Baku Baku

"One of the best puzzle games ever!"

If there is game that has more clones or hacks than Doom, Quake, or Half-Life its gotta be Tetris. Tons of crappy versions of the highlight of Russian videogames have been spawned. Sega has created several stacking games, Columns being there most known one. Other than columns there is a little known stacker game called Baku Baku. Released on the Game Gear, PC, and Saturn. This review is for the Saturn version. But enough of this, on to the review.

Gameplay: 10/10:
The game is simple, but the corresponding food with the animal that eats it (ie Panda and bamboo, Rat and cheese, etc.) The games single player version is very lackluster and easy, the enemies seem to lack a great deal of strategy. The multiplayer mode of the game is incredibly addicting, I mean more addicting than Tetris if you can believe it. The controls are quite simplistic, they follow the mantra of easy to learn hard to master. But even with their simplicity the game can get intense. But what’s an intense game if you cant see it?

Graphics: 6/10
In their time they were still not the best, but they have aged remarkably well. By utilizing prerendered backgrounds and the limited 3D effects (like the way the animal heads chomp the fruit when they connect) this game has stood the test of time fairly well. The graphics seem dated but not so much as the sound.

Sound: 5/10
Catchy tunes and plenty of anime inspired sound effects will fulfill this area. The downside? The sounds get repetitive over time and the music is provided in short loops. The loops show how old the game is, they are seriously only a couple seconds long each! Other than the dated music loops the sounds are some what bland. But then again, what puzzles games from that time had stellar sound?

Replayability:10/10
Almost 10 years down the road and Im still playing it monthly. If you have two people who are about the same skill level in it the games can last hours on end. Its just that addictive, plain and simple.

Final Score: 7.75, rounded up to 8/10
Baku Baku provides simplistic controls and intense multiplayer to make it a joy for any gamer, casual or hardcore. If you are still uneasy about buying this marvelous gem of a puzzle game, search online for a demo of the pc version. I highly suggest this game, one of the best puzzlers ever.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/09/03