"Spread my wings and fly away!"

Rpgs have always been a genre that the Gamecube lacked, but recently a superb rpg called Paper Mario Thousand Year Door made its way to the Gamecube. While Paper Mario was fantastic it was lacking the epic storyline that I have been craving for since Skies of Arcadia Legends. Namco's last attempt at an rpg on the Gamecube was fairly good. Tales of Symphonia had a strong battle system, but it was lacking in story. Now Namco's second attempt at an rpg on the Gamecube is quite successful. Baten Kaitos simply possesses all the qualities that anyone would want in an rpg. Does it have a great story? Check. What about a great combat system? Check. How about likable characters? Check. With Baten Kaitos you get an rpg that has one of the best card based battled systems you will find in any rpg, it has a compelling story with quite a few plot twists, and an rpg with characters that will make you feel for their cause. Baten Kaitos follows the story of Kalas and five other party members. Basically the story revolves around these five end magnus and if these magnus are released then an ancient evil will be awakened and it would be the end of the world. Kalas and his friends being the heroes must band together and save the world. Like most Japanese rpgs the story revolves around a teenager off to save the world. While the story is a bit cliche; it is how it unfolds and develops that makes the story in Baten Kaitos great.

Its own unique cultural flavour

Baten Kaitos is separated into different floating lands and each of them has their own unique look, but all of them have one thing in common, and that is they all provide some eye candy for us gamers. The islands in Baten Kaitos are very lively and gorgeous due to its pre-rendered backgrounds. With its lush backgrounds and beautiful worlds, Baten Kaitos is one of the Gamecube's better looking games. There are a few issues that I have with the graphics, and that is the character models do not look quite as good as the games pre-rendered backgrounds. As a matter of fact the first thing you will notice is the gorgeous and lush environment and the second thing you will notice is how the character models seem to pale in comparison. Now don't get me wrong the character models do suffice and look rather good, but it's a minor gripe that stands out due to the games overwhelming environments. Now when you're in battle the animation is very fluid and crisp. The special attacks look gorgeous and it might even make you ponder what it would be like, if you were capable of such incredible moves. For a game that looks this good it is quite a shame that there are no FMVs besides the opening FMV in Baten Kaitos. However the game in general looks more then good and the game provides some of the best looking backgrounds on the Gamecube.

In essence Baten Kaitos is a card base rpg, but it plays like a turn base rpg. The cards are like your normal menus in turn base combat, however instead of choosing which type of attack you get to choose the attacks in the form of cards. You can string these cards together to make longer and more powerful combos. To make your combos more effective players must try to get their cards in continuous numbers. Each cards has a number and if you string these numbers like 1,2,3… and so on you will make your attacks stronger. Also try not to deal cards that have elements in conflict with each other. For example if you have a card that is fire based don't use another card right after that is water base. Now you can still do it, but the damage isn't as powerful.

These cards are basically called magnus, and these magnus can be collected during your adventure. At times you will also be required to have certain magnus to proceed. For example needing some form of water to cool down a lava path. After defeating enemies you will usually pick up cards that can be used in battles. Baten Kaitos levelling up system is quite unique and at times a nuisance. Instead of an automatic level up system you have a system where it requires you to find a save flower and transport yourself to a church and pray in order to level up. You will also have the opportunity to class up with different items and this will allow for a bigger deck of cards and the ability to make longer combos with your cards.

Each island has a unique culture and this culture heightens the experience of Baten Kaitos. The characters have great personality, and they blend well together. You also have a few comedic lines from the “Great Mizuti” and also quite a few epic and heroic lines from Kalas. The personality of these characters really adds to the flavour of this game. One major complaint about the game's mechanics is the fact that each battle takes so long. Some battles with normal enemies can last upwards of ten minutes. In fact one boss battle took me nearly an hour to finish. At times the game will have an unbalanced difficulty. Sometimes you will find the bosses very easy and at times downright frustrating, but in the end Baten Kaitos unique and very enjoyable card base system, along with a very strong and compelling story will offsets these flaws.

Are they talking through a tube?

The sound is divided into two parts, part one is the amazing music, and part 2 is the fairly average voice acting. The music does a great job of setting the mood in this game. When I was in one of the islands I felt a very relaxing soundtrack that is fitting of festivals. And when I was at the last level I felt its intense and heart pounding music. Now with the beautiful and amazing soundtrack one cannot help, but wonder what happened to the voice acting. The voice acting feels like the characters are talking through a tube. At first the voice acting will be quite annoying, but after a while you get use to it. Namco does allow you to turn off the voice acting, but I couldn't help and think that Namco knew the voice acting was bad.

The game took me more then fifty hours to beat and for some that want to do all the side quests, it will require even longer then that. This game is long for an rpg. While there are still some rpgs that are longer then Baten Kaitos, the fact is Baten Kaitos offers both a long quest and a satisfying one. The time you will spend playing this game will feel epic, highly enjoyable, and very unique. Simply put this game is just a great game.

With its lush environments, unique card base system, compelling story, and rather likable characters, Baten Kaitos really gives players a sense of an epic adventure. With a somewhat lacking Gamecube rpg lineup, Baten Kaitos is definitely a welcome site. There are many strong points to this game and it is quite apparent that this is due to a lot of talent. The way that the story is crafted and the way it plays out really shows what Namco is capable of. To make a card base rpg, when most card base rpgs are literally horrendous, not only takes a lot of courage from Namco, but it takes a very talented group to pull it off. For that I applaud them and for the fact that they finally get past the good game barrier, and made a great rpg deserves an applaud also.

What is there not to love?

Enriched in its own unique and at times quirky adventure, Baten Kaitos is an rpg that at times stray from your typical rpg, but the game still retains enough fundamentals that the game still resembles many rpgs today. Baten Kaitos is simply an amazing experience that should not be missed by anyone, especially fans of the genre. So Gamecube owners who have been complaining about the lack of rpgs, do yourself a favour and pick this spectacular rpg up. With the somewhat lacking rpg genre in the Gamecube lineup, Baten Kaitos offers a great experience for any Gamecube owners looking for a rpg. This game offers everything that an rpg should have. It has a compelling story, a solid combat system, and likable characters. These things go a long way in crafting an extremely satisfying rpg. While Baten Kaitos does have its flaws, the good far outweighs the bad. I would recommend all Gamecube owners to buy this game because this is simply a great game.

Pros
+ Compelling story
+ Likable characters
+ A unique card base combat system
+ Beautiful and lush environments
+ Amazing soundtrack
+ 50+ hours
+ Intense boss battles
+ Unique cultures for each island
+ A very satisfying quest

Cons
- The voice acting makes the character seem like they are talking through a tube
- At times long battles may get a bit tedious
- Unbalanced boss fights

Graphics - 9.5/10
Gameplay - 9.5/10
Sound - 8/10
Value - 10/10
Presentation - 9.5/10
Overall - 9.5/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/06/05, Updated 01/20/06