Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean

"The most beautiful game I've ever played"

It's been an excellent year for RPG's. So good infact, that I didn't believe it could get better. But the release of Baten Kaitos has proven me wrong, as well as far surpassed all of my expectations of what a good RPG should be.

Let me break it down.

Story/Characters: The story starts out a bit shaky, but as most will tell you, it picks up later on. The plot and it's developments are never particularly deep or thought-provoking, but they do their job to carry the game along, and do so without becoming a nuisance and distracting you from the game play. I found myself to be very impressed with the characters. All have unique personalities, and all are fairly likable. All have their faults, and are portrayed in a more human-like fashion than what we see in most RPG's these days.

Music/Sound: The music in this game is among the best I believe I've ever heard. Few games are lucky enough to have such incredibly perfect tunes to match and capture the emotions, environments and worlds within as the music in Baten Kaitos does. The sound effects such as those of clucking birds and running water when you pass by a river only help to further increase your desire to sink into the world of Baten Kaitos and wallow in it's pleasantries. To be honest, the sound effects within battle are a bit lacking. Considering the large variety of unique spells and items at your disposal, it's a shame that they didn't take it a step further and offer specific sounds to accompany each. The dialogue is carried mainly by voice actors throughout the game, and I personally believe they did a really good job. It's by no means the best voice acting I've heard, but probably not likely to make you scream and cover your ears in agony. Emotion in the voice is portrayed accordingly to suit the particular circumstances. It's well done.

Graphics: Just try to find a game more lovely. I dare you. The graphics in Baten Kaitos are among the best, even beating out those of FFX in my book. The worlds within are vibrant, detailed, and animated. The environments aren't really drawn to look life-like, but rather, to have more the appearance of a fantasy world where anything is possible, and that is a big, BIG part of it's appeal. The use of colour is spectacular, and no matter where you are, there's always something going on, whether it be clouds floating by, butterflies fluttering about, or leaves and grass blowing in the breeze. Often, over-head world maps are neglected in RPG's, but not in this one. Infact, the world and sub-world maps are probably the most visually gorgeous parts of the game. They're equally as detailed and animated as the towns and dungeons, as well as possessing the same great amount of imagination and creativity that is strewn throughout the rest of Baten Kaitos.

Game play/Control: This is another aspect in which Baten Kaitos really shines. It's a fairly easy game to learn overall. The control outside of battle is pretty straight forward. You walk around, interact with people and objects, and approach enemies (which are visible on-screen) when you're in the mood to fight. Battles themselves are easy to get into and learn, but may take alot of time to master. Yes, you fight with cards, but in truth, you select cards just as you would select commands from a menu in any turn-based RPG, so it's really not so different in that aspect. Where it is different is in the speed at which it all takes place, the variety of skills, the attention you need to pay to elements, and the importance of order. Battles take place at a very fast pace. Now, I don't mean that they're over within a couple of seconds. In all honesty, most will take a few minutes. But attacks, and especially defensive rounds need to be executed quite quickly, and if you're not paying attention, you'll be in trouble. Elemental properties are common in RPG's, but so rarely ever seem to matter. In Baten Kaitos they do though. Using opposing elemental attacks in the same turn will work against you and decrease damage, which is obviously something you don't want to happen.

There is quite a bit of strategy involved, but most takes place out of battle. Properly maintaining your "deck" (the deck of cards you take into and use in battle) is essential if you want to be victorious. Since your hand is always random, it's important that you have a well-balanced deck to slim your chances of ending up with an all-defensive hand on your offensive turn. Sure, it will happen at times, but not as often if you plan correctly. Another interesting thing to note is that your cards (items/weapons, etc) can actually change and take on new forms with time or when using them in battle along with other particular cards. It's just another cool thing to be on the watch for and keep on top of. Last thing you want to do is enter battle and find that your healing fruits have rotted and are no longer of use.

Aside from battling and exploring, there are also a variety of side-quests and tasks to perform for people whom you encounter throughout the game. They will often reward you for your trouble, so it may be in your best interest not to let their pleas go unanswered.

Final Verdict:

Story: 8
Characters: 9
Music: 10
Sound effects: 8
Graphics: 10
Control: 10
Game play: 10
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Overall Score: 9/10

I consider this game to be a definite must-play for any RPG fan. The deep, fast-paced combat system will appeal to fans of both the traditional turn-based and real-time battle systems. As for whether or not to rent or buy... I'd say buy. Baten Kaitos is beautiful work of art, and would be a lovely, enjoyable addition to any RPG lovers collection.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/03/05