I will never forget that Thursday, February 9th 2023 when Nintendo Direct, out of the f*ing blue, announced the Remaster of Baten Kaitos for the Switch. The moment I saw the protagonists’ back, his blue hair and his metallic wing, my heart exploded and so did my body. I watched the entire trailer from the corner of my boyfriend’s living room where I ran as I jumped out of the couch, unable to understand what was happening. It’s been literally 20 years and it seemed I was not the only one who appreciated this game, a game no one was talking about! A few months after the announcement, there I was, a 36-yo man this time, crying over the last scene of ‘Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean’ once more, giving my teenage self a big hug and a smile saying ‘Thank you’. Thank you for randomly choosing Baten Kaitos over Tales of Symphonia at the video game store 20 years ago.
Now, 20 years after that first playthrough, as the graphic designer that I’ve become, I appreciated the artists’ work on both the world and the characters on a whole new level. As an emotional being who has gone through some internal work, I understood the party a lot more. How the physical power of Gibari is an extension of his integrity, kindness and sense of responsibility. How the hyper-independence and sharpness of Savyna, an ex-mercenary, comes from her cruel past which she manages to leave behind as the rest of the group shows her how needless war is. How the purity and balanced character of Xelha, the Ice Queen is reflected in her wide variety of magic spells. And last but not least, how Kalas, an immature soul driven by vengeance, learns to listen, co-exist and grow through the adventure. Lyude and Mizuti have their own background but I’d prefer to leave something to be discovered.
A few months after replaying the original ‘Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean’, I played the ‘Origins’ for the very first time. Even though I couldn’t find any connection with the protagonists, I appreciated the story and the plot twists as well as seeing familiar characters like Gibari and King Ladhekan at a younger age. Corelia seems to have made a deal with the devil for she looks the same in both games! What I found most intriguing in Origins was the battle system which was a pain in the a** (really doubted my will to continue at some point) before I realized how it works and absolutely fell in love with it. The unique card-based system of Baten Kaitos ended up feeling much more fluid, quick and effective compared to the original and as a result, more addicting. And honestly, this is where ‘Origins’ felt superior to ‘Eternal Wings’.
If you ask my teenage self about Baten Kaitos, he would say it was his favorite game of all time. If you ask me on a deeper level, I’d say that Baten Kaitos offered me a fantastical, diverse world to escape from the 90’s narrow-minded society of Greece, and made me part of a group of characters that came together and fought for the greater good.
SPOILER ALERT* The last scene of Eternal Wings where the characters break the fourth wall and speak directly to the player (me) had me bursting into tears both as a kid and as an adult. The reasons are clear to me now. The separation from the world of Baten Kaitos and its characters meant that I had to go back to my awkward life as a frustrated teenage boy trying to please everyone and fit in. I had to let go of my imagination, my innocence and the freedom that comes with it to go back to a life I did not choose. Thank god we’re adults now. Thank god our life is now made of our choices only. Cheers!
Baten Kaitos is available on both the Switch and Steam.
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