With all these improvements, the punishing difficulty and the fact that it retconned away quite a few of the plot points from the first game can probably be forgiven. The game is far superior to the first in almost every respect: navigation through the world is quicker and easier, the battle system has been greatly streamlined (notably removing most of the Fake Difficulty) while retaining its strategic elements, the voice acting is vastly improved and the story expands upon the original exponentially. Under the command of the Empire's chief spymaster, they must work together to unravel the various conspiracies that plague the bureaucracy of the Empire and clear Sagi's name. They are: Sagi, a elite soldier of the Empire who finds himself framed for the murder of the Emperor Guillo, a sexless humanoid weapon animated by magic who (unusually) has a degree of sentience and Milly, an enigmatic and spunky noblewoman. Set twenty years before the events of Baten Kaitos, it tells the story of a Power Trio that find themselves on the run when a faction within the Empire attempt to rid the world of the "Wings Of The Heart" in favor of soul-eating mechanization. It proved popular enough to gain a prequel called Baten Kaitos: Origins (or Baten Kaitos II in Japan). Coordinating your elemental affinities is also critical to success, as opposing elements simply cancel each other out: for example, 50 points of Fire damage and 50 points of Water damage in the same "action" cancel each other and result in a net attack of 0 damage points. Each card has a set of numbers attached to it, and like poker, playing matching numbers or even straights can increase the potency of the effects tremendously. The battle system also uses Magnus, as each party member builds a deck of attack, defense and support items that can be played in turn. Items even "age" over real time: food items (which provide HP recovery) rot and lose their effectiveness, seeds grow into plants and gain effectiveness, and rare items (like coins) appreciate in value. This allows for a Hyperspace Arsenal and interesting puzzles like storing or combining key items.
In the world of Baten Kaitos, cards called "Magnus" are all-important, as they can be used to store the "essences" of objects, or even intangible things like memories and exhaustion. The wings change the way the characters move and fight, allowing for unique and flashy special attacks.
Furthermore, the characters have interesting designs, enhanced by their " Wings of the Heart," which appear during battle and some cutscenes. The architecture and costumes of the world offer unique "local flavor" without clear parallels in other worlds - the land of Diadem, for example, has buildings made out of dark purple clouds.
Unlike most media that have used the "floating continent" schtick, the world of Baten Kaitos is more than just a few chunks of otherwise-normal firmament suspended in the air.
The graphics remain among the best on the Gamecube, but it's more than that: the game has a visual style that is very interesting. So what makes the game interesting? Well, for starters, there's the visual appeal. As they journey across the islands, they gather an eclectic party of allies: a buff fisherman named Gibari an idealistic Empire ambassador and Defector from Decadence named Lyude a cold-hearted mercenary named Savyna and the bizarre but powerful "Great" Mizuti.
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