Baten Kaitos

Written by D'Marcus Beatty  on August 26, 2004

Hands-On Preview: Role Poker Playing Game

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The GameCube finally seems to be coming into its own where RPGs are concerned. With the recent release of Namco's well-received and mammoth-sized Tales of Symphonia, as well as the long awaited Paper Mario 2, Nintendo has some quality RPGs for fans of the genre who've been long suffering from the dearth of role-players. Soon another title will join that list, the strangely named Baten Kaitos.

For those who haven't been introduced to Namco's second foray into GameCube RPGs, Baten Kaitos is a card based role-playing game. What sets Baten apart from other games are its beautiful graphics, enthralling story and strategic approach to combat.

Baten Kaitos is set in a world where all of the characters have wings and the ability to fly, and the world is made up of floating continents. The main character, Kalas, sets out on a mission to save the world. What is unique about Kalas is that he is slightly aware of your presence as a controlling influence, and will talk to you at certain times during the course of gameplay. Apparently, to Kalas, the gamer is some sort of god/ spiritual advisor, and he will actually speak to you at times, asking questions or favors from you.

The combat system in Baten Kaitos is a little more intuitive than a general card-based RPG. It plays like poker, so that certain combinations of cards are more powerful than others, such as a flush or a pair. The cards also have elements assigned to them, which increase the strategic factor, as some elements will increase damage to certain enemies susceptible to them, and some elements can negate damage to your characters if used to counter a foe's elemental attack. Although it may sound complicated, Namco states that the system should be intuitive to anyone familiar with regular turn-based combat.

There are also a number of hidden, powerful cards that can be acquired through different approaches. New cards can be created by combining other cards, which makes a stunning number of possible cards. Other cards will blossom over time, becoming more powerful the longer that they are in your possession, such as an ice card that "melts" into a water card. There are also defense cards, represented by pieces of armor, which will decrease damage inflicted on the party. All told, Namco boasts that there will be more than 1,000 cards in the game, which will dramatically increase battle options, since each card represents a possible action in battle.

Another different aspect of the game is that money isn't earned by defeating enemies, but by photographing them and selling the photos. Of course, rarer and more powerful enemies will fetch the hero more money than regular foes, but they will probably be harder and more dangerous to photograph.

The graphics in Baten Kaitos are gorgeous, with a water-colored style that is very visually pleasing. Most of the animations, in combination with the beautiful appearance make environments that are incredibly immersive.