Step into a dark action-RPG featuring twisted and tormented characters presented in a disturbing world of pain and suffering. After a cataclysmic event, the land and its inhabitants are warped into a nightmare only you can solve. Battle merciless foes as you travel ever deeper into the shifting Neuro Tower in search of absolution. Experience a never-before-seen dungeon structure where levels are forever-changing. Engage yourself in a unique progression system where death merely serves to advance the storyline. Descend through the darkness to unveil more secrets of a broken world...

Baroque is a strange game, and one that won't be to everyone's tastes. However, if you like deep, engaging RPGs where you are thrown in at the deep end and have to keep your wits about you as you explore a series of ever changing dungeons, then you'll love this. It's not a game you'll be able to master in an afternoon, and is certainly one that you'll be engrossed in for quite some time.

The game opens with you awakening to find the world you know in ruins - some cataclysmic event has destroyed the cities and empires that you once knew, and now you are thrown into the thick of it with no idea what your quest is or what you have to do. As the game unfolds you are given clues as to what is going on and where you are. The only clue to what you have to do in the opening stages of the game, is a strange voice that gives you a hint as to where you should head.

Baroque is packed to bursting with hardcore dungeon-crawling RPG action. With its many ever-changing levels, each teeming with perverse monsters and tormented souls, the world of Baroque is an unforgiving realm. There are numerous strange creatures that will stand in your way as you try and complete your quest... whatever that might be.

As you explore your surroundings you can pick up numerous items. These can be used as weapons, to replenish your health, or can be worn to customise your character as well as giving you enhanced skills. It's also important to visit every room and talk to every character you meet - as these help trigger large chunks of the story in order to help you in your quest.

Death is not the end of the game - it only serves to drive the adventure forward. Each time your character dies, more secrets about the forsaken world are revealed. However, you do start outside the tower once again, losing all the items that you'd collected on your previous "life".

It's a shame that this is being released on PS2 so late in the day and that a more polished PS3 version wasn't produced. Sadly the graphics look a little dated. Another slight problem is the mechanics of the combat system. While you can lock on to an enemy, you still have to spin the camera around to find them, which can be a bit of a bind when you are being attacked by multiple enemies.

However, these are very minor complaints for what is a fantastic game. Hard-core RPG gamers will love this, while those that don't like to think too much while playing will be completely lost. Certainly worth picking up if you enjoy spending ages getting your bearings and don't want a game you can finish in a lazy afternoon.

8

Nick Smithson