Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster
- June 17, 2024
- logicalbeat Co., Ltd.
Get on Steam"Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster" brings the classic games "Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean" and "Origins" to Steam with enhanced graphics. This collection includes a digital artbook filled with concept art, character designs, and more. The games feature text support in multiple languages, with Japanese voiceovers. Act fast to secure the Month 1 Edition with the artbook bonus, available until July 18, 2024.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The remaster features stunning graphics and beautiful music, enhancing the nostalgic experience of the original game.
- The unique card-based battle system offers engaging gameplay with opportunities for strategic combinations and deck building.
- Quality of life improvements, such as increased game speed and options to disable random encounters, make the gameplay more enjoyable.
- The removal of the English voice acting has disappointed many fans, as it was a nostalgic element of the original games.
- The port suffers from performance issues, including frame rate drops and input delays, which detract from the overall experience.
- Censorship changes, such as altering references to alcohol and other content, have frustrated players who feel it undermines the original game's integrity.
- story66 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story of the game is a blend of classic JRPG elements, featuring a protagonist, Sagi, who is framed for a crime and embarks on a journey filled with intrigue and plot twists. While some players find the narrative engaging and filled with deep worldbuilding, others note that it can feel standard or uneven, requiring good memory to follow side quests. Overall, the remaster revitalizes the experience, making it accessible for both new players and those revisiting the story.
“Amazing story and worldbuilding.”
“The story follows Sagi, who gets framed for assassinating the emperor of the Alfard Empire, begins a journey to investigate why he was framed, and discovers other sinister plots.”
“Great characters, fun story that defies many standard RPG conventions, and a battle system so unique you can't find it anywhere else.”
“The story for 'i' is very standard JRPG - bad stuff happens, go kill god.”
“The story is a mixed bag.”
“You need a great memory or personal notes to keep up with side quests and possibly story-related progression if you take significant breaks.”
- graphics29 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The graphics of the remastered game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the improved clarity and overall beauty compared to the original, while some criticize the character art style and lack of graphical options. Players appreciate the stunning environments and fluid performance, although there are complaints about certain visual elements being outdated or poorly executed. Overall, the remaster revitalizes the visuals, but some aspects still feel lacking or inconsistent.
“The graphics are gorgeous and the music is stunning.”
“It's a very unique RPG with gorgeous graphics and music.”
“Graphically, this game is much cleaner than the original.”
“I'm not a fan of the character art style, especially the 2D character portraits, which look awful.”
“Let's see... the graphics are noticeably worse, the voice acting is in mono, the audio mixing is all over the place and the volume is generally too low. The new sound effects are much worse, the 'quality of life features' really don't help you at all (except for the much-beloved auto-save), there's not really any settings to speak of, alt-tabbing and/or using the Steam overlay breaks the game, the UI is a hot mess ripe with input delay, and boy does the game lag for some bizarre reason.”
“There are very few graphics options, but the game performs well.”
- music27 mentions
- 78 % positive mentions
- 15 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The music in the Baten Kaitos series, composed by Motoi Sakuraba, is widely praised for its stunning quality, featuring a blend of epic orchestral, operatic, and melancholic melodies that enhance the game's unique atmosphere. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack as one of the best in the RPG genre, contributing significantly to the overall experience and engagement with the story and gameplay. The combination of beautiful music and striking visuals makes the series a standout recommendation for JRPG fans.
“The music is beautiful.”
“We never did see anything like it after... it also features hands-down the best soundtrack that Motoi Sakuraba (of Star Ocean and Dark Souls fame) has ever and probably will ever write, with a mix of epic orchestral and operatic songs, rocking prog-tunes, and melancholy piano melodies.”
“These two games feature an amazingly fun and unique turn-based battle system (Baten Kaitos) and ATB-style system (Origins) combined with a card battler, have an amazing soundtrack composed by Motoi Sakuraba (also known for doing soundtracks for the 'Tales of' games and 'Dark Souls'), and beautiful pre-rendered backgrounds.”
“The first game is nothing amazing but it still has enough plot twists and pretty music to keep you engaged.”
“Der soundtrack von Baten Kaitos gefiel mir schon damals und hier hat sich nichts geändert.”
- gameplay23 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the HD remaster introduces several new features such as options to disable random battles, an auto-battle function, and a one-hit kill mode, catering to players who prioritize story over combat mechanics. While the game attempts to refine the original's flaws, it also introduces new bugs and issues, including localization errors and questionable censorship choices. The unique deck-building mechanics and the ability to speed up gameplay are praised, but some players find the overall execution unrefined.
“The draw of this game is of course the deck building and a unique twist to your usual JRPG mechanics.”
“Gameplay-wise, BKO does a lot to fix and polish the flaws of the original, but in the process adds a number of new ones.”
“You have to master the unique mechanics like opposing elements, spirit numbers, and EX combos to succeed.”
“You can speed up gameplay for dungeons and battle scenes (up to 300% for the latter), and you can also disable the battle intermission screens that appear after every turn, which made the original release feel slow.”
- optimization8 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Overall, the optimization of the game has received mixed reviews. While some players report stable performance on devices like the Steam Deck, others criticize the lack of optimization from the Switch version, noting persistent performance issues and stuttering, particularly in later stages of gameplay. A recent patch has improved some aspects, but further enhancements are still needed.
“I give the GameCube originals 7.8 and 8.4 out of 10, respectively, due to them including the original dub, the better script, and better performance without the need of a patch.”
“It would seem they just dumped the Switch version on Steam without any sort of optimization and called it a day!”
“The patch addresses most of the performance issues, but some areas could still use some improvement here and there.”
“I played the first game for around 20 hours, and the performance gets worse the further you progress.”
- character development4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development is praised for its depth and uniqueness, largely attributed to the detailed design of the characters. The focus on only three main characters allows for more meaningful and nuanced development, enhancing the overall narrative experience.
“The character development is enhanced by the focus on only three main characters, allowing for deeper storytelling.”
“The unique and detailed character design adds a rich layer to the overall experience.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the ability to grind efficiently while exploring engaging dungeons and solving puzzles, which contributes to the game's longevity. However, some find the need to manage multiple character decks to be somewhat tedious.
“Babysitting decks for all the characters can get a little tedious.”
“Grinding can feel repetitive and detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
“The need to grind for resources often interrupts the flow of the game.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the humor in the game particularly amusing, especially noting the absurdity of the "you win!" message that appears after battles, which adds a lighthearted touch to the gameplay experience.
“The ridiculous 'You win!' after battles is hilarious.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers highlight that the port significantly enhances the game's atmosphere, adding depth and texture that enrich the overall experience.
“This port is good and adds a lot of texture to the atmospheres in the game.”
- stability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game demonstrates excellent stability, consistently running at 120 fps without issues.
“Runs great at 120 fps.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy employed by Bandai Namco has been criticized as a blatant cash grab, leading users to express strong discontent and a belief that the company does not deserve any financial gain from it.
“Bandai Namco does not deserve to make a single yen from this pathetic cash grab.”
“The monetization in this game feels exploitative and ruins the overall experience.”
“It's frustrating to see so many features locked behind paywalls, making it hard to enjoy the game fully.”
