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I’ll have to play this again, but I remember enjoying it a good amount. I do remember my wife being confused after I got the 2.8 prologue and brought up that it had some new stuff to set up KH3. She somehow thought I was getting a full length game and was extremely confused with how quickly I finished it.
So here we are. It's been a long 17 years. Not counting rereleases and remixes/reboots, we've had nine games occur between 2002 and now. Though only two were actual numbered titles, all of the games (sans maybe coded) have proved to be extremely relevant to the overarching plot of the series. Now, with the third numbered entry, we'll finaly end this story arc we've been following for almost two decades. This is one dense shonen manga, let me tell you. Jokes aside, it's quite surreal going into the third game right now. It doesn't help matters that I don't have a system to play it on and will thus be missing out when, ironically enough, I had all the systems needed at exactly the right time to actually play every single installment until the PS4. To think that we're promised to have the majority of dangling plot threads resolved now is nothing short of confusing.
For years, Kingdom Hearts has pretty much been defined by its unpredictability, acting as an inspiration for countless theories that we've delved so deep into in-between the relatively frequent releases. RIP to all those fanfics written in the meantime that have been rendered void by the sheer extent to which this universe has evolved beyong anyone's wildest imaginings. Part of me is scared that a lot of this will end with the Dark Seeker saga, even though I know for certain that that's not how Nomura works.
I think that's part of the reason why I wasn't really initially that hyped for KHIII. There were more reasons - the fact that they ditched the command deck, that I wasn't completely sold on the new engine, that the marketing focused so much on the Disney element despite the fact the main story had so many loose ends to resolve - but the main one was really the fact that for year's I've lived in this Schroedinger's box of Sora's battle against Xehanort, to the point that now I didn't want to leave it. Partly because I believed there was no way Nomura could come up with a resolution that would really leave me satisfied. Mostly, however, because I knew I would miss those days dearly.
But then, something happened.
I'd thought I had it all figured out. Sora's journey in III was to be simple - that was a consequence of having multiple games set up a final confrontation in III. We knew where all this was going. We knew that Sora just had to gather all the other Keyblade Wielders. But then the trailer subverted my expectations with this one scene. The character that we all thought incorruptible, simply by virtue of already having undergone so much stuff and still being a shining beacon of all that is good in the world, had somehow fallen to darkness. Suddenly, I really needed to know what happened.
The stakes only seemed to raise from there, and the tiny bits and pieces of interviews with Nomura I've glimpsed online have only served to whet my appetite further. Apparently, and I never knew this, Nomura is a big fan of Tetsuya Takahashi and treats his work as a great source of inspiration. He's also mentioned the theme of Kingdom Hearts III is "resolution", and while there will be future games in the series as this is not the end of Sora's story, the end of the Dark Seeker saga is meant to bring a lot of closure. He's also gone on to say that he will miss certain characters, hinting that the stakes might actually be higher than expected, though I personally doubt he'd go that far as, as far as I remember, death is not a concept that exists in the KH universe. Then there's the latest Japanese TV spot, parciularly its ending:
And we see what appears to be Sora at his lowest point, channeling an anger and, dare I say, darkness from within him that we haven't seen since Chain of Memories. Could this be the game that not only ties loose ends but also feels emotionally satisfying for us - the fans who've sticked around since the beginning for this wonderful, mesmerizing, beautiful mess of a series?
The game has been out in Japan for a day. The reviews have come in several days ago, and I'm not even going to mentioned the leakers, some of whom have had the game since December. The Metacritic score is very high and, shockingly, all the reviewers seem to be praising the story for being very satisfying, which is all the more odd when you consider that story is the one thing that has always been a point of criticism from the mainstream media.
But those are reviews, and life isn't so simple. In the end, we all know what we're looking for in KH, why we love it, and based on tha we've most likely made up our minds about the game already, even if we aren't aware of it. What does it matter in the end, anyway? There will be more KH games, there will be more mysteries, but whatever the future may hold, I am glad I've been on this journey for so long. I am glad I got to share my thoughts with you guys. And, most importantly, I am so happy that Kingdom Hearts has connected me with so many people, as we discussed what we love and hate about it, theorized what would happen next, and joked about all the silly things that make this series so incredibly special. So whatever Kingdom Hearts III turns out to be like, I'm here for it. I'll keep on sharing the love, and hope that it reaches someone and maybe sparks their love for the series someday in the future. After all, there are many worlds, but they all share the same sky...
But yeah, shame that I can't play it yet! Just an FYI, I am now accepting donations of PS4s if anyone's willing ;)
~Play order~
KINGDOM HEARTS=>CHAIN OF MEMORIES=>KINGDOM HEARTS II=>358/2 DAYS=>BIRTH BY SLEEP=>CODED=>DREAM DROP DISTANCE=>χ=>0.2: BIRTH BY SLEEP ~A FRAGMENTARY PASSAGE~=>KINGDOM HEARTS III
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DnVF3pZXsAEsTAF.jpg:large
I’ve been having these weird thoughts lately. Like, is any of this for real or not?
Also, surprise twist, Xehanort gets killed off in the first few minutes and the big bad is really Maleficent all along.
I'm waiting for Coded and the whole Datascape to be the focus of the next arc.
I actually hope this happens. I've already tired of the KH original villains and I haven't played half the games most of you all have. I don't have any real belief that it does though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scotty_ffgamer
I like the kingdom hearts villains, but I do like maleficent a lot too.
Data-Sora is the Master of Masters. You heard it here first, folks.Quote:
Originally Posted by Vermachtnis
I would have guessed data Riku personally.
Of course DDD also had a data version of Ansem the Wise in Sora’s heart. In fact, Ansem’s research data was put in Sora’s heart. Also, Ansem was digitizing Kingdom Hearts into data in the second game with that machine. Clearly, there are many things laying the path for the datascape and data Sora being a part of the true final battle.
MoM is too cheerful to be Riku.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scotty_ffgamer
Data-Sora sounds like a good guess, it sounds so Nomura-y.
Just two more days before I get to play it, hopefully. :eager:
I'll probably check out KHIII eventually. I'm no longer hyped for the franchise like I used to be, but if this retrospective has taught me anything, it's that I've probably invested too much time into the franchise by this point not to see how it all ends.
Personal theory time: Sora is Kingdom Hearts.
Well, he’s already got four hearts inside him. What’s a couple billion more?
Actually, I'm being serious here.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fynn
What is the one unique trait Sora possesses over every other keyblade user we've met that isn't somehow directly connected to Sora? He has the power of friendship. He has the power to connect other hearts with his both literally and figuratively. Kingdom Hearts isn't a physical place or some mystical power source as we've been led to believe, it's the power of friendship, the power to connect hearts with one another and if you have enough hearts, you have great sway over everything. It would explain how Sora has been capable of so much despite the series talking up the fact he's the unchosen and hinting to the fact his power over the keyblade is not really his power to begin with. Likewise, the theme of Sora facing Xehanort is that Sora will likely overcome everything because he has so many friends, not just the regular characters but all of the Disney pantheon as well, whereas Xehanort is such a calculating bastard that the only means he has to get his goal accomplished was to use the timey whimey ball to basically make a team consisting of just himself. He is technically alone, whereas Sora represents the power of many. It's why Xehanort will not likely to ever find KH because he believes it to be something physical, but it's very likely that Kingdom Hearts, much like the Lifestream in VII is symbolic and somewhat allegorical.
That’s all we’ll and good but Kingdom Hearts is an actual thing that’s still there within reach in the χ time period. I’m not saying you’re wrong, but it would require for Sora to 1) literally become KH at some point and 2) time travel to eat before the time of fairy tales. The best thing is this really doesn’t discount this theory.
You're missing my point, Kingdom Hearts is friendship. It's never been a place outside of the characters, it's the bonds that bind them. I only use Sora as an example because he best exemplifies the current KH. If my theory were true, then there are multiple KH, because it's basically created whenever people form a strong bond of friendship together. What I'm saying is that we're being misled on the idea that KH is an actual place or tangible thing. In the current setting, KH is basically Sora, he has the power of KH already, he's just unaware of it. Likewise, Xehanort is incapable of finding KH because he only trusts himself and his thirst for power and knowledge has made him incapable of forming bonds.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fynn
Basically, my theory says that KH is not something you can find by traveling other worlds, you can find it on your journeys, but it's not a destination, it's the bonds formed by the people you meet. The "journey is more important than the destination" and whatnot. It's basically like the number one fan theory about One Piece, a lot of fans don't believe One Piece is a physical treasure or power, it's very likely going to be the friends you made reaching the goal. Likewise, I feel that's what Kingdom Hearts will actually turn out to be.