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Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean is a beautiful game, with lush, detailed pre-rendered backgrounds. After visiting all five island-nations in the sky, you may wonder what else might there be. Throughout the game you may recall NPCs speaking of an island completely covered in ice and snow. These legendary ice lands, called Wazn, do exist, but had gone into isolation over 500 years ago. Hoping that the Ice Queen, a powerful witch that rules the nation would be willing to help them, the party sets out for the ice lands.
The Ice Cliffs of Gomeisa, the first sighting of Wazn upon arrival, are perhaps not what one has in mind when they think of a beautiful land of ice and snow. There is a constant storm blowing through the area, making it difficult to move through, and the cliffs are jagged and dangerous-looking (though no real danger comes to the player, save for the monsters that inhabit the area). Upon coming to a relatively clear cliff, the rest of Wazn is revealed, after being initially hidden by magical barriers. It looks like a giant, gorgeous structure of ice not far off in the distance.
This structure is actually two areas, the first being the rather small Cursa, the Snowy City. There are only two homes to enter and an item shop, but many warmly-dressed people walk through the streets, with children skating on the ice and playing in the snow. A number of snowmen with bucket-helmets also line the streets, likely courtesy of the children. The buildings aren't just made of ice; they seem to be carved out of enormous blocks of the blue-hued crystalline material. Aside from the city itself, there is also an aurora visible in the sky, which can also be seen in the previous area just past the cliffs, adding to the mystic beauty of the city and surrounding area.
Even more magnificent than Cursa, however, is the great Castle of Ice with a mouthful of a name, Kaffaljidhma. This great palace of ice has a constant presence of mist covering the floors. The walls and everything else made from ice sparkle faintly. The first room of the palace is appropriately impressive, with two great dragon ice sculptures flanking the center stairwell. They are depictions of the White Dragon, the national symbol of Wazn, which will soon be your party's means of flying from island to island (the dragon itself, not the sculptures). The many columns, chandeliers, and archways of ice are also sights to behold.
Now you might be thinking "chandeliers of ice sounds rather counterintuitive. Wouldn't they melt once they're lit?" While not everything found in the homes of Cursa and Kaffaljidhma are made of ice, the chandeliers are not the only illogical ice objects. There are cooking pots, candles, and lamps, all objects that earn baffled reactions from the flavor text that appears when these items are examined. Though not openly stated, there is a potential in-game explanation. There exists a substance called Flame Ice, paradoxically found in lava-filled caves, that does not melt. Of course, you might still wonder if Flame Ice is a good conductor of heat when it comes to the cooking pots.
Wazn is easily one of the most beautiful locations in the world of Baten Kaitos. The constant snowfall and the ever-present auroras really add to the wonder of the ice lands. Wazn is probably not a place you'll want to take up permanent residence in, but it is certainly one you'll look forward to visiting in-game. Why Wazn closed itself off from the rest of the Baten Kaitos world is not fully explained, but we can hope that they have opened their nation to tourists after the game ends.
Oh, and as to the aforementioned Ice Queen? You should actually be quite familiar with her:
Yes that's right; Xelha, the first party member after main character Kalas, is actually the Ice Queen of Wazn. What, you mean you bought her story about being a maid in the evil emperor's palace who managed to steal an important pendant?
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