"Really Rather Charming, Despite Itself"

Namco has been tinkering with the console-style RPG formula for a while now, trying to differentiate itself from the Square-Enix juggernaut while still claiming a piece of that sweet money pie. Their Xenosaga series explored a world where you watch movies of dangerous robo-babes, while occasionally pressing a button to let your PlayStation 2 know you're still awake. Thankfully, they've brought something more substantial and appealing to the GameCube in Baten Kaitos. (Baten Kaitos means "unpronounceable phrase that confuses customers and hurts game sales" when translated into English.) While it has many of the trappings of a traditional swords-and-sorcery Japanese-flavored RPG, its well-implemented card-based play system helps it stand out. Add in lush visuals and music and some twinkly fairy-tale charm, and you've got a highly appealing game that any GameCube owner should take a look at.

One of the game's cutest little quirks is that you, the player, are one of the game's cast members. Well, sort of. You're the Guardian Spirit of an upstart young warrior named Kalas, who - try not to be too shocked here - ends up getting involved in an epic adventure that will decide the fate of the world. While the game handles like a regular RPG, Kalas will occasionally turn to face the screen and ask you for advice. It's a silly gimmick, yes, but it's harmless fun. Needless to say, you'll wind up with a party of heros with varying powers and abilities, and battle evil gods and use magic swords and all of that crap. Thankfully, this generic hoo-hah is easy to ignore, as Baten Kaitos adds a layer of mystical fairy-tale whimsy on top of the rote shenanigans you've come to expect from a console RPG. The world you explore was shattered and polluted long ago in an epic battle between the gods and men, emptying the ocean and the Great Whale that lived within. Forced to live above the pollution, humans moved to a series of floating islands and grew wings, abandoning their origins. The story arc contains a relatively subtle message about the importance of nature and the environment (there's even a sidequest where you round up lost animals), giving the game more heart than you'd expect. Most of your heros are pretty charming too, particularly Xelha (who manages to be sweet and honorable without getting on your nerves) and The Great Mizuti, easily the best RPG character in years. Baten Kaitos isn't a cinematic masterpiece by any means, but it crafted a world I enjoyed spending time in.

The gameplay itself is equally diverting. I'm a big fan of card-based games regardless, but Baten Kaitos implements the style especially well. The cards cover all of the usual bases (weapons, spells, healing items, etc.), but in a fun twist, you can create new cards by pulling off combination attacks. For example, if you use a Fire Burst spell and a Beef card in the same attack, you'll craft a Beef Jerky card. Some combinations can involve four or five cards, so there's an element of puzzle-solving involved. The 'flavor text' on the cards can provide clues as to what cards might work together. Cards also have numbers on them, and pulling off successful 'poker hands' (like using two '2' cards and two '4' cards, giving yourself two pair) adds a percentage increase to the offensive or defensive potency of your turn. With over a thousand cards to collect (some of them truly weird, wonderful, and obscure), you'll never be bored when assembling the decks for each of your heros. My only gripe is that a handful of the cards are only possible to acquire if you read an FAQ beforehand and know what to expect; otherwise, you're sure to miss them because the game offers no indication that they'll be available. (Frost Cap, I'm looking at you!) If you're a die-hard completist, you'll have to 'spoil' yourself and read up on the game before you sit down to play.

Terrific little touches can be found in every corner. I like how you don't win gold in combat; after all, why would an animated ice-ball have money on it? Instead, you use camera cards to take photos of the monsters, and sell those for cash. Certain elements, like light/darkness spells and the speed of the critter, can effect the quality of the picture, and therefore the value. It's a fun system of money management that breaks out of the usual mold. I also enjoyed how many of the cards 'age' as you play the game, and transform accordingly. Grapes become wine, food goes bad, fires get dimmer, and so on. Even the level-upping procedure is pretty neat. Instead of automatically gaining levels at certain experience totals, you have to visit a magical church and pray. It adds a spiritual touch to the development of your characters, and makes level-gaining feel a little more special. None of these things are earth-shattering, but when you add them up, Baten Kaitos has a slightly different feel from its brethren, and that makes a world of difference in a 50-hour game.

Now, we must discuss a very divisive issue: voice-acting. The voice work in Baten Kaitos is bad. Really, really, REALLY bad. The guy who plays Lyude deserves some sort of Lifetime Achievement award for his woeful performance; in fact, the United States Constitution should get a specific new amendment to prevent him from getting behind a microphone again. To make matters even worse, all of the voices sound like they were recorded in a bathroom stall, thanks to the tinny, nasal tone featured throughout the game. Considering the game's length and terrific graphics, I can't imagine that the voice-acting quality was a budget issue. So it must've been some weird artistic decision to make everyone sound like they're conversing in a gas station restroom. Now, most people will balk at all of this. But as my regular readers well know, I LOVE really bad voice acting. (It has to be truly awful, though, like Shadow Hearts or Symphony of the Night. Being 'kind of crappy' isn't entertaining enough.) So this was a plus for me. Normal people might cringe and cover their ears, though.

The other factor that always bugs me is the "how long is the game?" issue. It's a question I detest, as I never could understand how people would ask about quantity first instead of quality. Do these people apply the same logic to films?
"What did you think of Dr. Strangelove?"
"It sucked. It didn't even crack the three-hour mark. What a rip-off."
I know, I know. Games cost money, and people are stuck on the value of hours-per-dollar. Well, you cats can relax. Baten Kaitos will take dozens of hours to finish, and if you decide to collect all of the cards and combination recipes, you'll have your hands full for weeks. It's also fun to play, which is a big issue for me personally.

Few will argue about the game's visuals, which are terrific. The game has a vibrant, color-packed look that really amplifies the fairy talk mystique. While the game could use a few more enemy designs - there's a lot of 'same enemy, new color scheme' going on - the ones they have are very well animated. The bosses are almost universally terrific and wonderfully oversized. Call me old-fashioned, but fantasy supervillains should be enormous and creepy-looking, and Namco delivers the goods.

Considering the GameCube's thin RPG line-up, this game is a no-brainer purchase for Nintendo fans interested in the genre. Baten Kaitos is one of those little gems that pop up towards the end of a console generation; great-looking, quirky, and enjoying the benefit of being released when there's little else on the shelves. With a sequel reportedly on the way, grab a copy before it disappears into the realm of E-Bay.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/03/06