Kingdom Hearts Video Game • Page 24

Where’s coliseum? We have a Herc world but no coli. Where’s all the random Disney characters dispersed through the worlds. Where’s the revisiting worlds to get things you couldn’t before. Disney villians were nonexistent. Big deal about the black box and it addresses none of that. No radiant gardens, twilight was a quarter of what it was in KH2. Barely any story thread through the worlds. Just show up and that’s it. No Final Fantasy characters whatsoever. No traverse town. Fucking Winnie the Pooh was one area and had the same mini game 3 times. Wtf if that’s not lazy. They focused so much on gameplay and graphics they forgot everything else. Pretty much everything was spoiled in the trailers. Where’d Kairi go and how’d she come back? New princesses of heart thread was dropped almost immediately so it makes me wonder why even use frozen and tangled when that plot point is mute besides drumming up excitement for frozen 2. Why the fuck did sora disappear at the end. Blah. I’m gonna go play god of war again. The only good thing about the ending was seeing them all together on destiny island. Ended with a thud. Especially after that joke of a final boss. No difficulty at all I didn’t die once.
The combat was great to a point, voice acting and graphics were amazing. Other than that, it’s a shell of what I have come to expect from Kh.

 

I can say with a good degree of certainty, I'll never play this again.

 

I literally can't stop thinking about all the incredible possibilities that ending opened up. So, so satisfying as a conclusion to the Xehanort arc but now I'm foaming at the mouth for what comes next. I can't recall something with this much build-up and anticipation actually delivering in such a big way before. Great stuff.

 

Winnie the Pooh being tacked on, Kairi’s writing, and a lack of one on one bossfights are really my only complaints

 

Yeah Kairi's perpetual underutilization is my longest-running, evergreen critique of the series. I also wanted more Disney villain fights than just the Titans and Davey Jones.

 

Like I said. I love KH. It’s been my favorite series since I was 13. They just dropped the ball so hard. Still a playable and decent game, but so much was left to be desired. You can tell since Disney got involved all the restrictions they put on square. These characters can’t interact. This has to be this way. Which is cool, but then you lose the heart of what KH is about. You get all the “new” story in the last act and it’s just meh. Idk how you can say the end is great. It has cool ideas and stuff, but what? It’s just so lacking in every way.

Edit: There are some great things about this game. Im just so letdown it’s hard to think of them at the moment.

 

Now that I’m playing the Battle Gates, why wasn’t there more of this? Massive, semi difficult battles. Makes me miss Coliseum even more. Ultima weapon is a monster keyblade.

 

Oh huh I never got back to this thread after getting my PS4 bundle, I'll post my full thoughts after work

 

I thought the battle gates were really easy too. Even the final gate was cake. Bummed me out that we didn't have a good hidden boss like the Peter Pan or Arabia one.

 

True, but at least it was something more. You know? It’s crazy the lack of enemy types in this game I’ve noticed as well. Compared to the other two main titles.

 

I’m gonna milk this for all it’s worth and platinum it.. have 75% of the trophies already. Might as well.

 

Alright I'm home. So, I beat the game about a week after it came out thanks to work and other various circumstances keeping me from playing. Still been working on the plat because I haven't been able to play as much as I've been wanting to, 75% of the way there with I think about 9 trophies left to go, mostly the Synthesis stuff and Gummi Ship stuff. Alright this is gonna be a big one, strap in.


I think the game is fucking fantastic and everything I've been wanting.


The Disney Worlds are overall I think the best they've been in any game in the series. I'm seriously impressed with how well they did the worlds this time around. Every world had something to it that I fell in love with, and the scope of every world was just splendid to me. The game does the usual Kingdom Hearts drip feed of main plot throughout, but this game it felt the most impactful. Disney characters actively interacted with Kingdom Hearts original characters in a way that hasn't really been done up to this point. Woody absolutely BURNING Young Xehanort, Sully THROTTLING Vanitas, Big Hero 6 team directly conversing about Replica Riku and what his deal is with Sora and company.....this is everything I've been wanting. I might get flamed for this, but for the main trio of KH games 2 was the worst with Disney Worlds I think. Almost none of them had any impacts on the story, because they kind of had to be split between dealing with their own Disney stuff, being a Maleficent/Pete world, and then finally sometimes actually be an Organization/KH plot world. Most of them just fall really flat for me. KH1's plot was simple enough to incorporate the Disney Worlds into the plot, and now this game follows back along the KH1 route that, while obviously the story is nowhere near simple, does its best to bring the Disney Worlds in the mix.
*see next post for more*

 

The KH story, the culmination of the Xehanort Saga and 17 years of my life, wholly delivers in my eyes. Thanks in part to the aforementioned Disney Worlds doing a great job of bringing some plot things into them, the game hits pretty much every point I've been wanting. We get Aqua coming back in the world of Light, we get Aqua, Sora and company going to Castle Oblivion/Land of Departure to get Ventus back, we get the reunion of Roxas/Axel/Xion, we get the reunion of Terra/Vetus/Aqua. I cried multiple times throughout the ending sequences, yes I am that person. This game also caters to me in ways I could not even imagine it would. My favorite Organization member, Zexion, who I've been made fun of numerous times over the years for having him as my favorite, gets a main supporting spot. He is actively in the game basically the entire time, which I was absolutely fascinated with. Both Sora and Kairi have scenes where they're like "hey actually it's kind of fucked up what we did to Roxas and Namine having to be inside of us" because I ALWAYS HATED THAT, EVER SINCE I FIRST PLAYED KH2. Partly because I think Roxas is a way better character than Sora, but I never thought it was fair they just had to basically give up their lives for Sora and Kairi, and KH2 painted it in such a positive light for some reason. Specifically, Kairi's scene with Lea talking about Namine really made me feel good. And then finally, the theme throughout the whole game of everyone just absolutely DUNKING on Sora. He can't use technology, he can't count, he failed his Mark of Mastery. This started in Dream Drop Distance which I absolutely loved it there too, and I love that they kept it going in this game. Sora's the ONE, this God like being, which is perfectly fine and I do genuinely like Sora, but god damn if he's not fuckin stupid. And this game embraces that. I guess going off of that, I think the humor in this game is probably also the best its been in the series.

Donald and Goofy are the best they've been in the series, they really get that companionship across with Sora. And that Goofy Terranort block and Donald Zettaflare! Holy shit! Regarding the end sequence of the game, I loved the way they brought the Union X stuff in. I've played my fair share of Union X, got into the 450's for quests and level uhhh 240 or so for my character I think? (I looked up a Youtube playlist for the story cutscenes on the quests I didn't get up to in time for KH3, so I still knew everything going on) So I knew about the top 100 players (which you basically had to whale, or spend hundreds of dollars and hours on, to get) being incorporated into KH3, and doing it like this with the reaction commands was so cool to see. And then the fights with the Org members being split into groups and getting to quasi choose what order you do them in was really neat. I thought the fights in Scala Ad Caelum were really cool, and then the final fight had some neat stuff going on with Sora being turned into Dark Form towards the end. And then the ending, I thought it was a nice wholesome event. The way Xehanort ends up, I think rather than him turning face thanks to Eraqus he simply knew when he was defeated and admits as much by passing the x-blade to Sora. He's very mannerly, and I think that could throw people off and them thinking "MAN HE JUST BECOMES GOOD IN THE END WHAT THE HELL." But I don't believe that was the case. Sure he ends up happily going off with Eraqus his lost friend, but he genuinely knows there's nothing he can do now so why delay the end when it's completely futile?

Afterwards, more wholesome goodness and then the final shot is where even I got thrown off at first. Oh, Kairi's back on the island with Sora. Is that real or are they imagining that? Oh, Sora disappears? What's going on? It's very jarring. But this is what Young Xehanort was going on about all throughout the ending. Sora couldn't keep using the power of waking to traverse worlds and hearts willy nilly. There was a price to pay. He was already lost when he decided. Nomura loves doing symbolic shit like this, particularly through the KH series. So then the epilogue. XIGBAR IS LUXU. Foretellers come back to gather, and this is the next chapter. I always knew the box and foretellers were gonna be the next Saga, so it doesn't bother me at all that it's being saved. This game was about ending the Xehanort Saga, not anything else. And it did that. And now we get this next mystery that I'm VERY interested in having been playing Union X and watched Back Cover. There's a lot of shit to unpack. Ok now the secret movie. YOZORA. HOLY FUCKING SHIT I LOVE THIS SECRET MOVIE. IT'S FUCKIN SHIBUYA FUCKIN THE WORLD ENDS WITH YOU WHAT THE FUCK. I LOVE THE WORLD ENDS WITH YOU HOLY SHIT THEY'RE GONNA BRING IT BACK???? HOLY SHIT VERUM REX DUDE IS HERE THIS IS RELEVANT WHAT THE FUCK!!!!! Yes that was all my full reaction to it. This is by far the most wild secret movie the series has had so far, and I am 100% about it. Introducing Verum Rex into the Toy Story world, which I thought was already awesome, and then bringing it back like this is insane. and then Shibuya. SHIBUYA. THE 104 BUILDING. This is specifically a World Ends With You thing. The possibility of that coming back in such a big way blows my mind. By the way if you haven't played that game please do it's fantastic and has one of the best video game soundtracks I've ever heard.
*see next post for final part I think?*

 

The gameplay is great. Everything flows well and you have so many options, I love being able to move around while firing off spells. The Keyblade form changes are fun. Attractions are fun the first few times, but definitely overpowered so I ended up ignoring them for the most part after checking them out. But I appreciate that they're there. The game just controls well. Technically, it's fucking beautiful. Just marvelous to look at.

So all in all, yes I fucking love this game. I haven't even covered everything and yet I've gone on for too long lol. I think it's a grand way to end the Xehanort Saga as someone who's been with the series from the very beginning and played every game and media it's had to offer and I cannot, CANNOT wait for what's to come in the future.


Alright, that's probably enough praise. Does this game have problems? Absolutely yes. Winnie the Pooh got DONE DIRTY holy shit. I'd rather it not be in than what happened with it lmao. The game is ENTIRELY too easy because of how many options you have and little things here and there making it easier. Technically the enemies CAN do a fair amount of damage on you! It's just that you have so many ways to attack and do stuff that you just plow right the fuck through. Kairi got DONE DIRTY as well. Poor Kairi man. She'll get her day soon enough. I wish Scala as Caelum had more to it, they did such a good job with creating it that I wish I could explore it ala the other KH Original worlds in past games. Grouping the Org members for fights at the end, I can understand people being frustrated with wanting to fight them individually. I hope they might make them individual super fights in a potential DLC/Final Mix thing. I think grouping them ended up being in line with what the game was going for and perfectly fine, but I want the chance for one on ones in post game. Post game content in general, KH2FM this is not! Not that I ever expected it to be. But yea it needs post game bosses. It has a few things here and there post game but not bosses.
I think that about wraps up most of my complaints. Honestly a lot of that could be fixed in DLC if they really wanted. Will they actually do it? I dunno. But yea, none of that seriously detracts me from how fantastic I think the game is in the end. It does so much for me personally. And now for the moment you've all been waiting for, where I will be burned alive at the stake.

Kingdom Hearts 1 > Kingdom Hearts 3 > Kingdom Hearts 2

Thank you and goodnight.

 

And before the pitchforks go up over my KH2 ranking, I think KH2 still has the best opening and the best end sequence for the series. But that middle part really drags it down for me. Still one of my favorite games ever though.

Also sorry for the ridiculous spam, yes I'm one of the crazies that this series has. Not Kingdom Hearts Parking Lot video bad but I am fully invested in this series.

 

@Bane I am inspired and also mildly disturbed by your passion.

 

haha yea, that sounds about right. Oh and one more series ranking, this game didn't affect this and this has been my ranking since Dream Drop Distance

Riku > Roxas > Aqua

 

I agree with your entire essay minus the final ranking (2>3>1 for me) and I’d add that Frozen should have been so much more and it feels like they were held back on that world.

 

So I'm actually in the minority that really likes Arendelle! Technically yes the level has you going up and down the mountain multiple times as its journey. But I think they make scaling the mountain so fun and versatile that I never got bored or thought about it being an issue until I saw other people complaining about it. The game just does such a good job with scale that it never felt bad to me. I cannot believe they had the balls to put the ENTIRETY of Let It Go in the game, and I love how ridiculous it is with shots of SDG thrown in. Marshmallow being the party member is A+ fantastic, they could have gone an easy route with having Elsa or even Olaf for popularity sake but they went with the awesome ice monster. Speaking of ice monsters, the boss for Arendelle is actually my favorite of all the world bosses. Kick ass wolf design, that special attack it does going into the sky is great, just a fun time all around.

 

God I just keep posting now but this is important, for those of you that have never seen Kingdom Hearts Parking Lot you will now be blessed

 

Not sure I understand this ranking. Are they connected or are these just your personal favs?

Also, as far as story is concerned...

KH 2 > KH 1 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> KH 3

 

Aqua had the potential to my fucking favorite character in the franchise. Her fighting style/animations are just so much cooler than everyone else’s bar maaaaybe Riku’s.

Honestly they dropped the ball by having you be Sora for all of the Org fights at the end. The game absolutely should have let you play at the very least as Aqua, Ventus, Axel, Roxas, and Kairi each against one of the members. Keep the Ansem, Xemnas, and Young Xehanort fight the same so you don’t lose too much focus on Sora.

 

yea that's just my top 3 character rankings.

My story ranking is I guess the same as my game ranking, 1 > 3 > 2

 

If I rated them on specific merits as in gameplay, graphics, soundtrack those would all be different rankings obviously. But out of the main titles and overall everything together:

1,2,3