Bandai Namco reveals a number of more detailed quality-of-life changes for the upcomingBaten Kaitos 1 & 2 HD Remasterfor Nintendo Switch. Back in 2021, rumors were floating around that there was aremaster or even remake for theBaten Kaitosgamesin development. These rumors turned out to be correct, as the February 2023 Nintendo Direct revealed that both games were indeed being remastered as a bundle for the Nintendo Switch. Fans were thrilled to see these cult classic titles return, with the games being reintroduced to a new audience and getting a large amount of polish.
For the uninitiated, these games were developed by Monolith Soft and tri-Crescendo, with Namco publishing them as a Nintendo GameCube exclusive. The reason why the game became a cult classic is while the game was a hit critically, its sales weren’t very good. WithbothBaten Kaitosgames coming to Switch, it is introducing a number of improvements, while being incredibly faithful to the original. This includes remastered visuals, stabilized frame rate, and more. These changes were detailed in an article from Bandai Namco Asia.
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These changes forBaten Kaitos 1 & 2 HD Remastersees it being upscaled from 4:3 to a 16:9 aspect ratio, allowing for widescreen battles. The article also reveals six adjustable parameters, which include no encounters, instant KO against enemies, speedier battles and overworld, simpler battle results, and an autobattle. However, the biggest QOL addition is two sets of post-game modes: New Game Plus and New Game Minus. New Game Plus allows players to restart their adventure with data carried over from the last playthrough, while New Game Minus allows players to choose a set of restrictions to make their next run harder.
The firstBaten Kaitosgame didn’t have aNew Game Plus modewhen it first launched, meaning that any collectibles that players missed the first time would be permanently missable. There’s also a ton to keep track of, with many being time-sensitive or location locked.Baten Kaitos Originshowever would introduce a New Game Plus mode, making it easier to get items a player might have missed. These modes should make it easier for newer players while offering a significant challenge for veterans.
Other QOL changes include an Autosave feature, a set of tutorials, and a cutscene skip feature. TheBaten Kaitosremasters also won’t have an English Dub, with the only voice language track being the original Japanese dub. While some believe this was a good idea, others are split with its exclusion. While some found it too hokey, many found the original dub’s cheesiness charming, with theOriginsdub also being a big improvement. Another subset of fans also would have preferred an entire redub for both games with different actors.
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