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Kingdom Hearts Community Thread: Now everybody can be a Keyblade Wielder!

zeemumu

Member
All of my gaming and television interest are crossing over. The governor is in dr. who, Sasha is in Once Upon a Time, and Captain Jack Harkness and the woman who voices Master Aqua are both in Arrow.

It's weird hearing the voice of Aqua, who is one of the most responsible, mature characters in the series, come out of a character in Arrow who is one of the most irresponsible and immature.
 
Recognizability, for the most part. I'm sure Terranort will show up in KH3.

That was one thing that really bugged me about the story of Dream Drop Distance. Storywise, I do not understand why it wasn't Terranort who returned. I get what you mean by "recognizability" or whatever, but just based on the story, he shouldn't have returned as Master Xehanort, imo. I don't even know where Terra's body is now.
 

zeemumu

Member
That was one thing that really bugged me about the story of Dream Drop Distance. Storywise, I do not understand why it wasn't Terranort who returned. I get what you mean by "recognizability" or whatever, but just based on the story, he shouldn't have returned as Master Xehanort, imo. I don't even know where Terra's body is now.

Kind of undermines half the plot of birth by sleep if he's just gonna come back as an old man, right? For the sake of the plot, I'm assuming that he returned as Master Xehanort because Xehanort's heart has completely absorbed Terra's body, so he gets a few more youth years tacked on but he took on his original appearance, kind of like how Ansem Seeker of Darkness formed his original appearance around Riku's body while the rest of Riku was in the Realm of Darkness.

I've always treated Terranort like the Lich King. Arthas was the Lich King's body but he had two minds controlling him, and Arthas eventually assumed control over the other mind and tossed out his heart.
 
Kind of undermines half the plot of birth by sleep if he's just gonna come back as an old man, right? For the sake of the plot, I'm assuming that he returned as Master Xehanort because Xehanort's heart has completely absorbed Terra's body, so he gets a few more youth years tacked on but he took on his original appearance, kind of like how Ansem Seeker of Darkness formed his original appearance around Riku's body while the rest of Riku was in the Realm of Darkness.

I've always treated Terranort like the Lich King. Arthas was the Lich King's body but he had two minds controlling him, and Arthas eventually assumed control over the other mind and tossed out his heart.

Hmm, I guess I can buy that as a possible explanation. Makes about as much sense as anything else. :p
 

Malyse

Member
I know that the Lingering Will isn't his heart. It's his mind. Why did Terranort reform into Master Xehanort instead of Terranort?

Because your physical appearance is informed by who has control of your heart. Recall in KH1 when Riku was transformed into Ansem SoD. This was because Ansem SoD had overwhelmed and taken control of his body. Master Xehanort's goal wasn't to look younger, but to physically be younger.
 
It was never explicitly stated that MX who showed up was the one that returned presently.

If Terra is still fighting for control then Terranort is out there running amok in present time
 

zeemumu

Member
It was never explicitly stated that MX who showed up was the one that returned presently.

If Terra is still fighting for control then Terranort is out there running amok in present time

Young Xehanort called it his future-most self or something along those lines, so it's likely the latest addition of Xehanort.

If/when Vanitas comes back, will it also bring back the unversed? Are we going to see a three-way cooperation between Heartless, Nobodies, and Unversed?
 

botty

Banned
Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance did irreparable damage to the Kingdom Hearts mythos. Trying to explain certain things in relation to the other games is borderline impossible without falling into some plot hole because the game tried to progress and expand the story just for the sake of it. Compare this to KH:Days which was a natural, and compelling way to expand the series.

Nothing chronologically before Kingdom Hearts or After KH2 should be considered canon.
 
Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance did irreparable damage to the Kingdom Hearts mythos. Trying to explain certain things in relation to the other games is borderline impossible without falling into some plot hole because the game tried to progress and expand the story just for the sake of it. Compare this to KH:Days which was a natural, and compelling way to expand the series.

Nothing chronologically before Kingdom Hearts or After KH2 should be considered canon.
I think what Duckroll talked about in the MC thread is true and worrying. After KH3 the series needs a semi-reboot to cut as many ties to the "Xehanort-Saga" as possible and start a truly fresh story even if Sora is still the main character. The original audience that jumped in in the KH-KH2 era is getting quite old and outside of hardcores are probably dropping or already dropped the interest in the plot if not the games (I have noticed quite a few of people in different forums/friends interested in KH3 while not playing the post KH2 games luckily). Gettin into the series probably seems really intimidating while a series like FF you can pretty much jump in at any time. I have talked about the possibility of 2 separate storylines if they want to continue making handheld games after KH3 making the handheld and console games more separate. At any rate I think SE/Disney need to be very careful about how they are going to go foreward after KH3. The series needs to be able to pull in as many new fans as possible to stay relevant and especially with Disney side of things they might be quite a bit younger than you could expect them to go back to the older games unless they are crazy about HD collections and whatnot.
 

Malyse

Member
Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance did irreparable damage to the Kingdom Hearts mythos. Trying to explain certain things in relation to the other games is borderline impossible without falling into some plot hole because the game tried to progress and expand the story just for the sake of it. Compare this to KH:Days which was a natural, and compelling way to expand the series.

Nothing chronologically before Kingdom Hearts or After KH2 should be considered canon.

Hyperbole much?
 
Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance did irreparable damage to the Kingdom Hearts mythos. Trying to explain certain things in relation to the other games is borderline impossible without falling into some plot hole because the game tried to progress and expand the story just for the sake of it. Compare this to KH:Days which was a natural, and compelling way to expand the series.

Nothing chronologically before Kingdom Hearts or After KH2 should be considered canon.

Days was pretty bad dude.

Dream Drop Distance is also pretty bad in a lot of ways, but I don't think we should count our chickens before they hatch. The game's 100% about setup for the next game moreso than telling its own standalone story, so you really can't make a verdict about that until KH3 comes out, I feel.
 

botty

Banned
Hyperbole much?

Where is the hyperbole? Did DDD's back half not spend most of its time completely undermining the other game's in the series? The mythology of nobodies were utterly destroyed by Dream Drop Distance, just to shoehorn this horcrux plot. The idea of nobodies being these entities that are basically pure muscle memory with intent was fresh and unique. It allowed for a lot of touching scenes, like when Saix dies. But oh, don't worry Saix... your heart was inside you, or growing inside you, the entire time according DDD, yet he still dissolved into nothingness. I think it was pretty obvious that the reason Roxas was the only one to actually show hints of true emotion was either because of Ventus' heart or Sora's own influence. I know people like to claim that Xemnas was lying to the organization about hearts and what not, but I recall Ansem being the one to explain the nature of nobodies.

Then there is time travel. Need I say more? Without a doubt the most universally confusing concept to add into any work of fiction, yet alone Kingdom Hearts. Everything about time travel felt forced in Dream Drop Distance. Heart fracturing is a ridiculous concept considering how damaging it should be. Xemnas, Ansem, and Xehanort being in the same place at any time is ridiculous.

I won't even go into the fan service that occurs with Lea at the end. There are no chosen ones, nothing is set in stone, yet everything is "predetermined." That isn't hyperbole, it's just the facts.

Days was pretty bad dude.

Dream Drop Distance is also pretty bad in a lot of ways, but I don't think we should count our chickens before they hatch. The game's 100% about setup for the next game moreso than telling its own standalone story, so you really can't make a verdict about that until KH3 comes out, I feel.

How was days bad from a story perspective?
 
How was days bad from a story perspective?

It is about sad people constantly eating ice cream and accomplishing nothing of note. Also, "from a story perspective" isn't some sort of default qualifier you can throw in there. It's a horrendous, poorly made game.
 

Falk

that puzzling face
Days should have been remade as an open world RPG with hub quests and ARG elements for 1.5 HD ReMIX

"Greetings, traveller! We need more salt to make ice cream! Go collect salt from NeoGAF."
 

zeemumu

Member
It is about sad people constantly eating ice cream and accomplishing nothing of note. Also, "from a story perspective" isn't some sort of default qualifier you can throw in there. It's a horrendous, poorly made game.

Days shouldn't have been its own game. The gameplay sections offer nothing. It would have been if you could unlock the cutscenes in KH2 as you go along, or just have flashbacks with the cutscenes scattered throughout the game, while the only playable parts are the boss battles.
 

botty

Banned
It is about sad people constantly eating ice cream and accomplishing nothing of note. Also, "from a story perspective" isn't some sort of default qualifier you can throw in there. It's a horrendous, poorly made game.

You're reducing the game's plot to what you and some others consider its most annoying/trite sections. This would be like someone saying 'Kingdom Hearts is just about naive children shouting about friendship.' In reality, Kingdom Hearts Days is a necessity to fill in the gaps of what happened while Sora was sleeping for a year. This alone gives it worth and allows it to accomplish something. To list a few notable things the story accomplished:


  • Dual Weilding is explained
  • The organization is given further depth
  • Roxas is further fleshed out
  • Sora's connection to Ventus is hinted at
  • Axel and Saix's relationship is given depth
  • Roxas and Axel's relationship is given depth
  • Xion is introduced and serves many roles
  • Roxas' defection is given a solid reason
It really is a shame that you have reduced the game to such a small fraction because it actually managed to do a lot of things without stepping on the toes of the Kingdom Hearts mythos like Dream Drop Distance did. Saying the game is even about "sad people" seems ironic since the game is all about nobodies and characters that shouldn't feel anything, but I digress.

Moving onto the game being "horrendous, and poorly made"... well, I'll need you to really elaborate on this. I specifically asked about the story because that is typically where people attempt to find fault with KHDays, but I do not think you could be anymore wrong than to label it the way you did. Let's break the game down and try to find the flaws:

Visuals — The game is one of the best looking games on the Nintendo DS. It has great cutscene renders, impressive graphics considering the hardware, and also a decent frame rate. For their first attempt with Kingdom Hearts on the DS, I think they did a great job at delivering a quality visual representation of the series.

Sound — New tracks, new arrangements, and great voice acting... arguably better than Birth By Sleep's VA efforts.

Gameplay — This is pretty much the KH1/2 gameplay ported to the Nintendo DS. While the lack of an analog stick definitely hurt the game's overall experience, this is not the fault of the development team, nor a reason as to why the game should be considered poorly made. Even with this handicap, the game was completely playable and not at all broken due to the lack of an analog. Compare this to MGS3D, which some consider completely unplayable due to the poor control transition. They also created a new leveling system, that is simple, yet refreshing and often regarded as a highlight of Days.


Some people also complain about the game's structure. I would with them as far as the occasionally repetitious and tedious missions goes, but there is another side (another story) to this. As a portable game, Days was inherently meant to be played in spurts and on the go. You're supposed to pace yourself, and not approach it as you would a main title. This is why the game is mission based, and doesn't have you going on long quests. You're supposed to be able to take out your DS on the train or in the car and play a mission or two in-between destinations. Days was one of the pioneers in this kind of on-the-go formula that you would later see copied by games, such as Resident Evil: Revelations. And of course that fact that you do not even need to complete every one of those missions to beat the game is also a key factor.

Days is also meant to be played with friends via Mission Mode: the large multiplayer section. Suddenly those tedious mushroom chasing missions are a race between friends to see who can destroy it first. This also gives reason for why there is repetition in missions as it allows for players to experience the same kind of mission in a different setting. It's a shame this game did not get a full remake with online mode because people would easily be able to understand why these seemingly horrible missions are actually quite enjoyable when you get a bunch of friends to play with.

I'll end with this: Days is definitely not a perfect game—
Only Kingdom Hearts 2 is
—there are definitely things that could be improved, sure, but let's not go over board in labeling it "horrendous, and poorly made" when it most certainly is not.

iMa4rF4lRn2Aa.gif
 

botty

Banned
Do you fundamentally not understand the concept of hyperbole?

I understand hyperbole. You did not even address the points I made supporting my statement.

In regards to what I marked in spoilers, that's just my opinion. I came to that thought because I believe that KH2 was originally intended to be the conclusion of the story arc that began in KH1.
 

Malyse

Member
I understand hyperbole. You did not even address the points I made supporting my statement.

In regards to what I marked in spoilers, that's just my opinion. I came to that thought because I believe that KH2 was originally intended to be the conclusion of the story arc that began in KH1.

So you don't understand how "irreparable damage" is hyperbole then?

Also, KH2 was at no point ever intended to be the conclusion. When Squaresoft and Enix merged, they released a statement that they wanted Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Kingdom Hearts to be the three pillar with which they supported the company.

And yes, I didn't address them, because I think you're being dismissive of the games very obvious flaws. It doesn't play well. It's not fun. The pacing is a fucking trainwreck. Furthermore, some of the points you think were explained, actually were not. For example,
  • Dual Weilding is explained

Actually, no it isn't. That wasn't explained until we got to Birth by Sleep and found out that Ventus was in Sora's heart.

  • Sora's connection to Ventus is hinted at

Also not true. Ven showed up in all of one scene and it was Xigbar's perception of Xion. You obviously couldn't draw conclusions about Sora from that, because no one did.

It has great cutscene renders, impressive graphics considering the hardware, and also a decent frame rate.

All subpar to the effort in RE:coded.

great voice acting

There were very few lines spoken in Days DS.

Some people also complain about the game's structure. I would with them as far as the occasionally repetitious and tedious missions goes, but there is another side (another story) to this. As a portable game, Days was inherently meant to be played in spurts and on the go. You're supposed to pace yourself, and not approach it as you would a main title. This is why the game is mission based, and doesn't have you going on long quests. You're supposed to be able to take out your DS on the train or in the car and play a mission or two in-between destinations. Days was one of the pioneers in this kind of on-the-go formula that you would later see copied by games, such as Resident Evil: Revelations. And of course that fact that you do not even need to complete every one of those missions to beat the game is also a key factor.

Days is also meant to be played with friends via Mission Mode: the large multiplayer section. Suddenly those tedious mushroom chasing missions are a race between friends to see who can destroy it first. This also gives reason for why there is repetition in missions as it allows for players to experience the same kind of mission in a different setting. It's a shame this game did not get a full remake with online mode because people would easily be able to understand why these seemingly horrible missions are actually quite enjoyable when you get a bunch of friends to play with.

There are plenty of other games that do this and do this better than Days. It wasn't a pioneer when it lifted its design concept from PSO/Monster Hunter. And it's far far inferior to both of those games.

Look, I get that you like Days and you think it gets a bad rap. But your rose tinted glasses are clearly making it so you can't give an objective judgement. It's not nearly as good as you would purport it to be.
 
Days shouldn't have been its own game. The gameplay sections offer nothing. It would have been if you could unlock the cutscenes in KH2 as you go along, or just have flashbacks with the cutscenes scattered throughout the game, while the only playable parts are the boss battles.

This would have been good, yeah (albeit obviously far fewer cutscenes on the clock tower, lest KH2's pacing get ruined).
 

botty

Banned
So you don't understand how "irreparable damage" is hyperbole then?

I specifically stated it did irreparable damage to the mythos, which as I pointed out here:

Where is the hyperbole? Did DDD's back half not spend most of its time completely undermining the other games in the series? The mythology of nobodies were utterly destroyed by Dream Drop Distance, just to shoehorn this horcrux plot. The idea of nobodies being these entities that are basically pure muscle memory with intent was fresh and unique. It allowed for a lot of touching scenes, like when Saix dies. But oh, don't worry Saix... your heart was inside you, or growing inside you, the entire time according DDD, yet he still dissolved into nothingness. I think it was pretty obvious that the reason Roxas was the only one to actually show hints of true emotion was either because of Ventus' heart or Sora's own influence. I know people like to claim that Xemnas was lying to the organization about hearts and what not, but I recall Ansem being the one to explain the nature of nobodies.

Then there is time travel. Need I say more? Without a doubt the most universally confusing concept to add into any work of fiction, yet alone Kingdom Hearts. Everything about time travel felt forced in Dream Drop Distance. Heart fracturing is a ridiculous concept considering how damaging it should be. Xemnas, Ansem, and Xehanort being in the same place at any time is ridiculous.

I won't even go into the fan service that occurs with Lea at the end. There are no chosen ones, nothing is set in stone, yet everything is "predetermined." That isn't hyperbole, it's just the facts.

It did. There is no going back on a lot of the things changed due to Dream Drop Distance, hence it being irreparable.


Also, KH2 was at no point ever intended to be the conclusion. When Squaresoft and Enix merged, they released a statement that they wanted Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Kingdom Hearts to be the three pillar with which they supported the company.

You missed the part where I said the end of the "story arc." Obviously Kingdom Hearts would remain a staple for SE, but I believed KH2 was originally meant to close the alleged "Xehanort story arc." Just looking at how Kingdom Hearts 2 ends I do not think anyone would argue that it definitely wraps up the main plot line that began with Kingdom Hearts 1. Compare this to how Kingdom Hearts 1 ended which clearly had Sora ready to embark on another journey. I'd also like to look at a quote from Nomura himself that some what supports the idea that any ideas for stories past Kingdom Hearts 2's story were likely not even in consideration:

"We've already been approached by the Disney side saying that they want us to make it," said the busy producer regarding the next installment in the series. "What I can say at this time is 'We have various ideas, but we're not at the point where we can say that.' Looking at the development schedule, after KHII FM+, the Kingdom Hearts team has Final Fantasy Versus XIII awaiting, so it's physically impossible at the present. I feel that it's not the right time to talk about the future of Kingdom Hearts."
source

Notice that Disney is the ones that approached the team for another sequel, and it was not Nomura himself that had any plans for continuing the story arc past the events of Kingdom Hearts 2. In regards to the "various ideas" Nomura is speaking of, those are all ideas for the three mobile games that were meant to fill in gaps and expand the Kingdom Hearts mythos, but not to continue the Xehanort story beyond KH2. This also explains why Nomura spent more time working within the already established games, before pushing it forward with a minute or so clip in Re:Coded 4 years after KH2.

And yes, I didn't address them, because I think you're being dismissive of the games very obvious flaws. It doesn't play well. It's not fun. The pacing is a fucking trainwreck.

I addressed the game's gameplay. Whether you consider it fun or not is subjective. I also addressed the game's pacing. You say it's a "train wreck," and that's fine, but I'll need some key points that prove this.

responses are highlighted.
Furthermore, some of the points you think were explained, actually were not. For example,


Actually, no it isn't. That wasn't explained until we got to Birth by Sleep and found out that Ventus was in Sora's heart.

Xion's death allowed for Roxas to wield two key blades. Yes, it is Ventus' key blade, but if it was just because Ventus was in Sora's heart then should he, and, to a lesser extent, Sora not been able to dual wield since the original Kingdom Hearts and the beginning of 358/2 days? Dual Wielding is almost entirely connected to Xion and Roxas's story.

Also not true. Ven showed up in all of one scene and it was Xigbar's perception of Xion. You obviously couldn't draw conclusions about Sora from that, because no one did.

Xion is entirely made up of Sora's memories. Many fans speculated that there was a connection between Sora and Ventus because of that scene. That moment is virtually identical to Sora visiting Twilight Town in Chain of Memories, despite never being there, since it hints at a connection.

All subpar to the effort in RE:coded.

This is not really a "negative." One should hope that after working on 2-3 games on the Nintendo DS and it being 2 years after Day's release, the team would make Re:coded function and play better than its predecessor

There were very few lines spoken in Days DS.

There are over 30 minutes worth of voice acted cutscenes in Days. Yes, it's much smaller than what is typically delivered on more powerful hardware, but this is about quality, not quantity. The voice work is well done, and it being of shorter length does not detract from that.

There are plenty of other games that do this and do this better than Days. It wasn't a pioneer when it lifted its design concept from PSO/Monster Hunter. And it's far far inferior to both of those games.

I will agree with you here. Speaking directly of the multiplayer handheld space, I would say that Days was definitely a pioneer in this kind of on-the-go mission based gameplay. It did not need to be the first, or need to be the best, but it was definitely one of the earliest games exploring this idea.

Look, I get that you like Days and you think it gets a bad rap. But your rose tinted glasses are clearly making it so you can't give an objective judgement. It's not nearly as good as you would purport it to be.

I'm approaching it completely from an objective perspective, though. And the game has been well received by critics who also approached it from an objective perspective.
 

zeemumu

Member
tumblr_inline_my9qp7Yal61qi5bon.gif


Little did Botty and Dreamdrop know that their conflict would allow me to forge the GAF-blade. This was the true purpose of 358/2 days; to divide Kingdom Hearts GAF so that the canon war would begin anew.
 
I'm torn because 358/2 Days is a terrible game but I also would rather talk about how bad it is than talk about which characters we think are going to kiss each other.
 

Nohar

Member
I'll just say that I want Xion to be saved in KH3, and that she is given a proper "existence". I kinda like her character, and I feel a lot of pity for her.
It's one of the thing that will be quite important for me in KH3: the fate of all the ones who lost their bodies so far. Ven will be made whole again, but what about Roxas? His nature is still quite special:
  • Do we have to consider him as just Sora's Nobody?
  • Is he Ven's heart taking over what's left of Sora's body, but unable to awaken, since it's not his body? In that case, when Ven awake, will he inherit all of Roxas's memories?
  • Is he Vanitas? After all, Roxas is way more prone to negative emotions than Ven, and even Sora didn't show anger to the extent of Roxas's (heck, DiZ himself said that he should share said "hatred" to Sora, since he considers him "too nice for his own good" - in fact, in a way, in 3D,
    that's precisely what Roxas did when he shared his memories with Sora
    ). On that subject, can Ventus and Vanitas really reunite one day, or will they end up as separate beings (again, one might say) when Ven is saved?
Roxas is an entity which is, in a way, born from both Sora and Ventus, which makes him quite unique. On top of that, he was a nobody, and it was made clear in 3D that
those can grow hearts on their own, given time
. Not to mention that Roxas appeared as
a separate entity from Ventus when Riku saved Sora in 3D
. It is quite fascinating, and I hope that KH3 will give us satisfying answers about him and his ultimate fate.

The other person I'm quite concerned about is Aqua. Sure, she has the level of a Keyblade master, but she has been captive of the Dark World for years now, and there is no doubt that said experience had its toll on her. However, even if I want Riku and Mickey to set on a trip to save her, I want her to save herself (and saving Ansem the Wise by the same occasion). And to kick some ass and take names. She is one of the characters who suffered the most personaly, and I want her to have both her happy ending and her long due revenge on the ones who destroyed her life and friends.
 
I'll just say that I want Xion to be saved in KH3, and that she is given a proper "existence". I kinda like her character, and I feel a lot of pity for her.
It's one of the thing that will be quite important for me in KH3: the fate of all the ones who lost their bodies so far. Ven will be made whole again, but what about Roxas? His nature is still quite special:
  • Do we have to consider him as just Sora's Nobody?
  • Is he Ven's heart taking over what's left of Sora's body, but unable to awaken, since it's not his body? In that case, when Ven awake, will he inherit all of Roxas's memories?
  • Is he Vanitas? After all, Roxas is way more prone to negative emotions than Ven, and even Sora didn't show anger to the extent of Roxas's (heck, DiZ himself said that he should share said "hatred" to Sora, since he considers him "too nice for his own good" - in fact, in a way, in 3D,
    that's precisely what Roxas did when he shared his memories with Sora
    ). On that subject, can Ventus and Vanitas really reunite one day, or will they end up as separate beings (again, one might say) when Ven is saved?
Roxas is an entity which is, in a way, born from both Sora and Ventus, which makes him quite unique. On top of that, he was a nobody, and it was made clear in 3D that
those can grow hearts on their own, given time
. Not to mention that Roxas appeared as
a separate entity from Ventus when Riku saved Sora in 3D
. It is quite fascinating, and I hope that KH3 will give us satisfying answers about him and his ultimate fate.

The other person I'm quite concerned about is Aqua. Sure, she has the level of a Keyblade master, but she has been captive of the Dark World for years now, and there is no doubt that said experience had its toll on her. However, even if I want Riku and Mickey to set on a trip to save her, I want her to save herself (and saving Ansem the Wise by the same occasion). And to kick some ass and take names. She is one of the characters who suffered the most personaly, and I want her to have both her happy ending and her long due revenge on the ones who destroyed her life and friends.

Agreed. KH2 only really had to handle dangling plot threads from KH:CoM; KH3 is going to have to deal with dangling plot threads from 358/2 Days (Xion), BBS (Aqua/Terra/Ventus, maybe even Eraqus), and DDD (plenty, given that it's the direct lead-in to KH3). I'd prefer to see all of those get resolved in KH3 than for any of them to be left dangling.

I don't know if Roxas will merge with Ventus or not (there's evidence to go either way), but it's certainly going to *matter* that they look almost identical to each other. Thinking that that detail won't be relevant or won't have consequences is foolishness.
 
Though for the record, I think it's pointing out that for KH2, Chain of Memories was *insufficient* backstory, which was why Nojima concocted the events for the year of Sora's sleep that would eventually become 358/2 Days (Roxas, Roxas leaving the organization, and everything that happened with Riku, Naminé, and Diz in the meantime). Xion's the only thread left dangling from that.

So as far as that's concerned, KH2 is essentially following up on two games and KH3 will essentially be following up on two games as well (plus the Xion bit). Which sounds reasonable enough.

(Dear Reader: a preemptive warning that if you read my whole post you see that yes, I'm fully aware that KH2 came out before 358/2 Days, thanks).
 

botty

Banned
I'll just say that I want Xion to be saved in KH3, and that she is given a proper "existence". I kinda like her character, and I feel a lot of pity for her.
It's one of the thing that will be quite important for me in KH3: the fate of all the ones who lost their bodies so far. Ven will be made whole again, but what about Roxas? His nature is still quite special:
  • Do we have to consider him as just Sora's Nobody?
  • Is he Ven's heart taking over what's left of Sora's body, but unable to awaken, since it's not his body? In that case, when Ven awake, will he inherit all of Roxas's memories?
  • Is he Vanitas? After all, Roxas is way more prone to negative emotions than Ven, and even Sora didn't show anger to the extent of Roxas's (heck, DiZ himself said that he should share said "hatred" to Sora, since he considers him "too nice for his own good" - in fact, in a way, in 3D,
    that's precisely what Roxas did when he shared his memories with Sora
    ). On that subject, can Ventus and Vanitas really reunite one day, or will they end up as separate beings (again, one might say) when Ven is saved?
Roxas is an entity which is, in a way, born from both Sora and Ventus, which makes him quite unique. On top of that, he was a nobody, and it was made clear in 3D that
those can grow hearts on their own, given time
. Not to mention that Roxas appeared as
a separate entity from Ventus when Riku saved Sora in 3D
. It is quite fascinating, and I hope that KH3 will give us satisfying answers about him and his ultimate fate.

The other person I'm quite concerned about is Aqua. Sure, she has the level of a Keyblade master, but she has been captive of the Dark World for years now, and there is no doubt that said experience had its toll on her. However, even if I want Riku and Mickey to set on a trip to save her, I want her to save herself (and saving Ansem the Wise by the same occasion). And to kick some ass and take names. She is one of the characters who suffered the most personaly, and I want her to have both her happy ending and her long due revenge on the ones who destroyed her life and friends.

Does Xion need to be saved? She was a puppet, and now exists within Sora where she belongs. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if she returns because it seems like everyone who sacrifices themselves now just comes back to life.

Roxas is whole. He was always just Sora's nobody, until DDD shoehorned the "nobodies grow hearts" thing. It's funny how Roxas went from looking just like Sora all throughout Kingdom Hearts 2 to their similar appearances never being referred to again after Birth By Sleep. This is arguably the point where I think Nomura began making things up as he went, although not to the extent that Dream Drop Distance takes it. Didn't Dream Drop Distance or one of the secret endings hint that Aqua was found. Nevertheless, time in the realm of darkness works differently than in the realm of light, so the time she spent there is not nearly as long, I believe, as the actually time that has gone by. Granted, I do agree that in two who were never meant to meet Aqua is clearly dealing with the emotional drainage of being in the RoD.
 

Nohar

Member
Truth to be told, death is indeed cheap in the KH universe (I was gonna say that it is the same in the Disney-verse, but I realized that would be blatantly inaccurate and false, at least for the baddies).

The question now on everyone's lips is "Will Maleficent become a reasonable threat in KH3?" She always was one of my favorite Disney villain (with Jafar and Ursula), and she has the means to be truly dangerous, but compared to Xehanort and his machinations it's pretty clear she can't hold a candle to him. Now, I don't expect her to hijack Xehanort as the big bad of the story once he is disposed of (though, well, everything can happen), but I would like to see her posing a real threat to the protagonists once again (because, well, she has been afflicted with Baddy Decay so badly that she is no longer seen as dangerous anymore by the cast, something which is a little sad for a character like her - at least she is persistant, I guess).
 

botty

Banned
Was Maleficent ever really a threat in the scope of things? She was being manipulated since Birth By Sleep and needed A,SoD in order to reach her full potential. She even went as far as to help Sora in KH2.
 

Nohar

Member
Was Maleficent ever really a threat in the scope of things? She was being manipulated since Birth By Sleep and needed A,SoD in order to reach her full potential. She even went as far as to help Sora in KH2.

Well, she is the one who corrupted Riku and manipulated him in order to turn him against Sora, and she was in charge of most events in KH1. Until she got hijacked by Xehanort, that is. Also, even if she indeed was manipulated by Xehanort, she has accumulated a lot of knowledge, and is able to control heartless (something which makes her not so harmless - though she may not be able to control pureblood ones? Who knows).

She indeed helped Sora in KH2, but she was being pragmatic: it was an "enemy mine" situation. She took care of the mooks while Sora and cie. took care of the real threat.
Do we know if she managed to take control of the organisation XIII's headquarters (which was her alledged goal in KH2)? I would say no, judging by 3D, but who knows?

She has knowledge, she has power, and she doesn't stay dead for long. If she plays her cards right, she could perfectly turn the game in her favor, and make those who provided her with power and information in the first place regret to have given her the means to become more that the auto-proclamed "Mistress of All Evil".

Oh well. That's just wishful thinking and speculation.
 

botty

Banned
Well, I definitely agree that she was some form of a threat in the series. Also, Riku might have been manipulated even prior to meeting Maleficient considering he was the one who opened the door and allowed Destiny Islands to be swallowed into darkness.
 

zeemumu

Member
Well, I definitely agree that she was some form of a threat in the series. Also, Riku might have been manipulated even prior to meeting Maleficient considering he was the one who opened the door and allowed Destiny Islands to be swallowed into darkness.

She's a threat to everyone except Xehanort. She had the influence to gather all of the Disney villains and was one of the few who could (somewhat) keep her darkness under her own control. She only helped Sora because she knew that she couldn't destroy the Organization herself. After everything got revealed with Xehanort's decades-long master plan, she seems pretty insignificant in comparison. Riku WAS being manipulated from the beginning but she pushed him over the edge, which ironically worked against her when he got possessed by Ansem and turned on her by making her darkness grow out of control.
 
She indeed helped Sora in KH2, but she was being pragmatic: it was an "enemy mine" situation. She took care of the mooks while Sora and cie. took care of the real threat.
Do we know if she managed to take control of the organisation XIII's headquarters (which was her alledged goal in KH2)? I would say no, judging by 3D, but who knows?

No because Xehanort still obviously uses TWTNW castle
 

botty

Banned
She's a threat to everyone except Xehanort. She had the influence to gather all of the Disney villains and was one of the few who could (somewhat) keep her darkness under her own control. She only helped Sora because she knew that she couldn't destroy the Organization herself. After everything got revealed with Xehanort's decades-long master plan, she seems pretty insignificant in comparison. Riku WAS being manipulated from the beginning but she pushed him over the edge, which ironically worked against her when he got possessed by Ansem and turned on her by making her darkness grow out of control.

All this talk about Riku being manipulated just makes me realize how Dream Drop Distance tried to undermine the fact that Riku has been a victim to darkness for a majority of the series, yet they made it seem like he had a natural tolerance or immunity to it. Forget the fact that Sora, King Mickey, and DiZ were responsible for saving him from Darkness on multiple occasions.
 

Nohar

Member
Well, after being manipulated for so long and after doing so many mistakes, I think he earned the right to redeem himself, though I agree that Riku shouldn't have built a resistance to darkness: if anything, he should have grown weaker to darkness, instead of building up a tolerance, since his heart has been weakened many times by it.

Though, well, if we consider that darkness isn't "bad" per see, and the fact that Riku learned to control his emotions and became, overall, a better person, it can make sense that he learned to control it without being affected by its negative properties (like Xehanort and Maleficent: both characters have composure and keep their emotions in check... most of the time).
The way I see it, Riku realized that darkness is a part of him and accepted it, with all the goods and bads it entails. He choose to channel the useful parts of it, and to avoid repeating his past mistakes. He choose good cholesterol instead of the bad one.
... Yeah, please forget this analogy.
 
Howdy ho fellow nerds,

As my first post to gaf, I found it only fitting that it be in the community thread for the franchise that got me into gaming that wasn't the Budokai games. So... There ya go.

In all seriousness, I recently found this fantastic top 10 video about what Kingdom Hearts 3 "needs", and wanted more KH fans to see it
check it out

Nails basically all his points. Gushed about it a bit in the comments myself
 

zeemumu

Member
All this talk about Riku being manipulated just makes me realize how Dream Drop Distance tried to undermine the fact that Riku has been a victim to darkness for a majority of the series, yet they made it seem like he had a natural tolerance or immunity to it. Forget the fact that Sora, King Mickey, and DiZ were responsible for saving him from Darkness on multiple occasions.

Most of his darkness-tolerance training was done between chains and KH2, during 358/2 days. By that point he had learned to utilize the darkness without it overcoming his mind, but lost his form in the process later on. It got fixed completely when the encoder exploded. Even though they saved him, he still had to work all of that out on his own later.
 
Pretty entertaining video - I agree with most of it although probably not quite as strongly as that guy does. Since Sora is kind of... dumb or slow on the uptake on things, I can't wait for him to meet Ventus. His reaction/confusion should be amusing.
 

Psxphile

Member
It seems a consensus is forming. 3D really did do more harm than good.

Right. Let's get back on topic.

tumblr_n38eu9lP2A1rjv5flo1_1280.jpg
I don't get Riku x Xion as far as fan-shipping goes. I mean, she's literally a femSora that resembles Kai-

...

That's messed up. Anyway, superior crack ship is Aqua x Vanitas and don't let anyone else tell you different!


Howdy ho fellow nerds,

As my first post to gaf, I found it only fitting that it be in the community thread for the franchise that got me into gaming that wasn't the Budokai games. So... There ya go.

In all seriousness, I recently found this fantastic top 10 video about what Kingdom Hearts 3 "needs", and wanted more KH fans to see it
check it out

Nails basically all his points. Gushed about it a bit in the comments myself

Really does seem like a distilled video version of the last couple of posts in this thread.

Don't care much about point #2, though. Cameos are more than enough. But a FF1 sprite-based "sub" world would be an interesting twist on the 1000-Acre Woods formula. Paging Jupiter...
 
Howdy ho fellow nerds,

As my first post to gaf, I found it only fitting that it be in the community thread for the franchise that got me into gaming that wasn't the Budokai games. So... There ya go.

In all seriousness, I recently found this fantastic top 10 video about what Kingdom Hearts 3 "needs", and wanted more KH fans to see it
check it out

Nails basically all his points. Gushed about it a bit in the comments myself

Surprisingly decent video and my disagreements with it are only minor. Love the bits about preferring a hub world and more thoughtful and bigger-feeling level design especially.

I think KH3 absolutely needs to wrap up all existing plot threads, but I disagree with the video insofar I'm fine with it leaving a tease for the future (as KH1 did with Sora taking off to find King Mickey and as KH2 did with Sora finding the message in a bottle). But those ought to be NEW dangling plot threads established for the first time in KH3 (via secret reports, an optional boss, et cetera).

The stuff mentioned about Sora getting dumber (and having less and less actual character motivation compared to everyone else) is spot on and really needs to get fixed.

Definitely don't want a Final Fantasy world, though. Ivalice is fucking awesome but I don't want to see any more non-Matsuno Ivalice. I'm delighted to see more cameos, but yeah.
 
I think the secret ending of KH3 should just show Xehanort stuck in the darkness forever, while making it clear that he's stuck there forever too, with nothing to do but think.
Cars from JOJO part 2 esq "death" basically
Would be a fitting end for him, and and would wrap up his saga nicely, instead of immediately setting up for a new one. With an ending it's better to be satisfied and have time to think over how you got there, rather than to instantly get hyped for what happens next.

Also yeah don't know how I would feel about an FF world, guess it would be pretty redundant, but I'd still rather that than a marvel world.
Star Wars maybe, but marvel? No.
 

botty

Banned
Howdy ho fellow nerds,

As my first post to gaf, I found it only fitting that it be in the community thread for the franchise that got me into gaming that wasn't the Budokai games. So... There ya go.

In all seriousness, I recently found this fantastic top 10 video about what Kingdom Hearts 3 "needs", and wanted more KH fans to see it
check it out

Nails basically all his points. Gushed about it a bit in the comments myself

Great video. I agree with most of it actually. Loved the points on how DDD dumbed Sora down beyond belief. Welcome to KH GAF btw :)

Most of his darkness-tolerance training was done between chains and KH2, during 358/2 days. By that point he had learned to utilize the darkness without it overcoming his mind, but lost his form in the process later on. It got fixed completely when the encoder exploded. Even though they saved him, he still had to work all of that out on his own later.

True. Riku pretty much had to learn how to handle the darkness since he kept getting consumed by it.


It seems a consensus is forming. 3D really did do more harm than good.

This is the general consensus on a lot of other KH boards. I know a lot of people who consider the time travel aspect as the series jumping the shark.
 
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