Baten Kaitos Origins is a role-playing game developed by tri-Crescendo and released in 2006 for the Nintendo GameCube. Set two decades before its predecessor, the game chronicles the rise of the villainous Emperor Geldoblame and expands on the backstory of characters and the world introduced in the original title. Players follow Sagi, a blue-haired young man who arrives to assassinate the Emperor only to find him already dead — and is subsequently framed for the killing. Fleeing alongside a robot named Guillo and a young woman named Milly, Sagi's journey begins along a largely linear path before opening into freer exploration once a ship is obtained. Rather than leveling up traditional character statistics, progression centers on acquiring Magnus cards, of which more than 600 exist in the game. Cards can be obtained through purchase, combat rewards, trading, or crafting, and collectively form the backbone of both combat and character development.
