New Baten Kaitos details

According to Impress Gamewatch, Monolith Soft has revealed a number of details on Baten Kaitos. Baten Kaitos--the RPG announced by Namco last week--is being codeveloped by Monolith Soft and a number of other companies. A group of staff members at Monolith Soft, who are separate from the Xenosaga team, have been working on the core of the game. Staff from Namco, Tri-Crescendo (Star Ocean and Valkyrie Profile music developer), and Robot Corporation (Onimusha series CG movies) are also involved in the game's development.

Baten Kaitos will take place in a fantasy world consisting of a number of floating continents. Although the people in Baten Kaitos have wings, their wings have degenerated, possibly because their lifestyle is stable and there has been no need to fly. The player will take the role of a spirit who is possessing the main character, Karus, a mysterious youth with only one wing. The game will depict the adventures of Karus in a drama about an evil god that is being resurrected. Baten Kaitos will not be in full 3D, since the machine power is aimed at producing a variety of special effects.

In Baten Kaitos, the magnus cards take the role of weapons, items, and battle commands. Without the cards, the player will not be able to execute commands that have traditionally been available at all times, such as running away from a battle. Unlike traditional card battle games that are based on strategy, Baten Kaitos is aimed at quick insights and reflexes. The battle system requires the player to use the cards in real time, similarly to a puzzle game with time limits for each turn. The cards--which can be combined--can be used to attack enemies, to reduce damages, and for a variety of other effects, such as making the character shout. There are more than 1,000 cards in Baten Kaitos.

Baten Kaitos is scheduled for release in December.