• Gummies: Introduction

    1. Intro
    2. Basics
    3. Stats

    Intro

    Every great game needs something that absolutely drives everyone to severe and bitter distraction. In the case of Kingdom Hearts II, one is presented with the mini-games that can be found in 100 Acre Wood, Atlantica, Twilight Town, and sprinkled around in various places. These things allow one to escape from the pressures of the main game itself.

    But, wait a minute, isn't this section about Gummies? No. It's about an unfortunate aspect of the game that for most goes neglected, yet plays like a new, shinier version of Starfox 64. That's right, you heard it here first: Kingdom Hearts II is really Starfox 64. One would find it odd that such a large part of the game would go neglected by most. While the Gummies mini-games could be ignored for the most part, there are required sections of the main game that force a player to participate in the Gummies mini-game.

    Would it not be better to play, and play well, this dazzling version of Starfox 64? For most, apparently not. Well, humor us. It's what we do.

    Purpose of Gummies Mini-Game

    As mentioned previously, there is a section of the main game that requires one to successfully complete a Gummi mission in order to proceed. Most often, these segments are in between the passage of worlds, and the target world can not be played until the Gummi mission is completed. While for most, it would suffice to use the standard Gummi ship to survive each attempt, there are for some, a lack of satisfaction in merely "surviving." To compare, it is not enough to simply pass classes with a grade of "D" in all of them, but to do well; "A" grades are much more kindly looked upon than not.

    How is this Different from the Previous Game?

    Unlike its predecessor, the Gummi mini-game in Kingdom Hearts I, this game is vastly expanded and improved upon. There are many more options, just as the fighting skills of Sora have become improved over the course of the main game. Though it is no longer necessary to pass through the Gummi course for every world visit until you get the warp engine, it is still a vital part of game exploration.

    Additionally, the game does not reach a dead end in terms of progression as quickly as the Gummi missions in Kingdom Hearts I. In the previous game, once one obtained the warp engine, there were only a few worlds left to discover, and moving from world to world was relatively simple, accompanied by a rather painful animation. But it was also near the end of the game. Kingdom Hearts II drops the painful animation, and only forces the player to do it once (unless you died), but this also means that the player can ignore the game from earlier on, even though the last mission is also at the end of the game. However, should one choose to do so, there are ways to advance further in the mini-game at any point, as long as the player is willing to do so. In essence, it is the neglected half of the game, and very certainly, it is closer to half of the content than the version found in the previous installment.


    Basics

    The nitty gritty. The player spends most of his time either in the Garage, constructing his abomination of a ship, or participating in missions, with his abomination of a ship. From the safety of the Garage, one is albe to quickly solicit the Help information from the game concerning Gummies, as well as updates concerning the Gummi ships themselves. Updates may include improved cost expenditures, or things of that nature.

    Starting from the World Map, one can get to the Gummi Garage, your headquarters, by choosing one of the mission stages, and confirming to go through the mission's stage.

    • Start --> Head into the mission
    • Gummi Editor --> Head into the Garage
    • World Map --> Exit back to the World Map

    Choosing "Start" will allow you to carry on with the mission and confirm details. After starting, an animation will ensue where one can check for treasures or rewards that have or have not been obtained.

    Choosing "Gummi Editor" will allow the player to modify either the main Gummi ships or the accompanying Teeny ships. Relevant, but non-mission related information may also be found here.

    Controls on the Field:

    • Left Analog --> Moves the ship (by default, not inverted)
      • Up means up
      • Down means down
      • Left means left
      • Right means right
    • Right Analog --> Changes perspective of the field (used in Mission 3)
    • Holding Cross --> Locks onto an enemy (laser), Auto-Fire (cannon)
    • Pressing Cross --> Fires a charged laser (laser), single-round shot (cannon)
    • Circle --> Barrel Roll (not Z or R twice!)
    • Triangle --> Strike an enemy (slash only)
    • Start --> Brings up the option menu
      • Continue --> Exits the options for the mission
      • Retry --> Restarts the mission
      • Advice Log --> Brings up a series of information panels
      • Rapid Fire --> Change between Semi-Auto and Full Auto
      • Vibration --> Turn controller vibration on or off
      • Y Axis --> Change between Look-Inversion and Non-Inverted
      • Camera --> Change how rotation occurs (Right Analog, Mission 3 only)
      • Gummi Menu --> Returns one to the Garage
      • World Map --> Returns one to the World Map

    Controls in the Garage:

    • Left Analog --> Moves the ship (by default, not inverted)
      • Up means up
      • Down means down
      • Left means left
      • Right means right
    • Right Analog --> Rotates the ship
      • Up means forward
      • Down means backward
      • Left means counter-clockwise (from the front of the ship)
      • Right means clockwise (from the front of the ship)
    • Cross --> Confirm
    • Circle --> Cancel, shortcuts to Exit tab
    • Triangle --> Shift placement mode (from Materials to Deco and vice versa)
    • Square --> Begins a new project
    • R1 --> Redo
    • R2 --> Undo

    Stats

    Cost - This is how much the Gummi Ship costs if one attempted to build it. At first, the limit is a sparse 600 Munny, but after completing certain missions, the maximum cost will increase to 700 and then again to 800. Teeny Ships start at 100 and finish at 200. An ability, Cost Converter will allow one to trade the option of using a Teeny Ship, and convert its maximum cost into maximum limit for a Gummi Ship; a theoretical maximum of 1200.

    HP - For everything that exists, there is a HP bar for it, the one that determines life or death. Any self-interested pilot would want a ship with lots of it, unless the pilot doesn't plan on getting hit, ever. Good luck with that. Represented on the grid as a shield icon.

    Offense - Representative value of how heavily armed the Gummi Ship is. More weapons generally means higher Offense. Does not represent that damage that can be dealt to an enemy ship. Represented on the grid as a lone cannon.

    Power - Determines how powerful each individual round of damage is. Values are not affected but how many weapons are on the ship. May be loosely analogous to weapon efficiency. Represented on the grid as an explosion.

    Mobility - Statistic that shows how sensitive control is. Instead of the primary directions, Mobility also facilitates moving along the intermediate directions on the screen, as well. Represented on the grid as a wing.

    Speed - Value that determines the efficiency of the spinning maneuver (Circle Button) and how quickly one can move across the screen in any direction. Represented on the grid as an engine.

    Dimensions/Size - How large the ship or Gummi block is. One could consider this a hidden value.

    Abilities - All of the extra stuff that comes along with a Gummi Ship to help it in the field. Has its own section.