Kingdom Hearts - an opinionated retrospective

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Okay, this one's a fan darling, so I feel completely justified in being a bit less nice to it :p

Kingdom Hearts II has consistently been considered the best game in the series by many. This despite the fact many people started getting confused by the Kingdom Hearts Conundrum^TM (hence abbreviated to KHC), having jumped into it straight after KHI, even though the game definitely relies on your knowledge of Chain of Memories in order to really make sense of all the various plots in this game.

That's still not my problem with the game, to be honest, as I mentioned in the previous entry, since I have been able to play the games in order up until now (someone please just get me a PS4 already :onoes:). Heck, maybe mentioning my problems right off the bat isn't the best thing to do, since - make no mistake - I still love Kingdom Hearts II.

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So let's start with the good. As big of a fan as I am of CoM's card battle system, KHII definitely feels like a much more refined version of I's battle system, making everything much more quick, snappy, and flashy as all hell. The various ways in which you can modify your combos are very fun, drive forms are cool to play around with (I'm a huge fan of Anti-form, fyi), and everything in general just feels so much more vibrant and exhilerating, with a final battle that I keep getting dreams about to this day. In fact, the gameplay is something I can say I enjoy immensely and don't really find the tiny flaws in it annoying. Yes, it's much too easy - even on proud mode it's the easiest game in the series to beat - and battles often dissolve into button mashing, but with reaction commands you sometimes have to *gasp* mash another button! The flashiness of the battles mean there's less of those methodical Keyblade swings from the previous two games, but hey - I'm always up for a good spectacle, and II doesn't disappoint in that regard. Also, RIP platforming puzzles, but if the game is much easier to navigate thanks to that, I just can't complain.

And now we get to the story, which I really consider a mixed bag. No, I don't think it's confusing or convoluted or the end of the world or anything. Perhaps that's because I actually had the intended experience with CoM and could follow every story beat without the problem, on top of just being completely immersed in the original plot of KH, which was driven much more strongly in CoM than it was in Kingdom Hearts I. The main issue I have with II's plot is that it's filler, ironically enough.

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Yeah, that might sound weird, but from hindsight, now that we know what we know, II's role is answering some questions from CoM, and then setting up the story that gets built up on in the upcoming entries. Like, it's funny how Scotty and Wolf mention II disappointing them as a follow up to Deep Dive, when we now know Deep Dive was actually a teaser for another game that came after II. This half of the Organization is also far less charismatic and interesting (aside from maybe Xigbar, though I can't honestly tell how much of that is me projecting what I already know from later games, where he gets a lot of spotlight, and how much is him actually stealing the show in this game), with Xemnas's motivations being particularly hazy and, what do you know, the following games actually make this whole thing make much more sense. It's almost as if Nomura had come up with the story of 358/2 Days (at least!) as part of what was supposed to make it to II, but then it all turned out to be too big and the actual fascinating character moments went into Days (explaining why someone like Riku is so badly mangled in the game while Days actually gives it enough context to make sense with his road to dawn philosophy), so that II could focus on the action.

So the game, in my opinon, does a poor job exploring its characters (as CoM did masterfully) or giving proper weight to its plot - mostly by the plot being just so dense with various new concepts that aren't given time to sink in. While the fight with Xemnas is flashy, for example, he's a pale imitation of Ansem - we really only know his bad because of their connection. The Disney worlds sadly suffer a similar fate, being for the most part straight retellings of the movies and zero involvement in the main plot. I will admit, however, that the revisits were pretty great and unexpected (and I love that they're technically optional!)

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And yet, there is one shining diamond in the Kingdom Hearts II story that really makes me forgive all of the things I consider wrong about it. The Roxas prologue was one of the most fascinating, mysterious, and tense moments in the series. Add to that the heavy dramatic irony connected with the reveal at the end of it, plus the way it connects to what was already hinted at in Chain of Memories, and you have an excellent three-hour mystery story with a gut-wrenching ending. Somehow, 358/2 Days only makes it hit harder.

But even if the plot is handled clumsily, there's plenty of lore advancement going on!

Important story bits

• Roxas is leading a peaceful life at Twilight Town, until Axel shows up, acting all buddy-buddy with him, despite Roxas not having any memory of him.
• Roxas learns he is Sora's Nobody - a being formed from a person's body and soul after they've lost their hear - and must cease existing in order to finish the process of restoring Sora's missing memories
• Sora and pals wake up from a long dream, remembering nothing about Castle Oblivion, with only the note "Thank Namine" left in the journal (for now! Goddamnit, Kingdom Hearts!)
• Mickey actually saves their butt from the Nobodies that attack them. Still, he disappears right after
• Guided by Yen Sid, Sora &co. make their way to Hollow Bastion to meat up with Leon &co. so that they can stop the Nobody threat. Also, to find Riku and Kairi again, I guess.
• Organization XIII show up, stir some trout, and tell Sora to keep defeating Heartless with his Keyblade.
• At some point, Kairi gets kidnapped by Axel.
• After visiting some Disney worlds and fighting some Organization members, Sora gets back to Hollow Bastion (the only place where any actual plot happens, tbh) and learns about Ansem and Xemnas' true identity - Xehanort. He was an apprentice to Ansem who wrote reports under the name of his master. He's the one who brought Heartless to the world, and willingly turned himself into a Heartless (the main antagonist of KHI). The real Ansem had been banished into the Dark Realm.
• The 1000 Heartless battle happens and Sora just gets kinda fed up with the Organization. Goofy dies but then gets better.
• Heading to the final showdown, Sora fights alongside Axel who later dies. He tells him Roxas made him feel like he had a heart.
• At the Headquarters of the Organization, the World that Never Was, Sora reunites with Kairi, as well as Riku who is trapped in the form of Xehanort's Heartless. With the power of friendship, he gets better.
• They also meet DiZ who turns out to be Ansem the Wise, and later blows himself up along with the false Kingdom Hearts created by Xemnas to atone for his sins.
• Namine is also there. She's actually Kairi's Nobody. They merge back together, as does Roxas and Sora.
• Xemnas is defeated and they all return to Destiny Islands. Sometime later, however, a mysterious letter sent by King Mickey finds its way to the trio.

Favorite story segment
Again, I want to say the entire intro with Roxas, but I'll say explornig the Mansion takes the cake. It's where all of Roxas' big reveals happen, it's dark, and the end is just horribly tragic. It gives me similar feels to the Hollow Bastion sequence in game 1.

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Gameplay highlights

• Fast-paced battle system with tons of options
• Reaction commands are very flashy and effective
• Having the worlds be two shorter stories each instead of one makes them much more fun to explore

What are your thoughts on Kingdom Hearts II? Did you play it right after 1, or did you at least know what happened in CoM? What do you like about it? Feel free to take part in the discussion!

~Play order~
KINGDOM HEARTS=>CHAIN OF MEMORIES=>KINGDOM HEARTS II=>????=>????=>????=>????=>????=>????=>????

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fynn

• At the Headquarters of the Organization, the World that Never Was, Sora reunites with Kairi, as well as Riku who is trapped in the form of Xehanort's Heartless. With the power of friendship, he gets better.
• They also meet DiZ who turns out to be Ansem the Wise, and later blows himself up along with the false Kingdom Hearts created by Xemnas to atone for his sins.

---

Not the power of friendship actually, he returns to his true form after Ansem blows a hole in Kingdom Hearts, and they handwave it away with Mickey saying "Ansem did say anything could happen" :p

KH2 is my second favorite KH game. The gameplay, of course, is miles better than KH1. As for it being filler..we must just have a different definition of that word. The whole Roxas story happens here (sure, it's done more elaborately in another game, but that game didn't exist yet), we learn more about Axel and Namine, as well as their ultimate fate, the purpose of Org XIII, the rest of its members, Riku and Mickey's fates, Ansem the Wise's story and more.

I never really got the complaint that the first visit to the worlds is mostly just events of the movies with heartless added in, as there is the second visit for actual original stuff and half of KH1's Disney worlds were also just a warped version of the movie's events anyway. The worlds being inconsequential to the main story is nothing new since in KH1 really only Neverland was (even Monstro is just a couple of minutes of Riku being Riku)

But anyway, that aside. There is actually one downside to the combat, and that is its over-reliance on reaction commands. They're neat and all but there are bosses you can literally beat by only using reaction commands to attack them, except maybe the final strike because i don't remember if reaction commands can actually kill bosses (Xaldin, for example, learn/jump is all you need to obliterate his health bars)

The Final Mix version also has new cutscenes, many of which hint at events in later games or have more exposition on Org XIII and Roxas (remember, Final Mix was released in 2007, years before Days and BBS)

My favorite world is The World That Never Was, but if that's too broad to count, the battle with Roxas (the fight itself is Final Mix only). The fight itself is probably the best mandatory fight in the game (also the hardest one, IMO) and in the cutscenes surrounding it, Roxas' story truly comes to an end with him accepting Sora and having a last goodbye with Axel. The fact that his theme plays during the fight is also a nice touch.

The music is, of course, still great. I prefer the ending version of Sanctuary over both Simple and Clean and Don't Think Twice. I also prefer the opening version over Simple and Clean (but not Face My Fears, don't punch me EDM haters :p )

Oh yeah, that goes without saying. The game never falters for a bit in the series. I’m not a fan of the original KH2 midi quality as it sounds like a downgrade from KHI, but with the HD rerelease all the tracks have been recorded, pretty much all of them contains real instruments in some capacity, so that’s no longer an issue and the KH2 soundtrack can truly shine

That Roxas fight was pretty tough. I think I got stuck there a bit when I played the HD remix.

I love this game to death despite the negatives I have for it. It’s flashy and fun to play despite being a bit too easy most of the time. I’m just in the minority of preferring the gameplay of the first game. I also enjoyed the story despite it not fully living up to my expectations. I can definitely see where Fynn is coming from with it feeling like filler somewhat.

My main issue was that the Disney worlds felt more like a chore this time around. I hated the moonlight mechanic in the Pirates world. I just didn’t enjoy the music of the Little Mermaid world. I go back and forth on the 100 Acre Wood.

While not a a true confession for those who ever paid attention to my posts in the past, KH2 is easily my least favorite KH game I've played. Even though the plot of 3D was the straw that finally broke the back and made me decide I didn't care enough anymore to see it end, my real ire with the direction of the series really begins with this game.

I'm of the minority who hates the combat, it's not just easy, it's practically mindless for the most part, and the Drive Forms are hardly balanced. I appreciate having a proper camera this time around and the Drive forms do add some variety but it's all flash and little substance which just gets boring to me after awhile. Maybe this is because I cut my teeth on Devil May Cry and it's ilk, but if you're going to go action game, then bring the challenge or at least add something to make the combat more interesting like the way Drive forms were handled in BbS. So yeah, I'm not a huge fan of the combat because it's mostly canned cutscenes and mashing one button. Even the final battle against Xemnas to me feels more like a farce compared the battle with Ansem in KH1 which was at least challenging. Hell, KH1's combat at least required a little skill on the players part. KH2's combat just feels like it wants to let you think your special and badass but I personally find it insulting to do so.

The one area where I'll concede that KH2 has better gameplay is the Gummi Ship sequences. I can't tell you how much I hate the Gummi Ship parts in KH1, absolutely hate them, but KH2 actually made them into fun rail shooters and here the spectacle aspect of the game works because the sequences are fairly challenging and shmups are traditionally particle effects show.

The plot follows suit, it's just one silly shocking twist after another with nothing to anchor it all in. Riku's whole plot is pretty dumb and is resolved so anti-climatically that it just feels cheap and forced, the fake out death of Goofy is similar, Namine and Kairi have so little in the way of purpose in the title that you almost wonder why they bothered letting them show up, and Axel should have died in the prologue like it was originally planned because it's not like he did anything meaningful after it. The Xehanort twist felt really dumb at the time as well and even now, I still feel like there was no real reason to have Ansem be a separate character because it's not like he's really important to the plot, he's a cryptic figure in CoM and it amounts to diddly squat in payoff in KH2. He was better portrayed in KH1 as the guy we know as Xehanort and him taking over his identity just never even made sense to be honest. I mean you overthrow the guy and then become a Heartless, why take his name?

Like Fynn points out, most of the few meaningful plot elements of the game exist simply to hint to all the future games like who this Xehanort fellow? This game is like Amazing Spider Man 2, just setting up all the future sequels instead of actually being a good story. I mean Sora has to wander the worlds to build Light roads or something and not only does this never get much clarification, but it's also never really been brought up again after he does so in both the game itself and every game after it which just makes it painfully clear that's it's just an excuse to justify why Sora has to travel the worlds again, like trying to find Riku and Mickey wasn't enough of an incentive. Also what happened to Org XIII? I mean they're presented as the multifaceted organization with colorful members but KHII pretty much drop kicks that notion our of the story right off the bat. I mean they were one of the best parts of CoM and a great source of drama, the ones in KH2 are basically Mega Man bosses with Xemnas being the only important one.

This is also the game that basically tells you that every rule you know about the KH world from the first game no longer matter, Nomura and Nojima decided between CoM and this game that old rules and the princess idea was stupid so we're just going to make up new rules about how Kingdom Hearts works and the whole cosmology of the series, and we're likely going to change the rules again after this game anyway so please don't be butthurt by our inconsistency. KH2 is basically when the plot decided to run on pure Rule of Cool. It doesn't have to make any logical sense, it just has to sound and look cool when we do it. They did the same nonsense in the Compilation of FFVII and both franchises as a whole have been running on it since about 2006. Now with that said, I agree with Fynn that Roxas Prologue sequence is easily the best part of the game from a story standpoint, where I don't agree is that it magically redeems the rest of the game's "seat of there pants" writing style. Roxas, in those few hours showed more depth and intrigue as a protagonist than Sora has in the course of the whole series. I am always disappointed when the game finally switches back to Sora. So yeah, I hate the plot.

One thing I will give KH2, and this might be another reason why I'm a still a bit salty about my dislike of the game side of things, is the fact it has my favorite set of worlds in the whole franchise. Barring the Pirates world which was terrible and simply felt like SE banking on the popularity of the film franchise at the time; I actually love every location in this game because it largely hits all of my right nostalgia buttons. I even love the Little Mermaid World, but I also love Rhythm Games and you haven't lived until you've heard Japanese Donald Duck sing. My only real complaint with how the worlds were handled is not the "let's just insert our new characters into Reader's Digest version of the plot" cause as WarZidane points out, KH1 pretty much started that trend, it's actually the lazy bulltrout that is making us go through all the worlds twice. It's like they knew they only really had enough content and story to last ten hours but needed to push it to twenty so the fans wouldn't whine but I generally hate backtracking in games, especially when the plot forces me to do so. We could have easily just condensed both story sequences into one setting and got more bang for our buck in each world instead of just playing one little part, getting booted out and then having to go back ten hours later to actually resolve all the conflict. If you weren't being constantly bombarded with plots twists and shock value sequences, I feel most people would be aware of how off the pacing of this game is.

I honestly remember finishing this game and was wondering if a new team made it or something because it seriously lacked the restraint and finesse of the prequels. So yeah rant over until we get to Dream Drop Distance...

I somehow still have a shred of hope my hot take on DDD will tide you over :p

Still, while agree with most of the grievance you and many people around the Internet has expressed, I mostly don’t care because for me it’s obvious that the story is being made up as it goes along (though not completely, which I’ll elsborate on later) but that doesn’t hamper my enjoyment because KH to me never fails to deliver in the feels, and this series is the epitome of feels over reals.

Also, side note here and a mini rant, but there’s this huge movement (or at least a very vocal minority) within the KH community that claims II’s combat system is perfect and the Osaka team have removed all strategy by adding the command deck (????) and making the game “floaty” (*sigh*). So now they’re looking at leaked footage of III and reasons to decide whether III is a masterpiece or worthless trash. May I remind you the game isn’t even out yet. And whenever people claim to like various systems in the series they’ll be like “oh that’s because you’re playing the game casually.” Like holy trout, I never realized there was a competitive KH scene :stare:

If there's a way to meta game something while simultaneously pissing on something else, the internet will be all over it. Wait does that make Kingdom Hearts 2 the Super Smash Melee of the franchise?

This game isn't as broken as the others. There's that infinite combo and magnet can clear a room. And yet at the same time, like Wolf said. This game is a power fantasy and doesn't need to be broken. Take Earth Shaker for example. The second boss of the Lion King world. This thing is massive and takes full advantage of the huge map and had like ten health bars. And then it's dead with like no effort. Bite its feet until you can bite it's head until you can bite it's core. Repeat like three times.

And there's a phase during the final fight where you're fighting Xehanort in his armor. And he just sets there throwing spears. And after you do enough damage he throws you and you have to fly back and repeat. And then later in the fight they repeat this past with no change.

That's another thing, the final fight drags on. It's a spectacle to be sure, but after the fifth phase I was done. And the final final FINAL fight starts with this extended sequence where you mash triangle for a minute until the actual fight starts. And there's a party where you have to play as Riku and run up and mash triangle to continue the fight, but for whatever reason wouldn't always work or that part would trigger at an unwinnable section and you have to start that fight over. I am glad that there wasn't an Undefeatable trophy for 2.

Roses are red, violets are blue...

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So I mentioned how Kingdom Hearts II felt like filler to me and how its story, despite having plenty of different plot, felt underdeveloped. I'm pretty sure the ideas Nomura really wanted to explore with his characters in II made their wa into this game. That alone of course, was not enough to make a whole game out of (there's only so far we can milk that Deep Dive hype, people). The end result is a semi-prequel that seems to deconstruct fanfiction tropes and is honestly one of the most gut-wrenching moments in the entire series. It is also my second favorite Kingdom Hearts game.

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The game was not received very warmly at first, however. After the KH2 secret ending, people wanted to get in on that sweet BBS booty, but instead they got a game about Roxas' time in the organization. However, instead of getting a story focused on the underdeveloped Organization XIII members present in 2, Days introduces a brand new character called Xion, a mysterious XIVth member of the Organization, never mentioned before or since. Add to that a fairly clunky battle system and repetitive missions, and you got yourself a very angry - or at least apathetic - fandom.

Honestly, though, I feel that 358/2 Days not only does a lot to fix many of the issues I had with 2's plot, but it also carves an entirely original story of its own that resonates with me to this day and has left its mark on the KH continuity in a far more emotional way than, say, BBS, whose contributions are far more lore-focused (not that there's no emotional input there, but we'll get to that). So Riku became broody after his optimistic ending in CoM? Turns out he had to do some horriifc things to people he genuinely respected, all in order to bring his best friend back. Axel went from a conniving, calculating bastard to a depressed ex-boyfriend that's just sad all the time? While a later game will explain it fully, turns out he's naturally changed from one to the other through his friendship with not only Roxas, but also Xion. And since he's forgotten Xion, all those memories were focused on Roxas. So basically he missed two friends in one while his heart was still relatively fresh.

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The inclusion of Xion was weird to me at first and did indeed seem very fanficky, but in the end I feel she's one of the most worthwhile, tragic additions to the series. And by that I don't just meet her ultimate fate. 358/2 Days is a story about friendship in a dark time, and about how friends can and will drift apart. Roxas, Axel and Xion dream of nothing more than to just be together forever, but the circumstances they're in have caused their goals to become misaligned, and everything just falls apart from there.

The last thing I want to touch upon is the gameplay. So 358/2 Days has been condensed to just cutscenes in the HD rerelease and many people say it's for the better. While I can't say that myself since I haven't seen that version, I can definitely see why they'd say that - the missions do get repetitive and to some that may detract from the overall story experience. However, I would argue that the daily routine you go through as Roxas is a crucial part of building up the character development that this game so heavily deals out to you, to the point that I honestly can't imagine how a 3-hour movie could make as much of an impact. And honestly, I still really like the gameplay. The game may lack 2's flashiness or CoM's level of customization, but the Panel system was one of the series most unique and interesting. If you can, I'd still recommend trying to get the DS version just to get the full experience, but since the story is the absolute strongest part of this game, you won't be missing out on that much by just sticking to the HD cutscenes on the collection.

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As I mentioned, Days is much more character focused than lore focused, which is why the list of plot points will be shorter. It'll also be out of order as due to the games day-by-day nature some elements take their sweet time to resolve. As such, this will be more of an actual plot point list this time, rather than an event-by-event summary.

Important story bits

• Roxas is added to the Organization to help them collect Hearts for Kingdom Hearts, as only the Keyblade can do that.
• Xion is a Replica made by Vexen who gets filled with Sora's memories that he had removed from him during CoM. Since the memories removed mostly related to Kairi, Xion has her face. It's worth mentioning, however, that what she looks like depends on who's looking at her. Her default face is her Kairi face and it can be seen by people she's close to (Roxas, Axel). People who have encountered Sora in some way shape or form beforehand see a face most relevant to them (Xigbar sees Ventus), while some people just see a blank, featureless face of a doll (Saix). She is brought in as a failsafe, should Roxas prove too unstable to fulfil the purpose of the Organization.
• Roxas, Axel and Xion become very close over the course of the game.
• Since Roxas and Xion are the only thing preventing Sora from regaining all of his memories (which is why the process took so damn long), Riku is sent out by DiZ to bring them to Sora. Riku finds Xion pretty quick but doesn't take her by force. He and Namine explain exactly what her nature is and what her fate is, but ultimately Riku lets Xion make her own decision on the matter.
• Axel is torn between his loyalty to Saix - his old friend with whom they'd planned to overthrow the Organization - with his loyalty to his new friends. In the end, he focuses his priorities on Roxas and Xion, even to the point of bringing Xion back to the castle against her will (as she'd decided to rejoin Sora), since he believes that this will keep her safe.
• After the rift between himself and his friends has grown to the point of no return (as he says, he can't really recognize Axel anymore), Roxas decides to leave the Organization, with Saix standing in his way. He soon encounters Xion who feigns insanity to ensure that Roxas defeats her, so that he can take in Sora's memories which she has inside her. After this happens, everyone starts forgetting her, making it as if she'd never existed in the first place.
• Nevertheless, Roxas vows to stop Xemnas and, two Keyblades in hand, attempts to destroy the artifical Kingdom Hearts. However, he is stopped by Riku and Deep Dive finally happens for realsies. Riku is defeated, but he must take Roxas to Sora at all costs, so he gives in to the deepest darness in his heart and takes the form of Ansem, Seeker of Darkness. Roxas is put into the data Twilight Town, setting up the prologue of KHII.

Favorite story segment
There are many moments in this game that could take this title, but in the end I'd have to say it's the moment when Riku defeats Xion in Beast's Castle. After he calls her Keyblade a sham and makes her question everything she knows, she screams with this visceral anguish in her voice that just solidified her as one of the biggest woobies in the series in my book.

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Gameplay highlights

• Just the panel system, really. It make s a low level run easier and I liked that you could only change stuff around before missions, making choosing the right setup every time very important.
• If you've got friends with the game, Mission Mode can be pretty cool, as you have tons of characters to choose from.

What are your thoughts on Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days? Did you play the original or just watched the cutscenes in the collection? If you've done both, which do you prefer? Feel free to take part in the discussion!

~Play order~
KINGDOM HEARTS=>CHAIN OF MEMORIES=>KINGDOM HEARTS II=>358/2 DAYS=>????=>????=>????=>????=>????=>????

https://s1.zerochan.net/Kingdom.Hear...600.932509.jpg

As a game, I could never get into 358/2 Days. There were a number of reasons for this. I'm not big on handhelds and I don't like the mission-based structure (for these reasons, I was also not a fan of Crisis Core). I recall finding the gameplay disappointing too, but it's been quite a while and it was pretty brief (i didn't finish the game) so I'll refrain on really judging that part.

I will say it's cool that you could actually play as all the organization members in mission mode.

As a "movie" in the HD collection, I much prefer it, and it rises up the ranks considerably. It's a good, tragic story that fills in a lot of gaps left behind by KH2 and introduces a new character that I really like.

It's hard to pick between two specific parts of Days as my favorite one.

First, there's the climax to Xion's story, where she fights Roxas so that he can end her existence (and all memory of her), which is necessary to fix Sora's predicament. Hearing her theme play as she fades away while Roxas forgets who she even is (though he briefly regains the memories) hits you in the gut pretty hard.

The second is the famous Deep Dive scene, as you finally see it fully play out. Roxas and Riku fighting each other and a bunch of heartless while you see their memories of Xion starting to fade away, and finally you see her being completely wiped from Roxas' memory at the same moment as Riku-Ansem subduing him, to the sound of Dearly Beloved.

I consider both to be about equally good really. Coincidentally they're also both about equally tragic. :p

I really liked this game, and I never minded the gameplay. I was completely engrossed in the story when it came out, especially since I’m a sucker for very character driven narratives. I thought the gameplay worked for a handheld game, and I did like messing around with the level up system. I’ve only watched the movie version once, and I will not do that again since I feel like it loses impact without going through the day to day and not seeing all the fights.

I really enjoyed 358/2 and I feel it cemented Roxas as my favorite character in the whole franchise. There's nothing really to say on the subject that Fynn didn't mention in his great write-up. Except I still think the whole Riku-Ansem thing was stupid and mostly used for cheap shock value. I will say that 358/2 is one of the most heart wrenching entries in the whole series with probably one of the biggest gut-punching endings in the franchise, which is saying something because most of the games have bittersweet endings. Well the good ones at least...

I'll stick up for the gameplay a little more though. I enjoyed the Grid system because the one thing KH tends to lack is a good customization system. The console entries lack any meaningful one and CoM probably has the best one in the series if you dig deck building. Still I appreciate the challenge of the Grid system imposes on the game. I feel the two best features of the game, which were largely ignored for the rest of the franchise was how magic and keyblades worked in this game. Granted, magic is unique because it's built for the multiplayer, but I appreciated the fact that each level of a spell was unique and not simply a "bigger" version of the first spell. You could also build some interesting combos with stuff like Blizzaga and Firaga. For the Keyblades, I liked the fact they had alternate combos depending on whether you hit an alternate button at certain times. One of my favorite Keyblades would open up into a powerful aerial combo if you chained it right and with the aforementioned spell changes, it was possible to create some fun and challenging combat setups. So I feel the core idea of the combat system was actually really strong, the issue was the game was made for the DS.

Don't get me wrong, I love the DS, but 358/2 should have been made for the stronger PSP system if they wanted a hot handheld multiplayer itle, especially since Wi-Fi support on the PSP was better designed than the poor DS. It may have also improved the controls of the game as well. Like KH1, 358/2 asks more of the camera than it really could, especially with the added problem of lacking a right analog stick to fix things. Made more annoying by the game lifting areas from verbatim from KH1, leaving us to deal with finicky camera controls in some platform heavy areas like Agrabah or bringing back the awkward flight controls from Neverland back. There are also just some flat out obnoxious missions that just make the gameplay side of things more tedious than it should be such as the stealth missions against Cogsworth and Pete or the obnoxious "chase down the giant heartless" missions in the Wonderlnd Maze and Neverland. I like to hope that had the game been remade for a stronger system with a better camera, it would actually really shine as one of the better entries but obviously SE has decided that's more effort than they are willing to give to the poor title.

TFW no one notices the little poem you made with the game title >.>

Oh I appreciated the poem, Fynn!

I forgot about the stealth missions in the game. Those were definitely pretty bad.

I've only seen the movie and that was because I wanted the cards that you get from watching it. Then I loved it. It was not a happy movie. And I can't imagine that fight with Xion at the end being a fun one. I read the ingame journal that unlocked after watching it and the entry said something along the lines of, "And Xion finally got her wish of dying." Kingdom Hearts, for kids!

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Time for another fan favorite! Luckily, this time I'm in the "yay!" camp! With its intricate lore, greatly expanding the universe of Kingdom Hearts, a compelling cast with incredibly tragic stories and heavy doses of dramatic irony, and a stellar battle system that perfectly blends deck-building with high-octane action, Birth By Sleep has all the makings of a masterpiece. And so it sits comfortable on the number 3 spot of my personal Kingdom Hearts ranking list.

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Birth By Sleep takes place ten years before the events of Kingdom Hearts I, and here's where the other half of the build-up from II went. We've got the scenes from the secret ending, we go right into the whole origin of the Xehanort shenanigans, we get to learn why Sora and Roxas look so different, and... then there's this new girl? Oh wait, she's the actual main character here?

So a notable thing about BBS is that you get to experience its story through three different perspectives. There's Terra, the hot muscleboy who's a little too trusting of authority figures. Then there's Ventus, a narcoleptic young man who will literally die if you don't love him enough. And then there's Aqua, a literal perfect, flawless human being who can do no wrong but always has to clean up after everybody and is rewarded with everything bad the universe can throw at her. Don't get too attached to this lovely bunch, though. The fact that you haven't seen nor heard of them throughout the series run so far should tip you off that something is not right and that there is no way any one of these guys will be getting happy endings. Ventus and Terra's appearance and behavior can give you a lot to mull over, however, and if you've been paying attention throughout the series, you can probably deduce what will happen to them before things really start going downhill for realsies. Aqua, however, is where the story really gets interesting. In the end, she is the glue that holds the plot together and the plot is ultimately about her trying to make the best of a bad situation, and still failing despite her best efforts. Still, it's admirable how she can still persevere despite all this tragedy (for nOW DAMN YOU NOMURAAAAAA!!!!).

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But even aside from our main trio, there are plenty of other, lore-heavy scenes in this game - which I'll get to in a moment in my usual list format - and while the game isn't as character-heavy as Days or CoM, it still does a decent job of fleshing out our characters and their motivations, to the point that they're at the very least very likeable, so that you really feel sorry for them after all is said and done. That still doesn't mean I don't like what was added to the KH universe - I love it too! Honestly, this is what I think really makes this game's plotting different to KHII's. Both games have tons of new plot points, but you can tell that, while it was seat-of-your pants writing for KHII, Birth By Sleep is actually the start of a completely new arc, with Nomura already planting seeds for future releases. In short, this (and Days too, even if just a little bit) is where we don't really focus on II anymore and instead start preparing for Kingdom Hearts III. I've admitted myself that a lot of the stuff in KH is made up as it goes along, but in this game in particular you can see that there's some very subtle, methodical build up happening. As stupid as many of you consider Dream Drop Distance's plot, many of the plot points are already foreshadowed here (e.g. Braig's appearance, as in the eyes and ears, is different in the Blank Points secret ending than it is during the main plot), with scenes that would later make their way to 3D (even if slightly altered) are hidden within this game's code. All I'm saying is, there was way more build-up to the whole Seekers of Darkness saga climax, people. This time Nomura was actually probably too subtle for his own good, though ;)

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But enough about plot, as we'll cover that in more detail later - the gameplay is also top notch here! I really love the command deck system and I'm so glad it made its way into two more games in the series, to the point that I was genuinely saddened when I learned III would be going back to a more traditional KH system. Birth By Sleep honestly does the system best. With leveling up commands, melding commands to not only get better ones, but also unlock permanent abilities, and the absolute joy that is the command board, there are a ton of ways to play around with - and break - Birth By Sleep's combat. Which is why the current hardcore KH opinion about the Osaka team and it's "floaty" combat just drives me- ack, nevermind. Birth By Sleep is a bit slower than KHII and a tiny bit less flashy, but the deck and command styles more than make up for all of that, if you ask me, creating a battle system that is satisfying both on a visual and a strategic level. It's one of the most interesting, satisfying battle systems I've ever experienced. And hey - each character plays completely differently, so you never really get bored!

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Now, Birth By Sleep is very dense, so I could go on about many different aspects of the game. But this isn't a review. It's just a very, very opinionated retrospective, so it's time to move on to the actual summary part so that everyone and their mother is ready for KHIII!

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Again, rather than going chronologically (with three separate campaigns intertwining, it'd be a mess), I'll simply sum up the most important plot points.

Important story bits

• Master Xehanort and Master Eraqus are two old friends who mastered the Keyblade under one master. Eraqus has this kinda sorta religious devotion to light while Xehanort is tempted by darkness very much. It's what made him leave Destiny Islands, after all. Oh yeah, he's from Destiny Islands - kinda important. Also, his Keyblade - No Name - has the blue eye from the Soul Eater on it. Pay attention! I said this would be important!
• So Xehanort is obsessed with legends of the Keyblade war and, in particular, Kingdom Hearts and the χ-blade (pronounced "keyblade"; I know. Nomura.). He decides to recreate the χ-blade by making light and dark clash together, hoping this would return Kingdom Hearts to the world of men, and he can gain the knowledge within. For this purpose, he gets an apprentice, Ventus, and forcefully separates his dark half from his light half, creating Vanitas. His Heart broken, Ventus looks like he's about to die, so Xehanort takes him to the Islands as a last expression of kindness. Over there, Ven's broken heart makes contact with a newly born Sora who gives Ven some of his heart so that he can survive. And survive he does.
• Years later, Xehanort comes to the Land of Departure to help Eraqus with the Mark of Mastery exam in which Terra and Aqua are tested or the Mark of Mastery (Ven has joined them in their training there a couple years prior, though he;s not ready to take the exam just yet). Xehanort interrupts the exam and makes Terra fail, with only Aqua becoming a Keyblade Master.
• Disappointed, Terra listens to Xehanort who suggests he should maybe give into his darkness a little bit and sets out on a journey on his own. Egged on by Vanitas, Ventus leaves too. Since she's the only responsible adult in the group Aqua leaves to find both of them before anyone gets their face bashed in.
• Oh yeah, there's the Unversed - a swarm of beings born from negative emotions but also they all actually come from Vanitas? Who actually looks like Sora underneath his Spider-Man mask, btw.
• The friends travel across various worlds, including Radiant Garden, where you get to meet Ansem the Wise along with a big chunk of what will become Organization XIII. That includes Braig, who is really rising to prominence in this game and is kind of operating as Xehanort's right hand man. Far more than Vanitas, honestly, who is really only there to fight Ventus.
• Aqua encounters a young Kairi who, when attacked by Unversed, grabs ahold of Aqua's Keyblade - this counts as an accidental bequeathing, so Kairi can later use a Keyblade because of this. Kairi later asks her grandma to tell her the story about the light from the first game.
• Aqua and Terra both make it to Destiny Islands at separate points. Riku bequeaths his Keyblade to Riku, which will later result in him being the Kingom Key's original chosen. Aqua thinks of bequeathing on Sora when she sees how bright his heart shines, but since Riku already has the mark on him, she doesn't do it. She only tells Sora to bring Riku if he ever strays off his path. I'm sorry, I just got something in my eye.
• Our trio keep running into each other and just missing each other, their mutual trust gradually deteriorating. Ventus learns of his nature and Eraqus tries to kill him in order to protect the world from destruction, so Ventus doesn't stop him as he believes it's the right thing. Terra comes to stop him and kills Eraqus in the process, unleashing the darkness within him.
• The three later meet at the Keyblade Graveyard to face Master Xehanort who attempts to forge the χ-Blade and reach Kingdom Hearts. Terra fights him alone and loses his heart and body to the old master, though his will still inhabits his armor and tries to kill him. Ventus gets hijacked by Vanitas and has to battle him from within. Aqua, meanwhile, has to battle a Vanitas-possessed Ventus. Vanitas loses, but Ventus' heart is shattered in the process and he falls into a coma.
• Aqua returns to the Land of Departure and puts Ven there to keep him safe. She finds Eraqus' Keyblade and uses it to lock the world securely, transforming it into Castle Oblivion, so no one but her can reach Ventus. She later faces a Xehanort-possessed Terra in Radiant Garden in order to save him. They both fall to the realm of darkness but, with the last of her strength, Aqua uses her armor to send Terra back to Radiant Garden. He ends up losing his memory and becomes Ansem's apprentice, who later becomes responsible for the Heartless invasion.
• Aqua becomes stranded in the Realm of Darkness. She encounters Heartless, with only Eraqus' keyblade being her guiding key. She wanders the world until she finally reaches the Dark Horizon, where she meets a hooded figure. This turns out to be Ansem the Wise after his sacrifice in II - more than ten years have passed since Aqua arrived in the Realm of Darkness. However, Ansem restores some of her hope by telling her about a young boy named Sora. In the last scene, we see Sora with the letter from Mickey, ready to set out on a journey to help those who have faced a foul fate becasue, as he puts it himself, he is who he is because of them.

Favorite story segment
Easily the Blank Points secret ending. It was a masterful way of connecting this prequel to events occuring after the end of II, so even though you're looking at an origin story, you still feel like this is building up to something much bigger. This is what I meant before when I said Birth By Sleep is actually a sign of Nomura actually taking his time to plan out a much more substantial plot, and I'm here for it. To top this all of, all the doomed characters looking up to the sky with hope in their eyes just warms my cold, dead heart so much. Add to that the most gorgeous rendition of Dearly Beloved at this point, and I'm not crying, you're crying.

Gameplay highlights

• The Command Deck is a very engrossing character customization systems with incredibly useful, if broken skills that are easy to use with a simple press of the triangle button.
• Each of the three characters play differently, with Terra being a stone wall, Ventus being a lighting bruiser, and Aqua being kind of an all-rounder, though still more agile than bulky, just with a magical bent rather than a physical one.
• Command styles are what happens when you keep using a specific group of commands, which changes your combos up significantly. These styles are branching trees that you can unlock as you progress, with some styles requiring that you already be in another style to access. They're very flashy and very powerful.
• Shotlocks are a very cool thing if you like crowd control.
• D-links are a thing. :erm:
• The Command Board is insanely addicting.

What are your thoughts on Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep? Do you think the story and gameplay are a step up from II or the other way around? Does this game feel like a main entry to you? How do you feel about the new plot developments and all the retcons that are inevitable in prequels like this? Feel free to take part in the discussion!

~Play order~
KINGDOM HEARTS=>CHAIN OF MEMORIES=>KINGDOM HEARTS II=>358/2 DAYS=>BIRTH BY SLEEP=>????=>????=>????=>????=>????

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