 Baten Kaitos was a fairly well accepted RPG for the Gamecube that offered a rich world and unique combat system. So, like many successful RPG franchises, it was only a matter of time till another game in the line came out. So, enter Baten Kaitos: Origins, the prequel to Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean (EWatLO). Yes, prequel. Prequels have a habit of making subtle rewrites or taking liberties with the history of a series, and are not often well received. So, how does Origins stand up as a prequel?
Immersion (Story/Environment)
Like the previous game, the player takes the roll of a guardian spirit, and has conversations with the three main characters, though mostly with Sagi, whom you are the guardian spirit for. It’s well done, and allows your decisions to affect the game while not making character development of Sagi feel forced on the player. It also has a unique draw into the game, and there are mysteries related to you as well, that you delve into in origins. The previous game was rich with plenty of background, and this game delivers even more of the same. Many characters you meet EWatLO make appearances in Origins in some way, including a few of the playable characters. Locations may have changed just a bit, but this is to be expected over the 20 to 30 year time difference, as things change over such a time anyway. Best of all, the story is good enough to stand on its own, and no prior experience of the previous game is necessary to play. However, those who have played the previous game will be able to fully appreciate not only the twists and turns the game has in store, but how well it actually does tie into the plot of EWatLO, and in fact, supplements it very well. There are also some additional side quests added to the game that integrate into the system fairly well, and they are worked into the story fairly well. You can receive mail from friends, enemies, and even junk mail, which adds a bit of humor to spots. Gameplay
Gameplay is very similar to EWatLO, with the use of Magnus, the essence of items stored into cards. However, it has been subtly tweaked. Quest Magnus now offer effects on the party while carried, and as they can change over time, need to be monitored on occasion. There is rarely a reason to not have a full set of Quest Magnus, to augment your combat abilities in some way. Also, Mixing now takes place outside of battle, and you can find various recipes around the various locals. You can also trade magnus, which can be an entertaining side quest. Some rare magnus can only be obtained via trade, and knowing what each trader wants can help you wheel and deal. Combat has been refaced a bit, which simplified its execution, and sped up combat quite a bit. Instead of each item being an attack, and a separate deck for each person, you have a single deck, generic attack cards, and items that affect your attacks or increase your defense for a number of hits. You can make combos of these attack cards, as well as special maneuvers tied to each character. Combining opposing elements is no longer a huge detriment either, and in fact many special combos, or strings of particular cards that cause extra damage, require the use of opposing elements. Add to this, the lack of needing to reshuffle (you can draw any card at any time, though the more in tune you are with Sagi, the more likely you are to get useful cards in the draw), and the ability to discard mostly eliminating getting stuck with bad hands, and combat becomes much more interesting. Combos can be strung across multiple people as well, which can lead to some pretty incredible combos. However, combat is mostly real time, so you will likely spend more time looking at what cards you have and are playing vs. what you are doing to your enemy. Combat is generally enjoyable though, perhaps a bit more so than in EWatLO. Moving around is a bit faster, as you can now run using your Wings of the Heart, though you have to be careful you don’t expend all your energy, or else you’ll be winded and walk slow for a bit while you recharge, and be at a disadvantage in combat if you’re caught like that. This makes overland travel, and even backtracking, which you will need to do, less of a chore, as you can zip along a screen fairly quickly. Difficulty wise, this game amps it up a notch, and there will be times you’ll die or have to come back to an area later after gaining some levels, buying better cards, or perhaps getting an aura to help bolster your abilities. Save points are places fairly well, so restarting from a death is rarely a huge loss in time, and with a detailed field guide of the monsters you face, you can tweak your deck to their weaknesses fairly easily. Graphics and Sound
 The graphics are pretty similar, and perhaps a bit sharper than EWatLO. Many of the location graphics are reused, but not all of them, and the visuals of the people have been redone with more color and a more consistent artistic style. The combat graphics are rendered well, and the graphics are stunning at times. Even the reused graphics and locations are spruced up just a bit, and they don’t have a “been there, done that” feel that one might expect when seeing the same location reused in a game. Sound is much better as well. The voice acting is actually good, or at least adequate, and not distractingly bad. The sound quality sounds better as well, as it no longer sounds like they were recorded in a tunnel. Sound effects are pretty good as well, though nothing spectacular. Above and Beyond
The story, like its predecessor, has plenty of twists, turns, and options, and there are a few potentially forking decisions you can make in the game, that give it some replayability. There are two noticeable technical errors, one involving the sound one of the characters makes when hit (at least it sounds like they mapped it to the wrong voice), and another that could derail one of the major side quests, though that second one seems like a rare occurrence. However, neither is game breaking in any way. Overall
Baten Kaitos: Origins is a fine addition to the series. Those new to the series will find it just as enjoyable as series veterans, and series veterans will appreciate how well Origins did in not creating any lingering plot holes in the first game, and integrating itself into the history of the series very well. It’s a robust story and world, and the gameplay tweaks make it an even greater joy to play than the original. Bront’s Score: 8.8 out of 10 Discuss this review in the Forums
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