Where to find it: Recently rereleased on Switch! Digital-only in the US as far as I can tell, but physical copies exist in Europe and Japan. Both were originally released on the GameCube, though Origins wasn't released in Europe - those discs are hard to find and fairly expensive these days.
There are also fairly thorough text + screenshots Let's Plays, with video for major moments: Eternal Wings Origins
What is it, in summary?: A pair of JRPGs by Monolith Soft (yes, the ones who made Xenoblade). In them, people live on islands suspended in the sky, and have wings, called Wings of the Heart, that are said to represent their souls. In both games, you are a guardian spirit, an entity that bonds with people, who are said to have an outsized impact on the world.
In Eternal Wings, you bond with Kalas, a young man out for revenge after the Alfard Empire killed his grandfather and younger brother. Along the way he joins up with Xelha, a young woman attempting to prevent the Empire from reviving an evil god, as well as many others.
In Origins, you bond with Sagi, a young man in the Dark Service, a private branch of the Alfard military. Together with Guillo, a living puppet, and Milly, a sheltered noble woman who wants to see the world, he attempts to uncover what exactly is going on in the world.
What do you love about it?: Both games have gorgeous art and music. Both plots are twisty, keeping you on your toes until the end. And the world is fascinating - there are politics in the background of both games, and how the world came to be and what happens to it both have lots of elements to explore.
What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: Post-canon examinations of the world and characters for Eternal Wings. Worldbuilding for the politics and the history.
Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfill your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: Unfortunately, not really.
Baten Kaitos
Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean
Baten Kaitos Origins
Media: Video game
Approx length: Howlongtobeat.com says 52 hours for Eternal Wings and 43 hours for Origins, which sounds about right for doing only the main quest.
Where to find it:
Recently rereleased on Switch! Digital-only in the US as far as I can tell, but physical copies exist in Europe and Japan. Both were originally released on the GameCube, though Origins wasn't released in Europe - those discs are hard to find and fairly expensive these days.
There are also fairly thorough text + screenshots Let's Plays, with video for major moments:
Eternal Wings
Origins
What is it, in summary?: A pair of JRPGs by Monolith Soft (yes, the ones who made Xenoblade). In them, people live on islands suspended in the sky, and have wings, called Wings of the Heart, that are said to represent their souls. In both games, you are a guardian spirit, an entity that bonds with people, who are said to have an outsized impact on the world.
In Eternal Wings, you bond with Kalas, a young man out for revenge after the Alfard Empire killed his grandfather and younger brother. Along the way he joins up with Xelha, a young woman attempting to prevent the Empire from reviving an evil god, as well as many others.
In Origins, you bond with Sagi, a young man in the Dark Service, a private branch of the Alfard military. Together with Guillo, a living puppet, and Milly, a sheltered noble woman who wants to see the world, he attempts to uncover what exactly is going on in the world.
What do you love about it?: Both games have gorgeous art and music. Both plots are twisty, keeping you on your toes until the end. And the world is fascinating - there are politics in the background of both games, and how the world came to be and what happens to it both have lots of elements to explore.
What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: Post-canon examinations of the world and characters for Eternal Wings. Worldbuilding for the politics and the history.
Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfill your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: Unfortunately, not really.
Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence): Murder, implied ethnic cleansing, human experimentation