Final Fantasy XVI Theme Song Artist is a Big Fan of Baten Kaitos, Excited for the Remaster

In the latest issue of Famitsu magazine, the theme song artist for Final Fantasy XVI’s “Tsuki Wo Miteita – Moongazing,” Kenshi Yonezu, spoke about various topics surrounding the game and tangentially related ones.

One exchange revealed that Yonezu grew up with Baten Kaitos and that he’s excited about the upcoming Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster.

You can view the full translated exchange below via our team’s Ryuji:

Interviewer: Are there any other titles that you would like to spread the word about?

Kenshi Yonezu: Definitely Baten Kaitos. I first played it in junior high, and everything about it was a very vivid experience for me. The story is about those who build a floating island to escape from the devastation of the Earth, and while living there, they grow “Wings of the Heart.”

The main character is born with only one wing, and the other is a mechanical wing. The design is cool, but to have such a twisted protagonist and to be involved in the world as a spirit that resides inside was a very vivid experience for me as a junior high school student. I’m really looking forward to playing the remastered version and seeing how the current me feels about it.

Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster includes Baten Kaitos Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean, which has players control a guardian spirit bonded with a youth named Kalas. He’s seeking vengeance for the murder of his grandfather and father. Kalas wears a mechanical wing called the Winglet and was born with the Wings of the Heart.

Baten Kaitos Origins is the second included game. It’s a 20-year prequel focusing on the young spiriter Sagi who, alongside his partner, is framed for the murder of the emperor. The story also connects to the events of Lost Ocean. 

This collective remaster will enable Instant KO, No Encounters, and battle speed up to 300% speed as options for increased accessibility.

Baten Kaitos Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean was a JRPG on the Gamecube developed by Monolith Soft and tri-Crescendo and released in Japan on December 5, 2003, with global releases occurring over the following two years.

It was specifically made to combat the console’s minuscule JRPG lineup and, despite its positive critical reception and dedicated following, did not perform well sales-wise. Even with the lackluster sales, though, a prequel game, Baten Kaitos Origins, was released, which performed about on par with the series’ prior outing.

The official Q&A confirmed that the title will only have Japanese voice acting, run at 30 FPS, and have options to auto-battle, skip encounters, auto-save, and skip cutscenes.

• Check out our announcement coverage for a trailer, screenshots, and renders.
• Release Date Trailer
• Story Trailer
• The Collection was rated for PC in South Africa.