Review: Baten Kaitos
Baten Kaitos stands out from the rest of the RPG bunch.
What do you get when you combine a fantasy role-playing game with a deck of magical dueling cards? The answer is Baten Kaitos, a new game from the developers of the critically acclaimed RPG Xenosaga. Baten Kaitos blends free-roaming exploration and card trading into one truly unique experience.
An Eye for an Eye
In Baten Kaitos, players control Kalas, a battered wanderer who is determined to avenge his father's death. After meeting up with a fellow traveler named Xhela, the pair set off for a nearby enchanted forest and accidentally unearth an evil magical creature.
Visually, the character style in Baten Kaitos is awfully similar to the past few Final Fantasy games, but at least the environments are loaded with plenty of sharp details. As for sound, you'll hear peaceful tunes while nestled in the safety of the village and adrenaline pumping battle anthems during combat scenes. The voice-overs during combat are another nice bit of sonic flair.
Holding All the Cards
Fans of Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh! may assume that forming the perfect deck is the ultimate objective in Baten Kaitos; the game, however, goes one step further. The Magnus cards aren't just any collectible cards: some act as damage modifiers by increasing or decreasing the damage dealt to enemies, while others offer protection, healing or elemental magic.
During combat, players must draw cards to land blows, or string together devastating combos from their different hands of Magnus cards. The trick is, it's tough to predict which card will become available next, making combat something of a gamble. While Baten Kaitos includes thousands of individual Magnus cards, party members can only hold a fraction of that at one time.
Blank Magnus cards also serve as a handy storage system, enabling party members to store particularly helpful items or weapons for later use. Obviously, this card-collecting aspect sends Baten Kaitos's replay value through the roof.
The greatest feature in Baten Kaitos may be the fact that you can fight and travel as freely as you like. And in a refreshing touch, you can see all enemies (save for bosses) on the map before combat begins--you won't find any annoying Final Fantasy-style random encounters here. And thanks to Baten Kaitos's optional mini-missions, while strictly optional, devoted players have the chance to earn the rarest Magnus cards of all. Now, draw!
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