Baldo: New Game Blends Zelda and Studio Ghibli

Zelda's gameplay + Studio Ghibli's vibrant art style = Baldo

May 28, 2019

By: Noah Friscopp

Zelda + Studio Ghibli = Baldo

Attention Zelda fans! A trailer for a new and imaginative looking game called Baldo has released and if you are a fan of exciting combat and puzzle solving in a colorful world, this will be one to keep your eyes on.

Baldo - New Gameplay Trailer

Not the First

Right off the bat, it is clear that Baldo takes a lot of inspiration from Studio Ghibli films like Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away and The Secret World of Arrietty in the visual style of the characters and world, but this isn’t the first video game to do so. Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch and it’s sequel were made in partnership with Ghibli and are undeniably charming. It proved that their signature art style not only worked well in a game, but proved to be one of the best looking RPGs on the PlayStation 3. Working on Baldo is the Italian gaming studio NAPS team which clearly took huge inspiration from Ni No Kuni and Hayao Miyazaki’s beloved films.

The world is jam packed with color and detail

Familiar But Welcome

As seen in the trailer, you’ll be able to explore this beautiful kingdom and partake in several familiar activities to Zelda fans. We see our hero interacting with many quirky characters, delving into dark dungeons to solve puzzles and hunt for treasure, and explore the overworld for secrets and items. We see a couple monsterous boss creatures in addition to the colorful cast of friendly characters the player will meet on their journey. Zelda games always have a great mixture of friend and foe, and I am happy to see Baldo do the same. There are various tools available, from your standard sword, shield, magic staff, musical instruments and a mask of invisibility! There are likely many more items to discover along the way, but even the ones shown here look like they have a lot of fun potential for both puzzle solving and combat.

Dangerous monsters await

Dress for Success

Another interesting detail in the trailer was how the main characters clothing changes depending on the area or location he was in. Will clothes and armor function similarly to Breath of the Wild where the player must think about how hot or cold an area is and dress appropriately, or is it just a visual choice? We will have to find out when the game launches, but having a wide selection of outfits to wear is never a bad thing.

How many of these massive creatures are roaming the world of Baldo?

Yearning for adventure?

With the remake of Link’s Awakening hitting the Switch this year and the sequel to Oceanhorn, another Zelda like game on the way, there are plenty of dungeon to explore and monsters to battle coming soon . Luckily, Baldo is coming to all current consoles, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch and PC so you’ll be able to go on this adventure no matter what your platform of choice.