the Baroque translation: 1.) Despite the presentation being strange, alienating, and obscure, the game actually has a fantastic tutorial that gives you exactly enough footing to understand and enjoy the core game loop. 2.) Thrown items are extremely powerful especially on your early runs where you aren't established, so you're heavily incentivized to stock even junk and throw everything including the kitchen sink when you need to bail yourself out or just want a safer ranged attack. I must have used more of my inventory items than any RPG I've played, including other roguelikes/lites.
I totally agree with both points! It is also a great experience to identify the bones by gnawing on them... Great gamble-mechanic ;) As i didn't want to spoil me i kept myself away from walkthroughs and everything... Best thing i did. Realizing what "thing thing", the "crypt angel" and the "mind reading thing" do and how they work felt so mind blowing xD If you like "rogues" and can appreciate a good system even if it does not look like "state of the art" give "katabatia" a try! Its free and on the c64 so you can play it everywhere using an emulator. It has many different potions that you can drink, throw and drip onto your equipment! It has different shops, temples/shrines to identify items and many weapons, armor and enemies.
A current roguelike rpg series that is currently blowing my mind is the Fear and Hunger series. The second game came out recently, you should check it out.
Bruhh i just discovered fear and hunger recently and have been obsessed trying to find more vids about it, its funny i think the algorithm knew that and sent me this baroque vid bc the two games have similar themes and aesthetics. I dnt havea pc/laptop so i cNT play f&H UNtil it comes to ios (doubt it)
I'm so glad the games are catching on, I've been tempted to recommend fnh for a long time but was a bit scared It'd not leave a good first impression coming from a single random yt commenter There's also a lot of work being done still on Termina so more content to come in case it's something he wants to cover
Just patched my totally legal copy. Anyone else wanting to try it, make sure your totally legal copy is the Genteiban special edition, regular edition kept coming back with checksum errors
I'm getting HEAVY Pathologic vibes from this game, in the way that I will either find it to be one of my new favorite games or I will *hate* it. Or both. Either way I'm very curious about giving it a shot. The aesthetic alone is stunning! And speaking of great aesthetics, I was very happy to see the shoutout to THEY SPEAK FROM THE ABYSS! I'm even more excited about playing the final version of that game! (I'm extremely biased since I'm one of the voice actors BUT STILL!)
I played this many years ago with 4 Japanese translation guides around me, it took months, but it was worth it, I don't think there are other games like this one around
@@vanKartofell No jumpscares as far as I remember. It can get creepy but that's just the general aesthetic rather than being intentionally horror like a proper horror game
Nine Inch Nails music in this video and links to emulators and ROMs in the description... It's a miracle that this video hasn't been nuked by the copyright demons lol.
Baroque finally got an english translation which is really awesome considering I've played a fair amount of the ps2 version, It's fascinating how this cryptic roguelike is very comparable to ''The Binding of Isaac'' with it's replayabillity, the whole concept of being able to progress even after dying or meeting some conditions to unlock the true ending. It's really weird but an awesome game overlooked by people due to it's confusing and frustrating nature back when guides were limited.
Can I just say thank you so much for the CCs(closed captioning)? I just love the fact that you offer such an amazing feature on your videos. It makes watching your amazing videos even better.
When I first read and saw Baroque PS1, I was blown away at how atmospheric it was. Just the horror-gothic look with that signature 90s enigma. Great video! I'll try the translation. Great shout out to that indie game at the end as well!
personally when I first saw the graphics I was like "oh, so THAT'S what inspired Basilisk." the aesthetics activate my fight-or-flight response (blame Iron Lung for that) but at the same time I love the concept so bad I wanna give it a try.
The Wii remake of Baroque had been one of my favorite games period ever since it came out. So I'm very happy for the fan translation of the original and videos like this bringing more attention to Baroque.
I could’ve done without the long monologue about the nature of retro gaming. If you wanted to do a video about retro gaming do a video about retro gaming but goddamn did you dance around saying the name of the game let alone finally talking about it.
The idea of retro games being skippable because of their age when we regularly indulge in readapting and rewriting old books and movies feels counter intuitive to me.
I remember being obsessed with Baroque's visuals a while back but couldn't find a translation and completely forgot about, great to know I can finally experience this gem
My roommate and I were messing around with the PS2 Baroque a couple months ago, and they were telling me how oddly gripping it was to them moreso than a lot of stuff we had been diving into at the time, and I definitely get it. Fast forward to just under a month ago, and they found a Japanese artbook and guide for the original version at a local used books store, and it's so rad. This game (these games?) really have such an interesting thing going on, and I'm happy to see you taking a look at it!
This game kinda has the environment/ monsters vibe of one game i bumped by accident recently called Fear and hunger 2. If you wanna give a shot to a modern horror game, there is a option for you. Nice video, by the way.
I think F&H 1&2 are fantastically designed games, Orange just handled the graphic material REALLY poorly. The edgy kink stuff really detracts from the whole thing.
I think the environmental storytelling and cryptic nature of the game work so well ONLY because the main character is an amnesiac, it makes it feel like you woke up in a confusing, distorted world along with him so you can kind of relate to the main character while you're playing (or self insert haha)
I like so much your videos that increased my patreon donations. Your lore diging is extraordinary and the calm Voice you tell us keep the misterious tone in the narrative. Thanks, Ragnar. You really make my days better with your channel. Cheers From a Brazilian fan.
Yo at the beginning i said I’m getting SMT vibes and then you said if you’re a fan of SMT you’d love it. I am a huge SMT fan. I’m stoked on this!! Also like Neon Genesis Eva and Kingsfield. I didn’t know about it or remake gonna grab Wii version too. Just ordered a CIB one for $25. I’ll emulate too and compare them. I wish we would get English localization on switch
I'm a longtime baroque fan and saw this video posted in a discord server dedicated to baroque, I'm glad to see more people talking about it, its a great video and I wanted to thank you for making it!
It's so nice to see Baroque finally get some love it deserves! I ADORE both the og and the remake, and still remember randomly picking up a copy of the Baroque's remake on the ps2 at a used game store as a teen and immidately falling in love with the story and it's characters. I couldn't understand why it was never picked up by the masses and seen as the great work of art that it is. I was lucky enough for my husband to even find me a copy of the japanses ps1 special edition box set
I'm extremely surprised to hear the word "suicide" on a video on the internet. like I heard so many euphemisms and ofc the new classic "unalive" lately that I was a bit like omg he said the s word I haven't heard that in ages lol
I think now that we finally have the PS1 translation, it's (hopefully) only a matter of time. But despite the better rendering on Saturn, the PS1 version still positively slaps!
Honestly the premisis actually almost sounds like "Shin megami tensei: Digital Devil Saga 1 & 2" but that game went into a slightly different direction vs what Baroque did. Granted, Digital Devil Saga is not a rougelite dungon crawler, so that may consitute to the different directions, but since you seem to enjoy this, I suggest if you can get your hands on those two PS2 games, you would enjoy Digital Devil Saga 1 and 2 as it goes into rather intresting stuff similar to Baroque when it comes to Faith, God, Devouring, and also Self Idenity. Even deeper than the main shin megami tensei series would go into.
I love this game! I think it was thorhighheels who I saw cover this. Such a unique and underrated title, extremely ahead of its time too. I can't wait to check this out later!
When the spanish fan-translation was released i literally looked EVERY day for the english translation... And when it came out i could not stop playing it and every other game had to wait. This game is the perfect example of "stop watching this review and play it!" Don't get me wrong! This review is great! Many thanks for making a review that shines a light on this hidden gem! A big "thank you" goes to every single person who helps translating those innovative and interesting games! P. S. : Please translate Vampir Kyuuketsuki Densetsu ;) I am playing it using "ai service" in retroarch... I am thankful for this but it kills the otherwise dense atmosphere... You are a vampire who, at daytime, tries to gain the trust of the townspeople while, at nighttime, sucks their blood to convert them to vampires who then roam around, creating ghouls who fight by your side... While an enemy-vampire does the exact same thing to make you loose. Have a nice day and thanks again for the great review!
@@robertbeauchamp4031 this review, as most of them are by nature, is full of spoilers. You basically start the game without knowing anything... The character you play as does not remember anything about who and where he is. The story unfolds with every successful run and through continuous talking to every npc. All npcs have a pretty interesting reason why they are in this world...
holy hell. I totally wrote off Baroque on PS2 because it seemed like such a generic anime dungeon crawler with bad voice acting, but seeing this PS1/Saturn version it's like an entirely different game. It makes me think of the horrible love child of an older SMT game and Shadow Tower and it's both terrifying and beautiful. Why would they ruin this aesthetic in the remake?
I watched this video a couple days ago as I was getting over covid and immediately downloaded the rom after seeing how beautifully bizarre it was. I grinded my way through the tower, each time discovering new hints from the Distorted Ones that lured me deeper into the tower until I was able to reach the bottom level for the first time. Unfortunately for me, my Angelic Rifle had been transformed into a piece of Idiot Meat by a random trap I had ran over a few levels before. 10/10 great time waster while getting over covid and I know I'll run this many more times to explore everything.
I have searched the youtube and tv tropes for any information and explanation of characters and their stories in this game around 5 months ago and found very small and vague bits of information, thank you for the video! this game piqued my interest as it's cryptic like dark souls series, resulting in everyone showing the game in videos but not "explaining" them.
I love you for making this video. I got into Baroque through the remake and I've been obsessed ever since, and when I learned about the original version I became even more obsessed. I don't even typically like dungeon crawlers but Baroque is so unique that it just works for me.
I remember playing the wii remake. It was my first foray into "roguelikes." It took me a while grasp the whole "death leads to progress." Puzzling out the world was satisfying, and I still remember those theories I came up with.
I know I’m probably not the first person to mention it but I wanted to say playing the NIN songs when you said ‘even deeper’ and ‘only way out is through’ was clever and put a goofy smile on my face.
I’ve played the PS2 remake oif baroque I loved the game, never knew there was an orginal version of that game. the original game really reminds me of King’s Field, another great classic that you should check out!
Might be worth noting that Plissken released an english patch for the Saturn version of Baroque on July 15, 2023. There's no longer a need to "settle" for the PS1 version.
I absolutely ADORE Baroque and I always joke that I'm the one person who thinks about it weekly if not daily lmfao. Super surprised and happy to see you talking about it!
This and Mizzurna Falls are games that if I had played as a kid would explain how I am now. For the moment I just have to blame MGS and really really being into FF8
Currently playing Baroque. A couple of things I'd like to share since it seems finding guides for this game is pretty hard. so here's what I do. Every couple of levels you will find a room with a "SENSE SPHERE", it's a metal sphere in the middle of the room, you can't miss it. Throw your weapon, armor and accessory in there and it will send it to the ground floor where you can use it over and over again. Make sure you focus upgrading ONE weapon and one armor. I'm currently upgrading a guillotine sword with any +1 attack I can find in the dungeon. You can have 5 slots so 3 of that is for your equipment. Remember that 'Bones' of ANY kind can heal your HP and MP by 10! you can easily horde many of these things in there so keep them around instead of 'torture' devices, which is consumable magic attack spells. They will save you a lot of the times. Don't horde the meat items you find, always try to use them to upgrade your MAX HP as this is more effective in the long run and also cleans your inventory which can only hold 20 items. The same thing with Fruits, always use to upgrade your MAX MP. I've rarely worried about my VIT/MP when I'm playing because my vit/mp is always high! Don't feel bad about 'game-ending' in this game, that's how it is designed! Just make sure you always send your equipment back to your base and make sure they are upgraded as much as you can :)
Way back when, I got my hands on the Wii version of Baroque, and I knew absolutely nothing about it. Furthermore, I didn't get in the slightest what I was supposed to do (I wasted my Angelic Rifle shots on regular mobs and got stuck at the intended destination because I was supposed to shoot the thing), and eventually gave up in frustration. Only because I still remembered the kickass soundtrack, did I eventually come around to looking up some intel on Baroque, and began to understand that I was missing out on something truly unique. And now the original game is playable for those not well-versed in japanese, which is awesome. I just gotta see when I'll get around to trying it.
I'm usually a big fan of older games and right now i'm also finally getting the chance to play through persona 5, so this is so up my alley thanks for the rec!! Side note, I'd love in future videos if you could cite in the description the music you've used for the video. I'm not sure if it's all from Baroque, not all youtubers put the music from the thing they're reviewing in the bg of their videos, but there were so many tracks I heard while watching that I would just love to listen to on my own time. Even if I have a jumping off point to dig into. But regardless great video as always!!
Very late to replying to this and so I am hoping this finds you eventually but you'd be surprised to find out that most of the music Ragnar played in this video is actually from Megami Tensei! That's why the tracks sounded amazing and stood out to you, as I'm sure you've noticed how irrestiably catchy Persona 5s music is! From what I noticed the tracks were primarily from Shin Megami Tensei IV and Nocturne. I'm sure you've found your way to mainline Megaten by now considering you play Persona but if not definitely give main Megami Tensei games a look, especially IV and Nocturne. Nocturne is especially easily accessible due to its port to modern consoles. All of the games have phenomenal music, it's genuinely a part of Atlus game design that NEVER misses, it's insane! I hope this helps you find the tracks that stood out to you hear, all of IV and Nocturnes soundtracks are available to listen to on Spotify!
I've played the PS2 version a fair bit, and was surprised to find it was originally a 32-bit game. Even more surprised to find it's only meant to be 12 hours long! I've attempted to beat this game twice but gave up when I lost track of what nuggets of progress I had and hadn't done after 50hrs or so. I love this game, especially its aesthetic, but I don't think I'd ever beat it without a walkthrough (which would defeat the purpose of a game like this).
I really miss these sorts of dark and gritty Japanese esthetics. I haven't played any version of this title, but from a visual and atmospheric perspective, the og version is definitely where it's at. Goes to show that even with older inferior hardware, visual design trumps graphical prowess. I find it disappointing that so many remakes/reboots in the Japanese market go for a modern "anime" look. To say it's an "anime" look is a bit innacurate, hence the precursor word "modern." The late 80's and 90's of anime had a plethora of gritty and distinctive visual palettes that are unfortunately lacking today. We were graced with darkly beautiful animations such as Angel's Egg, Akira, Vampire Hunter D, Ninja Scroll, End Of Evangelion, Serial Experiments Lane, in addition to many others. I like to think of this sort of esthetic as "pretty ugly" or "ugly pretty." What I mean by that, when it comes to these types of visuals, is that there is an off-putting almost "ugly" element that is somehow incredibly beautiful at the same time. This contrast, to me, creates some sort of subconscious allure and interest that is difficult to replicate in modern media.
I am feeling the same... Anime has changed so drastically in terms of look and feel... We call it "bildsprache" in germany... Would be translated to picture-language or visual-language, i guess. The dark/gritty/dirty/ugly way they drew anime and manga back in the 80s and 90s hat so much emotion... So much depth. Vampire hunter d from 1985 managed to be colorful and dark at the same time! The new one from 2001 (bloodlust) was ok but it had the same problem as "fist of the north star"... Something was lost when the art-style was changed. And they where not afraid to take the risk and go one step beyond when it came to innovation. One great example to me is "neo tokyo" from 1987. Three short-movies, three different art-styles, three different vibes... Jin roh (from 1999) was the last "modern" anime that left a deep impression on me... Good animes are rarely those days. I gonna stop right here cause this comment could go on forever. Thank you very much for sharing your opinion! You are not the only one ;) Stay safe and healthy! Greetings from germany!
Your entire comment basically boils down to: "dude. Old good, new bad lmao". I hate people who keep so mindlessly glorifying the past. Especially people who never stepped outside of their comfort zone. The 2000s and early 2010s anime had one of the most beautifully crafted and written stories in the history of the medium but most oldfags obsessed with fetishizing the 90s will just rather stay in their nostalgia zones for the same 7 or 8 normie entry level trash their watched when they were 15. It's pretty sad to be honest. The fact that people call the remake of Borque an "inferior experience" compared to the original is complete nonsense to me. The remake still has a dark and surreal atmosphere and art style, it's just done in a different aesthetic and which one you prefer is 100% a matter of personal taste.
I went through a stage where I bought every Atlus game I could find. I played the crap out of this, Shin Megami Tensai series, and Kuon. I played all this game, and never understood it until now
After playing the game Evolution on Dreamcast I have an appreciation for some of those Japanese RPG devs who were experimenting with procedural generation and roguelike elements before it was fashionable.
I first encountered this game several years ago, in the form of its Wii remake. I considered picking it up, due to the scant gameplay I saw, but never did. I had no idea it was merely a pale echo of an earlier, more fantastic game.
As someone who was a fan of the 2008 version since it came out in the west, I've been playing the original on a saturn, and while great isn't enough for me to say it's the best way to play, I do not find the remake any less challenging despite it's changes, nor do I think it's any less vibey, it's just different kinda vibe, that's the best and worst thing I can say about it, I love both. (although still avoid the ps1 version)
I'm only i'm the begining of the video but... I have baroque! Ive played it both on PS2 and wii, and i still own a ps2 copy, i didnt know that this Game was so hard and obscure xD
Worth noting the remake does have a first-person mode toggle in the settings menu. But yeah, definitely a uniquely fascinating game. I do think you undersold the remake, though. While the lighting took a hit, there are areas where I'd argue it's improved over the original (voice acting adds a lot, and the remake's translation has better prose) and other areas are sidegrade/preference (new soundtrack).
You channel is awesome and I'm super glad I found it, I enjoyed the video immensely and now I'm subscribed. So as a new fan I also wanted to say - I wish you wouldn't have used that Peterson clip. Even in meme form that guy sucks - it didn't detract from your video at all but even as a joke, that guy leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
I'm a bit late, sorry! Thank you so much for giving my game a shout-out at the end! Baroque is awesome! Such a dense atmosphere. A one of a kind experience.
Im playing this game right now and hating it so far, i finished the first loop after the tutorial but things barely change, the way you talk to npcs its awnfull and usually ends on hitting them by mistake. The game has this wild setting that you get no clue at all and you cant even look at your surroundings explore the corners of the hub area or try to speak to all npcs cause you are going to die due the vt depletion system. My experience its pretty much rushing every floor cause its not worth it to risk your vt on the loot or even searching hidden walls you have no time for that, idk how i was supposed to know i can transfer items on the nerve spheres nor do i can think of anything that would be usefull except the key items wich i have no idea when and how npcs even could hint me what they want. Imho its been way more fun to read the wiki, wacth videos, search for the prequel lore than blindly play the game for myself. If not for the vt system i probly could aprecciate the areas and enemies sprites better, or maybe its just not for me wich is a shame as i love criptic lore and the storytelling akin to kingsfield, shadow tower and other from software works.
I know this comment has nothing to do with the video or have any importance to you all, but I would like torecomment a unique VR game named Wilson's Heart, with gave me a lot of nostaliga and it would be nice to have an analysis on the game, or meaby Rebellion's Strange Brigade eventhough it is not a horror game but it still gave an astonishing experience. I think...
i miss weirdo and esotric atmosphere of these games, but i still enjoy modern games like ffxvi, but no, a lot of indie games are not a good compensation
"I'm not locked in here with you... YOU'RE LOCKED IN HERE WITH ME." -How it feels in Bloodborne when it clicks, and when you're "half cut with blood, as all good hunters are." I'll have to seek out and give this game a shot, the atmosphere is dripping with personality.
Thank you so much for this recommendation. As a massive fan of Industrial Goth, having found this video game has been like finding a massive diamond! Love your channel! Keep doing these amazing reviews!
I played the PS2 version, later I forgot the name of the game, so I didn't know if I was making it up in my head 😅 it's amazing to learn It wasn't even original version. 🤯
So I’ve beaten the game once and I have to say (this is a good thing in my opinion) this game is way easier than most traditional roguelikes, and the randomness is reasonable a lot of the time
So, if the Saturn version had more spooky detail why couldn't they put the translation on that version too? Looks like an intentional *fuck you learn japanese* to me 🤣
The late 90s were such a fascinating era of game design. You'd be twelve picking up the one game your parents would let you get every 1/2/3/whatever months and it could be anything from a basic platformer to something crazy like this.
That is so true lol. I remember 1998 when my parents gifted me PS1 on my birthday with two games - first Crash Bandicoot and... Final Doom. And so, I played CB during daytime and hid in my room like ninja to play FD at night :D
@w1d0wmak3RxD oh man dude that takes me back....playing silent hill when I get home from school and turning it off right when I hear the parents pulling into the driveway haha
@@Ojos_Del_Sol Yeah, good old childish times :')
aside from indie games, mainstream console gaming has gottem kind of stale sadly
That's why we need to go back to basic graphics. Gameplay/streamlined development over the massive waste of time graphics entail.
Dear Ragnar, thank you so much for the work you do. Even when everything in my life is stressful and the day to day starts to feel impossible, your videos never fail to not only engage, but also calm me down immensely. I appreciate your style, the way you edit and narrate, and undoubtedly immense research of this beloved subject so much! I can always count on your channel to find something my neurodiverget, videogame and horror obsessed brain needs to deep dive into when the rest of the world ist just a bit too much. Thank you for everything you do, and I loved this video and will definitely look up ways to play this, even if it's only the Switch port/remake :)
My sister, and I fell in love with the Wii version when we had it. We'd always purposefully go get cursed by the Lust entities, and even to this day sometimes we'll just look at each other, and be like "Hey...Don't go crazy." And then we both proceed to copy the scene, and do the "Don't go crazy, don't go crazy, don't go crazy, don't go crazy." thing. XD
My guy, I just got done revisiting the remake because I had it as a kid and didn't get/hated it. As a twenty-something (and playing in fps mode) I grew to appreciate it now as a unique, if a little jank, dungeon crawler that is teeming with atmosphere.
Def going to check out the original now that I can read it, thanks for the plug 💪
I wanted this game so bad back in the day, but as with so many great Saturn games, we were only teased with it before it was announced it wouldn't come westward. I had hope when it got ported to PSX, but that version didn't get released in English either. For some reason, I simply ignored the remake about 10 years later.
Guess that theology elective paid off, of all the references to get in a game review I wasn't expecting it to be Gnostic gospels lol. Thank you for the video.
Omg, I had no idea this had been translated.. I’m so excited holy shit 😭 I played the ps2 remake a lot but never got far in it and always wanted to check out the original, my teen years are littered with memories of Baroque ps2 music videos with Sound Horizon music on top, it was a big inspiration to me.
So basically an unholy child of Souls games and Planescape Torment, gocha
I played this on the Wii when I was like 10. it's was fking insane.
I want to see your take on Shin Megami Tensei so much!
I'm so happy to see this game covered in such a way. I've always felt like I was perhaps the only person to know of Baroque.
I've personally never thought of it as a great media series, having played the PS2 version and read the manga. But that being said, I will always applaud it for being unashamed to be itself. I'll have to consider going through a run of the original.
Having finished the video now, my early thoughts on this game was "Huh... Is this inspired by FromSoft's early games" which now I still think that. The release year was also the same year as Shadow Tower but my mind wandered to how King's Field 1's EARLIER concept was Mecha-Dungeon crawler. I do see the SMT/Early Persona-like "imagery" despite the games having no real... input from Altus I guess is the best way to put it? But now I wonder if somehow the influence on King's Field found its way into this games development and possibly inspired Shadow Tower: Abyss's change in identify from Demon's and Medieval Knights to a modern and near Science Fiction twist. You also have the similar "Tower" as the main location and delving into the earth. Though I'll assume thats just a common trope?
Still, it very much has me curious about the games development as a whole and what really sparked the idea. I'll give the translation a shot sooner or later. Though I'm curious if ANYONE is working on a Saturn translation. Ive never heard of Sega Saturn emulation but hopefully its a thing!
8:20 "Listing these aspects it sounds like they shouldn't combine well" *proceeds to give the most cohesive game pitch I have ever heard*
It really is one of those "it shouldn't work as well as it does" kinda game concepts
@@RagnarRoxShow ...no, I very much disagree. Like I said, your "shouldn't work as well as it should" explanation is the most cohesive game pitch I've ever heard. By the sound of it it feels obvious to me that it would work.
Survival Horror Roguelite FPDC with Procedural Levels/Gear and Strange Surreal Aesthetics sounds like a buncha stuff that'd be easy to see the benefits of mixing even in the abstract.
@@youtubeuniversity3638 Yeah, this. That collection of genre bits and mechanics sound like they go naturally with each other.
@@youtubeuniversity3638 I will say that "procedural levels/gear" feels like it's just part of it being a Roguelite imo
@@youtubeuniversity3638 ... on paper it shouldn't have work as well as it should.
The only reason you think otherwise is because its RagnarRox doing the pitching.
Fun fact as of July 15th 2023 Baroque on the Sega Saturn now has a FULLY COMPLETE English translation making it the preferred way to play the game.
If i may ask, what makes the saturn version the preferred version? I just havent messed w it yet and am curious as this game has become an all time fav since finishing the ps1 version recently
Its over all a MUCH better game visually, the PSX version has significantly worse lighting and color pallet and things also look squished because they fucked up the aspect ratio. sure the psx has an option dungeon but thats honestly not worth it when it looks so much worse. On a personal note i also feel like it PLAYS better on saturn though thats just my opinion.@@statiksea
Hello, what is the preferred Saturn emulator currently and could you provide any useful tips?
@Kodaemon yabasanshiro 2 is REALLY good and it's core on retroarch also runs really well
Eh I will stick to psx version since I don't want to download another emulator of console that I'm not interested in for one game
If it's not baroque why fix it
A wonderful look at Baroque! And thank you SO MUCH for including THEY SPEAK in your credit sequence. That means a lot!!
Nikki recently shifted to developing the game in a new framework. It's resulted in many visual, performance, and function improvements since the current demo. We're very excited to show off how the game has grown as soon as it's ready :)
I did play the demo a few weeks ago and it was a really captivating experience. I'm waiting with esger to play the final version, good luck!
Quite cool, thank you guys for your efforts.
wishlisted the game. it looks awesome
M
For the cannibalism bit: Almost definitely yes. I'm like 99% sure the monsters are warped humans.
yum yum! : )
I don’t know what they are but I heard dethrone God… I was like God had throne? 😑
@@huelu982 All the monsters in the game are people mutated by the great heat and the god refers to experiments that were done prior to the catastrophe, as far as I could understand they managed to find "God" and tried to use him which ended up causing the great heat.
I want to clarify, though, that the Grotesques are, in fact, based on the Archangel's own interpretations of people, specifically based on his own custom made tarot card deck; they are not transformations based on their previous lives, but rather an arbitrary image given by the Archangel's own conscious delusions rather than a mockery of their mental state. I wanted to state this because so many people accused the writers of presenting insensitive mental health representation, and this is absolutely not true at all.
It's positively sickening how well this channel serves my very specific niche. Every video is a wonder. Usually know of or have played each video's subject but Baroque is one I've completely missed, and I get a beautifully made video on not only what it is but why it's special. A treat and a testament to how rad this channel is.
i feel exactly the same way! even the way ragnar strings together a thought or feeling is very reminiscent of how my own brain operates. i have such fondness and appreciation for this channel!
what is your specific niche?
Welcome to YT.
@@jmgonzales7701 Touching himself with biblical squids.
@@RandalfElVikingo Don't kink shame.
What I truly and utterly love is seeing creature designs that have been consigned to the realm of obscurity. The high concept creatures in this game are just gorgeous and I feel like I've unearthed a wellspring of inspiration seeing them for the first time.
It's like a combination of body horror concepts, where existence is so painful that it brakes and resets your mind to pure primal instinct. Limbs replaced with either machine hodgepodged together, or mutated into masses of flesh.
In summary, fuck'in metal! Makes me want to make something similar!
Things I really liked when playing the Baroque translation:
1.) Despite the presentation being strange, alienating, and obscure, the game actually has a fantastic tutorial that gives you exactly enough footing to understand and enjoy the core game loop.
2.) Thrown items are extremely powerful especially on your early runs where you aren't established, so you're heavily incentivized to stock even junk and throw everything including the kitchen sink when you need to bail yourself out or just want a safer ranged attack. I must have used more of my inventory items than any RPG I've played, including other roguelikes/lites.
I totally agree with both points!
It is also a great experience to identify the bones by gnawing on them... Great gamble-mechanic ;)
As i didn't want to spoil me i kept myself away from walkthroughs and everything... Best thing i did. Realizing what "thing thing", the "crypt angel" and the "mind reading thing" do and how they work felt so mind blowing xD
If you like "rogues" and can appreciate a good system even if it does not look like "state of the art" give "katabatia" a try! Its free and on the c64 so you can play it everywhere using an emulator. It has many different potions that you can drink, throw and drip onto your equipment! It has different shops, temples/shrines to identify items and many weapons, armor and enemies.
Branding a sword with a wave effect is super useful since you don't have to get close to an enemy. Also circle strafing is your friend as well.
to whoever sees this, i dare you to play fear and hunger.
and play it blind
I picked this up on Wii at a thrift store a long time ago and didn't really know what to make of it. You've inspired me to give it another shot
A current roguelike rpg series that is currently blowing my mind is the Fear and Hunger series. The second game came out recently, you should check it out.
I would love a video about Fear&Hunger or Termina.
The lore and mechanics hits the niche this channel has
Bruhh i just discovered fear and hunger recently and have been obsessed trying to find more vids about it, its funny i think the algorithm knew that and sent me this baroque vid bc the two games have similar themes and aesthetics. I dnt havea pc/laptop so i cNT play f&H UNtil it comes to ios (doubt it)
It’s got some difficult subject matter and it actively wants to hurt you, but it’s also a rare gem of a series.
yes! ive been going crazy over the second game. it would be so cool if ragnar covered it
I'm so glad the games are catching on, I've been tempted to recommend fnh for a long time but was a bit scared It'd not leave a good first impression coming from a single random yt commenter
There's also a lot of work being done still on Termina so more content to come in case it's something he wants to cover
Just patched my totally legal copy. Anyone else wanting to try it, make sure your totally legal copy is the Genteiban special edition, regular edition kept coming back with checksum errors
I'm getting HEAVY Pathologic vibes from this game, in the way that I will either find it to be one of my new favorite games or I will *hate* it. Or both. Either way I'm very curious about giving it a shot. The aesthetic alone is stunning!
And speaking of great aesthetics, I was very happy to see the shoutout to THEY SPEAK FROM THE ABYSS! I'm even more excited about playing the final version of that game! (I'm extremely biased since I'm one of the voice actors BUT STILL!)
STILL!
It reminds me of drakengard 1
I played this many years ago with 4 Japanese translation guides around me, it took months, but it was worth it, I don't think there are other games like this one around
I'm glad the original Baroque is getting some attention and love, it really is a hidden gem.
Does it has many jumpscares? I got interested but can't stomach those at all
@@vanKartofell hahaha classic woman gamer
@@pliskin5161 hahaha classic gamer
Timotei, timotei, timoteiiii
@@vanKartofell No jumpscares as far as I remember. It can get creepy but that's just the general aesthetic rather than being intentionally horror like a proper horror game
Nine Inch Nails music in this video and links to emulators and ROMs in the description... It's a miracle that this video hasn't been nuked by the copyright demons lol.
Baroque finally got an english translation which is really awesome considering I've played a fair amount of the ps2 version, It's fascinating how this cryptic roguelike is very comparable to ''The Binding of Isaac'' with it's replayabillity, the whole concept of being able to progress even after dying or meeting some conditions to unlock the true ending. It's really weird but an awesome game overlooked by people due to it's confusing and frustrating nature back when guides were limited.
This era of Japanese games was just insane, just no limits at all in creativity, like everything was possible.
Can I just say thank you so much for the CCs(closed captioning)? I just love the fact that you offer such an amazing feature on your videos. It makes watching your amazing videos even better.
When I first read and saw Baroque PS1, I was blown away at how atmospheric it was. Just the horror-gothic look with that signature 90s enigma.
Great video! I'll try the translation. Great shout out to that indie game at the end as well!
personally when I first saw the graphics I was like "oh, so THAT'S what inspired Basilisk."
the aesthetics activate my fight-or-flight response (blame Iron Lung for that) but at the same time I love the concept so bad I wanna give it a try.
@@sorakafutanari oh I read Basilisk too!
You should really see the old promo art for Baroque. It's really something!
The Wii remake of Baroque had been one of my favorite games period ever since it came out. So I'm very happy for the fan translation of the original and videos like this bringing more attention to Baroque.
I played baroque on PS2 before it was cool mkay
I could’ve done without the long monologue about the nature of retro gaming. If you wanted to do a video about retro gaming do a video about retro gaming but goddamn did you dance around saying the name of the game let alone finally talking about it.
The idea of retro games being skippable because of their age when we regularly indulge in readapting and rewriting old books and movies feels counter intuitive to me.
This looks so wild and right up my street! Also loved the timing of NIN: Even Deeper at 11:27
So good
for real
I remember being obsessed with Baroque's visuals a while back but couldn't find a translation and completely forgot about, great to know I can finally experience this gem
My roommate and I were messing around with the PS2 Baroque a couple months ago, and they were telling me how oddly gripping it was to them moreso than a lot of stuff we had been diving into at the time, and I definitely get it. Fast forward to just under a month ago, and they found a Japanese artbook and guide for the original version at a local used books store, and it's so rad. This game (these games?) really have such an interesting thing going on, and I'm happy to see you taking a look at it!
This game kinda has the environment/ monsters vibe of one game i bumped by accident recently called Fear and hunger 2. If you wanna give a shot to a modern horror game, there is a option for you.
Nice video, by the way.
Fear and Hunger/2 are fantastic
That’s what I was thinking! Love the game
I think F&H 1&2 are fantastically designed games, Orange just handled the graphic material REALLY poorly. The edgy kink stuff really detracts from the whole thing.
I think the environmental storytelling and cryptic nature of the game work so well ONLY because the main character is an amnesiac, it makes it feel like you woke up in a confusing, distorted world along with him so you can kind of relate to the main character while you're playing (or self insert haha)
I like so much your videos that increased my patreon donations. Your lore diging is extraordinary and the calm Voice you tell us keep the misterious tone in the narrative. Thanks, Ragnar. You really make my days better with your channel. Cheers From a Brazilian fan.
eu vi q ele te citou e vim olhar nos comentários l..l,
@@richardcoelho valeu Richard. Sou fã dele. O cara faz vídeos muito bons. Legal ver mais brasileiros por aqui.
I'd love to see you cover Fear and Hunger. You do an amazing job with these breakdowns man, keep it up.
Yo at the beginning i said I’m getting SMT vibes and then you said if you’re a fan of SMT you’d love it. I am a huge SMT fan. I’m stoked on this!! Also like Neon Genesis Eva and Kingsfield. I didn’t know about it or remake gonna grab Wii version too. Just ordered a CIB one for $25. I’ll emulate too and compare them. I wish we would get English localization on switch
I'm a longtime baroque fan and saw this video posted in a discord server dedicated to baroque, I'm glad to see more people talking about it, its a great video and I wanted to thank you for making it!
It's so nice to see Baroque finally get some love it deserves! I ADORE both the og and the remake, and still remember randomly picking up a copy of the Baroque's remake on the ps2 at a used game store as a teen and immidately falling in love with the story and it's characters. I couldn't understand why it was never picked up by the masses and seen as the great work of art that it is. I was lucky enough for my husband to even find me a copy of the japanses ps1 special edition box set
I'm extremely surprised to hear the word "suicide" on a video on the internet. like I heard so many euphemisms and ofc the new classic "unalive" lately that I was a bit like omg he said the s word I haven't heard that in ages lol
At last! Wishing for a fan translation of the Saturn version so bad.
I think now that we finally have the PS1 translation, it's (hopefully) only a matter of time.
But despite the better rendering on Saturn, the PS1 version still positively slaps!
Honestly the premisis actually almost sounds like "Shin megami tensei: Digital Devil Saga 1 & 2" but that game went into a slightly different direction vs what Baroque did. Granted, Digital Devil Saga is not a rougelite dungon crawler, so that may consitute to the different directions, but since you seem to enjoy this, I suggest if you can get your hands on those two PS2 games, you would enjoy Digital Devil Saga 1 and 2 as it goes into rather intresting stuff similar to Baroque when it comes to Faith, God, Devouring, and also Self Idenity. Even deeper than the main shin megami tensei series would go into.
I love this game! I think it was thorhighheels who I saw cover this. Such a unique and underrated title, extremely ahead of its time too. I can't wait to check this out later!
When the spanish fan-translation was released i literally looked EVERY day for the english translation... And when it came out i could not stop playing it and every other game had to wait.
This game is the perfect example of "stop watching this review and play it!"
Don't get me wrong! This review is great! Many thanks for making a review that shines a light on this hidden gem!
A big "thank you" goes to every single person who helps translating those innovative and interesting games!
P. S. :
Please translate
Vampir Kyuuketsuki Densetsu
;)
I am playing it using "ai service" in retroarch... I am thankful for this but it kills the otherwise dense atmosphere...
You are a vampire who, at daytime, tries to gain the trust of the townspeople while, at nighttime, sucks their blood to convert them to vampires who then roam around, creating ghouls who fight by your side... While an enemy-vampire does the exact same thing to make you loose.
Have a nice day and thanks again for the great review!
How can I play the English translation? This game sounds amazing and I don't want to watch any more of the video for fear of spoilers.
@@robertbeauchamp4031 this review, as most of them are by nature, is full of spoilers. You basically start the game without knowing anything... The character you play as does not remember anything about who and where he is. The story unfolds with every successful run and through continuous talking to every npc. All npcs have a pretty interesting reason why they are in this world...
@@robertbeauchamp4031 it's on cdromance
Oh and i recommend duckstation
holy hell.
I totally wrote off Baroque on PS2 because it seemed like such a generic anime dungeon crawler with bad voice acting, but seeing this PS1/Saturn version it's like an entirely different game. It makes me think of the horrible love child of an older SMT game and Shadow Tower and it's both terrifying and beautiful.
Why would they ruin this aesthetic in the remake?
I watched this video a couple days ago as I was getting over covid and immediately downloaded the rom after seeing how beautifully bizarre it was. I grinded my way through the tower, each time discovering new hints from the Distorted Ones that lured me deeper into the tower until I was able to reach the bottom level for the first time. Unfortunately for me, my Angelic Rifle had been transformed into a piece of Idiot Meat by a random trap I had ran over a few levels before. 10/10 great time waster while getting over covid and I know I'll run this many more times to explore everything.
Every new video, first thing I do is checking if Michael worked on it. I hope he's ok.
He is! This channel wouldn't be the same without him.
And he's working on a really really massive video at the moment.
I have searched the youtube and tv tropes for any information and explanation of characters and their stories in this game around 5 months ago and found very small and vague bits of information, thank you for the video!
this game piqued my interest as it's cryptic like dark souls series, resulting in everyone showing the game in videos but not "explaining" them.
Me Accidentally Stub my toes :
ＡＴＴＡＣＫ & ＤＥ−ＴＨＲＯＮＥ ＧＯＤ
The Baroque PS2 version does have a FPS option to make the game closer to the original game.
I love you for making this video. I got into Baroque through the remake and I've been obsessed ever since, and when I learned about the original version I became even more obsessed. I don't even typically like dungeon crawlers but Baroque is so unique that it just works for me.
I remember playing the wii remake. It was my first foray into "roguelikes." It took me a while grasp the whole "death leads to progress." Puzzling out the world was satisfying, and I still remember those theories I came up with.
I hear the fans that ported this to the emulator had a lot of problems staying on task, but "if it's not Baroque don't fix it."
20:01 That bumper with Jordan Peterson came so out of context I've spilled my whole monitor with my drink :'D
I just started the Wii version. Turns out there’s a First Person view option in the camera settings
I know I’m probably not the first person to mention it but I wanted to say playing the NIN songs when you said ‘even deeper’ and ‘only way out is through’ was clever and put a goofy smile on my face.
I’ve played the PS2 remake oif baroque I loved the game, never knew there was an orginal version of that game.
the original game really reminds me of King’s Field, another great classic that you should check out!
Might be worth noting that Plissken released an english patch for the Saturn version of Baroque on July 15, 2023. There's no longer a need to "settle" for the PS1 version.
I absolutely ADORE Baroque and I always joke that I'm the one person who thinks about it weekly if not daily lmfao. Super surprised and happy to see you talking about it!
This and Mizzurna Falls are games that if I had played as a kid would explain how I am now. For the moment I just have to blame MGS and really really being into FF8
Currently playing Baroque. A couple of things I'd like to share since it seems finding guides for this game is pretty hard. so here's what I do. Every couple of levels you will find a room with a "SENSE SPHERE", it's a metal sphere in the middle of the room, you can't miss it. Throw your weapon, armor and accessory in there and it will send it to the ground floor where you can use it over and over again. Make sure you focus upgrading ONE weapon and one armor. I'm currently upgrading a guillotine sword with any +1 attack I can find in the dungeon. You can have 5 slots so 3 of that is for your equipment. Remember that 'Bones' of ANY kind can heal your HP and MP by 10! you can easily horde many of these things in there so keep them around instead of 'torture' devices, which is consumable magic attack spells. They will save you a lot of the times. Don't horde the meat items you find, always try to use them to upgrade your MAX HP as this is more effective in the long run and also cleans your inventory which can only hold 20 items. The same thing with Fruits, always use to upgrade your MAX MP. I've rarely worried about my VIT/MP when I'm playing because my vit/mp is always high! Don't feel bad about 'game-ending' in this game, that's how it is designed! Just make sure you always send your equipment back to your base and make sure they are upgraded as much as you can :)
Way back when, I got my hands on the Wii version of Baroque, and I knew absolutely nothing about it. Furthermore, I didn't get in the slightest what I was supposed to do (I wasted my Angelic Rifle shots on regular mobs and got stuck at the intended destination because I was supposed to shoot the thing), and eventually gave up in frustration.
Only because I still remembered the kickass soundtrack, did I eventually come around to looking up some intel on Baroque, and began to understand that I was missing out on something truly unique. And now the original game is playable for those not well-versed in japanese, which is awesome. I just gotta see when I'll get around to trying it.
I'm usually a big fan of older games and right now i'm also finally getting the chance to play through persona 5, so this is so up my alley thanks for the rec!!
Side note, I'd love in future videos if you could cite in the description the music you've used for the video. I'm not sure if it's all from Baroque, not all youtubers put the music from the thing they're reviewing in the bg of their videos, but there were so many tracks I heard while watching that I would just love to listen to on my own time. Even if I have a jumping off point to dig into. But regardless great video as always!!
Very late to replying to this and so I am hoping this finds you eventually but you'd be surprised to find out that most of the music Ragnar played in this video is actually from Megami Tensei! That's why the tracks sounded amazing and stood out to you, as I'm sure you've noticed how irrestiably catchy Persona 5s music is! From what I noticed the tracks were primarily from Shin Megami Tensei IV and Nocturne. I'm sure you've found your way to mainline Megaten by now considering you play Persona but if not definitely give main Megami Tensei games a look, especially IV and Nocturne. Nocturne is especially easily accessible due to its port to modern consoles. All of the games have phenomenal music, it's genuinely a part of Atlus game design that NEVER misses, it's insane!
I hope this helps you find the tracks that stood out to you hear, all of IV and Nocturnes soundtracks are available to listen to on Spotify!
I wonder if RagnarRox heard about game like Theresia dear emile. A unsettling thrilling point and click NDS game.
I've played the PS2 version a fair bit, and was surprised to find it was originally a 32-bit game. Even more surprised to find it's only meant to be 12 hours long! I've attempted to beat this game twice but gave up when I lost track of what nuggets of progress I had and hadn't done after 50hrs or so. I love this game, especially its aesthetic, but I don't think I'd ever beat it without a walkthrough (which would defeat the purpose of a game like this).
I really miss these sorts of dark and gritty Japanese esthetics. I haven't played any version of this title, but from a visual and atmospheric perspective, the og version is definitely where it's at. Goes to show that even with older inferior hardware, visual design trumps graphical prowess.
I find it disappointing that so many remakes/reboots in the Japanese market go for a modern "anime" look. To say it's an "anime" look is a bit innacurate, hence the precursor word "modern." The late 80's and 90's of anime had a plethora of gritty and distinctive visual palettes that are unfortunately lacking today.
We were graced with darkly beautiful animations such as Angel's Egg, Akira, Vampire Hunter D, Ninja Scroll, End Of Evangelion, Serial Experiments Lane, in addition to many others.
I like to think of this sort of esthetic as "pretty ugly" or "ugly pretty." What I mean by that, when it comes to these types of visuals, is that there is an off-putting almost "ugly" element that is somehow incredibly beautiful at the same time. This contrast, to me, creates some sort of subconscious allure and interest that is difficult to replicate in modern media.
I am feeling the same... Anime has changed so drastically in terms of look and feel... We call it "bildsprache" in germany... Would be translated to picture-language or visual-language, i guess.
The dark/gritty/dirty/ugly way they drew anime and manga back in the 80s and 90s hat so much emotion... So much depth.
Vampire hunter d from 1985 managed to be colorful and dark at the same time! The new one from 2001 (bloodlust) was ok but it had the same problem as "fist of the north star"... Something was lost when the art-style was changed.
And they where not afraid to take the risk and go one step beyond when it came to innovation. One great example to me is "neo tokyo" from 1987. Three short-movies, three different art-styles, three different vibes...
Jin roh (from 1999) was the last "modern" anime that left a deep impression on me... Good animes are rarely those days.
I gonna stop right here cause this comment could go on forever.
Thank you very much for sharing your opinion! You are not the only one ;)
Stay safe and healthy! Greetings from germany!
Your entire comment basically boils down to: "dude. Old good, new bad lmao". I hate people who keep so mindlessly glorifying the past. Especially people who never stepped outside of their comfort zone. The 2000s and early 2010s anime had one of the most beautifully crafted and written stories in the history of the medium but most oldfags obsessed with fetishizing the 90s will just rather stay in their nostalgia zones for the same 7 or 8 normie entry level trash their watched when they were 15. It's pretty sad to be honest. The fact that people call the remake of Borque an "inferior experience" compared to the original is complete nonsense to me. The remake still has a dark and surreal atmosphere and art style, it's just done in a different aesthetic and which one you prefer is 100% a matter of personal taste.
I went through a stage where I bought every Atlus game I could find. I played the crap out of this, Shin Megami Tensai series, and Kuon. I played all this game, and never understood it until now
After playing the game Evolution on Dreamcast I have an appreciation for some of those Japanese RPG devs who were experimenting with procedural generation and roguelike elements before it was fashionable.
Every japanese game in the 90's to early aughts: "Good job player 1! NOW FIGHT AND KILL GOD!"
I first encountered this game several years ago, in the form of its Wii remake. I considered picking it up, due to the scant gameplay I saw, but never did. I had no idea it was merely a pale echo of an earlier, more fantastic game.
As someone who was a fan of the 2008 version since it came out in the west, I've been playing the original on a saturn, and while great isn't enough for me to say it's the best way to play, I do not find the remake any less challenging despite it's changes, nor do I think it's any less vibey, it's just different kinda vibe, that's the best and worst thing I can say about it, I love both. (although still avoid the ps1 version)
I'm only i'm the begining of the video but... I have baroque! Ive played it both on PS2 and wii, and i still own a ps2 copy, i didnt know that this Game was so hard and obscure xD
I was so stoked for the 2020 Switch port they did. Still am in theory. Still waiting for a worldwide release on that one. Any day now.
Dang.
Worth noting the remake does have a first-person mode toggle in the settings menu.
But yeah, definitely a uniquely fascinating game. I do think you undersold the remake, though. While the lighting took a hit, there are areas where I'd argue it's improved over the original (voice acting adds a lot, and the remake's translation has better prose) and other areas are sidegrade/preference (new soundtrack).
You channel is awesome and I'm super glad I found it, I enjoyed the video immensely and now I'm subscribed. So as a new fan I also wanted to say - I wish you wouldn't have used that Peterson clip. Even in meme form that guy sucks - it didn't detract from your video at all but even as a joke, that guy leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
I'm a bit late, sorry! Thank you so much for giving my game a shout-out at the end!
Baroque is awesome! Such a dense atmosphere. A one of a kind experience.
Im playing this game right now and hating it so far, i finished the first loop after the tutorial but things barely change, the way you talk to npcs its awnfull and usually ends on hitting them by mistake. The game has this wild setting that you get no clue at all and you cant even look at your surroundings explore the corners of the hub area or try to speak to all npcs cause you are going to die due the vt depletion system. My experience its pretty much rushing every floor cause its not worth it to risk your vt on the loot or even searching hidden walls you have no time for that, idk how i was supposed to know i can transfer items on the nerve spheres nor do i can think of anything that would be usefull except the key items wich i have no idea when and how npcs even could hint me what they want. Imho its been way more fun to read the wiki, wacth videos, search for the prequel lore than blindly play the game for myself. If not for the vt system i probly could aprecciate the areas and enemies sprites better, or maybe its just not for me wich is a shame as i love criptic lore and the storytelling akin to kingsfield, shadow tower and other from software works.
I know this comment has nothing to do with the video or have any importance to you all, but I would like torecomment a unique VR game named Wilson's Heart, with gave me a lot of nostaliga and it would be nice to have an analysis on the game, or meaby Rebellion's Strange Brigade eventhough it is not a horror game but it still gave an astonishing experience. I think...
Just played 30mins on my CRT and this game is brilliant. I cannot wait to turn it back on after work tomorrow.
i miss weirdo and esotric atmosphere of these games, but i still enjoy modern games like ffxvi, but no, a lot of indie games are not a good compensation
"I'm not locked in here with you... YOU'RE LOCKED IN HERE WITH ME."
-How it feels in Bloodborne when it clicks, and when you're "half cut with blood, as all good hunters are."
I'll have to seek out and give this game a shot, the atmosphere is dripping with personality.
For me the closest thing to give me the same vibes as this gem of a game is the Swedish Gnostic Horror ttrpg 'KULT'.
Thank you so much for this recommendation.
As a massive fan of Industrial Goth, having found this video game has been like finding a massive diamond!
Love your channel! Keep doing these amazing reviews!
Huzzah! A Ragnarox upload!
And I've got scotch and cigars at home to go with it! 😄
Your video turned me on to this. Love the art style.
I love the spoiler warning for a 1/4-century old game from four console generations ago. A proper lad.
I played the PS2 version, later I forgot the name of the game, so I didn't know if I was making it up in my head 😅 it's amazing to learn It wasn't even original version. 🤯
Honestly based upon the videos I have watched, a series I would recommend if you haven't already tried them, are the Fear and Hunger series
So I’ve beaten the game once and I have to say (this is a good thing in my opinion) this game is way easier than most traditional roguelikes, and the randomness is reasonable a lot of the time
Anybody who rates a game and then tries to sell it on eBay for thousands should have a special place in hell reserved for them, I swear.
So, if the Saturn version had more spooky detail why couldn't they put the translation on that version too? Looks like an intentional *fuck you learn japanese* to me 🤣
For some reason, the setting in this game remind me a lot of the pen and paper RPG "Kult".
There is also a Baroque manga that adapts the plot of the original game as well as adds some backstory.