#lyude

As far as practicable, Miis should be "Mii versions of the characters they represent" rather than literal 1:1 resemblances (this has been repeatedly emphasized by the devs who designed the Miis); and

Prioritizing options available in the character creator (and creative combinations thereof) and minimizing use of the "face paint" tool.

Ayme has hooded eyes with a cattish shape and prominent lashes. Her eye color isn't clear from her portrait, art book references or model but fandom has always given them a pink or purple tint so I will carry on the tradition. It's helpful that we never see what her hair looks like under the helmet, so I don't have to worry about what her bangs look like. I tend to color her hair slightly more purple just as a matter of personal preference.

No way to truly replicate his hair. There are a few viable options but they all have trade-offs. I went with canon-accurate bangs and a spiked back, even though his hair is actually a faux-hawk. It's more about the impression/feeling in the absence of a good option, I guess. I was looking more at his artbook reference when I was doing this. As with Ayme it's unclear what his eye color is (pure black in the portrait, a really dark grey if you extract the textures from his in-game model) but they're grey/silver to me. It makes him look more intense and unhinged.

Now that I really, really look at it, has he been wearing eyeliner all these years? Guess it wouldn't be surprising for a guy with six ear piercings + (presumably) colored hair + a faux-hawk.

I made EWaTLO-era Giacomo initially and could not get him right, no matter how many times I re-did him. I think it's because his helmet is such a critical part of his design and there's nothing in TomoLife that can approximate it. Because of this, he has been de-aged and gets to hang out with Folon and Ayme as someone in their age bracket. Fun! Mind-bending!

I always had the impression he had his hair slicked back under the helmet. Young Giacomo is such a fun character.

I have redone his eyes more times than I care to admit. This is the closest I can get to their overall shape and feel with options available in the creator. He's not smiling in any of his neutral artwork but I think he should be because he is pure of heart.

Vallye (and Skeed) are have paler skin and darker, more desaturated reds for their hair/eyes. I can't get exact colors in the range offered in TomoLife but I can approximate the vibe. I think I got the eyebrow shape and eyelid crease just right.

I like that Skeed has a smarmy little smile in the artbook so I used that as my reference point rather than his in-game portrait (though I referenced both). Had to paint in his bangs, but other than that I was surprised how you can get his hair shape exactly.

at the camp p.2

Finally, after many years of waiting, I managed to get my hands on a JRPG I've always admired from afar, watching the trailers and gameplay shown on Game Network (here in Italy we had a TV channel dedicated to video games for some time).

There's a lot to say about Baten Kaitos.

The initial impact with the card system (magnus) and the associated combat is certainly very strong and addictive, an idea that until then had been used in small RPGs for portable consoles, and which here is expanded and made highly strategic (Baten Kaitos Origin will feature some technical improvements, but in my opinion, the combat will be worse overall).

However, the story starts out weak and full of gaps, questions that are never satisfactorily answered, which is strange, as Monolith has always been a master when it comes to the narrative side of its games.

Baten Kaitos's strengths are its visual imagery and the Magnus system.

The world of Baten Kaitos is varied, colorful, and innovative, like admiring a series of fantastic paintings; the various islands, especially Mira, are a feast for the eyes and ears (even if Anuenue's theme will quickly become a torment).

As beautiful as the aesthetic is, the game's story never really takes off.

It starts with very generic expectations and then, save for one of the best plot twists I've ever seen in the genre, settles into a very tired final arc.

The party characters have tremendous potential, but they aren't fully exploited throughout the story (the Lyude family or the Savyna comrades), but fortunately they are a little revisited in the side quests before the final dungeon.

Furthermore, the true depth of these characters will be explored fantastically in Baten Kaitos Origin, which is why I think Origin should be played before Eternal Wings.

Another weakness that strikes me personally is how forced and rushed the romance between the main characters is. Being one of my favorite aspects of JRPGs, I didn't appreciate how sloppy it was.

Furthermore, there are a couple of poor gameplay choices that slow the game down and dampen the story's pace (they'll be there in Origin too, with those damned cookies) like forced backtracking and fight the same boss two or more time in a row.

I didn't like the decision to remove the English voice acting in the remaster. Despite its reputation for mediocre voice acting, I can't get along with the Japanese language.

One of the worst ideas, in my opinion, was the post-battle reward system.

At the end of a battle, you can only keep one item or photo, forcing you to repeat battles to get new equipments or completing the photo album, which is also the only way to earn money (a peculiar choice that would have worked if you could have kept more items).

It's not hard to understand why this was removed from Origin.

I really enjoyed the side quests: the family tree, the animals, the constellations... they're all fun and engaging in the style of '90s JRPGs.

Overall, Baten Kaitos is a good JRPG with many innovative ideas, but many missteps in terms of story and gameplay choices that slow down the pace. In terms of story and characters, my favorite by far is Baten Kaitos Origin, which I really enjoyed a lot, great characters chemistry and skits, even though I found the combat inferior.

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