The Let's Play Archive

Baten Kaitos Origins

by Overrated Sage

Thanks! We like it too.Why not check out some similar LPs from our recommendations?
What would you like to tag this LP as?
Tag

Original Thread: Guillo ate my last LP of Baten Kaitos: Origins

 

Introduction




Let's play Baten Kaitos: Origins!


This game was released in 2006 as a prequel to Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean, and like its older sibling it is a Gamecube exclusive RPG, making it a rarity in itself. It has many famed companies behind its creation, such as Namco, Monolith, and the good people of Tri-Crescendo.

The Baten Kaitos world stands out as being a particularly beautiful place, having some of the strongest graphics you'll ever see from the Gamecube and fantastic art direction and creativity in general. In this setting, there are several “islands” which float in the sky, over the poisonous Taintclouds that cover the Earth. Each island has its own culture and style, and overall I feel that the game does a great job of establish a fascinating and wonderful world. Both games also have excellent soundtracks which are an integral part of the experience, and I will be posting songs through the updates for your listening pleasure.

The games are also famous for having card-based battle systems – or, more specifically, for having card-based battle systems that are actually good. These cards, called magnus, are even ingratiated quite well into the plot proper and function as an inventory system as well.


But enough about the series, let's talk about this game specifically. Origins stands out form Eternal Wings in a few key areas. First of all, Eternal Wings had famously bad voice work, while Origins has perhaps the best voice acting I've encountered in a video game. I will be posting supplemental videos so you can hear the voice acting if you like, some of it really is worth hearing.

Another key difference is that, while Eternal Wings was generally laid back with only a few particularly difficult fights, Origins can and will crush you if you give it even the slightest opportunity – even the random mobs can be alarmingly difficult. The good news is that the game fully heals you after every fight and lets you Retry when you fail boss battles – a function I will be using quite regularly, I imagine.


Characters



The Guardian Spirit


The main character has a Guardian Spirit that accompanies him, with the idea being that this spirit is you/us, the player. The game handles this surprisingly well, and the characters treat you as a part of their group but still act on their own accord. One thing worth noting is that we can name the Spirit, but unlike Eternal Wings we cannot pick the gender – this spirit is automatically assumed to be male, presumably because that allows the voice actors to more easily substitute pronouns for the name.




Sagi

Sagi (voiced by Crawford Wilson) is the hero of our story, and he's a typical nice guy; slow to anger, friendly and compassionate. He's fifteen years old, but was selected as a member of a lord's private guard due to his powers as a Spiriter. He is a major Momma's boy, and often thinks about how he can help her out.





Guillo


Guillo is a...something...that has been Sagi's best friend for years. Sagi found it buried in the forest outside his hometown. It is a curious creature, having both male and female mannerisms while clearly being neither; in fact, it has a voice actor (Terrence Carson) and a voice actress (Maura Gale) who speak at the same time, giving a creepy but awesome effect. Guillo is sarcastic and occasionally seems amoral, but is absolutely devoted to Sagi.




Milly


The daughter of a wealthy Imperial family, Milly (voiced by Shanelle Workman) is sociable and elegant, but also energetic and a surprisingly compotent fighter. She pops up out of nowhere to save Sagi and Guillo from some soldiers, and ends up forcing her way into the party. Her cheerful demeanor occasionally slips, indicating that she harbors some sadness and guilt about something.



Questions and Answers



What's a Baten Kaitos?


Baten Kaitos is an alternate name for the star Zeta Ceti, which is located in the Cetus constellation, also called The Whale. In this series, The Whale is the rough equivelant of a god, giving it some plot tie in. Constellations also constituted a major sidequest in the previous game, but aren't really as important in Origins.


Is this a completionist run?


Nope! I will be doing some of the major sidequests, but there's one that I can guarantee I won't be doing, though I will start it just to show it off actually I wound up completing that sidequest, too. Go me? I will try to show off as much as I can while maintaining my sanity, and if there are any little things you'd like to see then let me know and I will try to show them off as well, at least when I can.


What kind of input will we have as viewers?


I will be handing control of the Guardian Spirit choices over to you all. Sadly, I can't do the same with battle parties as there are only three main characters, so this will be more oriented around your role as the spirit. You can also choose what order I undertake sidequests and sidequest-like events in when applicable.


What's the policy on spoilers?


I'd prefer for spoiler talk to be avoided entirely, but if you absolutely must bring them up, please do use those tags. Also, please avoid spoiling anything in regards to Eternal Wings.


Do I need to have played Eternal Wings to understand this?


Honestly, I think Eternal Wings is the one to play first, but this game's plot does stand on its own (I mean, it IS a prequel, it kind of has to). Some things may have less impact on you if you have not played Eternal Wings first, but I don't recall there being anything that simply won't make sense without a working knowledge of Eternal Wings' plot.

Table of Contents

Music

Archive Index