Origins is actually a very open-ended game in that regard. Origins should take most players 40-50 hours to complete, but the wealth of sidequests should extend the game time well beyond that. It's a very interesting twist on the traditional equipment system, although the element of luck in drawing a desired piece of equipment can once again be irritating. This equipment has limited durability, meaning it will disappear after a few hits. Rather than equipping your characters with weapons and armor in the traditional sense, players can put weapon and armor cards in their deck, and then use them on characters when drawn during battle. Since HP replenishes after every fight, each battle is its own self-contained challenge, affording you the ability to go all out with your resources.Īnother interesting element of the card-based battle system is the way it deals with equipment. Additionally, the organization of your deck for a given situation is very important, and with over 600 cards to choose from, the possibilities are nearly limitless. By stringing together attacks of increasing power levels, players can unleash combos for greater damage.
Of course, there is some strategy to the routine. There's nothing worse than fighting a tough boss and constantly being dealt cards that are completely useless for the situation. Which cards you are dealt is completely random, making battles largely dependent on luck, which can be irritating. These cards are comprised of attacks cards, special ability cards, and equipment cards, among others. During battle, players are dealt a hand of cards from their deck, which they can organize in between fights. It works very differently from most RPGs, and for many players it will be the real deciding factor in whether they enjoy the game or not. The real meat of the game lies in its battle system, which is once again card-based. The amount of quests that fall into this category is kind of annoying, as is the sheer amount of backtracking that's sometimes necessary. Several fetch-type quests require players to collect specific Magnus essences and return them to the quest-givers. Players can access key items and store their essence in blank Magnus in order to solve problems.
Gameplay revolves around collection of various cards, called Magnus.
To avoid spoilers, I won't go into much more detail, but know that Baten Kaitos Origins delivers a great story on par with the original.īaten Kaitos was an extremely card-driven game, and Origins is no different. In the early stages of the game, Sagi is framed for the murder of the emperor, and suddenly finds himself a fugitive on the run, along with his two friends, the robot Guillo and the young lady Milly. Serving as a prequel to the original, Origins follows the story of a young spiriter named Sagi, who has the unique ability to communicate with his spirit buddy, represented by you, the player. Like any good RPG, a huge emphasis is placed on the story in Origins, and in that area, the game delivers. Now, Baten Kaitos returns to its, well, origins in Baten Kaitos Origins, and once again, the cards are the star. In turn, many RPG fans found a new cult classic and a good reason to pick up a Gamecube. It was an interesting approach, and actually worked much better than other similar card-based games. The original Baten Kaitos took that philosophy to the extreme, with everything from battling to puzzle-solving utilizing cards collected throughout the game world. Nowadays, it seems like more and more videogames have taken that fad into consideration, and have incorporated collectible cards into their own design. I remember when I was growing up, a lot of kids played collectible card games as an alternative to videogames. Good: Story explores beginnings of Baten Kaitos universe, interesting card-based gameplay, beautifully designed game worldīad: Lots of required grinding, heavy reliance on luck, occasional fetch quests and backtracking, some lifeless background images, annoying voice-overs
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