 Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean, is an epic RPG built in it’s own universe, with a unique combat system. Of course, there are many games that can also state this claim, but epic and unique doesn’t always translate into fun and interesting. So, how does this little game with the long name stand up? And is it’s new twist on combat worth while?
Immersion (Story/Environment)
The story of Baten Kaitos is told through the eyes of the guardian spirit, the player. Yes, the game actually includes you in the starring roll. As the guardian spirit of Kalas, a young lad who’s lost much of his memory, you’re not only pulled into the story, but the characters talk to you and seek guidance from you, and it doesn’t break from the story, which is a nice touch. The entire story is rich and enthralling, with exotic locals, a rich world with a deep history, and characters who are easy to relate to and understand. Kalas meets several different companions through his journey, and you can play with any three of them at a time, though which ones you use has little effect on the plot, which is a nice touch. The story is not entirely unique, and does draw a bit of inspiration from other games, but original presentation is as much, if not more important in an RPG, as so many stories have been told it’s hard not to be similar another one at some part. And for that, the story is well told, and well presented, with a few major twists and shocks along the way. Gameplay
 One of the key elements of the game is Magnus. Mangus is the essence of an object, in card form. Magnus are used in place of items for pretty much everything. You have blank Magnus where you can use to gather the essence of items to complete various quests during the game, you have Magnus you can use in between combats to heal or occasionally give a boost to a party member, and you have your battle Magnus that goes in your deck to be used during combat. Combat is unique. Each character has their own deck of magnus, with attacks (usually unique to the character), defenses (usually usable by only a few of the characters), healing and other effect items, and even items that don’t do anything beyond potentially create other, more useful magnus. In addition to that, each card has one or several spirit numbers, and having those in multiples, or in orders, can magnify the effects of your efforts. Beyond that, each attack and defense has a potential element associated with it, and each element has an opposite. So, you defend fire damage with water defense, but if you attack with both fire and water attacks, the damage will cancel itself out. All in all, it makes for a fairly unique experience, trying to sting out combinations of cards as you draw them, and having to choose and sort out elements, spirit numbers, and drawing new cards as you go. It also makes combat a bit slow, but with enemies with varied resistances, it can keep you on your toes. Beyond Magnus, the game is a fairly standard RPG, with levels, money and items getting better as you get farther on. In addition to normal levels, every character has a class level, which effects how many cards they can hold in their hand and how long of a combo they can make during combat. Money is also earned by selling of items, or pictures. During combat, you can use a camera item to take a picture of a monster, and sell it for money later, though how much money depends on how good of a picture it is, which varies from how long you let it develop to what camera you used and if you used any light or dark attacks before you took the picture. Graphics and Sound
The graphics are very good, with a good blend of colors and creative pallets. The art is very well done, and combat, which breaks into a 3d view, is very well done and pleasing to the eye, with different effects with each attack, and varying with the power. The character art is also usually good, though sometimes a little inconsistent in quality. The expressions each character has while speaking adds a bit to the game as well. Sound effects and music are very well done, with an entertaining soundtrack (you can actually collect the songs you hear and replay them in the menu), and effects that add to the story for the most part. The biggest problem is the voice acting, which is above average at best, poor at worst, but usually underwhelming and often badly recorded. It’s not that the dialog is bad in and of itself, but how it’s spoken, acted, and recorded. It’s not quite bad enough to turn it off, and it does add something to the game in some parts, but it is not the games best feature, and does detract from the overall experience a little bit. Above and Beyond
With an engaging story, lots of secrets and side quests, and characters who play very differently in combat, the game has some reasonable replay value, though nothing changes in a replay. The ability to try to sneak around encounters is nice as well, though it is not always easy to do. Most of the maps and quests are not overly complex, or at least the ones involved in the main quest. And as you explore the game further, options begin to open up, and the game becomes a bit more free form and open, so you can often go back over something you may have missed earlier. Overall
Baten Kaitos does deliver with a story that is interesting and told well, a combat system that’s exciting and fun, and a presentation that for the most part is very well done. It’s a fun game that can easily give 40+ hours of play through the first run, and has the elements of a successful and fun RPG. And with bringing the player into the game, it creates even a more seamless draw for the player. I can highly recommend Baten Kaitos. Bront’s Score: 8.6 out of 10 Discuss this review in the Forums. |
