Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean

"Absolutely beautiful to behold, full of innovations and fun to play. Too bad the story is so mediocre."

Baten Kaitos (which means Tail of the Whale by the way) is a sad game, it is a sad game because it basically excels in everything that makes an rpg worthy... unless we talk about the plot. Really, it is so depressing to find out nobody has bothered to include a worthy plot after the onslaught to the senses this game is, the guys from Namco should get shot.

Story 5/10:
How many times have we heard the townsfolk talking about animals that suddenly became wild and dangerous for no reason in a mountain or a forest nearby?, well, we have to read these lines about three minutes into the game. Bad sing.

From the look of the game at least I though it would have a more Final Fantasy-like development, loaded with CG cut scenes and extravagant sequences, don`t know exactly why though, it was my first impression, but the truth is that, aside from the intro (which is pretty terrible) there are zero CG sequences and about the extravagant sequences, zero again.

Unlike most rpgs out there Baten Kaitos doesn`t have any original ideas or potential premises kicking and screaming to come out, and although there are two decent twists, and although the second half of the game is much better than the first, they are not enough to redeem such a cliched, lackluster and uninspired story. The only way to make this game`s story interesting would be to imagine something totally different.

The characters don`t help either and their alarming lack of charisma (with a couple of honorable exceptions though) hurts the game`s development, specially Lyude, I mean come on, the other day my mother was making a delicious ``tortilla`` and I swear some of the onions had a stronger personality.

Graphics 10/10:
Baten Kaitos could very well have some of the most beautiful graphics ever to grace your retina, and again, provides further proof that rendered, prerendered, hand drawn or any other type of 2D graphics are the most appropriate, best looking and suitable visual style when it comes to rpgs. Almost every frame is nothing but a work of art and there are so many little details that it would be impossible to count them accurately.

Ok, the combats are in 3D, like the characters, but the character`s 3D models are exceptional and I don`t really care about the battle graphics as long as everything else is in 2D.

The Magnus (cards) deserve a special mention too, the swords, shields, food, items and accessory designs are nothing short of outstanding and it is amazing nobody though about selling them in card form to play with them, which was the case with Final Fantasy VIII`s cards.

So, one thing pops into my head right away: who in their right mind would prefer 3D graphics after playing this game?, honestly, it is possible not to declare war against the 3D after the magnificence of Baten Kaitos` visual style?. Too bad I do not represent the vast majority.

Music 10/10:
Like the graphics, the music`s quality is so tremendously high that it is almost insulting. The problem is that, nowadays, most games excel only in terms of quality and quality alone isn`t enough. Fortunately Baten Kaitos` soundtrack doesn`t fall into this category.

It is true that the dungeon themes are usually too soft and the sound effects so loud sometimes that it is impossible to listen to the music properly, but only once in a while, this is no Star Ocean III and, soft or not, almost every single theme is beyond awesome.

What bugs me a lot is that Mr. Sakuraba seem to enjoy including horrible hip-hop-like boss themes lately, like in the third Star Ocean installment there is one of those completely out of place songs during some of the boss battles here. Perverting so many relaxing and beautiful pieces of classical music with insufferable hip-hop or rap tunes is a sacrilege.

As for the voice acting, most people seems to have goose bumps every time someone opens their mouth, but I think it is ranges from good to great, I mean, it does get embarrassing during some of the most melodramatic sequences, but I think it is adequate enough.

Gameplay 10/10:
Baten Kaitos is one of those rare rpgs whose twists and innovation don`t interfere with a typical rpg development, and it is not short on innovations that is for sure. In fact, despite all the card stuff I think it is safe to say this is clearly an old-school title.

One of the main reason is that this is not a cinematic title, which is crucial. Since the game is mostly in 2D every time we talk with someone or something happens the camera stays there, there are no close-ups or rotations, we don`t see cut-scenes from multiple angles and crap like that (excepting for a couple of boss battles and one or two sequences). This is great, when I play video games I want them to look like video games, not interactive movies.

Basically, the game plays like any PlayStation Final Fantasy except we can see the enemies on the screen, which is a bless because the combats are very slow. The dungeons are a bit short though, there are exceptions but most of them usually have about three or four screens max. Were it not for the lengthy combats, most of the dungeons would be easily cleaned in a couple of minutes, which is a pity and my only complaint together with the story.

About the battle system, I have to say I was very skeptical about all that card stuff, but once you get into it the battles they are really something. I`m too lazy to explain exactly how they work, just let me say they are way more interactive and there is a lot more strategy involved than you usual rpg combats and while slow, this title features one of the most kick-ass battle systems I have ever seen, right there with Grandia, Valkyrie Profile and the Tales of series.

Replay Value:
The game is supposed to last for about 60 hours according to the back cover, now, that is what most back covers say (although ``more than 80 hours of gameplay`` is a lot more frequent) when the truth is that most rpgs only last for about 35 hours. But Baten Kaitos is a different case because that was exactly the right length for me and, if you count all the time spent looking for all the magnus and combos, not long enough.

Still, the replay value is pretty low, it is along title but aside from finding all the magnus and combos there is nothing else to do, no hidden characters or worthy secrets.

Overall:
This is a tough game to rate, as an rpg, the story isn`t even worth a look, but then we have the fabulous soundtrack, a marvelous world to explore with the graphics every rpg should have and a deep, innovative and absolutely, positively fantastic gameplay full of magnificent ideas, not to mention it is really fun to play despite the slow combats. So I guess it is best to say that this game is a great start and if Baten Kaitos II retains the same looks and manages to include a good and original story it would be something shouldn`t be missed by any means. Or at least until Namco decides to turn it into a 3D action title.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/30/06