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1[[quoteright:275:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/BaroqueGame_7883.jpg]]
2
3-> Go to the Neuro Tower
4-> ''Heal your sins''
5-> '''Heal the world'''
6
7A [[AfterTheEnd post-apocalyptic]] horror {{Roguelike}} first made for the Sega Saturn, then ported to the Platform/PlayStation. It was later remade for the Platform/PlayStation2 and the Platform/{{Wii}}, and then again for iOS. It was created by [[Creator/StingEntertainment Sting]], the developers of the VideoGame/DeptHeaven series, and localized by Creator/{{Atlus}}.
8
9''Baroque'' takes place in a [[AfterTheEnd post-apocalyptic]] future after a world-altering cataclysm called The Blaze caused TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. The only things left in this world are people who survived by clinging to their Baroques (a sort of crystallized ideal or self-image), and Meta-Beings whose [[BodyHorror mind, body, and souls have been warped by distortions]].
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11A young man suddenly finds himself in this wasteland, [[HeroicMute mute]] and [[LaserGuidedAmnesia without memories]] after an [[TraumaInducedAmnesia unspecified trauma]]. He is given a [[{{BFG}} large shoulder-mounted cannon]] by a mysterious being known as Archangel, and told that if he wishes to find redemption for a grievous sin he committed in the past, he must travel down to the bottom floor of an EldritchLocation called the Neuro Tower and use the cannon to purify the [[EldritchAbomination insane Absolute God]] that resides there.
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13The game operates similarly to ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireDragonQuarter'', in that you are expected to die on your first few attempts to overcome the Neuro Tower, but each NewGamePlus unlocks new scenes and reveals deeper mysteries to be solved. Even though [[BagOfSpilling you start each run at Lv.1 with none of your items]], you can use the Consciousness Orbs scattered amidst the Neuro Tower to "store" items for future playthroughs: strategic use of this and the ItemCrafting feature is the key to conquering the game's challenges.
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15----
16!!Baroque contains examples of:
17* AbnormalAmmo: The Angelic Rifle fires [[spoiler:grotesque angelic babies made out of pain]].
18* ActionizedSequel: Well, Remake: The [=PS2=][=/=]Wii remake is considerably more action-packed and fast-paced than the original version, which is a full-blown SurvivalHorror[=-ish=] {{Roguelike}}. The original ''did'' have some survival horror elements, but other than that, it's not.
19* AdaptationExpansion: The manga.
20* AdaptationalSympathy: [[spoiler: The Archangel]] is a much more sympathetic character in the Manga.
21* AfterTheEnd: And HOW? The only thing we know for sure is that something named "The Blaze" caused this, and somehow warped the world into what it is now. [[spoiler:It turns out that the Archangel caused the Blaze by interrupting the Dabar Fusion between the Protagonist and the Absolute God, resulting in the world massively warping from the distortions [[WalkingWasteland caused by the Absolute God's presence]]]].
22* AlienBlood: Well, alien "sweat". If you eat a Sweat Bone, the liquid that drops from you/Meta-Beings is ''purple''.
23* AllForNothing: [[spoiler: The entire game becomes meaningless with every ending, as the protagonist always chooses not to save the world, no matter what you do. Also double for the Archangel, as he spent all that effort guiding and helping the protagonist only for him to betray him at the last second no matter what. It's probably a good thing, considering he only wanted to save the world for selfish reasons]].
24* AllThereInTheManual: Unless you're using a guide, your chances of unearthing the entire plot in-game are pretty slim. In fact, much like the Dept Heaven series, Baroque has a whole series sourcebook ("Baroque World Guidance") that discusses the plot and world-building in detail. Since it first went into print in 1998, though, good luck finding a copy.
25* AmbiguousSituation: [[spoiler: It's never shown what becomes of the world or the Archangel after the endings]].
26* AndIMustScream: [[spoiler: In the real world, The Archangel is impaled on a Consciousness Orb in the Neuro Tower. He can’t pull himself off of it and remains suspended in the air in an awkward position that, according to the manga, hurts his neck. He also complains about the impaling hurting him in the game, but it's unclear whether this is a ploy to gain sympathy or if he's actually in pain. In any case, he's stuck there by himself and complains about being bored]].
27* BigDamnKiss: [[spoiler: The Protagonist and the Absolute God in the original when they're reunited. In the remake, they just hug]].
28* BottomlessMagazines: Averted with the Angelic Rifle; it only has 5 shots.
29* {{BFG}}: The Angelic Rifle is huge; nearly as big as a human and just as wide.
30* {{BFS}}: Some of the weapons you pick up, with quite a few even being two-handed and/or slow in attack speed.
31* BadassLongcoat: Both the Protagonist AND the Archangel.
32* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Even after you save the Absolute God from the Archangel's machinations, the world's still the same blasted wasteland it's been since The Blaze. However, by forming a consensus reality with the remaining Meta Beings and helping the Absolute God a frame of reference to avoid making reality more distorted, you essentially make lemonade out of lemons and give humanity a chance]].
33* BlindIdiotTranslation: [[http://www.sting.co.jp/play/baroshu/index2_e.htm The homepage for Baroque Shooting]].
34* BodyHorror: Pretty much all of the Meta-Beings, [[spoiler:who were once human]].
35** Some of the still-human characters as well, those who actually have visible indications of it. The worse though could be the Mind Reader, ''who's fused to a Consciousness Orb.''
36* BonusDungeon / JustifiedTutorial: The BonusDungeon and tutorial level of Baroque, which can be entered in the town, serves as both. The coffin man will ask if you need some training and guide you through the mine as you learn how to play, but after beating it, it can be completed multiple times as a bonus dungeon.
37* CharacterLevel: In a nutshell, you have two kinds: 'Normal' and 'Baroques', which stack together.
38** Normal is pretty much as the trope describes, gaining new levels and Health stat increases by defeating monsters, [[ContinuingIsPainful though it resets with every Tower run]].
39** Baroques are a more permanent type, giving small boosts to hidden stats (up to a certain hard cap for each one), the effects of which are mostly notable overtime [[note]]Said stats are: '''Speed''', how fast you move/attack; '''Luck''', which affects crit rate for yourself and enemies; '''Attack''', which affects combo/damage calculations for regular attacks (including fists); '''Throw''', which affects throwing distance/damage; and '''Defense''', which affects damage taken, HP/VT recovery amounts from items, along with their passive recovery/drain rates, respectively[[/note]]. Some of the Baroques are one-time-only, but at least half can be earned multiple times, and even if you achieve nothing special on any given run, you'll still get the consolation "Distant Spirit" Baroque (+1 to all hidden stats).
40* CharacterTic: The Coffin Man ends most sentences with "Goddamn it", Goddamn it!
41* ChurchMilitant: The Archangel's followers.
42* CompanionCube: The Box Man is always clutching a box; you can throw him a box of your own and he'll give you a different one, but he believes the box he's always clutching is his daughter. [[spoiler:In truth, he ''knows'' it doesn't really contain any part of her, but he needs that delusion more than anything; it's his only reason to continue living]].
43* CoversAlwaysLie: The [=PS2=] one, specifically, as well as the International Wii one - averted with the others. Many people assumed that the protagonist was shown on the cover, but it's actually the Archangel.
44* CrapsackWorld: Almost everything outside the Neuro Tower is in a shade of red, disrepair, and general warped-ness.
45* CrazyEnoughToWork: The plot could be considered this, if you manage to get through it all.
46* CriticalAnnoyance: The lower your health and vitality points get, the louder and faster the heartbeat in the background gets.
47* [[DarkFantasy Dark]] ScienceFantasy
48* DeadpanSnarker: The Archangel, especially when he's fed up with the protagonist.
49* DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist / ContinuingIsPainful: You're ''encouraged'' to die. Doesn't stop the game from subjecting you to some rather hefty, Roguelike-esque penalties whenever you die - you lose '''everything''', except whatever items you had in storage and the Angelic Rifle, the latter of which is always given to you in front of the Neuro Tower (via the Archangel's image).
50* DefectorFromDecadence: [[spoiler:The protagonist and his fellow Koriel sect members, as well as Doctor Angelicus]].
51* DualWielding: Three swords enable this for the Protaganist - the Twin Swords, the High Priestess Sword, and the Lovers Sword. [[note]]The latter two are made from specific fusions of Idea Sephirah to a Crystal Sword[[/note]]
52* EarlyInstallmentCharacterDesignDifference: The remake altered the designs of all of the main characters to varying degrees. Alice still looks like herself, and the Archangel retains his short blonde hair and red eyes, albeit in a different style, with slightly different clothing and new wings. The Absolute God likely saw the most changes, as she looks almost nothing of her original design.
53* EverythingTryingToKillYou: Any and all Meta-Beings will attack you if they see you. The Protagonist isn't even safe outside of the Neuro Tower, as while there are a few low-level ones nearby to the Neuro Tower, but their Health/Vitality drains constantly no matter where you are.
54* EvilTowerOfOminousness: The Neuro Tower, which is one of your only dungeons in-game.
55* FeelNoPain: Everyone in the manga, except the protagonist. In the game itself, only a select few characters.
56* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: [[spoiler:When you finally fix the world, nothing is different. There's only the possibility that things ''might'' improve in time]].
57* FourEyesZeroSoul: Before The Blaze, the Archangel wore glasses of a sort.
58* FreezeFrameBonus / BilingualBonus: The opening video has a lot of text that moves too fast to read, and some is in Latin (maybe).
59* FunWithSubtitles: Sometimes the subtitles do more than just appear at the bottom of the screen. A mechanical item-fusing robot thing likes to do subtitle crosswords, and the Absolute God's "don't go crazy!" mantra appears all over the screen.
60** There's even a character in the Tower that has a head sticking out of them at a certain angle. Whenever the head speaks, the subtitles appear vertically on the side of screen.
61* GaidenGame: ''Baroque Typing'' and ''Baroque Shooting'' for Microsoft Windows, and ''Baroque Syndrome'' for the [=PlayStation=]. The first two is a typing game and a ShootEmUp game, while ''Syndrome'' is a VisualNovel {{Prequel}} to the original game.
62* GameplayAndStoryIntegration:
63** In a FridgeBrilliance manner. The Crystal Sword can fuse with Idea Sephirah crystals to became unique swords, ''except'' for the Littles', and the Protagonist's - this includes Longneck, Horned Girl, The Bagged One, The Boxbearer, the Koriel members, and all Meta-Beings. [[spoiler:No matter the level of distortion, those who's Idea Sephirah can fuse with the Crystal Sword are/were once human. The Littles however are the embodiment of pure pain, stolen from the Absolute God... and the Protagonist was part of the interrupted Dabar Fusion with said deity]].
64** Some of the dialogue changes to reflect the things you do throughout the game:
65*** If you don’t talk to the Twisted Ones before approaching the Archangel, he’ll ask if you didn’t before dismissing it. His dialogue after this is slightly different too, and he’s more to the point.
66*** While you’re encouraged to die during your gameplay, the Archangel has different dialogue whenever you do, getting angrier and angrier at you everytime you talk to him again. After your 42nd death, he resorts to giving you the silent treatment.
67* GhostMemory: In a way. The Protagonist has a large number of clones, each of whom either succeed or die at their task, and earns Baroques along the way who's power is then transferred to the next version.
68* GodIsEvil: Or at least is so insane that it's killing reality. [[spoiler:Subverted; turns out that while the Absolute God is a MadGod, she's entirely well-intentioned and trying to somehow fix the world, but cannot do much about it - her MadnessMantra below is even trying to warn the protagonist that YouCannotComprehendTheTrueForm. The problems were caused by the Archangel removing her ability to recognize pain, and so completely took away her frame of reference for what is "normal" reality.]]
69* GodhoodSeeker: [[spoiler: The Archangel's goal]].
70* HelloInsertNameHere: You can name the Protagonist whatever you like. In-story, no one calls him by ''any'' name, including those who apparently knew his original name. [[spoiler:It's hinted that it may have been Dextera]].
71* HeroicMime: [[spoiler:''Literally''. The protagonist's voice was taken from him and given to the Absolute God, as a result of the interrupted Dabar Fusion. It's also subverted; the Horned Girl is an EmptyShell who speaks only what those interacting with her think, so being around her shows he has a definite personality and quotes of his own]].
72* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: What happened to [[spoiler:the Archangel, in particular a spike from a Consciousness Orb. And he's ''still alive'']].
73* ItsAllUpstairsFromHere: Subverted; while you ''are'' in a tower, you're going ''down'' with every single level.
74* ItsPersonal: Part of the Archangel's animosity toward the Absolute God [[spoiler:is because she unknowingly took on the image of his dead sister]].
75* {{Jerkass}}: The Archangel. He tries to hide it at first, but as the game goes on, it becomes clear that he doesn't actually care for the protagonist and is just using them to his own end. His dislike of the protagonist is more evident as the player begins to die, as he'll get angrier and angrier at them, even declaring that he'd kill them himself if he could. He's also extremely manipulative [[spoiler: and convinces the protagonist that they're responsible for the state of the world, completely dismissing his own part in it]].
76* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Sure, The Archangel doesn't get what he wants in the end, but he isn't exactly punished for his crimes, either. In the original game and manga, at least, he's still impaled on the Consciousness Orb but it's not shown to be the case in the remake, where he seemingly somehow freed himself to meet the protagonist during the confrontation with the Absolute God]].
77* LightIsNotGood: [[spoiler: The Archangel looks like an angel and mostly wears white, but he's revealed to the antagonist in the end and a big part of why the world is so messed up]].
78* MadnessMantra: The Absolute God chants "Don't go crazy, Don't go crazy, Don't go crazy, Don't go crazy...", nearly every time you approach her - for added effect, the subtitle for each repetition is placed at a random point on the screen. [[spoiler:Turns out she's actually telling the ''protagonist'' not to go crazy]].
79* MindScrew: In spades.
80** MindScrewdriver: The plot makes a lot more sense if you've played ''Syndrome'' and [[NoExportForYou understand Japanese]].
81* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Doctor Angelicus and Longneck, for the same reason. [[spoiler:They deeply regret having created/cultivated pain, the Littles, and the former for having created the Angelic Gun that uses them]].
82* NintendoHard: Its a roguelike ''and'' it's published (but not made) by Creator/{{Atlus}}, so this is pretty much a given.
83* OneHitKill: The Angelic Rifle. You only get five shots per Tower run though; make them count. Or don't, as sometimes not firing it period gives you different voice entries from NPC's, along with being required to progress the game at a certain point.
84* OneHundredPercentCompletion: And HOW! Unless you're using a guide, it'll take you months to fill out the database if not longer - and even if you ''are'' using a guide, doing everything right at every turn, it'll still take three complete play-throughs just to get all the Voices and Events, at least (to say nothing of the Item, Baroque, and Character Lists). The full tally includes:
85-->'''Event List''' - Game cutscenes; 24 in total\
86'''Item List''' - Items given to The Collector; 310 in total, from all categories\
87'''Voice List''' - Phrases NPC's say in gameplay; 234 total listed [[note]]''Many'' other lines can be heard that aren't on the list.[[/note]]\
88'''Baroque List''' - Achievements that boost your character in the long run; 64 in total\
89'''Character List''' - Lines given by the Baroquemonger, when given Idea Sephirah crystals; 303 in total [[note]]Usually-but-not-always 8 per entry, be they main character, NPC's, or Meta-Beings.[[/note]]
90** And yes, there are quite a few entries in all categories, [[GuideDangIt that have rather elusive criteria and/or time windows.]]
91* OnlySaneMan: The Archangel views himself as one. [[spoiler:[[WellIntentionedExtremist He's far more misguided]]]].
92* OneWordTitle.
93* OrganDrops : Your only way to survive is to eat the meat and hearts of monsters, which is already {{squick}}y in itself...[[FridgeBrilliance and then you learn]] that they are actually [[spoiler: [[IAmAHumanitarian humans]] deformed by their delusions...]] Becomes a greater FridgeBrilliance one you see that hearts gives you vitality.
94* PermanentlyMissableContent: The only way to get the 4th cutscene is to harass the Sentry Angel on the very beginning of the game, which also causes you to die. If you miss it, you need to do so on the next play-through.
95* PhotographicMemory: The Bagged One. [[spoiler:She desperately wished to forget a tragedy in her past, but could not because of her PhotographicMemory. Thus, her Baroque twisted her so that she has no memories of her own; only the memories of other people]].
96* PhysicalGod: The Absolute God.
97* RedEyesTakeWarning: The Archangel.
98* SplitPersonality: [[spoiler:The main character has both himself and the remnants of his dead twin brother, due to them being formerly conjoined and sharing the same heart]]. Ties into the next trope.
99* SomeoneHasToDie: [[spoiler:The twins sacrifice themselves repeatedly, so that the other can live]].
100* SophisticatedAsHell: The Coffin Man.
101* StationaryWings: The various fake wings, which give you abilities.
102* SurrealHorror: To put it mildly...
103** The [[HeroicMime main character]] is the most human thing in the [[CrapsackWorld distorted world]], everyone else (save the [[PhysicalGod Absolute God]]) is [[BodyHorror distorted in various ways]], and [[StarfishAliens monsters]] roam freely. Then to make things more interesting, look at the ways you keep yourself alive/grow stronger - eat hearts/organs for your health, use parasites/injections/brandings on your equipment (including yourself), and make use of bones, torturers, disks...
104* TarotMotifs: [[http://www.atlus.com/baroque/ps2/ikei/index.htm The Meta-Beings]] are based on each arcana, with ''The Chariot'' change to ''The Tank'' and ''The Strength'' changed to ''The Power''.
105* TheFaceless: Several characters such as The Collector, the Baroquemonger, and the Bagged One.
106* [[ThePowerofLove The Power of Lust]]: There's a brand that increases your strength when inflicted with the "Lust" status. Kinda creepy if you think about it.
107** A few equippable items may be affected with Lust, which makes you unable to un-equip the item again. There's also certain items that make you resistant to Lust, but are similarly unable to be un-equipped by normal means.
108* TheMasochismTango: A particularly [[{{Squick}} squicky]] example is if you punch Alice, she'll say she doesn't mind if its you doing it. [[spoiler:Given that her creation was to fill the void of the Protaganist, and the Absolute God (who's lost the ability to feel pain, ie Littles), it has a deeper meaning than it first sounds]].
109* TooAwesomeToUse: The Angelic Rifle kills anything in one shot. There are only five bullets.
110** [[spoiler: And you may give up on using it period, after finding that its bullets are Littles.]]
111* TooDumbToLive: [[spoiler: The Archangel probably should have told the protagonist to pull him off of the Consciousness Orb before sending him down to deal with the Absolute God]].
112* VerbalTic: The Coffin Man goddammit!
113* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: The Twisted One's are harmless, but the player has the option to attack them anyway, which usually results in them begging you to stop.
114* TheVirus: Some of the Idea Sephirahs work like this, passing on particularly powerful emotions or desires to those who hold them. [[spoiler:This is how you get rid of the Sentry Angel: by passing on Longneck's suicidal urges to him, and he's not the only character you can get rid of this way]].
115** Each Parasite box in your inventory will change another item into a Parasite Box every few seconds.
116* WasOnceAMan: [[spoiler:All of the Meta-beings were once people, no matter what [[StarfishAliens forms]] they now take.]]
117* WeCanRuleTogether: [[spoiler: The Archangel offers to rebuild the world with the protagonist using the Absolute God’s Idea Sephirah during each ending. It never works out for him, however, as the protagonist chooses to merge with the Absolute God or to be Reincarnated depending on the players actions throughout the game]].
118* WingedHumanoid: Averted with the Archangel, who's wings are the wearable 'Imitation' type, but he uses them to fly. Played straight with The Littles, though they're not ''exactly'' humanoid...
119* YetAnotherStupidDeath: To be expected, it ''is'' a Roguelike.
120* YourHeadAsplode: There is a brand that causes you to randomly explode while taking damage.
121----
122[-Go play it. There is meaning to you playing it.-]

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