#kh reverse rebirth

[mythicalartistx]

Soriku in Novels — Part 5 COM & KH1

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

From up on the hill he could see Riku gathering things. He was carrying some that looked like a big piece of cloth. Must be nice being Riku...

KH Novel

It's actually a neat perspective how in the novel Sora is actually frustrated with unable to beat Riku. Like he is his friend but he feels like he's unable to do anything better and there this constant competition between them, and because of that sadly Kairi is involved (not her choosing and her unaware of it)

But it seems him wanted to share a papou fruit with her was just to beat Riku at something. And it seems he was a bit jealous of Riku too. And Riku probably had no idea either that's why I KH2 he feels like oh he had no idea he felt that way and feels sad.

"We did it!" Without thinking, Sora hugged Riku.

"Okay, okay, quit it," said Riku, but he was smiling.

KH Novel

Okay this was cute. This is when they meet again in Traverse Town and in the novel they both help fight together and they even hug. It honestly reminded me of the pilot a bit.

Riku smiling is everything.

Beyond Naminé lay a huge device shaped like a flower bud. And inside, was Sora.

"If it isn't Sora! What have you done to him!" Riku ran over to the giant device without thinking.

Reverse Rebirth COM Novel

The only thing he cares about is Sora and what she could have done to him. That's so precious.

"Huh— I'm not afraid of being destroyed. I'm just a fake after all," said the Replica, expressionlessly. I'm not scared to be destroyed. I'm scared of what I'll forget. And— of being forgotten. Sora will remember me, won't he? Or will I get muddled up with his memories of the real thing, and be forgotten?

"I don't have a real heart. Even what I'm feeling right now is probably a lie."

The Replica smiled just a little, and light began to wrap around his body.

—Reverse Rebirth Novel

... that's sad. I know he's technically not Riku but I want to put anything Riku I suppose to show how every form of him cares about Sora.

This just breaks my heart cause it's so sad. He doesn't want to be forgotten as a Replica because he cares about Sora too.

And it's so much worse cause he forgot him. I need Sora to remember COM events.

"Am I... fading... fading under the power of light..."

If I am darkness— and if I can't fight the darkness with my own strength— I guess being destroyed by Sora is the only way, Riku thought in the depths of his fading consciousness. If I have to be defeated, I'm happy for it to be Sora.

This time it's ogRiku, but it's still sad. He doesn't mind if he gets defeated if it's by Sora. (It's actually Zexion in disguise)

He feels I guess I deserve to be defeated after everything he's done and it's sad.

"Fake or not, that doesn't matter anymore! You're here now, and you have a heart that belong to you and no-one else. Your memories belong to you and you only, so treasure them!"

Sora's words were gentle.

The Replica held back the tears that were threatening to spill over. "Sora, you're very kind," he said, back still turned. "Even a fake like me can see how real your feelings are... that's good enough for me."

Right now, Sora's feelings are good enough for me, the Replica thought. The fact that I met Sora is good enough for me.

— Reverse Rebirth novel

REPLIKU MAKES ME SAD CRYAHGDHSJJK

It's so sad because Sora's words touched him and his heart. Since he's made of Riku, he feels similar things.

But Sora is like you are you and is so passionate abd is similar to how Riku feels about nobodies in KH2

Also what's this about feedings...? He can see how real his feelings are and that's good enough for him.

I'm not one— no, I'm a fake, memories and existence and all, I'm what's before you become someone. But Sora talks to me like I've been his friend for a long, long time.

This pained the Replica.

— Reverse Rebirth Novel

Repliku so precious and deserves a hug as much as ogRiku. Sora still cares no matter what and Repliku still feels for Sora.

"Well, Sora. You didn't think about my feelings, either. Naminé's not the only one who doesn't want to see your face again. Neither do I," the boy shot, and leapt. Why don't I want to see Sora?

Why am I so angry?

—Reverse Rebirth Novel

Repliku is conflicted with his feelings unsure why he is angry with him because he remembers the feelings (Riku) has for him 💔😭

I need someone to tell Sora to remember events from COM, please after Riku finds Sora in Quadratum they act gay and do a rehash of KH2 Reunion before exploring worlds TOGETHER like they always wanted they go home.

Sora then sees Naminé and tells her thank you for real and then in turn, he remembers COM stuff and Repliku and it turns out Naminé requested for Zexion and Vexen to make Riku Replica. Then Sora remembers stuff and Repliku is happy again.

Face looking a little uneasy, Sora tried to grab my outreached hand.

At that moment, I didn't even notice what was happening around me. I didn't even look. Sora, at the end of my out reached hand, was so much more than everything else.

Just a little more and my hand would reach.

— Reverse Rebirth

Sora being at the end of his hand was so much more important THAN ANYTHING?! ASHSHHSSKSKSK Sora is that important and he wanted him to take his hand.

That's right— Sora would be the first thing Kairi worried about, every time. But, I was the same. As long as I was with Sora, I could go anywhere. That's what I thought. And moreover, with Kairi there, who I supposed knew about other worlds... we could go anywhere, that's what I thought.

— Reverse Rebirth

Aww he believes Kairi is what Sora thinks is most important (it's actually Riku). But the bolded words—and if you remember bolded lines throughout all these parts means they're especially cute and Soriku coded— but Sora helps him be able to go anywhere too.

[robinmage]

replaying kingdom hearts as an adult is 100000x better than playing when i was a kid. quotes like "im not afraid of death. good riddance to a phony life. my heart was never real" would have me chained in when i was 12 but now im just like. 🙄 ok typical 15 year old ass behaviour

[thehandwixard]

I AM THE CHAIN OF MEMORIES LIKER and defender. NEVER forget this.

[daylighteclipsed]

What's it about cloti that you like? I'm curious, bc we otherwise tend to ship the same things. I love both cloud and tifa, and they have some cute scenes, but I don't feel it with them. Idk if it's because of the truly awful shippers, or something else. For me it feels like sokai in kh 1, I see why ppl ship them and that the narrative is pushing for them to be together, but i don't really care about that aspect of their relationship. Your answer doesn't have to be elaborate or anything, it's genuinely only curiosity on my part. Other than that, how do you like rebirth so far? I know some ppl dropped it pretty fast, bc they didn't like the crazy amount of mini games. Which I get, bc some of them were a hassle, but all in all i still had fun.

Short answer: I really like their individual characters and their complicated friendship and past that Rebirth starts delving more into, and that’s made me warm up very quickly to the romance between them.

Long answer: Cloud and Tifa’s dynamic is so interesting to me in Rebirth. I feel like the game does a good job of pulling back the curtain on a relationship that up to this point has been summed up as “childhood friends” to reveal how much more complicated it is than that. Imo, these are two people who have always yearned to know each other but never really have. They were friendly when they were very young, it seems, like under the age of 7. Then, Cloud started pulling away, and Tifa has never understood why. And they haven’t been able to really reconnect since then, made all the more difficult by Sephiroth and Shinra.

FF7 pushes romantic angles with both Tifa and Aerith, which I don’t really love tbh. I do wish it was a little more toned down and optional. But I really like the sense of yearning and desire to connect that threads Cloud and Tifa’s entire relationship — and the consistent symbolism of reaching for each other, trying to bridge that physical and emotional gap between them (usually when one is about to literally or figuratively fall), that goes with it. I like watching them bond and get to know each other now, so many years later, as best as they can (considering Cloud’s memories and sense of self are all screwed up), while navigating the unique trauma of being two of the only survivors of the massacre of their village. I like their mutual support, how they take turns supporting/grounding/saving each other.

I like that memories play such a big role, that they both have precious memories of each other that are key to who they are and which no one else knows. Fucking love when Tifa falls into the Lifestream and she realizes Cloud tried to save her from crossing the metaphorical bridge of death/falling when they were kids, and you see how much the past seems to parallel the present with their roles reversed this time. I want to see the whole memory so much. I don’t know if we ever will, but man. I really feel like even if Cloud couldn’t stop Tifa from falling, he must’ve saved her from drowning. There’s a river below that bridge, right? She hit her head and presumably passed out — someone had to keep her head above water, and he was the only one there because he refused to abandon her… I think, metaphorically, that’s pretty much what’s gonna happen in the game. I don’t think Tifa is gonna be able to catch Cloud from falling, but I think she’s gonna hold his head above water when they hit the bottom.

Sorry, I’ve been thinking about this part so much shsbdbsbs I just feel like it’s so interesting and crucial to the story. I think it really helps Tifa understand what’s going on with Cloud and Sephiroth on a level the others don’t. She’s much more conscious of Cloud’s behavior and notices the distinctions between Cloud and Sephiroth. She’s usually the first to notice when something’s not right and intervene.

I like that Tifa is established as the truth to Sephiroth’s lies and the one who can kinda “wake” Cloud up because, unlike everyone else, Tifa was there when Sephiroth (and Zack and Cloud) came to town and Tifa has seen what Cloud was like before the Jenova cells/false persona (even if she’s never been able to fully understand him). She’s the only one stopping Cloud from losing complete touch with reality, which is why Sephiroth is trying to undermine her credibility and eliminate her.

Like it’s really obvious, to me, that if Cloud and Tifa could properly reconnect by finally understanding the past and each other, Sephiroth’s manipulation wouldn’t work. Like, you know in the Loveless play how the bad guy’s weakness is true love. And then the hero (Cloud) and whoever is playing the princess (I had Tifa) try to declare their love, and it doesn’t work. The bad guy just laughs and says their love is an illusion or whatever? That’s what’s going on in the game, I think. I do think they love each other, but they don’t understand each other yet, Cloud isn’t even sure who he is, his identity is scrambled eggs, so it’s not a complete or true love. They have to bridge that gap, discover the truth and really meet. You know what I mean?

I still haven’t talked about the actual romantic stuff fbdbdbsbe I’m sorry, romance is usually always secondary to me. Um. I like that Cloud initiates a lot of those intimate moments with Tifa. Other people usually invade his space and make him uncomfortable. But Tifa’s patient with him and doesn’t pressure him. He reaches out to hold her hand and hug her and stuff. He opens up to her about his doubts and fears. It’s sweet how bashful they are, how realistically awkward they are sometimes. Yeah, idk, I just think they’re neat. I want them to understand each other, finally like really know each other, and I like when they hold hands.

As for how I’m enjoying Rebirth as a game (as someone who has never played the og FF7): I’m really loving it. I think it’s so much more fun and interesting than Remake. Love the open world, the different regions, the exploration, side quests, party bonding and banter, chocobos, whatever tf is going on with those protorelics and the Queen’s Blood creator, the battle challenges, Chadley (I know he was in Remake, but I grew more attached to him in this game), the return of other old NPCs, the new ones, the fun silly stuff like the segways in Costa del Sol. Rebirth fleshes the whole world and characters out, and I’m never bored. I have very little complaints. If it sticks the landing, it might be one of my favorite video games. Rip to the mini game haters, but I’m different. (Except the piano. The piano can go fuck itself.)

[starhoodies]

i'm so in love with one of your last pieces, REBIRTH I think it is? It's so so good, was in inspired by anything in particular?? I'm just in love with it! Goshh I hope you get inspiration to finish it's accompaniment piece as well!

OH hey!! Sorry this is late!

The Rebirth WIP was for the previous soriku week's prompt, which I believe was "REVERSE // REBIRTH" (?)

I kinda knew right away I wanted to do "Rebirth", and the concept was initially inspired by a song that started off with "The End" and ended with "The Beginning" as its first and last lyrics.

I knew I wanted to go the pseudo baptism route because KH loves both subtle and unsubtle religious symbolism and so do I, especially when it comes to Riku. and YEAH IT'S ON THE NOSE, but so is haloing riku a billion times with the sun/literal halos in KH3 lest audience forgets hes gay jesus or whatever.

that's the short answer but I wrote more cause the adhd meds are bussin rn

so ok I wanted to do a companion piece that hearkened back to KHI's end from Riku's perspective. After everything he's done, his story ending in KHI being a perfect one for him in his eyes. One where he's cut loose from dragging his friends down with him. His vain attempt to gain power to alter the course of a destiny he feared resulting in losing himself and hurting the people he swore to protect. It's justice! It's his punishment. That's "THE END."

and then all of a sudden he's being roughly yanked outta the water by a frantic sora who has been looking everywhere for him.

Despite it all, he's dragged into a second chance. Through gaining control of his darkness and facing his fears in CoM, his choice to keep all his memories, his devotion to Sora, his last stand against Xemnas. Even after all he's done, even with the lengths he's gone to wake Sora up, and despite not even wanting to be found, he can still go home. (and he kinda doesn't get a choice cause sora and kairi were kinda ready to wrestle him to the ground lmao)

In the end, he gets his body back, gets his friends back, and even his old home welcomes him back, the same as it ever was.. KH2's end was super satisfying but it's also just the beginning. There's still much more weighing him down, even as he treads water back to the shore, but yknow...all in due time.

UHHH there's probably more to his I'm not explaining well enough but YOU get it. YOU'VE played the games. YOU know whats going on.

anyway I love it when riku looks at current circumstances and is like "yes this is how it should be, and is probably better than i deserve" and then the narrative hands him another W and he's like

[hyouta]

More KH ramblings as I finished KH2 for the first time!! ...And damn this was in my drafts for so long that I've also finished my 358/2 days replay and played + finished BBS for the first time...

Once again just very long text post of me saying nothing but none of my twitter mutuals like KH so I feel bad spamming tweets too much.

I'd attach some of my KH wips (there's a surprising amount) but I feel self-conscious posting stuff that unfinished...

Yeah so, just like the raimi spider-man movies, I experienced the game without getting too bothered by annoying fans and I had a good time overall.

I felt like the disney worlds were a little bit lacking in areas but better than my experience in KH1... I think lol...

Some things I forgot to talk about in my original post

D-mode Riku was the saving grace of Reverse/Rebirth, I hated the limited card decks... I'm also dumb and it took me until the middle to understand the dueling system.

100 acre woods WRECKED me in all 3 games, I don't know why... the childhood innocence of it all? Legitimately the few times I have teared up playing through the series so far (other times was Betwixt and Between, and fighting Roxas).

❤︎

Anyway, similar to Re:Com I grinded up pretty far for standard mode, at least compared to the minimum level recommendation. I've maxed every form except Limit and Summon (I never use summons... and I didn't until the very end of KH1) (nevermind, did it quickly before the final Xemnas fight). Final form with Bond of Flame and spamming Firaga is very satisfying - just read that it's good with Master too but I have yet to try it.

Xigbar cooked my ass worse than Xaldin but I had to restart as many times as I fought Roxas. I'm pretty mid at these kind of games.

And after making it to the end of the Cave of Rembrance (because I wanted to get all the puzzle pieces/treasures BEFORE I finished the story)... I just... had a moment of silence... people really be playing this game on Proud/Critical yikes kfdjghfd;;

Last thought it damn why was it so much easier to get Ultima in this than KH1FM.

Anyway...

KH2 > Re:Com > KH1...... maybe, might be recency bias. Despite how Re:Com is hell I think it's also sort of rewarding once you have the right deck. Also, I think the final boss in KH1 is better than KH2.

My tweets: "Not that the xemnas fight was bad... but the over reliance on the reaction command for a fancier looking battle made it more hands off" "Kh1 had me stressed the whole last fight Kh2 I had no idea what I was doing but got there in the end Also I swear it cut his last health bar like 75% just to get me to that reflect ending"

"I do think the cinematic finishes are cool but I was so ??? Trying to figure out if I was missing a prompt bc the second to last phase was stuck at 1 hp forever"

❤︎

I changed my plans and watched the Days movie first, and while it was nice I think it strips a lot of the charm from the DS game; though I have zero idea if it maybe is closer to the original japanese version...? (On a side note watching the days opening now having played Re:Com and KH2- oh! That scene!- oh! Xigbar! Fuck that guy---- Days was my first KH game it's a wonder I understood anything).

I could have sworn I wrote down notes for this playthrough... I don't have a lot more to say than how I've felt about this game over the years. It still might be my favourite... I know the trio is DEFINITELY my favourite of the trios... I know I hated Agrabah for ages because of it but this playthrough helped me get over it and I found myself actually liking the monotony of the gameplay. Leechgrave and Ruler of the sky were way easier than when I was younger I think people exaggerate how hard those bosses are.

Oh right, I never played mission mode or challenge missions that much when I first played it and I don't get why, it's useful and fun!!

❤︎

Ok so I've got something to admit... despite being a fan of KH for a while now I've never watched like.... hmmm 90% of BBS cutscenes. Gave myself a brief synopsis but just never got around to delving deeper.

BBS dumps so much information and tutorials on you that I still do not fully understand how the command board is supposed to work and at this point I'm too afraid to ask. I'm not sure how beginner friendly this game is... kinda feels like a game for a lot of experimentation or game guides.

It has been years since I've played DDD so getting used to that command deck in BBS was ROUGH, took me until after Radiant Garden to get used to (at least I think it'll prepare me for my DDD replay).

I didn't really get the trio until maybe... fighting Master Eraqus (also, fuck that guy, and his battle). It was from there going forward that I got into the story. To be honest I wasn't sure what to make of Aqua until I played her story and that's when it all fit together, yes... yes I like them all. Still didn't really get too emotional until the point where she is in the realm of darkness and gets saved by those keyblades (I thought it was going to be Mickey - so now I don't know where those Mickey comments about him leaving her there for 10 years come from??).

Mini notes I made during my playthrough:

Obtains reversal and asks what it is before realising it was like Roxas and Sora's reversal move and I was like !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YO (proceeds to never activate it, cause I suck).

One note is just me writing "Captain Justice???????" I assume when he appeared on the command board before I saw him in Ventus' story.

The Spirit of the Magic Mirror is a genuenily terrifying design I hate it so much, and you fight him twice? (not hard, just scary)

Aqua vs Terranort phase 2 was my Legends Arceus Origin Forme Giratina (but thankfully it was MILES easier than the first phase).

I love that when you visit disney worlds in the different stories it plays at different points in time/merges together at some point.

Pacing was a little weird for me because I finished each story in under 10 hours (considering Reverse/Rebirth took me 15 hours) it was pretty surprising... but I think... I like that? I've never been big on JRPGs but I can see BBS as being the easiest to replay for how short each story is. I don't know what they'd do but I'd love another game like this, regardless if it fits into a bigger picture. Let me play side characters like this more PLEASE.

❤︎

Now, I've owned Re:coded on the DS longer than I've had the PS4 collection but I will be playing that next for the first time, I've heard mixed opinion but if the different gameplay is true then that's huge.

For this I WILL play the DS game first before watching the movie and with any luck I should finish it before the new year.

[celestial-moths]

I might be caving in and buying Dawntrail for FFXIV... I've just really been itching to play again, even though I'm in the middle of my KH marathon... Reverse/Rebirth is the most grindy part of the entire series imo and I got a little too upset that Riku keeps targeting random objects in the field when I'm trying to get first strike on the three heartless that just popped up around me but nOoOoO, that LAMPPOST was a PRIORITY THREAT--

anyways ahahah I'm gonna play FFXIV again

[judetheteenycatvaliproto]

Kh hardest difficulty progress

I just beat Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories Reverse/Rebirth Proud Mode it was fun but hard the Ansem fight was really hard like last time but I did beat him. Now for the last game Kingdom Hearts 1 Proud Mode

[colinlegameboy]

Yammering About Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories

Kingdom Hearts is my favorite game series of all time. Despite that, I have yet to beat every single title in said series. Among the ones that have eluded my game clear list are 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, both DS titles, and KH: Re COM. As of last night, the latter is no longer true, hence the title of this post.

When I first played the original Chain of Memories on GBA, I could never get past Hades, of all bosses. I think maneuvering around his spinny fire attack in a 2D space was too much for kid me.

Then, when I finally got Re: COM (I think by spotting it at a game store and going, "SINCE WHEN WAS THIS A THING, MOM LET ME HAVE THIS PLS"), I was actually able to beat Hades due to having the luxury of a 3D space to play in. Dodging that spinny fire attack was infinitely easier.

...But then I got walled by Replica Riku.

Years later, I came back to the game via the 1.5 HD version. I actually got close to beating it, but decided to double back for all the Keys to Rewards once I reached the final level. This... Was a mistake. The game immediately got too grindy, and I had not yet discovered the magic of listening to podcasts while playing games. I dropped the save, and didn't come back.

Now, thankfully, with the help of having something else to keep my mind occupied through the grinding, I have beaten KH Re: COM, both campaigns done. And my verdict?

It's... Fine?

I never outright hated the combat of KH1. It's definitely aged in hindsight, but the fact that the foundation of Re: COM was built on that didn't bother me. If anything I kinda had fun getting to play with that combat again.

The issue is, of course, the card system. I swear so many of my boss deaths could have been mitigated if I wasn't having to think about card values in the heat of an aggressive attack or sleight. Also if the boss arenas weren't so damn tiny, I could maneuver a bit better, but that's beside the point.

It's kinda on me for picking Proud Mode- I proudly (heh) have beaten every KH game I've played on Proud, but all it served to do here was wall the crap out of me with several bosses near the endgame. Replica Riku reared his bitch face again, but there was also Vexen, Larxene and Axel, taking me many tries each with their final fights.

There's "fun" hard, and then there's "oh my god let it be over already" hard. Those fights were definitely the latter- So much out of my control because I didn't have the right cards, or couldn't think fast enough to get the right card setup.

On the other hand, Reverse/Rebirth was honestly more fun. It's stupid easy to cheese bosses with the duel system, leading to me bitch-slapping the final Ansem fight like it was nothing. The only real annoyance came from the fixed decks. Wonderland in particular was hell- I now hate Creeper Plant Heartless with a passion. I almost want to boot up KH2 for the sole purpose of easily beating them.

Overall, I didn't outright hate my time with Re: COM, but I am definitely glad I never have to touch it again. All that's left now console-wise is 2.8, which should be a way easier clear. As for the DS games... I don't know if I'll ever beat those, to be honest. We'll see.

[themattress]

Reverse/Rebirth is the worst part of the whole KH Trinity. It's not bad, it's just....really underwhelming and in hindsight not even all that good with its connective tissue to KH2.

This video has less of any glaring errors than the previous one, although I wish he held more of a critical eye toward Reverse/Rebirth beyond just the too-easy gameplay or awkward scripting nitpicks.

[inanotherworldarling]

There is no return to the security of sleep.

[leonleonhart]

[a-secret-land]

It’s the road to dawn…

[sarellathesphinx]

I beat Marluxia BOTH SECTIONS in ONE TRY and as soon as he does his death scream my ps3 just freezes. Cursed

[kh13]

“Road to Dawn”, Reverse/Rebirth artwork tribute and review by KH13′s Mykaila Shakespeare

[mossfiretheatrecult-blog]

Kingdom hearts confessions

So I’m finally on my final playthroughs for all of KH 1.5 and 2.5 to get 100% trophy completion, right? Kingdom hearts 1 is all done except for two trophies that I will come back to later because I hate the gummy ship missions and those are the only two trophies left, the level 2 and 3 missions (game trophy completion 96% I believe), Kingdom Hearts re:chain of memories is also at 96% because I’m almost done with Reverse/Rebirth, I’m Riku level 75 just needing to get to 99 and beat the game (beginner because even though it claims if you beat the game on a higher mode you’ll get the lower level’s trophies automatically it didn’t work, maybe it’s just me?) and even though I LOVE how Riku gets automatic deck buildings so that we don’t have to worry about it and we actually get to use all of the enemy boss cards in the deck, it’s taking so much longer to level Riku up because in my Sora playthrough I had all 9’s for my attack cards, which is really helpful for the final floor with the Neoshadows equipped with 8’s, Riku (while having good cards) doesn’t have that and breaks so many cards unless you spam stack them in a preset rhythm. So, what’s better; having to worry about deck building while going to max level and being able to spam 9’s, or not being in control, having to spam stacks, and having more enemy cards?