In Spring 2020 Baldo stood out as one of the most intriguing titles in a Nintendo Indie World showcase; with beautiful Studio Ghibli and Legend of Zelda vibes, it was pleasing to see it would be a timed exclusive on Switch. Originally announced for last Summer, it then slipped to 'tbd' when it was clear that the release wouldn't be ready, and given an extended name of Baldo: The Guardian Owls.
The developers have left the occasional reassuring tweet since, and simply stated 'Baldo is going to happen' on 29th April. Well, it sure is happening, as IGN has posted 13 minutes of new footage; though it's clearly a PC build and therefore the game at its shiniest, it does look beautiful.
Update: And here's a second video as posted by IGN:
Tellingly, the first video description states that the game is 'coming soon' and Nintendo Switch is the first named console. It may or may not still be a timed console exclusive on Nintendo's system - it perhaps depends on whether there was a formal agreement that continued despite delays - but it's clearly still an important platform for the game.
Perhaps the wait is finally nearly over; is this one on your eShop radar?
[source ign.com]
Comments 33
Finally! I love it, it looks amazing. Really really looking forward to it, this is the kind of game I prefer the most, I think, it reminds me to Ni No Kuni (the 3DS version, specifically) with a Zelda 2D gameplay. Perfecto.
Baldo?
Baldo?
Baldo. Yes it's called Baldo. I had to read it a few times.
Looks cute.
Something tells me to wait for a physical copy
I thought it was Ni-no-kuni 2 LOL. Game looks great, might have to pick this up.
Why is it pleasing to see that it’s a timed exclusive on Switch? Pleasing to see it’s coming to Switch no later than anywhere else sure...
Also looks good but wish the character would move a bit quicker.
I just hope they give it a good name. "Baldo" is pretty bad.
@Inc @TheWingedAvenger The devs are Italian... Baldo means Bold in Italian.
Perhaps a copyright/trademark issue not being able to have it as "Bold" in English so stuck with the original native language name.
@korosanbo I completely agree. Something about it is just so irksome. From the name, to animation, to writing, to characters, etc (environments look really good tho!)
Oh well, not for us, wish it well.
@Perryg92 I don't know who your italian source is but Baldo doesn't mean Bold in Italian. Pelato is bold in Italian. Baldo is just a short name for Baldassarre. But I don't know if this is what the dev team is going for.
@Macnemo79 @Perryg92 It is archaic, but it does mean brave. Ever heard the expression "baldo giovane"?
I'm really looking forward to this game! The use of blur around the edges is pretty noticeable though. I hope that the presumed extra performance of the "Switch Pro" can do away with it.
Loving the art style.
Never played or heard about a "baldo" game before. But interested in this one.
@Perryg92
I'm fluent in Italian, and for all intents and purposes "Baldo" means nothing in that language. Now, I checked in a dictionary just to make sure I wasn't lying to you, and, lo and behold, there does exist an obscure word "baldo" which supposedly means "bold". The problem is that 99% of Italians don't know it. If you go to the WordReference site, write the English word "bold" and search for a translation into Italian, you won't get the word "baldo" at all. You'll get a dozen other Italian words instead. Baldo sounds just as corny in Italian as it does in English. It sounds like the obscure Italian name Ubaldo, which makes it even weirder. I hope the devs ask ONE of their friends or family members to give them an honest opinion of the name Baldo, because it just objectively sucks.
BALDO. What an awful name.
I've been looking forward to this, but I must admit, the gameplay & writing look bland.
Day one buy but that intentional blur around the edges of the screen is going to give me headaches.
@Bl4ckb100d
I agree. It's a name for a dog. But the game looks fun though.
@Vriess yeah it does, looks like a studio Ghibli production.
This is petty but the audio clip from the footsteps will really irritate me. Looks great though.
This is good news!
Been waiting a long time for Baldo to release.
Sure looks like fun.
Day one for me.
Still keeping an eye on this one. Love the look and concept! Interesting discussion on the name here in the comments; it has always intrigued me since it was first announced.
Baldo is what I'd call a bald guy whom I don't really have that much of a connection with, when I don't have much inspiration, but still get to name him for some reason and there's no "default" option.
Only to later regret my choice when I do get into the game's story and characters.
That aside, it looks great and I'll sure get used to it if I decide to play it.
@Shambo To be fair, the dev team is based in Italy, and in Italian (my native language) the word ‘baldo’ is a somewhat old-fashioned or archaic term for bold/audacious, so it sort of makes sense in an adventure game. Still, they probably could have picked a slightly better name considering that most of the game’s audience will be international.
This game looks great but i just keep feeling like it has no content.
Im obviously completely wrong but ti just feels... empty? Anyone else getting that?
@Jooles_95 Thanks for clarifying, I read it among the comments, but I can't help but not liking how it sounds or reads. I generally have that with names starting with Ba- or having "bal" in them, and with names that end on -o or -do or -a... I can't really say why, but this name has it all.
But I got used to Mario and Hannibal a long time ago already.
And in about 15 minutes a friend named Bart will arrive at my house.
And I kind of almost suppose the player will get to name the character and there doesn't seem to be voice acting.
And even if that's not the case, it looks like a game that's way too charming to pass because of a name of which I don't like the sound.
So it probably won't hinder my enjoyment of the game, if I get it one day
English isn't my language either, but I do tend to prefer playing games in English as opposed to Dutch (well, Flemish, but you don't get that in games, and Dutch has some differences that often makes it weirder than an entirely different language I fully understand).
Will wait for physical release...
Aw man, looks fantastic but 2D Zelda style? If this were 3D gameplay I'd be giving them my money quick smart.
Don’t wanna rain on anyone’s parade but this looks so. boring. Music was grating and it just seemed so generic and dull all around ~ except for the background visuals! Hope I’m wrong for everyone’s sake. I’d love to love this but I just don’t see it happening.
Also, as a balding man I am absolutely offended by everyone hating on the name!!! Haha joking about that part, tho I do find it sad that making fun of bald people is still so widely acceptable and pronounced at least here in USA.
@neogyo yup
Baldo is what I say when I look in the mirror
I like the refreshing game play and style looks like something I can grind with. Wished they give us a Demo to try.....
Those texts and menus in Helvetica are very mobile-phone-y (= no personality). And that clarinet loop or whatever wind instrument this is (the one in the law & order opening credits) sounds suite annoying.
Other than that it looks cool
I’ve played awesome games with worse titles. I’ll be picking this one up.
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