Is it a 'kids' series?

[Vivisteiner]

Ive completed KH and Im playing KH2. I enjoy the combat and meeting the Disney characters, but sometimes I feel like Im playing a kids game and that its all a bit 'light', 'naive' and 'unrealistic' for me.

I think its often to do with how the story is told. The way concepts are presented sometimes seems like child's play compared to some of the stuff I've read - such as the darkness in our hearts. Does anyone else get this feeling?

[Ouch!]

You answered the question yourself; Disney is involved. How dark and mature do you expect any game in which the main character always runs around with Donald Duck or Goofy at his side to be?

There's some deeper ideas and concepts in the games that do get simplified, but the storytelling does tend to gloss over some of the darker realities revolving around the themes. Kingdom Hearts 2 dives into it a little bit more toward the end, but don't get your hopes up too much.

That all said, I enjoyed both games very much. Then again, I went in taking an obvious note of the dominant presence of Disney characters and the very obvious E rating. I got what I expected, and so I wasn't disappointed.

[Vermachtnis]

I love "light" games. And if your finding a game "unrealistic" you need to either suspend disbelief or find another medium. You sound like my roommate who doesn't like Finding Nemo because he doesn't believe fishes lives are that complicated.

Yea it is aimed at a younger audience, but who cares really. It's a fun game. And it's a Disney game, you can't expect Tolken or Adams style writing.

[Renmiri]

I felt it too. * Curses Disney for adding Auron to a Mickey and Goofy game *

[Griff]

If KH is just for kids I don't want to be an adult.

[Renmiri]

Nahh... It is a fun game, I just wanted it to be "not for kids" so only cool people would play it :p

[Formalhaut]

We've had a topic on this, and it got closed, and since this is the same thing this should be closed too!

[Griff]

We've had a topic on this, and endless spamming, mudslinging, and whining got it closed, and since this has not happened here yet, there is no need for this thread to be closed!

Fixed.

[Ouch!]

We've had a topic on this, and endless spamming, mudslinging, and whining got it closed, and since this has not happened here yet, there is no need for this thread to be closed!

Fixed.
Something's off about that statement.

Anyway, I've yet to encounter a kid of the Disney target age group who could actually beat the original Kingdom Hearts game (despite how easy KH2 is). In fact, I can think of very few people under 12 or 13 who play it at all. While others might consider that age still to be little kids, I try to give a majority of them a little more credit. Even then, the larger part of the actively involved Kingdom Hearts community is still quite a bit older than that.

While the content may be a little childish, the games haven't really been marketed towards kids--something I'm sure was heavily influence by the appearance of Final Fantasy characters, which initially drew SE's typical fan following despite the appearances being only slightly more than cameos.

[Vivisteiner]

The unrealistic nature of it is not what Im complaining of. I mean, I love Final Fantasy games with characters like Vivi - hardly realistic.

I think what Im trying to say is that Kingdom Hearts feels a bit contrived. In normal Disney, the messages seemed to fit in a cohesive way with the story. Maybe I should hold my tongue till I finish, but I just feel alienated when Namine goes on about 'chaining memories in people's hearts.' It really makes no 'real' sense. It sometimes feel like they make stuff up as they go along.

Also, in the best Disney films, the content and ideas were actually quite deep so that even adults could enjoy it. I dont feel the same about KH. But Im probably being a bit harsh - and Im finding it hard to articulate what I mean. Its still a fun and amusing game. Even if I do hide the cover when my friends come round. ;)

[Ouch!]

I think what Im trying to say is that Kingdom Hearts feels a bit contrived. In normal Disney, the messages seemed to fit in a cohesive way with the story. Maybe I should hold my tongue till I finish, but I just feel alienated when Namine goes on about 'chaining memories in people's hearts.' It really makes no 'real' sense. It sometimes feel like they make stuff up as they go along)
Go read a script of Chain of Memories. While not strictly necessary to enjoy Kingdom Hearts II, it certainly fills in a lot of the empty spaces. It fills a lot of gaps that I imagine a player would ponder if he skipped directly to Kingdom Hearts II without at least reading an overview.

KH: CoM introduced us to a number of characters and elements present in Kingdom Hearts II. For example, Sora met Namine in Chain of Memories. She undid the links that bound his memories together, filling them with false links and false memories at the behest of Marluxia (a member of Organization XIII planning to use Sora to usurp "the Superior"). To repair this damage, she puts Sora in a deep slumber and reconstructs his memories by breaking down the links of the chain of Sora's memories and putting them back as they were--effectively causing him to forget everything that happened during CoM. Not only does CoM introduce Namine, but also DiZ and the members of Organization XIII who do not appear in KH2 (Axel is the only member who survived CoM to make a reappearance in KH2).

That's an extremely condensed version, however, omitting details. Although the gameplay of CoM was not exactly to my tastes, I found its plot very interesting, and I can't imagine playing KH2 without first having played CoM. Really, after getting some info about what happened then, you won't feel like SE is pulling stuff out of their asses as you play through KH2 (especially because none of the characters ever really give Sora a proper explanation of what happened during the year he can't remember--at least not that we can see, although we can assume he finds everything out after the game ends).

[Vivisteiner]

^Ok, so thats probably a big reason why. I had no idea about any of this stuff, and I think its silly that they dont explain it better in game. I mean, I played KH1 - that should be enough.

So maybe the story is more comlex - I think the key messages are just not to my taste. Maybe because Im scientific and I dont like the extended metaphor of the heart. I mean, a heart is a muscle for God's sake.

[Vermachtnis]

So maybe the story is more comlex - I think the key messages are just not to my taste. Maybe because Im scientific and I dont like the extended metaphor of the heart. I mean, a heart is a muscle for God's sake.

That's what I was saying earlier about suspending disbelief. When playing a game like this you can't think with your brain, you have to think with you brain-heart. The heart may be just a muscle in your eyes, but the heart is a symbol worldwide for feeling and stuff. And you probably know that hearts don't look like <3 and I pray that you don't go in Hallmark stores and point that out to people.

[Ouch!]

^Ok, so thats probably a big reason why. I had no idea about any of this stuff, and I think its silly that they dont explain it better in game. I mean, I played KH1 - that should be enough.

So maybe the story is more comlex - I think the key messages are just not to my taste. Maybe because Im scientific and I dont like the extended metaphor of the heart. I mean, a heart is a muscle for God's sake.
Given the nature of the ending to Chain of Memories, explaining the events wouldn't really work well into Kingdom Hearts II's plot. You can assume that Sora is just as confused by all the references to CoM as you are as a player. He doesn't remember anything by the time he wakes up in KH2, so you can play through the game more closely through Sora's eyes.

While it is a huge disappointment that the events of CoM don't get explained, it would be very difficult to try and do that. There's only four people who made it out of CoM with all their memories intact. Three of them never get the opportunity to sit down and tell Sora what's up, and by the time Sora encounters the forth, there's other stuff going down that's far more urgent.

I really suggest reading an overview. Chain of Memories gives the player the first proper introduction to Nobodies (who probably seemed to appear out of nowhere to you). The Nobodies were mentioned in the secret trailers for KH and KH:FM (titled Another Side, Another Story and Deep Dive respectively), but we received little insight into what they are other than an ambiguous description calling them the "nonexistent ones." While CoM doesn't explain the creation of a Nobody, it gives enough information that allows the player to piece it together.

If you were wondering about Riku, keep in mind that after beating Sora's part of Chain of Memories, a shorter story involving Riku's journey through Castle Oblivion called Reverse Rebirth is playable. It doesn't say much about where Riku will end up, but at least you won't feel like he's completely and totally dropped out of the game.

But yeah, most of the things that seem to pop out of nowhere in Kingdom Hearts 2 are results of events occurring in CoM. For example, I'm sure you've noticed that Organization XIII is short a fair few members.

[Vivisteiner]

^Thanks for the information and advice.

Ive checked it out briefly but Ill see it in more detail soon. I still dont think the story's up my allyway, but Ill concede that it has more depth than I gave it credit for.

[Ouch!]

Oh, I doubt that reading CoM would suddenly make you think the plot is absolutely fantastic, or even make you like a little bit if you already don't. It just makes you go "Okay, wtf?" less frequently when you play KH2 (although there still are such moments).

[PuPu]

I played KH1 and KH2 without CoM as well. Playing CoM does explain things such as why Sora was in a deep sleep in the beginning of the game, and why Riku could control the power of darkness. But CoM doesn't have as much importance as it could have, seeing as how Sora no longer had any memories of anything that happened in CoM. Besides, CoM doesn't look that fun on the GBA.

Though it does look quit fun on the CoM remake on PS2. God, I do hope Square-Enix releases it and Final Mix+ in the West, no matter how unlikely it is.

[Darth Tjador]

i dont think kh is a kid series but maybe im wrong

[Slade]

No, the game's too hard for a kid to finish. Especially the first one.

[Formalhaut]

The game is easy! How can you say its too hard, you could do a low level challenge without much trouble.

[Raebus]

Lets just imagine the impossible, that sometimes people aren't as good a game as someone else and take that into consideration. It might be hard for someone else and not for you, the good ol being different phenomenon.

[Ouch!]

The game is easy! How can you say its too hard, you could do a low level challenge without much trouble.
If you're talking about Kingdom Hearts 2, I don't at all disagree with you, but I'd like you to do a low level challenge in the original on Expert mode. Two or three hits and you're out even early in the game.

[Realm25]

it's not just for kids, think about it..I doubt any young child would really understand the concepts and story. If you look beyond the Disney characters there's a deep and often dark storyline, it isn't blunt and in your face, but it's there.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

It's for teenagers who think they're more mature than they are. They cut their teeth on the angsting melodrama and make-it-up-as-I-go-along plot, after which they hopefully move on to better things and realize how embarrassingly base it all actually was. (Read: Mickey Mouse in a black leather hooded trenchcoat.)

[Pouring Rain]

I think that in a way, this is a child's game. But, I think that KH2 seemed to be a little more for teenagers, in a way. They added some sort of angst, trying to reach for the older crowd. I wouldn't exactly say it's just a kid's game, nor would I say it's a teenager's game. It just kind of stays in the in-between.

[ReloadPsi]

It's for teenagers who think they're more mature than they are. They cut their teeth on the angsting melodrama and make-it-up-as-I-go-along plot, after which they hopefully move on to better things and realize how embarrassingly base it all actually was. (Read: Mickey Mouse in a black leather hooded trenchcoat.)

Ironic that people can delude themselves as such when playing a game with Goofy and Donald as main characters.

[Marshall Banana]

It's for fans who love good Disney films enough that something as trivial as swimming under the sea fills them with so much glee that it tears their souls into pieces!

It's not for poopooheads, especially those who can't even recall Ariel's lines in The Little Mermaid. Tsk-tsk.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

:sebastian:

[Mr Cactuar]

Kingdom Hearts is not just a childs game. Really, any game can be enjoyed by any person.

But Kingdom Hearts has a plot that sure a younger person could get and enjoy, but they wouldn't enjoy it as much as say a teenager or older person could.

See: DeviantArt.

[Crop]

Disney made it better. I'm 16 and I love it. In fact, I think without the great Donald and Goofy and other Disney characters, I wouldn't like it as much.

I hope they don't dull down the Disney in it in the future.

[Vivisteiner]

Ehhh...Im trying to force my way through KH2 though I keep getting distracted. Considering the options with Disney, I dont think they made the most of their opportunities. The plot is needlessly chaotic IMO and the Disney ideas are somewhat boring...

I was sooo looking forward to Jack Sparrow making a rope swinging, swashbuckling entrance. Instead it was boring. Maybe Im expecting too much...

So far, I prefered KH.

[Marshall Banana]

Ehhh...Im trying to force my way through KH2 though I keep getting distracted. Considering the options with Disney, I dont think they made the most of their opportunities. The plot is needlessly chaotic IMO and the Disney ideas are somewhat boring...

I was sooo looking forward to Jack Sparrow making a rope swinging, swashbuckling entrance. Instead it was boring. Maybe Im expecting too much...

So far, I prefered KH.
It's not just you; Disney worlds are very disappointing in KHII (save for Beast's Castle). =(

[Remedy]

in the end (nobody) should miss playing it.