September 8, 2006 - With games like Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess making the move over to Wii, the amount of top-tier titles still Cube-specific is starting to wear thin. Luckily for us, however, the team over at Monolith is looking to send Cube owners off with a bang, as GameCube gets one final epic. We've had a chance to go hands-on with the game for nearly a week now, and so far it hasn't failed to impress on any front. So when we had the chance to chat with president of Monolith and series producer Hirohide Sugiura about his Cube-exclusive RPG, we couldn't resist.
Be sure to check out our full interview below, and then head on over to the media section for a look at exclusive promotion art sent direct from Monolith Soft. We'll have more on Baten Kaitos Origins as our preview playthrough continues, as well as a full review later this month. Enjoy!
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Mirohide Sugiura: The story of "Baten Kaitos Origin" takes place about 20 years before the previous game, Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean. You will be able to glimpse what caused the incidents in the previous "Baten Kaitos" as the game story takes place in the past.
IGN: So will we be seeing a few characters returning for the sequel?
Mirohide Sugiura: Since the game takes place prior to the first Baten Kaitos, you will see, Geldoblame, Giacomo, Laidkhan, and Gibari, who appeared in the previous game. Because of this, you will be able to experience the story when each character was younger.
IGN: The original game was praised for its amazing amount of depth, sitting at just under 50 hours of gameplay. Does Origins provide as much gameplay as the original? More?
Mirohide Sugiura: We have developed the game assuming approximately the same length of playing time as the previous Baten Kaitos. However, it contains features like "Mix" that enables players to create new Quest Magnus by mixing 2 of them. The other is "Field Guide" that can be completed by defeating monsters. This new features allows each player to enjoy the game even more depending on how he/she plays.
IGN: Baten Kaitos offered over 1,000 cards. What is the total for Origins? Will players find every chard from the original game and more, or were some taken out to perfect the game's balance?
Mirohide Sugiura: You will be able to collect 655 pieces of Magnus altogether. You will be able to see some brand new Magnus, although some of the Magnus were taken out. Please enjoy finding out for yourselves!
IGN: Baten Kaitos began with a very realistic style, specifically in trailers and cinematic scenes. Are there more full-motion cut-scenes in Origins as well, or have you evolved the style?
Mirohide Sugiura: There is no CG movie this time, but you will be able to see an opening movie with a different atmosphere compared with the previous one.
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Mirohide Sugiura: In this game, there will be advantage or disadvantage based upon the circumstances in which you encounter the enemies. For example, if you encounter a sleeping enemy, you can make a pre-emptive strike. If you encounter the enemy when your Heart Gage is filled after you do Heartwing Dash, you will be able to charge the power required to use a special technique to go into the battle.
IGN: How has the leveling up been handled in Origins? Is it similar to the manual allocation in the previous games? Have you made any advancement in the system?
Mirohide Sugiura: There will be no leveling up in the church this time, but there is a feature that characters are automatically leveled up after the battles.
As far as class up is concerned, it will be done in the church just as in the previous game. However, you will need to gather a certain amount of Technical Points, rather than specific Magnus, to class-up.
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