Jul 172015
Let me start by saying I haven’t played either Baten Kaitos game yet, but I really want to. You’re probably tired of me saying that, so I promise to work hard on my video game backlog.
Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean and its prequel, Baten Kaitos Origins, are RPGs for the Gamecube. People recommended them to me in the past, but what really got my attention was the trend of people who love both Baten Kaitos and Tales of Symphonia (which also began on the Gamecube). When multiple people rank Baten Kaitos alongside my new favorite game as the best JRPGs, it gets my attention.
I really don’t know much about it. The name “Baten Kaitos” means “belly of the sea monster” and is also the traditional name used for the star Zeta Ceti. Is this significant? I have no idea. Tales of Symphonia taught me that trying to figure out plot points based on a name I recognize won’t necessarily work.
I also know the battle system involves cards. Card-based video games seem to be surging in popularity, so this can only help Baten Kaitos, right?
Meanwhile, the Baten Kaitos series found itself in the news just recently, as Siliconera discussed it with Bandai Namco producer Kensuke Tsukanaka, who said:
“As for [Baten Kaitos] itself outside of Project X Zone, well, I can’t really say much about that yet, but I think we need some substantial feedback from fans before moving forward with a project like that. What do they want to see from it? What platform do they want to see it on? If we can gather more voices for Baten Kaitos, then maybe we can start something with Bandai Namco Entertainment. That’s about all I can say right now!”
This is reminiscent of Xenosaga’s situation, as well as recent projects like Shenmue 3 that used Kickstarter as a gauge of community interest. With little surprise, fans have already started a petition.
Is there a market for a third Baten Kaitos game? If you’re interested, sign the petition and let Bandai Namco know you want a new Baten Kaitos!