Developer: FlatRedBall
Publisher: Black Shell Media
Platform: PC
Tested On: PC
The Incredible Baron – Review
The human race has always had a fascination for the outdoors. Wide landscapes, the wind in the treetops, birds singing their song, it’s just wonderful to be around. In the 18th century, naturalists started to get more interested in the conservation of nature and knowledge about undiscovered species. In The Incredible Baron, you’ll be going on an expedition to catalog as many unknown species as you can. Hoist the sails!
Story
You are Baron Buffon Hildengard, a wealthy captain that is out exploring the world, looking to catalog new species. Together with Lady Nora, on whom you have a little crush, and your help Smartlee, a smart yet not so attractive nerd, you try to discover and examine as many new species as possible on an uncharted island, but it is not without danger. Norab, aka Robaron, tries to beat you to it and even kidnaps Lady Nora. While looking for Lady Nora, you encounter more species. Also Norab tries to capture these species, but while your objective is still a little bit honorable, as it’s the fame and fortune you’re after, Norab has more sinister plans with his new discoveries. He wants to gain more power by conducting unnatural experiments on the creatures he captured, thus you’ll have to stop him before it is too late.
At the beginning of each level there is a cutscene which presents a short bit of story to you, after which you are left to fight your battle. Usually this just means that you’ll have to fight new creatures, rather than Norab himself, thus the levels themselves don’t add that much to the story, but do give you a chance to explore your surroundings. The story continues at a nice pace between the levels and, even though it is simple, it is very amusing as well. Fun fact: the baron is based on baron von Münchhausen, a German nobleman who got known for his tall tales, stories that had unbelievable elements, yet were based on his own life. When you read our Baron Buffon Hildengard’s tales, you will definitely see a resemblance.
Graphics
The game is made in a pixilated style, which makes it look a bit old school, yet without losing too much detail. The colors are very vibrant, giving the game an appealing look. The characters look fairly normal, while the actual undiscovered species have all shapes and forms. They look like bombs, tree trunks, bears, penguins, Moai’s and so on, which adds a certain lightness to the whole, matching perfectly with the story.
Sound
The catchy tune of The Incredible baron will get you in vacation mode straight away. Palm trees, cocktails and a hammock, and you’re good to go. While actually playing, the music adjusts a little to the situation, yet quite often you’ll be hearing the same cheerful tune. While it’s no real bother to hear the same tune over and over, a little variation never hurts.
Gameplay
The Incredible Baron is a strategy game in which your objective is to catalog as many unknown species as possible. To do so, you lead a three man expedition on a tropical island. The main goal in each level is to conquer the enemy by destroying his base. When you manage to do so, you can move on to the next level and you gain more knowledge about the species you’ve just been fighting. When you gain 100% knowledge about a species, you can start using them in your own team.
When fighting against your opponent you won’t only have to defeat all hostile creatures coming your way, you’ll also have to burn down catapults that throw watermelons at you. A funny thought, but a lethal one nonetheless.
At the beginning of each battle you have to assemble your team, that is, the creatures you decide to fight with. In order to choose the most valuable ones for the fight you’re about to start, you can use the encyclopedia to get more information about the different species and about their strength and health etc. The thing you will use the most though, is the indicator that will tell you which colors your opponents will be, and which colors they are weak and strong against. With that in mind, it is a lot easier to pick your own team. Apart from the creatures to choose, you can also add abilities that might help you gain control over the enemy. You can for example use a spring to jump over enemies or plant mines.
After you’ve chosen all of this, you’re good to go. You’ll have to build a workshop in which you can prepare your creatures, but both the building of the workshop as well as summoning creatures costs money. You gain money gradually during battle, yet you will have to make choices. You can however make things cheaper by buying an upgrade, but that’s not always the best option to choose.
The further you progress, the more species you’ll have available. Also, you’ll be able to use more of them during one level because you can build a hatchery and a den in addition to your workshop. Again, all of this is expensive so you’ll have to make up your mind as to what is the most important at a given time. Also the order in which you put your creatures when assembling your team is important, as it is also the order in which you will be able to use them during battle and you’ll have to expand your workshop, hatchery or den before you can actually use these creatures. To use abilities, you’ll also have to pay, be it with energy rather than with money. After you pay to use a creature, you will have to wait some time before you can use the same creature again. Luckily, when paying for an upgrade, the waiting time gets shorter, thus granting you a little advantage.
All of the above makes for a game that looks rather easy, yet requires quite a bit of thought. It’s a challenge we were quite up for, and that stands in the middle between easy and difficult. You’ll be able to progress quite a bit in the storyline without putting too much thought into it, as long as you follow the basic rules, but the further you get, the more you’ll have to think ahead. Also, the game offers a lot of replay value, since you can play each level three times, namely for a bronze, a silver and a gold star. These are all variations on the same level, yet with an extra difficulty along the way. A great way to keep you going.
Conclusion
The Incredible Baron combines some strategic thinking with an absurd, funny story, a combination that clearly works. The bright colors and the cheerful music give the whole an exotic feel, which fits the story well. All in all, the game is well worth its money, as it is amusing, easy to learn and has a lot of replay value. Ideal for the summer!
The Incredible Baron - Review,
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