Baratin Blues
| Baratin Blues | |
|---|---|
| Developer | Froggy Software |
| Platform | Apple II |
| Release | 1986 |
| Genres | Adventure, interactive fiction |
Baratin Blues is a 1986 video game developed by Froggy Software for the Apple II.
Gameplay
[edit]Set in Paris, the objective of Baratin Blues is to prevent a biological attack on the sewers, lodged by terrorists who aim to launch a missile from Saint-Tropez.[1][2] Assuming the role of a Police investigator, the player explores locations of interest in Paris such as the Seine, its quays, the Paris Catacombs, and locates persons of interest to find clues.[2] Players can type parser commands to progress, such to "look" at elements in a scene, or "push" interactable objects. Once players have collected all clues in a scene, which comprise fragments of a word, they can assemble a word to reveal the destination of the next scene.[3]
Development
[edit]Baratin Blues was developed by Froggy Software, a development studio founded by Jean-Louis Le Breton and Fabrice Gille in 1984. The cofounders were members of the May 68 student protests, and sought to create a games company to spread their ideas through "humor, politics and new technologies". The game is a political satire of the actions of Paris mayor Jacques Chirac during his attempts to privatize companies providing drinking water to the city.[4][1]
Reception
[edit]| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Jeux & Strategie | 2/5[3] |
Casus Belli praised Baratin Blues for its "impeccable visuals, impressively snappy game mechanics, and a script full of humor", considering its simplification of dialog helped "give the storyline and messages more room to breathe".[5] Jeux & Strategie felt the game was fun, but "not exactly thrilling", considering it a difficult game and that its design was catered more to the "habits and methods of seasoned adventure gamers" rather than a general audience.[3]
References
[edit]- 1 2 Jankowski, Filip (May 2021). "Beyond the French Touch: The Contestataire Moment in French Adventure Digital Games (1984-1990)". Game Studies. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
- 1 2 "Baratin Blues". Micro V.O. No. 6. April 1986. p. 91.
- 1 2 3 "Baratin Blues". Jeux & Strategie. No. HS3. p. 65.
- ↑ de Rochefort, Simone (19 August 2021). "French games used to be weird". Polygon. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
- ↑ "Baratin Blues". Casus Belli. No. 32. 1986. pp. 76–7.