De Baron

Play This Thing!
The Baron is a provocation, both in form and in content: in form, because it requires the player to choose not only actions but also an ethical philosophy; in content, because it asks what moral options remain for a person who recognizes himself as monstrous.
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RockPaperShotgun
The Baron begins as an experiment in futility - a fascinating exploration of someone’s inability to change the inevitable repeating pattern of their life. As you set off on a quest to rescue your kidnapped young daughter from the evil Baron - made all the more sinister by a note left saying he has to be with her as he loves her - you have a righteous task in place. Which makes the implications of your inevitable failure so very interesting. And then it changes.
I was so deeply affected by this game that after finishing it the rest of my day was pretty much a write-off.
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SPAG

What I expected from The Baron wasn't what I got. In his introductory text, Gijsbers does a good job of preparing the player. Actions should be taken because they're meaningful in the situation, not because they "solve a puzzle". My first reaction was "sure - I've heard this before." [...] So, even though the author warned me that it wasn't a game, I tried to play it like a game. I expected something dark and sinister. I expected torture, helplessness, suffering, and perhaps victory in the end. The story delivers these things, but in an unconventional way... in a disturbing, shocking, and tragic way.
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Radio K: Ask/Tell
Rachael K. Jones and Adam Cadre discuss the cultural context of the game, delve into attempts to write difficult stories when you might be too inexperienced too completely pull them off, and discuss content and trigger warnings -- among many other things.
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