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Baten Kaitos Origins
Developer(s)	tri-Crescendo/Monolith Soft
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Designer(s)	Yasuyuki Honne
Engine	Unique
Release date(s)	February 23, 2006 September 25, 2006
Genre(s)	RPG
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	CERO: Ages 12+ ESRB: Teen
Platform(s)	GameCube
Media	2 × GameCube Optical Disc
Input	Standard GameCube controller

Baten Kaitos Origins (known as Baten Kaitos II in Japan) is a role-playing video game unveiled at the 2005 Tokyo Game Show by Namco and Monolith Soft. The official name was revealed at E3 on May 10, 2006 [1]. It is the second game in the Baten Kaitos series, and a prequel to Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean. Unlike the first game, the sequel is published by Nintendo in Japan and the US.^[1] It was released on February 23, 2006 in Japan, and was released in North America on September 25, 2006.

Contents 1 Story 2 Gameplay / characteristics 3 Characters 3.1 Guardian Spirit 3.2 Sagi 3.3 Guillo 3.4 Milly 3.5 Wiseman 3.6 Other Characters 4 Music List 4.1 Disc 1 4.2 Disc 2 4.3 Disc 3 5 Voice Credits 6 References 7 See also 8 External links

Baten Kaitos Origins takes place 20 years prior to the events of the original Baten Kaitos. The main character, Sagi, works for the Alfard Empire in an elite unit that reports directly to a powerful politician, Lord Baelheit. He is joined by Guillo, who is apparently a Paramachina, a type of mechanized puppet built to assist members of the Empire's army. At the start of the game, the unit is given a dubious assignment to kill Emperor Olgan, although the ultimate source of the order is unclear. Before the two have a chance to actually carry out the assassination and reflect on the morality of this act, Olgan is killed by a third party. Blamed for the murder, Sagi and Guillo are then forced to flee, and in the process of doing so, meet up with the third member of the party, a young woman named Milly. The three of them must work to clear Sagi's name while trying to uncover the nature of the threat caused by the maneuvering of Alfard's various power-hungry politicians.

The overall theme is that of a struggle between pro-magnation (the power of hearts, wings of the heart, and magic) and pro-machination (mechanical) forces.

The main enemy in Baten Kaitos Origins is a being named Wiseman, a sorcerer from 1000 years ago with a thirst to turn every being in the world into pure Magnus. As Sagi, Milly and Guillo go back and forth between the past and the present, they eventually discover the reason why the evil god Malpercio was created. In fact, Malpercio was created by five family members seeking to avenge Wiseman's attack on their village, Naos. Making a pact with darkness, their powers were combined and a horrible war ensued. Though they believed Wiseman to be killed during the conflict, he apparently escaped. Seeking to put an end to the bitter struggle, the Children of the Earth used their specially-fashioned killing machines (none other than Guillo and two similar models) to eliminate the siblings. Despite having been imbued with the power of the Dark Brethren, Malpercio fails to destroy Wiseman, and this can only be accomplished by a decision later.

Near the end of the game, it is revealed that the spirit which the player actually plays is one of these five siblings; Sagi is not a spiriter at all. The player is in fact part of the evil god (one of the End Magnus in the original Baten Kaitos). This came about as a result of experiments which Lord Baelheit was ordered to perform on behalf of Emperor Olgan in an effort to create artificial spiriters. During the experiments, a piece of Malpercio was found and forced to join with Sagi. Although the experiments were ultimately abandoned after a mishap, Sagi somehow survived, although with no recollection of what was done to him. Years later, while stopping the maniacal plots of the politicians, Sagi learns of his true nature and must attempt to reach equilibrium with the being inside him.

Slightly earlier in the tale, Milly is revealed to be the daughter of Lord Baelheit. She was forced by her father to spy on Sagi in order to learn about him and measure his true strength. However, as she spends more and more time with him, Milly realizes that what her father was doing was wrong. When one of Baelheit's henchmen, Shanath, orders the removal of Sagi's mother's wings of the heart, Milly screams out against her father. Though she realizes what her father was doing was wrong, Milly still loves him and wants to try to put him back onto the right path. Near the ending, Baelheit also reveals that Milly is half-Machina; when she was just a child, a failed experiment (along the lines of the one which created Sagi's "spirit") tore her in half and killed her mother. With the help of his own guardian spirit, Baelheit managed to revive his beloved daughter using Machina.

After joining powers with the evil god inside him, Sagi acquires immense strength. With this strength, he is finally able to defeat the machina armas that were pro-machinating each of the floating continents. He then sets off to defeat Baelheit once and for all. In the interim, though, Baelheit finishes construction on a huge flying fortress built completely out of machina. He orders that everyone move onto the fortress, as he intends to destroy the continents. Verus orders Sagi to stop Baelheit, and although Sagi does so, an even more surprising twist is then revealed. After the battle, Verus enters (along with Geldoblame) and stabs the still-breathing Baelheit through the heart. He goes on to explain that he was actually behind everything the entire time. Shanath was under his control, and he was behind the order to have the wings of the "whore" (referring to Gena, who at the time was working as his maid; it is even hinted that Verus is Sagi's father) pulled out. Verus laughs dementedly and proclaims that he himself will now rule the world.

Sagi, Milly and Guillo refuse to simply stand by and watch. They follow Verus down into the heart of the floating fortress and eventually defeat him, despite the Machina that protect him. Suddenly, Wiseman appears once again, somehow summoned by the conflict(this depends on the player decision to go back to the Battlefields of Atria and destroy Wiseman in the past). He consumes Verus' heart and turns his eyes towards the three heroes. With assistance from the four other parts of Malperico (i.e., the slain siblings), Wiseman is finally defeated once and for all. The fortress then starts to crumble. In a mad panic, Sagi, Milly and Guillo flee, trying to escape. On the way, Sagi is ensnared by a Machina trap. The party determines that the only way to set him free is for one containing Machina to merge with the fortress. Though Milly offers herself, at the last moment, Guillo rushes in and takes her place. They both explain that the bickering between the two had to stop one day, and Milly then cries as the door closes. While Guillo dies, Sagi is set free. Sagi runs back and takes Guillo's head with him before escaping. The final flight is further aided by defeated villains, Nasca, Heughes and Valara, all of whom do their part in helping Sagi and Milly escape (although this depends on previous player decisions in sparing their lives).

When Sagi and Milly return to Alfard, the two have a happy reunion with all of their past friends and the various rulers of the continents. Finally, Sagi and Milly decide to elope and move to Mira. Sagi and the piece of Malpercio within decide to remain together forever, sharing the same body. The last screen is a picture of a baby, and although many things hint to this baby being Kalas (as only one wing is visible), others theorize that this is instead Melodia, mostly because Kalas was a failed attempt at the creation of the divine child by Georg. In addition, Milly's dress is similar to the way Melodia dresses, and it is hinted that Sagi and Milly are Melodia's parents at the end of the game where you see both of them in Melodia's room. This would explain Melodia's fascination with Malpercio, as she would have inherited the essence of the afterling from Sagi.

Unlike many role-playing games, this series uses a relatively unique mechanism based on card-battling in order to resolve combat. In fact, almost everything in the game is stored on magical Magnus cards. Rather than equipping characters with weapons and armor, these are drawn from the deck during battles and equipped only temporarily. Hence, equipment and even attack types exist as cards, rather than as statistics associated with the characters. Because of this, many of the game's quests provide new Magnus cards as rewards, which can then be incorporated into decks as needed.

One difference when compared to the first game is the number of playable characters; while the first game offered six playable characters, Baten Kaitos Origins offers only three: Sagi, Guillo, and Milliarde (nicknamed Milly).

There is also a major difference in the battle system from the way it functioned in Baten Kaitos. Instead of each character having their own deck of Magnus cards, all characters use cards from a single deck and play from a single hand. Since most armor, weapons, and special attacks are specific to a given character, there are frequently times when one or two of the characters has only a very limited number of options. Because of this streamlining, the game focuses primarily on increasingly-numbered card combos, instead of some of the more elaborate combinations that were possible in Baten Kaitos. Nonetheless, it is possible for one to maintain separate decks (such as a fire based deck, a heal-heavy deck, etc.) and to then switch to the appropriate deck as needed between fights.

As before, the game uses a separate quest Magnus mechanism which allows various key items to be stored on blank cards. These items can be used as the appropriate time, or can be combined using a Magnus Mixer. In many cases, the quest Magnus cards age and decay over time, so that, for example, pristine water slowly becomes drinking water, which then becomes stale water. Battle Magnus in this can be "upgraded" by being combined with proper quest magnus. For example, the battle magnus "Saber", can be combined with the quest magnus "Blaze" to create a stronger battle magnus known as "Fire Saber". In contrast to and unlike in the previous game, the Battle Magnus cards which make up the combat decks do not change over time.

Lastly, the game features several new locales, such as Sedna, a town that looks like it's made of childish clay sculptures, and Hassaleh, a new continent that didn't appear in the first game. Sedna is composed of different Magnus pieces which, as the player discovers and returns with the appropriate Magnus cards, spontaneously appear. As the town grows, the player can then interact with the new inhabitants.

Since the game is a prequel, many characters that appear in Baten Kaitos also appear in Baten Kaitos Origins. Geldoblame is 25, Almarde is 19, Gibari is 14, Ladekahn is 12, Savyna is 5, and Kalas and Lyude will soon be born. Other characters include Anna, the barkeeper from Nashira, who is 9 in Baten Kaitos II, and Palolo II, father of Palolo III. Many of the characters actually have the same roles as in the original, so for example, Anna still works at or runs the Diadem bar, despite being only a child. Another example is Giacomo, the scythe wielding Imperial Officer in Baten Kaitos, who appears again as a villain at age 13; the battle that takes place with him features a remix of the track Chaotic Dance, now named Chaotic Dance 2.

Furthermore, entities such as the "Lord of The Lava Caves" (resembling an angler fish), while only mentioned in Baten Kaitos, are actually fought in this game. Many of these major encounters can be fought again if the player has the appropriate quest Magnus, e.g., the "Lava Lord's Skull". This can be done late in the game by visiting a scientist within the Colosseum after becoming champion.

According to the game plot, the player takes on the role of an invisible spirit residing within the heart of Sagi. In practice, the player directly guides the actions of the three main characters. These characters are Sagi, Guillo, and Milliarde (Milly). The key characters are as follows:

A creature (in reality, the player) that watches over Sagi and his party. Sagi occasionally addresses the spirit by turning toward the screen and asking him/her to make a decision.

The main character of Baten Kaitos Origins, Sagi joined the Imperial army at age 15. He was given a questionable mission to assassinate the emperor, but before he could carry out the mission, the emperor was discovered dead, with Sagi framed for the crime. This sent him on the run with his friend and companion, Guillo. Sagi often has pain-laden blackouts during times of stress, and when he wakes up, he suddenly finds himself elsewhere, with a different group of people. Though these people claim to have known him (by a different name) since he was a small child, Sagi has no memory of them whatsoever.

At the beginning of the game this strange creature is thought to be a primitive type of paramachina. However, its ability to talk and its strange appearance leave this open to question, though Guillo is generally referred to as a puppet. It is outspoken, and greatly dislikes Milliarde, calling her a wench, questioning her motives, and frequently threatening to eat her ("Sagi, I can't take it anymore! Please let me eat her! She's due for an eating!"). Guillo has no memory whatsoever of its life prior to being unearthed by a young Sagi. Guillo's body appears to be hollow.

Guillo always speaks with two voices simultaneously, one male and one female. It seems fond of making similes about animals indigenous to the Baten Kaitos universe. (such as "I've seen braver fantails guarding their ducklings!") Guillo also often threatens to eat people (particularly Milly), though if it ever actually does so (or how it would go about eating anything, given that it has no mouth) is unclear. When Guillo is alarmed, its normally shadowed-over eyes suddenly glow blue. When Guillo is hurt or angry, they glow red. Though Guillo is often referred to with male pronouns by fans, Guillo is referred to as an "it" in official material.

Guillo is also considered by fans to be transgendered. Though Guillo is born a puppet, it has the voices of both a man and a woman. Guillo also has a very masculine personality, yet wears high heels and has breasts. It also declares itself part of a love "quadrangle" for the affection of the main character, Sagi, who is a man.

Although her real name is Milliarde, she asks to be called simply Milly. She is a strong-willed and surprisingly powerful girl that saved Sagi and Guillo during their escape from the empire. Though she claims that it was because she simply can't stand seeing people get hurt, it seems apparent that she has ulterior motives...

A potentate who lived 1000 years prior to the beginning of the game's story. He appears to have invented and/or propogated the magnus card technology that is a staple of the Baten Kaitos world. Soon, he took this power to the next level: by amplifying the power of a person's heart, he became capable of transforming people into magnus, absorbing them for an unknown purpose.

Wiseman always wears an unusual suit of armor, with an elongated head; large, crystalline eyes, and feathered, winglike arms. The form of the body beneath the armor, if there is one, is unknown. His wings of the heart are unlike any other character's, forming a circle of floating, daggerlike objects. The strength of his heart is said to be "beyond reckoning", which gives him enormous magical power. Little else is known about Wiseman, including what manner of being he truly is - human or otherwise. Wiseman always refers to himself in the plural sense; whether this is a use of the royal we or an indication that he is some form of conglomerate being is unclear.

• Baelheit -
  

  

  Baelheit

The creator of machina, Baelheit is a strong supporter of Emperor Olgan's new world vision and popular among Alfard's citizenry. Always serious and forthright, this Alfard lord seeks to secure power once the Emperor hatches his plans.

• Geldoblame- (Age 25) The right hand of Verus, as well as an unusually close friend. A man of unflinching integrity, Geldoblame is a veritable encyclopedia of knowledge. He is deeply concerned about the future of the Alfard Empire.

• Verus- A legendary spiriter. Some fear that spiriters are doomed to influence the fate of the entire world, a stigma that Verus and Sagi share. Though crippled during the old wars, he remains a proud, stalwart warrior. As such, Emperor Olgan has placed his trust in Verus and appointed him as the commander of Alfard's imperial army. Nevertheless, he assists his fellow spiriter, Sagi, when he can. It is hinted that he may be Sagi's biological father.

• Shanath-
  

  

  Shanath
  (Age 27) Commander of Baelheit's personal army, the Dark Service, as well as Savyna's biological or adoptive father. Long after his death it is revealed that he was a double agent working for Verus.

• Valara-
  

  

  Valara
  (Age 18) A soldier in Baelheit's army. She believes and respects the power of machina. In her eyes, machina will secure Alfard's power over the island nations, ushering in an era in which she will assuredly reap the benefits. As such, she bears no love for spiriters like Sagi and Verus, claiming that theirs is the old way.

• Giacomo-
  

  

  Giacomo
  (Age 13) A skilled scythe wielding young Imperial Officer/warrior in the Dark Service. More than anything else Giacomo desires power. He has taken a particular dislike to Sagi as he is the first person to beat him in battle.

• Gibari- (Age 14) Gibari is the son of Diadem's head knight, Rambari. He is also the best friend of King Ladekahn. Gibari is mischievous and fun loving even though it sometimes gets him into trouble. He dislikes the myths and superstitions of his father and the fishermen in Nashira where he grew up. This sometimes puts him at odds with his father but they are quite fond of one another nevertheless. Is a playable character in Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean.

• Rambari - Gibari's father. He was a fisherman in Nashira before coming to the palace. He is head of the knights and King Ladekahn's trainer. He has a kind heart but he is very serious and gets irritated at Gibari and Ladekahn's antics.

• Celsica - Rambari's second in command. She thinks of him as a father figure. She appears to be the only female knight. All the other knights lover her for her compassionate heart.

• Almarde- (Age 19) Revealed to be Lyude's nurse in Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean. She is kind and soft spoken.

• Ladekahn- (Age 12) The king of Diadem, Ladekahn is a sensible, honest, and thoughtful ruler. He always wants what is best for his people. He takes his responsibility as king seriously, though he tends to enjoy getting into mischief with his best friend, Gibari, son of Ladekahn's trainer and head of the knights, Rambari.

• Savyna- (Age 5) Shanath's daughter. Is a playable character in Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean.

• Anna - (Age 9) She seems to work at the tavern in Nashira, even though she is only 9. Perhaps her parents own it. She is a friend of Gibari.

• Gena -
  

  

  Gena
  (Age 36) Sagi's adoptive mother. She runs the orphanage in Hassaleh. Her wings are of unusual size and beauty, and are reputed by her acquaintances to be "the most beautiful in the world."

• Palolo II- A mischievous young man who is a friend of Ladekahn and Gibari. Also the future father of Palolo III.

• Seph - (Age 22) The leader of a group of five siblings who have made it their goal to defeat Wiseman. Seph is serious and extremely dedicated to this cause. He is also passionate and unflinching once he has made up his mind and when he is angry.

• Thoran - (Age 19) Seph's second in command. He is hot-headed and tends to want to act before thinking. He is also more playful than the others, though he still takes their mission seriously.

• Pieda - (Age 19) A member of the group of five who have made it their mission to defeat Wiseman. Pieda is calm and collected. She is very serious but still sympathetic.

• Ven - (Age 18) A member of the group of five who have made it their mission to defeat Wiseman. He is rather quiet and shy. He has a big heart and has his emotions close to the surface. He can't fly very well and so has to wait for the others a lot.

• Marno - A member of the group of five who Sagi is mistaken for. It is later revealed that he is the "spirit" that the player acts as and inhabits Sagi. Given the ambiguous nature of the "spirit" the player speaks through, it is left unclear whether or not this is the same "spirit" that inhabits Kalas in the original game. It can be assumed though that, since the player is the "spirit", it is his or her decision whether or not they are the same entity.

• Quis - Seph's fiancee.

• Lolo - (Age 18) A young woman from Anuenue. She is an inventor and builder. She fixes Sagi's ship and in the process seems to have a crush on him. This infuriates Milly and Guillo.

• The Dark Brethren - Little is known of the Dark Brethren. They appear to be extradimensional beings of enormous power who dwell in Zaurak Keep. They are willing to barter with mortals who pass their trials, usually an exchange of the soul of the mortal for some of their power. They are reputed to be able to destroy anything.

The music in Baten Kaitos Origins is composed and arranged by Motoi Sakuraba and is fully orchestrated. Songs are listed in the same format as the official Baten Kaitos Origins soundtrack which was released on March 24, 2006.

1. Le ali del principio
2. Fragments of the Millennium
3. The Voice of Time
4. The valedictory elegy
5. Poacher
6. Chaotic dance 2*
7. Iconoclasm
8. The valedictory elegy ~guitar ver.~
9. Evidential material
10. The true mirror ~Orchestral ver.~
11. Ruinous commander
12. Crystal abyss
13. Relieve
14. The Puppet Master
15. Two Coffins
16. A Knight's Grave
17. Ruins
18. Three-Man Talk with a Hidden Soul
19. Ancient Hometown
20. The Boundary Between the Wind and the Earth
21. An Encounter

1. The Great Pillar Laden with Moss
2. The Thorny Dry Blade
3. The Light and Darkness of Balance
4. Deep Red Pastures
5. Endless Night
6. The broken manas and my one and only
7. Contradiction
8. The Garden of Violent Clouds
9. Raincloud
10. The edging away
11. Menacing Lord
12. Rays of the Rising Sun Flowing Through
13. A Boundless Autumn Evening Breeze
14. Village of Abundance
15. Emotional blackmail
16. Horohoro Bird
17. The Hall of All Creation
18. Ancient slaughter
19. The Power of a Pure Heart and the Path to the Distant Future
20. Somaimaretsa
21. Shinmunafosun

1. Legendary Doll
2. Floating Pebbles
3. Blue Sky Canopy
4. Powerful Voice of an Old Soul
5. Terrible technology
6. Rain on a Moonlit Night
7. Into the spiral tention
8. Shogyo-Mujo
9. The dead end creatures
10. Tears of compassion
11. A road to the dignified future
12. The Peaceful Four Seasons I
13. The Peaceful Four Seasons II
14. The Peaceful Four Seasons III
15. Bitter Enemies in the Same Boat
16. The Horizon of a Mirage
17. The Shadow of the Moon on the Water
18. Protecting the Twin Lights
19. The Beginning of the Unjust Journey and the Prelude to Betrayal

• The song "Chaotic Dance 2" was altered in the US release due to lyrics alluding to God.

• Crawford Wilson - Sagi
• Shanelle Workman - Milliarde
• Maura Gale - Guillo (female)
• Terrence 'T.C.' Carson - Guillo (male)
• Roger L. Jackson - Verus
• Dwight Schultz - Geldoblame
• Fred Tatasciore - Baelheit
• Kirk Thornton - Shanath
• Tasia Valenza - Valara
• Crispin Freeman - Heughes
• Avrielle Corti - Nasca
• Robin Atkin Downes - Seph
• Dave Fouquette - Thoran
• Kim Mai Guest - Pieda
• Johnny Yong Bosch - Ven
• Neil Kaplan - Wiseman
• Andi Methany - Gena / Anna
• EG Daily - Wacho
• Sherry Lynn - Tik / Quis
• Richard Epcar - Captain of Dark Service
• Enn Reitel - Olgan
• Yuri Lowenthal - Giacomo
• Candi Milo - Almarde
• Peter Renaday - Lyuvann
• Kyle Hebert - Juwar
• Jane Hamilton - Mallo
• Paul St. Peter - Nollin
• Benjamin Bryan - Ladekahn
• Beng Spies - Gibari
• Aaron Fors - Palolo II
• Richard McGonagle - Rambari
• Janellen Steininger - Celsica
• Chris Edgerly - Rodolfo / Elder Kamroh
• Kym Hoy - Corellia
• Cat Taber - Lolo
• Melodee Spevack - Yulfee
• Liam O'Brien - Krumly
• Michael Glover - Kamroh
• Quinton Flynn - Sfida Attendant
• Steve Kramer - Dark Brother
• Jentle Phoenix - Elle

• Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean
• Baten Kaitos DS

• IGN's Baten Kaitos Origins preview
• IGN's Baten Kaitos Origins Interview
• IGN's Baten Kaitos Origins page
• Official Website of Baten Kaitos Origins
• Official Japanese Website of Baten Kaitos Origins
• Gamespot's Baten Kaitos Origins Review
• Gameranking's Baten Kaitos Origins page
• Unofficial Baten Kaitos Origins Forum