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about bko
Baten Kaitos Origins (known as Baten Kaitos II: The First Wings and the Heirs of God in Japan) is an RPG for the GameCube console developed by Monolith Soft and tri-Crescendo. It is a prequel to Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean, and takes place 20 years prior to the first game. The story reveals the origins of Malpercio and its fate 1000 years ago, and many of the characters from BK get their backstories fleshed out in BKO. Players are also introduced to an all-new cast of main characters.
The Characters
The Player is actually a part of the game, as in the first Baten Kaitos. You are Sagi's guardian spirit, and as such the game's characters (usually Sagi) will speak to the screen as if talking to the spirit. You can answer questions, and your choices affect how well you "get along" with Sagi. A better relationship allows for a greater chance of advantageous cards coming up in battle.
Guillo has somewhat of an animosity towards Milly, calling her "wench" and often threatening violence against her (usually wanting to eat her). This stems from jealousy of Milly's relationship with Sagi. However, in the end they find themselves as true comrades.
From the beginning, Milly seems to have a crush on Sagi. As the game progresses it becomes more apparent that her feelings have grown into a deep affection, but whether Sagi returns them is another matter. There's no love lost between her and Guillo because of it. She calls Guillo "dingbat" and tends to make rude faces when she's angry.
The Gameplay
 Gameplay in BKO is similar to its predecessor, but there are several key changes made. The most obvious is the Magnus battle system. All three of your characters share the same deck, and all three can use the basic attack cards. They each have their own special moves however, and Milly has some attack cards only she can use. Each character has his or her unique style of fighting--Sagi is a big melee fighter, with hard-hitting moves using his katana, Guillo is heavy on magic and spells that can hit all enemies at once, and Milly is the combo queen, with attacks that don't hit hard but hit many times. Battle is much faster-paced than in Baten Kaitos, although you can slow it down by selecting Easy battle mode in the game's options. The defense turn has been removed entirely, replaced by equipment Magnus that you equip on use and expire after a set number of turns or hits. You can no longer get damage bonuses by having pairs or more of the same number on the cards; the system is entirely straight-based. The three main attacks are numbers 1 (weakest) to 3 (strongest), special attacks are 4 through 7, and equipment is always 0. Equipment is optional to use in a combo, and you can skip any number as long as you go lowest to highest. Of course, the bigger the combo, the better off you are. If a character finishes their turn with a special and you have a character ready for their turn, they can initiate a Relay Combo if there is a 1 card available to use. This bumps them to immediately after the first character, continuing the attack on the same enemy in a devastating combo move. You can Relay Combo all three of your characters in a row, possibly more if your first character can get their turn again fast enough. To utilize your specials, and some item Magnus, you must have the required amount of MP. MP is gained by using Magnus in battle, and when it reaches a certain point it will go up to the next level. (You'll hear the announcer when your MP level goes up in battle.) Level 1 Magnus take 1 level of MP, 2 take 2, and so on. As your deck levels, your MP builds faster. Quest Magnus are present in this game as well, and perhaps even more important. There are a TON of quests where people want certain quest Magnus, and with the addition of Magnus mixing the possibilities are nearly endless. If you have a certain combination of quest Magnus, you can put them in a special "Magnus Mixer" which will combine them into something new after a set number of battles. In addition, merely having some quest Magnus in your inventory can boost your attributes--or lower them. I could write a ton more about the game, but this is just a fanlisting... so those are the basics. Maybe someday soon I'll turn this into a shrine of sorts and write some more crap. :P P.S. I beat The Wicked Gawd. |
Sagi is the main character of Baten Kaitos Origins. A 15-year-old from the floating island of Hassaleh, he is known as a "spiriter," a person who can communicate with a guardian spirit. He joined the Alfard Empire's Dark Service to make a name for himself, as well as some money to send back home. An ill-fated mission leaves him accused of assassinating the emperor of Alfard, and he must clear his name while uncovering the mysteries behind the world, as well as within himself. To do so, he ends up working under Quaestor Verus, one of the candidates for new emperor of Alfard and a fellow spiriter... or is he?
Guillo is a mysterious mechanical puppet that Sagi found buried in the forest near his home when he was young. Its gender is uncertain, as it speaks with a male and female voice simultaneously, but its looks and affection for Sagi suggest a female dominance in its personality. No one really knows what Guillo is--there is no other creature or machine like it in the world at present. Guillo joins the Dark Service with Sagi, posing as his paramachina. Paramachina look somewhat similar to Guillo, but they are not intelligent and cannot speak, only following orders given by their masters. Guillo remains with Sagi when he begins his work under the Quaestor, and along the way some curious events happen that lead the party to wonder exactly what Guillo's reason for being is.
Milliarde (Milly) is a 17-year-old girl from a wealthy family in Alfard who longs to see the outside world. Being confined to Mintaka and the Magic School in Anuenue where she studies, she became restless and ran away. She just happened to bump into Sagi and Guillo being pursued by soldiers due to their mishap at the emperor's estate and decided to give them a hand. Afterwards she tagged along (much to Guillo's dismay) in order to see the sights of the world. Milly seems like an ordinary rich girl at first, but it becomes apparent that she has some secrets, ones that may put the party in a difficult situation.
