#we are so much more than the system where we were created. / re:coded.

[dawnled]

tag post #3 ( canon (and related) verses ) !

[palizinhas]

A Heart Is So Much More Than Any System - An analysis of Nobodies and Hearts in Kingdom Hearts

One of the most common topics in Kingdom Hearts is the nature of hearts, and what it means to live without one. From KH1 to DDD, the way the characters look at hearts changes, but did it really?

KH1

Kingdom Hearts is the most simple game in the series, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t explore hearts. In fact, one of the best quotes about hearts in the entire series is here.

Sora: Although my heart may be weak, it’s not alone. It’s grown with each new experience, and it’s found a home with all the friends I’ve made. I’ve become a part of their heart just as they’ve become a part of mine. And if they think of me now and then...if they don't forget me...then our hearts will be one.

Something that we learn about hearts as the series goes on, is that it can be created as you make new memories. In this, Sora claims that a heart gets stronger by having a connection to others, which is expanded upon in Days, coded and DDD, but is also clear before that. It also foreshadows (even if accidentally) how important to your heart your memories are, which is further explored in future games, like Chain of Memories.

Outside of that, KH1 also introduces us to the first KH character that is looked down on for not being “real” - a Disney character, of course, but DDD brings him back just to make the point that he’s not so different from Nobodies.

Riku: What? You’d rather fight me? Over a puppet that has no heart?

Sora: Heart or no heart, at least he still has a conscience.

Riku: Conscience?

Sora: You might not hear it, but right now it’s loud and clear. And it’s telling me you’re on the wrong side!

Pinocchio may have lost his heart, and he may be a puppet, but Sora recognizes right away that as long as he has a connection to others (namely Jiminy), it’s still wrong to hurt him.

CoM

Chain of Memories introduces Nobodies, so of course this game is very important to what we see in the series from this point forward. When it comes to heart in this game, there are three main threads - Axel, Naminé and Riku Replica. We’ll talk about all three of them.

Axel

We later learn in Days that it’s Axel’s experiences with Sora in Castle Oblivion that starts to shape who he becomes afterwards. Axel’s main point in CoM is that he’s playing pretty much everyone in the Castle, and it’s something he does under Saix’s orders, but there is one specific moment where it becomes more than that.

Axel: Hey, wait. I'm enjoying this. You guys ARE something else!

After Axel frees Naminé, he actually laughs. And not out of memories from what he used to be, but because he’s genuinely enjoying himself. While it’s not exactly a positive thing he’s enjoying, and he’s still acting out of self-interest, it’s more than he has felt in almost a decade, and it’s clear that what happens in Chain of Memories helps shape Axel into the person he becomes in KH2.

Naminé

There is one main reason Marluxia’s plan doesn’t work out, and it’s Naminé. The idea of what she’s doing is technically simple, she needs to shape Sora into their weapon, but it soon becomes clear that she both wants and doesn’t want to do that. Naminé’s reason for wanting to is simple, she’s lonely and has no one, and the idea of Sora caring more about her than anyone else is something that she longs for.

There isn’t a character that shows the importance of memories for your heart quite as much as Naminé. By changing Sora’s memories, she makes herself into the person he loves the most, breaking the chains of his memories to everyone else in the process. But the heart may forget, but the memories aren’t gone. Sora manages to remember Kairi when he tries hard enough, and Naminé’s understanding of that connection is what leads her to believing that one day her promise with Sora will be fulfilled. 

Naminé: Don't worry. You might forget about me...but with our promise, I can come back.

Sora: A promise is a promise.

Naminé: Yes. One day the light---it will be ours, and it will bring us together. Til then---I'll be in your heart.

Sora: Right. Forgotten---but not lost.

Riku Replica

Repliku is the main source in Chain of Memories of the idea that people who aren’t real can become so, before we even fully learned that Nobodies aren’t supposed to have hearts. His main conflict comes from fake memories being put into him, and shaping his forming heart into something new, quite similar to what happened to Sora. Riku Replica doesn’t know he isn’t the real Riku for a part of the story, and when he does learn that, he reacts by realizing that if nothing he remembers is real, then neither is he.

But Sora once again doesn’t accept that.

Sora: Wait! Who cares if someone created you? You are you and nobody else. You have your own heart inside you. Those feelings and memories are yours and yours alone. They're special!

Sora once again recognizes that even if someone isn’t “real”, they are still important due to their feelings and connections to others.

Riku Replica ends up trying to hard to be “more than a shadow” (which is also how Naminé sees herself in comparison to Kairi) that it results on his demise, though this isn’t the last time we see him.

Chain of Memories as a whole is one of the best characters explorations in the series, and its use of hearts and memories is a huge part of that.

KH2

Chain of Memories may have introduced Nobodies, but KH2 gives us our first official explanation of what they are - but both the base game but especially Final Mix asks us if that explanation is right.

Here’s what Yen Sid has to say:

Yen Sid: An empty vessel whose heart has been stolen away... A spirit that goes on even as its body fades from existence---for you see, Nobodies do not truly exist at all. Nobodies may seem to have feelings, but this is a ruse - they only pretend to have hearts. You must not be deceived!

Between this and what Naminé says earlier in the game - that Nobodies are only half a person - the answer behind what Nobodies are seems clear, but there’s more to it than that.

The main examples of it are Roxas, Naminé and Axel. Because the other Nobodies in the game are only villains, we don’t get to see much of them, but of those three we do see. And it’s not just our observations of the characters that matter here, because even Ansem the Wise - the biggest detractor of Nobodies - comes to admit otherwise towards the end of the game.

Ansem the Wise: A heart is so much more than any system. I saw it when Roxas and Kairi crossed paths. I knew. But I was too stubborn to accept it.

This is the core of this analysis - a heart is much more than a system. Even so-called experts in the matter of the heart don’t understand everything. Ansem the Wise was so caught up in his revenge against his former apprentices he was willing to consider all Nobodies being without hearts, but he also recognizes, during the Roxas prologue, that what allowed Roxas and Kairi to make contact was their hearts connecting.

And maybe that doesn’t make complete sense - but does it have to? A heart is more than any system, after all.

There are several comments throughout the game that hint at there being more to Nobodies than what Yen Sid told us, such as Axel saying Roxas and Sora made him feel like he had a heart, but the biggest example was added in Final Mix... and actually asked that question directly.

Axel: You know, I've been thinking about something Naminé said. Roxas... are you really sure that you don't have a heart? Is it possible that we all have one? You, me, her... Or is that just wishful thinking?

The issue with exposition in games is that we often take what we hear from trustworthy characters at face value, but people can’t always be right. And by raising a question fans had already been wondering, KH2FM tells you to understand that there is more to the story than that.

Days

As Days is the only KH game to star a Nobody, we learn much about Nobodies through this game, both through Roxas himself as well as Xion - who may not be a Nobody herself, but doesn’t Vexen call Replicas a special type of Nobody?

Days often goes to the question of whether Nobodies can feel anything, and when Roxas is reminded by Axel that he’s not actually feeling things because he can’t, that makes you wonder whether that’s not just what they think.

Roxas starts out without a heart or memories - two very important things that are established in past games as making people who they are. As such, he starts out as a “zombie”. But he doesn’t stay that way. By interacting with Axel and Xion, Roxas becomes more than that. Your connection to others shapes you, and that’s what it did to Roxas.

Memories shaping you is also a theme with Xion, but in a much more literal way. It’s taking memories from Sora that make Xion who she is, but she also grows beyond that due to her friends.

Roxas isn’t Sora, and Xion isn’t Sora, and that’s because they formed connections and memories that are unrelated to Sora. They both wanted to become their own people so hard that that’s exactly what they did.

Re:coded

Data-Sora also isn’t a Nobody, but he’s also a being that grows beyond his initial programming. Data-Sora was created to solve the message in Jiminy’s Journal, and he was given a fake Keyblade to go along with it. But after it gets broken, his connection to others becomes so strong he can make his own, despite that being seemingly impossible.

This game brings back Ansem the Wise’s line - a heart is so much more than any system. Even being part of that system doesn’t mean your heart can’t be more than that. Data-Sora becomes more than the system. His connection to others also helps him understand hurt, and accept the hurt of others into himself - with someone else’s help.

Memories and connections are more important to a person than the way they were born, after all.

DDD

DDD has the huge “revelation” that Nobodies can grow hearts, but if you’ve come this far into the series, is it really a surprise?

DDD brings up the question of what makes people real several times, and when it comes to the question of Nobodies, there are three most important ones.

The first is when Sora meets up with Xemnas inside Pinocchio’s world, and this exhange happens:

Xemnas: My my, a hollow puppet that's managed to grow a heart. Just imagine that.

Sora: Pinocchio isn't anything like you Nobodies. But if Pinocchio could be given one--shouldn't you be able to have a heart inside you, too?

Pinocchio has been around since KH1. His existence already established this all the way back in the first game. Days was originally going to feature him to drive home his connection to Nobodies, even.

And of course, there is the reveal itself.

Sora: You know, right, because you all have hearts! Axel and Roxas and Naminé, and that other girl. I felt what Roxas felt and...they laughed together, got mad, and they grieved. You have to have a heart to cry.

Xigbar: It's about time you noticed.

??????: Indeed.

(Xemnas appears behind them)

Xemnas: A heart is never lost for good. There may have been variances in our dispositions, but a number of us unquestionably showed signs of a burgeoning replacement. Once born, the heart can also be nurtured. Our experiments creating Heartless were attempts to control the mind, and convince it to renounce its sense of self. But understand, one can banish the heart from the body, but the body will try to replace it the first chance it gets, for as many times as it takes. And so I knew, even after we were divided into Heartless and Nobodies, it was just a temporary separation.

Sora had already reached the conclusion that Roxas deserved to be his own person by this point, so it should come as no surprise that just like he questioned whether Roxas being trapped within him was right, he also questions something he fully believed in KH2 - whether Nobodies can have hearts.

In addition to Xemnas’s explanation, we also get Ansem the Wise’s.

Ansem the Wise: Yes. A clue, I hope, to finding yourselves or your lost friends in your hour of need. The heart has always been quick to grow. Each exposure to light, to the natural world, to other people, shapes this most malleable part inside of us. Nobodies are not different from us in that manner. Sora was the only one able to return to his human form without destroying his Nobody. That is a statement to the love in his heart for other people, and the bonds that tie them together. Perhaps...he has the power to bring back the hearts and existences of those connected to him-- to recreate people we thought were lost to us forever. Our most precious treasures--even an empty puppet--the trees of the forest, and the petals on the wind--there are hearts around us everywhere we look. And it does not take superhuman powers to see them. Surely we remember as children the way our hearts made everything seem so shiny, and perfect. Sora has a heart like that--uncorrupted, willing to see the good before the bad. When he sees the heart in something, it then becomes real. When a connection seems broken, he may have the power to mend it. He has touched countless hearts, he has accepted them, and he has saved them. And some of those hearts have never left him--whether they fell into darkness or were trapped there-whether they sleep in the darkness of Sora's heart, or were welcomed into its warmth--they can be saved. All Sora needs to do is be himself and follow wherever it is that his heart takes him. It is the best and the only way. The rest is in there.

This moment is Ansem the Wise recognizing that there is more to a heart than what it starts out as, and the main point for it is the connection people form with one another.

In general, the way KH treats hearts is that what matters isn’t who you are in the beginning - it’s only through new experiences, through meeting others and making memories with them that you become who you are, who you can be. And all of these things were clear within the first two games.

[nadziejastar]

The reason Lea and Isa's relationship in KH3 was unsatisfying was the same reason a lot of other things in that game were unsatisfying. Nomura was so focused on sequel baiting the next saga that he didn't bother to try and wrap up the current saga properly. Wrapping up all the plot threads was an obligation, not something he actually wanted to do.

The Sad, Butchered, Unfinished Xehanort Saga: Just Tie It All to Union X and KH4!

“Nomura revealed that the theme of Kingdom Hearts III is “resolution”. It is the final battle against the main series antagonist, Master Xehanort, so his story is finally reaching its resolution. But because it is the theme, there will no doubt be many emotional resolutions to the journey’s we have taken with Sora over the years.”

Without a doubt, one of my biggest issues with KH3 is that the game seemed way more concerned with setting up future games and plots instead of wrapping up the plot threads in the Xehanort Saga. Lea and Isa’s story is just one of the many, MANY issues I had with the game’s story. The main theme of KH3 was supposed to be “resolution”. Resolution, my ass.

Everything is being left for the next game. IF there’s a next game. Nomura never acts too sure if there even will be a next game. It was rather heartbreaking to wait for such a long time, and then realize that THIS was the only “resolution” we were getting. It really pissed me off. Just look how many unresolved plot threads there are, which are now being haphazardly tied to Union χ:

The Seekers of Darkness

—When Marluxia is fading, he says, “I am on the cusp of reclaiming my identity, my purpose for being.” Did he remember that he was from the distant past?

Yes. I think if you play KH Union Cross to the end, you will learn his purpose for being.

—When Larxene said, “I was really just along for the ride,” she must have meant with…

Marluxia. It’s not certain whether Larxene has her old memories, but she was interested in Marluxia to a degree for some reason, and became his partner in his plan to overthrow the old Organization XIII.

Why are the rest of the old Organization members even part of the new Organization? They spend the whole game helping Xehanort, then act confused and grateful after Sora beats them. Why? This seemed so weird in canon. It’s clear from their dialogue after they are defeated and the giant pillar of darkness that exits their body, that Luxord, Marluxia, and Larxene were supposed to be completely controlled by Xehanort.

— What happens to the hearts of those who have had Master Xehanort’s heart planted within them?They’ll gradually be swallowed by it. As for Master Xehanort, he plans to control them completely. The planted parts of the heart are captured rather than disappear.

Which is exactly what Nomura said happens to people who become vessels. I’m sure there was another explanation for their presence which probably would have been revealed in BBSV2. It would have showed how they were made vessels against their will and were being controlled. We’d actually be able to sympathize with them finally. But now it’s revealed that Marluxia and Larxene joined willingly because of Union χ stuff. Who knows if we’ll ever find out why Luxord was there.

—We never would have guessed how important Xigbar ended up being when he first appeared in KH2, either.

I hear that a lot, but on the inside I meant for Xigbar to be a character with a special position from early on, which is why I had him do suspicious things. During voice recording for KH2, while listening to Hochu Otsuka’s voice (Xigbar’s voice actor), I felt that there was no way Xigbar was just an ordinary soldier in the system—he definitely had something going on behind the scenes—and midway through production the setup developed into what we have now. That kind of thing does happen sometimes: the setup behind a character transforming as I bounce off a voice actor.

This really pissed me off. Xigbar was such an interesting villain. He always knew so much more than he let on and had his own agenda. I think the weapons in 358/2 Days actually tell the story of the character. They reference important events in chronological order. One of Xigbar’s final weapons is called “Crime and Punishment”, and I believe this was a reference to his role in the final battle. Braig hurt so many innocent people in his quest for the Keyblade. He helped turn Terra into a vessel and participated in mind control experiments. He was haunted by Ven’s glare when he looked at Xion.

He sold his soul to the devil—to Xehanort. I think once Sora beats him, and he finally gains his heart back, he is filled with shame and despair. The end of his arc was to commit suicide. Even though he was a terrible person, there was nothing to celebrate. He committed so many atrocities, yet he gained nothing. Sora and Riku look on with nothing but sadness.

Observations, Excerpt 3

It seems this body, this name will be my last…Until now, I have watched over the course of events from a distance. Perhaps the time has come to intervene. I need only play the role of a fool desirous of the Keyblade’s power. I will don the mask of his ally in order to keep watch over my Keyblade from close by.

But now…he’s Luxu! His suicide now means nothing. It was just a ruse. There’s no emotional impact whatsoever because his Xigbar persona was all just an act. Braig’s entire character arc was sacrificed so he could be a vehicle to bring in Union χ characters for KH4.

The Chamber of Waking

Why is Aqua’s armor in The Chamber of Repose?Because Aqua tried to save Terra.When she tried to retrieve Terra’s heart from Terra-Xehanort, they both fell into the realm of darkness, and she gave him both her armor and keyblade which allowed him to escape. Because of this when Ansem the Wise picked up Xehanort, he still had the armor and keyblade, which Xemnas then put in The Chamber of Repose.Why is Xemnas searching for The Chamber of Awakening?To find Ventus. The Chamber of Awakening is the room where Aqua leaves Ventus sleeping in Last Episode, and is a part of Castle Oblivion. As you can see from Xemnas calling Aqua’s armor “friend”, it seems Xemnas has Terra’s memories and so is searching for Ventus, and is making the other Organization members look for The Chamber of Awakening. The only one who can solve the mysteries of Castle Oblivion is Aqua, so the Organization was never able to find it

— So then, why is Xemnas of Organization XIII searching for Ven?Well, there’s still some time between the ending of ‘Birth by Sleep’ and ‘KHI’, so…

Xemnas was obsessed with finding the Chamber of Waking. It’s why he created the Chamber of Repose. He had Terra’s memories and thought if he could impersonate Terra, she’d tell him where the chamber was. Nomura implied that the reason he became interested in Ven was related to the time period between BBS and KH1. This was undoubtedly a reference to BBSV2.

—Were Marluxia and Larxene also the Keyblade wielders of old that Xemnas was searching for?

It hasn’t been made clear yet, but I believe those who play KH Union Cross can guess. By the way, Xemnas was also looking for the Chamber of Awakening in KH Days because Ventus, who was sleeping there, was a Keyblade wielder of old.

—So that means Xehanort was aware that Ventus was a Keyblade wielder of old?

Regarding that, I think I definitely have to show sometime how Ventus and Xehanort met.

I loved how Nomura just brought this up in such an offhand manner. Oh yeah, by the way…the reason he was looking for that chamber? The one that was hinted at ever since KH2FM+? The one that was a HUGE ass deal in Days? The one Saïx was obsessed with, since it would tell him everything about Xemnas’ secret ambition? The one Axel kept getting sent to Castle Oblivion to look for? Yeaaaah. That was actually all about Union χ.

Xehanort: “Today, all of my selves throughout time were meant to gather here, and to welcome you, Sora, as our thirteenth member.”

Xemnas wasn’t thinking Ven could be used as a vessel. Oh, no. Xehanort tried to turn Sora into a vessel, proving how desperate he was to get a 13th member. But actually he had Xion the whole time. And now he has reserve members, too! The whole time, Xemnas was looking Keyblade wielders of old. The Chamber of Waking actually had nothing to do with Xemnas’ goal in the Dark Seeker Saga or even any of the characters from this story arc. Give me a break…

Ansem’s Research

Ansem: “So many are still waiting for their new beginning, their birth by sleep. Even me…and even you.”

After KH2, Ansem the Wise was cast into the Realm of Darkness, forgetting all of his memories except those regarding Sora. He said he was waiting for a birth by sleep. It was actually pretty sad how nobody seemed to care about him or inquire about his well-being. Even after Aqua is revived, she doesn’t mention him, despite him telling her about Sora. “Ansem" just walks right up to him, and takes him back to the Realm of Light, as the plot so requires. And the reason is connected to a time-traveling mystery girl Ansem is keeping secret. It’s never explained when or how Ansem regained his non-Sora related memories.

Ansem: “Maybe he can set things right. A boy like him who touches so many hearts–he could open the right door, and save all those people whose lives I managed to ruin.”

In Re:Coded, 3D, AND the secret ending of BBSFM+, we are told Ansem felt very guilty about ruining countless people’s lives. As DiZ, he conducted research on the heart and emotions, and put the results of this research inside of Sora’s heart, as a way to clear his conscience. He still hated Nobodies and didn’t believe they had hearts. And he still wanted revenge on his apprentices at the point that Sora was sleeping. Why was he so remorseful? Well, we know that Ansem did experiments on Apprentice Xehanort, allowing him to regain the memories of his past.  

The Heartless appear in groups, and are multiplying rapidly. I’ve provided them both living and nonliving samples. They’ve responded only to the living.

After regaining his memories, Apprentice Xehanort conducted experiments on darkness that resulted in many casualties, according to “Ansem’s Reports”. Xigbar even calls the place where the experiments on darkness were conducted a “graveyard”. Xemnas unsealed the graveyard as soon as Ansem was banished. Yet in KH3, Xehanort’s Heartless is accusing Ansem the Wise of sacrificing children in the name of his research? Um…talk about the pot calling the kettle black. When did Ansem the Wise sacrifice all these children anyways?

We are not meant to interfere in the depths of another’s heart, no matter what our reasons for doing so…And my error plunged me into despair. A visitor from another world soothed my dejected soul.

After finding out about the experiments his apprentices were doing, Ansem blamed himself. He felt horrible. It makes perfect sense that this is what he was referring to when he said he wanted to atone. He feels personally responsible for the lives that Xehanort ruined, because he interfered in the depths of his heart. Xehanort did go around calling himself “Ansem,” after all. This was probably due to the influence Ansem had on his heart. Xehanort’s Heartless has orange eyes, just like Ansem the Wise. Saïx also has orange eyes in all games after the original KH2. This was done in anticipation of a major plot revelation, of course. I’m sure Isa was one of the ruined lives that Ansem felt bad about, especially after he learned that he was in Organization XIII, along with his apprentices.

Xemnas: “Our experiments creating Heartless were attempts to control the mind, and convince it to renounce its sense of self.”

The apprentices conducted experiments in an attempt to control the mind, to get it to renounce its sense of self.  Isa just happened to be trying to sneak into the castle with Lea, during the exact same time period these experiments were being conducted. Now he is a Seeker of Darkness, has a big Recuasnt’s Sigil scar, and his personality turned into Xehanort 2.0. But Isa had NOTHING to do with the mind control experiments. Oh, no. His association with the apprentices is all connected to the mystery girl. She’s Subject X. And despite being named “X”, she doesn’t have anything to do with the mind control experiments, the X-blade, nor the creation of vessels. She has nothing to do with the Xehanort saga at all.

Memoirs, Excerpt 1

The castle was a wonderland to us children. Within its walls, Ansem the Wise conducted his research, and the fruits it bore allowed everyone outside to live in peace and happiness. That alone was enough to stoke our interest, though not all of the rumors that escaped its walls were so benevolent. By night, the muffled sounds of human wails emerged. There was talk of dangerous human experimentation. Lea and I couldn’t help but hatch a plot to steal inside and sate our curiosity…

…But we did not find her inside on that day or the next, or any of our subsequent visits. Had she been moved? Had we simply imagined her? Lea and I knew there was only one way to be certain. And so we stand before the castle gates today, not as trespassing children but in order to become Ansem the Wise’s newest apprentices.

So the screams are so loud, even two random kids are aware that something unsavory is going on in that basement. And Ansem did not know? And how were Lea and Isa able to constantly sneak in and out of the castle to see this girl? Did the apprentices not bother to keep their horrible secret lab secure?

When Ansem the Wise finds out about the horrible experiments his apprentices were conducting, he releases the prisoners and takes “Subject X” away. When two children show up on his doorstep asking to become apprentices, he instantly says yes and allows them to be around Xehanort? How does that make any sense?

Organization XIII

Ansem the Wise had six apprentices, the best of whom called himself Xehanort. The real Ansem abandoned his studies of the heart, but Xehanort could not let it stop there. He and the other apprentices betrayed Ansem and cast their hearts away to continue their master’s research.

—KH3D Glossary

Oh, right. Because Ansem only had SIX apprentices. Lea and Isa were NOT apprentices.

Axel’s Past

— Even though Axel had been eliminated in Kingdom Hearts II, since that time, had you considered having him appear again in his human form Lea?I thought a lot about that. Should I leave him as he was or should I bring him back again? However, when I considered the people that Lea wants to bring back, his existence plays a big role. I think Lea has successively become a key character.

Along with “resolution”, the main theme of KH3 was “healing pain”. Well, Lea’s pain was never healed. KH3 tried its absolute hardest to downplay Lea’s relationship with Isa. KH3 was a much more high-profile game than any of the previous ones. And I cannot help but think the original idea for Lea and Isa’s relationship would have been considered “too intimate” for two guys, in a mainstream high budget game. I suspect this was a major reason it was altered so heavily, along with accommodating Skuld. Because it was really not necessary to alter their story so much.

– On to the Kingdom Hearts III questions, what new worlds can we expect in Kingdom Hearts III?

I’m not allowed to say what will be coming in Kingdom Hearts III, but each time when I select the worlds for the game I choose some stable choices that are accessible for the game and the story, and I try to insert surprising factors. I want everyone to be surprised to see that particular world. For Kingdom Hearts III I want to make sure that there will be a lot of surprises.

I mean, after 3D ended, everything was set up perfectly. It wouldn’t have taken that long to go to Radiant Garden and have Lea learn that his friend was Xehanort’d using a few cutscenes and Secret Reports. Just in general, not being able to explore Radiant Garden is inexcusable. Nomura wanted to have hub worlds in KH3 for story purposes. Well who needs ‘em when there’s hardly any non-Disney story anymore, right?

If Lea went back to Radiant Garden, he could have had more of an emotional connection to the final battle. There was a reason he was always staring into the sunset. There was a reason he awkwardly dodged Kairi’s suggestion to change clothes. Days showed that Lea’s pain was connected to his past. It weighs heavily on his heart. He’s hurting and needs closure. Downplaying Isa and Lea’s relationship just doesn’t work. It robs Lea of his main source of emotional conflict.

— I see… Roxas appears dressed in the black coat in Castle Oblivion among other worlds too. Was that something else that Namine had not added intentionally?Right. Since Roxas and Sora together make up one existence, if there is a Sora made of Kingdom Hearts I data, then data of Roxas must exist too. Roxas says, “It’s my personal duty to check whether or not Sora is ready to take the pain.” However that role was not assigned by Namine, Roxas personally decided that goal and acted upon it accordingly.

I maintain that it was supposed to be Sora’s job to deal with Roxas. That’s his Nobody. That was the entire point of Re:coded and Sora’s ending in KH3D. His job was to confront the painful memories sleeping inside of him, and to find a resolution. KH3D, BBS, and Days set up the idea that lsa was going to be the focal point of Lea’s character arc and his main objective going forward.

BBS showed Lea was really close to Isa. Days showed that Axel was really sad about losing something precious from the past. In KH3D, Lea woke up and couldn’t find Isa. He was revealed to be a vessel in a dramatic fashion at the very end of 3D, and then Lea summons his Keyblade. Like the other Guardians of Light, Lea needed to master the power of light and learn to use the power of waking. He lost out on an entire character arc designed to help him grow as a person. His role in KH3 was just NOT compelling, and his pain was left totally unresolved.

–Many people who have finished KH3 are interested in the “girl” that Lea and Isa were looking for, and the existence of the “NAMELESS STAR” in the Final World. Can you give us any kind of hint about the truth behind these girls? Are they characters who have already appeared in the series?

I think this is also possible to figure out for yourself if you look at all the secret reports, but yes, they are characters who have already appeared in the series. You will find out who “NAMELESS STAR” is if there is a next time.

But on top of that, his personal backstory was not explored. It was heavily implied to be a very tragic backstory, too. He said memories are nothing but baggage, and he didn’t wanna tell Roxas all his “dark secrets”. But he still said that his memories of the past were the one thing he couldn’t bear to lose. There was a time when he was truly happy. Axel was deeply miserable during his time in the Organization. The reveal of his past should have been for the audience to empathize more with him. It should have been the time for Sora and friends to better understand his complex personality—to finally learn why a former Organization member is worthy to be their friend.

In a short span of time, he loses is heart, becomes an unwilling member of Organization XIII, and is forced to follow Xemans’ icky orders or get turned into a Dusk. When his backstory finally is revealed, the focus isn’t even on him as a character. It became all about a sequel-bait mystery girl. The focus is not on Lea’s pain, his experiences dealing with Xehanort, how he lost all semblance of a normal life, or how he felt about the change in his best friend’s personality. There was no emphasis on the personal tragedy of his life: changing from an innocent frisbee-playing kid into a ruthless assassin. His past became simply an excuse to shoehorn Skuld into the timeline. Lea was just a means to an end: Union χ and KH4.

Subject X

— By the way, Braig’s dealings with Master Xehanort in Birth by Sleep make sense now, as he was to become a vessel.

There is a certain reason for Braig to proudly exclaim, “I’m already half Xehanort.” Isa (Saïx) is included too. I think you’ll understand the details about their circumstances eventually.

I have spoken a lot about how Subject X took Isa’s backstory, which I 100% believe to be the case. It really pissed me off. Everything about Isa was intentionally kept a mystery. In Days all we learn is that Saïx is really cold and nasty and he used to know Axel as a human. We don’t know why he cant “see” Xion. We don’t know why he and Axel are plotting to take over the Organization. We don’t know why Xemans has taken such a liking to Saïx, that he ignores Axel and Saïx’s plot against him.

He was mysterious! Look how many times it’s pointed out that Saïx can’t “see” Xion. Just in the Reports, it’s pointed out FOUR separate times by four different characters!

Day 150: Dealing with Xion

As expected, the Duplicate is starting to show its limits. The Program showed promise, but a puppet is just a puppet: something to be toyed with until it breaks. I am utterly at a loss as to what Roxas and Axel see in that thing. How best to dispose of it merits my consideration going forward.

Saïx says he doesn’t know what people see in Xion.

Day 172: Meaning Behind the Words

There has to be something to what Saïx said. Why isn’t Xion qualified to be one of us? He said to just look at her, but at what? The fact that she looks like Naminé? Xion and Naminé must be connected. Whose Nobody is Xion, anyway? What is Saïx hiding?

Axel doesn’t know what Saïx is talking about, but thinks there has to be something more to it.

Day 255: Final Stages

Xion’s appearance should vary based on the relation of the viewer to her. Saïx sees her simply as a puppet. The Program approaches completion. Through Roxas, Xion is assembling a copy of the hero of the Keyblade. As proof, she sometimes appears to take on his form to my eyes.

Xemans is intrigued that Saïx merely sees Xion as a puppet.

Day 256: Who We Each See

Xion’s disappearance is fascinating. If she really is breaking from our control, it’s a sign of her approaching the essence of the hero. It seems Saïx doesn’t truly “see” her. I’m curious to know how she appears to the others. I see her as…him, though I suspect that Xemnas sees entirely something else in her.

And Xigbar is also intrigued that he can’t “see” Xion. This was extremely important!

In BBS, we don’t know why Isa was so…normal compared to his Nobody. And we didn’t know why Lea and Isa were so dead-set on sneaking into the castle, even before Terranort became an apprentice and started human experiments. In KH3D, we don’t know why he wasn’t there when Lea woke up, and we don’t know why he attacked Lea at the end. We don’t know why Young Xehanort chose to retrieve him and not any of the other apprentices. It was a very intentional set up filled with mystery and intrigue, spanning many years and multiple games. And it all amounted to a hill of beans.

When they came up with the idea of Isa being best friends with Lea and sneaking into the castle, OF COURSE they had a whole story in mind. And OF COURSE that story was going to explain his pointy ears, orange eyes, his scar in the shape of a Recusant’s Sigil, and Axel’s constant laments over how much his personality changed. It was SO blatantly obvious. Isa had a very tragic backstory. And Nomura seemed excited for the time when we would get to learn all the details on it.

–There are several Organisation members whose original names are still unknown. Will we have a chance to learn them someday, or to find out about the scar on Isa’s face?

If there is a sequel, then that chance may come. But in my heart right now my desire is a blank page.

BBSV2 and KH3 was supposed to be Isa’s time to shine. We’d finally learn the truth about him, and Lea would finally know that his friend never stopped caring about him. He has a new goal. He has to save Isa, too. Yet Isa’s backstory and tragic past was simply a means to introduce Skuld. At least Lea had a decent amount of development from the other games. He felt adequately fleshed out thanks to his strong personality. People care about him and he’s popular.

Isa was reduced to being a plot device instead of an actual character. And now we are not even going to learn about how he got his scar. He’s just there to obtain some replicas and bring up the new girl in the most awkward and contrived way possible. “Oh yeah, before I clobber you tomorrow, remember that girl we never mentioned? Did you find out where she is yet?”

I arose today and decided to walk out in the square, my first outing in some time. Yet my stroll was interrupted when a surprising visitor appeared with an unexpected offer. Though younger than me, he’d risen to become Xemnas’s right-hand. I accepted his terms and became a Nobody once more—easier to gain access to the old Replica Program that way. Whatever it takes to atone.—Vexen

Saïx was 100 times more villainous than Axel. Lea had to do a lot to get Mickey, Sora, Kairi and the others to view him as a friend.  Axel’s redemption spanned multiple games. Kairi was afraid of him at first and Donald was insistent that Yen Sid shouldn’t allow him to wield a Keyblade. In KH2, Axel is portrayed as sympathetic. He’s lonely and sacrificed himself for Sora. Saïx is not portrayed sympathetically. He spends the whole game hunting Axel, kidnaps Kairi, and dies fighting Sora.

Axel got an entire game focused on his friendship with Roxas and Xion to humanize him to the audience, before he was fit to became one of the good guys. Saïx is never humanized in this way. Quite the opposite, actually. He’s made out to be as nasty and inhumanly cold as possible. He shows no redeeming qualities whatsoever. He’s portrayed worse after he was envisioned as Axel’s friend.

If you get rid of the mind control angle, you destroy whatever sympathy Isa could have gotten. You literally ruin the entire basis of his character. In KH3 Isa’s “redemption” happens entirely off-screen! Yet, as soon as the final battle was over, Isa was immediately treated as one of the good guys; on the same level as everyone else. He was in the epilogue playing on the beach and eating ice cream right alongside all the heroes. None of the characters found this the slightest bit strange or objectionable. And people think Isa’s story was always planned in advance this way? Yeah, right…

OF COURSE they originally had a very good explanation for why Isa is immediately accepted and why he isn’t held responsible for the awful deeds of Saïx . Because Isa in NOT Saïx. He deserved a normal, happy life after everything he went through. But Isa got tossed aside to make room for Skuld. So, instead of people being happy that he got rescued, we see debate about whether he deserved to be forgiven by Roxas and Xion. What a disrespectful way to treat one of your characters. Seriously. If you ask me, Nomura didn’t sound very happy in his response to that question.

The Power of Waking

“Believing light and darkness must remain in balance, Master Xehanort seeks to spark war against the ‘tyranny of light’ to restore equilibrium.

In an effort to undermine Xehanort’s plot, Sora, Donald and Goofy search for seven guardians of light and the “Key to Return Hearts,” while King Mickey and Riku search for previous Keyblade wielders.”

—Kingdom Hearts III press release

This was shortly after the game was announced in 2013. The story obviously changed after this. The Key to Return Hearts. Ansem’s data. This was all about the ability to use the power of waking. It’s supposed to be about restoring a sleeping heart to normal. The key is light. The power of waking was the main goal of KH3. This was the “key” to healing all the characters’ pain. Even the Disney worlds reinforce this theme of restoring a person to life with light and love.

In KH3, pretty much all usage of the power of waking was cut out. Sora was supposed to use it on Aqua. He was supposed to dive into her heart, just like Riku did for him in 3D and wake her up. But he doesn’t. She wasn’t even shown to be asleep. She was with Ansem the Wise and then falls in the water. This power is barely used. I think that’s why there’s countless scenes of the characters getting knocked unconscious. They were supposed to be using the power of waking, but those scenes just got taken out completely. I think everyone was supposed to use it and have character development. They are all the Guardians of Light, after all.  

Mickey and Riku are the only ones to remember the previous Keybade wielders. Riku remembers Terra and Mickey befriended Aqua and Ven. They feel guilty, fall to darkness, and use it on each other. Their friendship comes full-circle. Aqua keeps her promise to Ven to wake him up. Ven keeps his promise to Terra. Lea keeps his promise to always bring his friends back, and he is able to resurrect Isa, which fits with his Phoenix Keyblade. Sora, being the one who Ansem said was special, uses it on everyone. Kairi saves him, and is no longer pegged as a damsel. What was the main purpose of the power of waking in KH3?

—When we leave the Final World, we are back to the point just before Sora and his friends were defeated. Why is that?

The power of awakening is essentially “the power to put sleeping hearts back the way they were.” But the impact of forcing his friends’ fading hearts back the way they were rewrote reality, and created a singularity. The rewrite caused the chronology in which they were destroyed to have “never happened.”

It turned into a time travel gimmick. There probably WAS no Terranort fight at the beginning. Terranort is obviously going to be one of the final fights, along with Saïx. Then Ven and Lea use the power of waking on their friends. The Heartless swarm comes and they all get wiped out. Sora saves them and Kairi saves him. No time travel required. This “singularity” is no doubt gonna be used as an excuse to let Union χ characters come into this timeline.

Where Did It All Go Wrong?

– Mr. Nomura, since you are the one that is writing the scenario this time, how is the progress coming along?

Since we are arriving near the conclusion of Xehanort in KINGDOM HEARTS III, the outline of the story has been solidified but not necessarily the direction where the KINGDOM HEARTS series is continuing to head. We are still trying to decide where to go from several choices.

But why did the story turn out this way? I agree that Nomura’s heart just was NOT in it. But personally, I do not think KH3 turned out the way it did by design. I am not convinced that Nomura was always more concerned with sequel-baiting than offering resolution. I doubt he always felt that wrapping up the plot was an unwanted obligation.

Actually I think it might be the opposite. Nomura wanted to make BBSV2. He wanted to tell the full story and wrap up the plot correctly. After it was cancelled, I believe there were a lot of factors at play during KH3′s development that Nomura simply had no control over. To me, his desire for a “blank page” appears to be motivated by his profound disappointment with how the Xehanort saga ended.

– What is that specifically?

In the KINGDOM HEARTS series, I don’t think there has been an actual happy ending. KINGDOM HEARTS II is close to it. Since most of the titles have ended in cliffhangers, we’re worried about what we should include in KINGDOM HEARTS III.

It sounded like he wanted to keep things open for more games, but he wanted to be careful that KH3 had a happy ending without cliffhangers. I really think that behind the scenes, development must have been a disaster, much like it was with Versus XIII. Square’s console game development has been a disaster since FFXII. The development of FFXIII and FFXIV were disastrous, interfering with FFVsXIII development. XIII took members from the FFVsXIII team.  

Then Square took Nomura off of VsXIII completely to work on KH3. And they completely changed Nomura’s vision. They made FFXV a lot more “mainstream” while VsXIII was more “weird”. They probably also cancelled BBSV2, because they wanted all the focus to be on KH3, the highly anticipated big budget $$ maker. I get the feeling Nomura wasn’t allowed to do what he wanted with KH3. I honestly don’t think he was sequel-baiting because he lost interest. I think he’s sad and bitter and made everything connect to the future to distance himself from the Xehanort Saga.

– What do you say to the segment of Kingdom Hearts fans that believes the increasingly complex storyline of Kingdom Hearts stands at odd with the child-focused Disney element of the franchise?

First of all, this series is not intended to be child-focused, and so the complexity of the story is purposefully made prominent. That being said, with a series being around so long, there are a few items I have in mind so that a wider audience range can enjoy the experience. For the time being Dream Drop Distance, there is a new function called Mementos, and in the section called Chronicles, the player can read a summary on each of the titles from the Kingdom Hearts series. Whether you are just starting out or you have played all the games before and need a refresher, it has all of the key information summarized.

Nomura wrote the story for KH3. He is a smart and creative guy. His desire isn’t to make something simplistic for little kids. Sakaguchi told him unless KH1 had complexity, it would fail. This is why I liked the series. It was complex. It’s supposed to be complex. Nomura wanted to include summaries, to catch people up. Yes, the complexity can be a barrier to many people.  But…it’s a saga. You can’t expect a decade’s worth of story to be something anyone can jump straight into, unless they put in some effort to catch up.

But KH3 seemed to want to do just that. Make it for anyone and everyone. I suspect the game’s story was forced to be massively simplified to make it more accessible to a wider audience. Look how bare-bones the non-Disney world story section of the journal is, compared to the other games. When I actually looked at it, I was marveling at how little there was to summarize. It’s so…empty.

I think this is why the power of waking was cut out. For most people who are not die-hard fans, it’s very complicated. It’s all about altered states of consciousness and Jungian psychology. Different aspects of the psyche acting on their own, all taking place in a world of dreams. “So, there’s Terra’s Lingering Will, and Xemnas is his Nobody, and his heart is the Guardian, and..there’s his shadow self? But none of these are the REAL Terra? He’s asleep, but we have to collect his soul fragments? Wha? ” I think Square and Disney were afraid this would be too much for people.

– So, it’s not that “once Sora’s story is over the story of a new hero will begin”, but that the series will always have Sora as the hero, isn’t it?

Yeah. One of the concepts of the series is that the hero Sora isn’t some special being, but a normal boy. Sure, his heart is connected to Ventus and the others, but other than that, he’s a normal kid that could have come from anywhere, that hasn’t inherited anything from anyone. I want to make Sora a character that will give the player the feeling that “even if I’m not some special being, I have the possibility buried inside of connecting with many others to accomplish things”. In Birth by Sleep, I wish for all the fans to hope to see that Sora reappears. The secret cutscene is what symbolizes this, and so please work your way there, and wait for Sora’s role in the future.

Nomura had a positive attitude circa 2013. He said Noctis and Sora were his favorite characters. He wanted people to look forward to Sora’s return.

“I actually don’t sympathize or empathize with Sora at all,” Nomura says. Instead, he relates to the game’s mysterious villains, Xehanort or likely Ansem, anyone who’s fallen prey to their dark natures. “I think I’m closer to those characters, so Sora is like my enemy,” he says.“How I always think of him is I would unleash my attacks on him, and then I draw him in a way that I think he will be able to make a comeback at me. In that sense, I really think that Sora is just like an opposite personality character to who I am.”

Before KH3 came out, I wondered what caused his change in attitude. Now I think I get it.

Riku: “I just wanted you to see that you always make the right choices. On the road ahead, more than one truth will come to light. You’ll forget things, lose things that you care about, and it won’t always make sense. It may hurt so bad you’ll feel like you’re about to lose yourself. But you won’t. Not you. You’re like a sponge. No matter how much pain they throw at you, you’ll suck it up, squeeze it out, and leave things a little better. Just follow your heart, and you can change lives. You don’t have to do anything special. Just do what you do.” 

Nomura had more interesting things in mind with Sora. He has been kind of a simple character for the most part. I think this is why he wanted Sora to face everyone’s pain. Experience darkness in order to understand his true strength. Dealing with everyone’s painful memories shows the strength of his empathy and love. It allows him to have an actual character arc, and grow as a person. This is why everyone calls out to him in Blank Points, and why Ansem left his research data inside of him.

– Those previous projects as director were the Kingdom Hearts games, which are much lighter than what we know of Versus XIII. Is the darker concept you have outlined a necessary change for you as director?

The world of Versus XIII might be a little closer to my personal taste than Kingdom Hearts, but the entire project owes something to Kingdom Hearts as well. When I first began KH I was part of the FF core team, and tried to bring elements of that into the development. The KH team was always inspired by FF, and I’d like to see that reversed. But as for the differences between KH and FF, KH is a lighter world of magic, fantasy, and people doing good things. I’ve been in that world for a very long time - perhaps too long.

In KH3, Sora is still too Saturday morning cartoonish. He doesn’t develop much. I think he was restricted to keep Sora as more of a simple cartoon hero by outside pressure. And he started to resent him, because that’s just not his taste.

—The story’s endgame where all your friends and foes gather at the Keyblade Graveyard was a masterpiece.

I know each fan has their own different beloved character, so I wanted to give each one an appropriate moment. But in the end there was too much story that had to be told then, and I ended up being restricted to the minimum necessary to move Sora forward. The truth is, the Keyblade Graveyard was the toughest part I faced when writing the scenario. Shining the spotlight on each character one by one allows you to depict the unfolding developments with time and care, but the flow of the game requires the player to control Sora and fight battles. Ideally, I should have had characters with connections fight it out one by one and settle things that way, but that would have required too much exposition. On the other hand, I did think of limiting the number of enemies you actually battle and finishing others with cutscenes, but it didn’t feel right. At the end of deep worry and thought, I narrowed my aim and ended up with the way it is now, which prioritizes rhythm.

Nomura didn’t sound pleased with how the Keyblade Graveyard turned out. Everyone was supposed to fight their own battles. He mentions he was restricted to moving Sora forward because apparently there was “too much story” otherwise. And the end result is that Sora comes across like a black hole Gary Stu who steals everyone’s moment of glory. It made me so annoyed with his presence. He had no business freeing Terra’s heart, for instance. That was Ven and Aqua’s job. I just wanted him to go away. I get the sense that feeling “restricted” was a constant problem Nomura had.

– Will we see any new FF characters? Will we get a chance to play as King Mickey?

The appearance of FF characters is pending. For a while, the previous titles didn’t have any FF characters, and I think it’s time to include some. I know everyone wants to play as King Mickey, so I will take that into consideration. Of course Sora will be the main character to play; it would be nice if other characters are playable as well.

This response was from June 2013. Nomura seemed very interested in adding FF characters. I don’t think he really thought they were unnecessary or just a crutch. I think the production was just so difficult that they weren’t able to be included. He had too much to try and resolve since BBSV2 was cancelled.

—Was there a reason that no FF characters appeared in the game this time?

It was simply that there was no room. There were so many characters appearing in the main story that in the end I wasn’t able to create opportunities to use the FF characters. Although, I did have the team make polygon models of Leon and some others just in case. They also made the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella and a few others, but by the end I just couldn’t find a place to use them. The production staff were mad at me.

I’m sure there was pressure from the Square-Enix side. KH3 was a huge cash cow, and they wanted the game out as soon as possible, since it had taken SUCH a long time already. I think he was rushed and simply incapable of accomplishing everything he wanted.

— Given how long the game has been in development, fan expectations for it are incredibly high. Do you ever worry about not meeting those fan expectations and how does that impact you as you’re developing the game?

I just naturally don’t really feel pressured and that’s always been fortunate for me. That’s been leading me to successes, but at least for Kingdom Hearts 3 the fan excitement was a lot more than I had expected. So for the first time in my life I did feel some kind of pressure from it.

–In the recent E3 footage, there was some interesting dialogue about Roxas and I’m concerned about the development of KINGDOM HEARTS III.

Because there are too many characters that are appearing, the storyline has become complicated. There are quite a number of main characters that have appeared in the series, and every character will appear in some form.

I also think he felt pressured by fan expectations. He actually said this was the first time he felt pressured in this way. To what extent this potentially affected the story is all speculation. But I think since BBSV2 was cancelled, leaving a lot of unresolved issues, Nomura felt very pressured to come up with a story that would not cause a mass fan riot. Whether he was successful or not is…debatable.

“I do have a general storyline in my head,” he tells The Verge. “What is the most confusing is that, because there are so many characters in this storyline now, it’s hard to keep track of who actually met who already,” he says. “I’m always like, ‘Okay, so who knows who in this situation, and who’s meeting this person for the first time?’ And that always gets really confusing.”

“Because most of the original Kingdom Hearts characters are going to appear in Kingdom Hearts III, that’s just already too many characters to begin with. When I was writing the scenarios, I started to be confused with it as well myself. It is kind of complicated in that sense. It’s just been difficult for me to create a storyline that doesn’t involve those characters.”

This is just my opinion, but given how much he complained, it sounds like he didn’t necessarily want to bring everyone back, at least permanently. He speaks like he resents how “complicated” the story has become. I mean, if you can’t even remember who’s met who, is your heart really into writing this story? Doesn’t sound like it.

— You mentioned that Monsters Inc. had many more guidelines than Toy Story. Was that the one that had perhaps the most guidelines or was there one that had even more?

Frozen had the most.

And then there’s Disney. They are so strict with their IP’s, it’s a miracle this game even exists at all. In Arendelle, Sora was essentially spectating from the bleacher seats. Time has to freeze and Sora has to go to a different dimension, whenever the Organization members show up. It was so jarring and contrived, it was actually pretty funny. Sora is never allowed to “interfere” with the story. I highly doubt Nomura wanted it to turn out like that. All the Disney worlds were heavily tied into the power of waking, yet it was really not evident in the writing of the story at all.

— What’s the relationship with Disney like? Disney’s attitude to games has changed in recent years to become focused on mobile and social games. Have you noticed their attitude change much?

The relationship with Disney has remained the same. Actually the contact person at Disney is still the same person from Kingdom Hearts 1, and Disney has given us lots of requests in terms of the Kingdom Hearts franchise and they did mention some smaller titles for other platforms, but our common, most important goal was to complete Kingdom Hearts 3. So it’s the same.

This is also from June 2013.

— Disney has changed tremendously since 2006. Obviously Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, totally different style of animation. How your relationship with Disney and its properties evolved over the past 10 years or so in the context of Kingdom Hearts?

I can say that it has actually been increasingly difficult to get approvals from Disney. That’s mainly because in the past Kingdom Hearts titles, the creator wasn’t around anymore or the team that used to create those titles wasn’t there anymore. There was just this one person that we would just have to go to and they would approve it and we’d be fine and good to go. But because we’ve been featuring recent titles, they still have existing teams for existing creators that are still working in Disney and still working on a certain title.

That feedback process just has been a little bit more difficult than before. And each team would have a different set of rules and guidelines and they would say different things, or they would look at different things. It’s just been a little different that how it used to be because Kingdom Hearts is a bigger title than it was before. I think that whenever we would bring our previous titles, a lot of people at Disney, and this is my assumption, but I do assume that they probably didn’t know what Kingdom Hearts was. They’d go, “What’s Kingdom Hearts? I have no idea.”

But now that it’s become a bigger title, a lot more people have been involved in than before. In that sense the relationship with Disney has changed quite a bit. Emotional changes I don’t really know if there has been any changes emotionally for me. But at least physically I can say those were the changes that we had with Disney.

Compare that to 2018. A lot had changed. Approvals became much harder and they weren’t dealing with just the one guy anymore. Also, he says he “doesn’t know” if there were emotional changes. But I think it’s clear that he’s trying to hide just how much his feelings have changed. Why do I say that?

— You’ve grown up as a person and as a designer alongside the players and it’s been so long since the last Kingdom Hearts was released. How has your perspective on making the game changed over time? Do you still have that passion for it? Or is it just like you feel more of a responsibility to people to make it and end it?

I’m getting older now, so my body really can’t take all that difficulty anymore. When I was younger I was definitely more aggressive and I was the one pulling everyone forward, but now there’s a lot more energetic staff around me who are more aggressive, so I feel like I’m more like a sage now. Like I’m in the sidelines just telling people what to do. The Kingdom Hearts series has become a huge title nowadays and back then it was more like I was making it secretively in the corner, but now that a lot more people are involved I do feel that it’s not my title anymore, it’s everyone’s title. And just talking about all this … It actually kind of makes me really sad.

Because he says very similar things again in a later interview, and he’s more honest about his feelings. Again, he mentions that he used to think the series was more obscure to Disney and he was just quietly working on it in the corner. But now it’s gotten so big and so many people are involved. Now the title isn’t really his title anymore. It’s everyone’s title. And he admits it makes him really sad. And that is just what he admits to in public. Imagine what he thinks in private. My conclusion:  I really don’t think Nomura had as much creative freedom on KH3 as he did on the others games. And it really shows.

[nonsensical-rants]

So, I 100%ed the Kingdom Hearts Franchise.

Alright. This might be a long take, just saying that now. But I know exactly where to start. This franchise. Is not as confusing as the entirety of the internet would like you to believe. It's mostly due to bad writing decisions here and there. I mean, yeah if you wanna have every single detail and definition ingrained into your brain. Then of course it can get complicated, but what franchise lasting as long as Kingdom Hearts isn't annoyingly convoluted? I can't think of one.

So my thoughts about  the series is that they're pretty good! Both as a story and as games, with some very big exceptions. I wanna say that you should definitely not try to 100% all of these games in chronological order in rapid succession. It will drain you. I can confirm this beyond a shadow of a doubt. After I beat KH2 it really start to hit me. Chain of Memories was fine, if not a bit tedious to get all the cards and Riku to level 100. But other than that I more than enjoyed my time with the game.

Heartless are born from the darkness in peoples hearts. Nobodies are created from the husk of a body left behind in the creation of a Heartless. While Unversed are born from supreme negative emotions that live inside us all. The stronger these feelings are/the person is, the stronger the heartless/unversed and nobody. Especially strong people can keep their identity when transformed into Nobodies. Thus explaining Organization 13. Only the keyblade can truly defeat these creatures. What's so hard about describing that to someone? It isn't that far fetched in terms of the fantasy genre.

Though personally. I have an enormous hatred from Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance. Despite trying to keep an open mind about any and all forms of media I come across, I cannot ever get behind this title in the series because it is just too much and strays too far from what i consider to be "Kingdom Hearts". The gameplay was not fun for me personally, the story was iffy at best in comparison to the others and it really felt like the biggest amount of padding. If you have to do that to become a Keyblade Master, I think i'd rather stay as a rouge agent like Sora did for 99% of the series.

The dream eater system was probably the biggest factor here as for 100% completion you have to get every single dream eater, and every single skill that they can give you which means leveling a lot of them up to the point where they have points to buy said skills. Which takes forever. And then there's the Dream Eater tournaments, which I would have never gotten past without cheap strategies I found online. Usually I get everybody to max potential in these games and give the best items and accessories all around. But as soon as I got the platinum I ejected the disk and took a break. I felt like I needed it.

Alright, putting that behind us. The difference in fighting styles from game to game can get a bit jarring but in the PS4 re-releases it can usually be adjusted too in about half an hour to an hour's worth of gameplay. Chain of Memories was fun, but tedious like I mentioned. And Birth By Sleep was actually a fresh of breath air (until you get to the secret boss fights that is...) If it wasn't for my need to see that 100% bar next to the game title I would classify these games as something everybody should try out and enjoy. They are fantastic experiences. So lets go in order for a bit.

KH1 is a classic story, going through Disney worlds with a fine mix of Final Fantasy. Meeting the princesses and seeing they are "Princesses of Heart" that have strength beyond muscles. Able to use the power of Light and what not. There's a few hiccups here and there (like Cloud and Sephiroth not acting like how they are in FF7 but everyone's already mentioned that.) But aside from that and the bad platforming, its a genuinely fun game to 100% and I'd highly recommend it. Maybe even try to get cosmic arts for everyone so you can have 16-19 MP bars. It gets silly.

Chain of Memories i've already mentioned a lot so far. So I don't think I need to go that in depth. Fun to go through but wouldn't recommend 100%ing it because it takes far to long. The story is actually pretty decent and isn't that complicated. Sora and the gang lose their memories of KH1 because of the magic witch Namine, while we get our first look at Organization 13.

KH2. The golden child. Still played by many to this day and its obvious to see why. The game play is crisp and fantastic as I remember it from my youth. Traveling to Disney worlds again (and not card versions of them that have no people except for cut scenes, like CoM) and having a constant looming threat over your head while you try to have fun on your journey. Its great. I have yet to do a level 1 critical mode (as that's not required thankfully) but I did thoroughly enjoy my regular Critical play though. Story still isn't that bad yet. Organization 13 comes in full force, trying to get a new version of "Kingdom Hearts" so they can restore their humanity. I'd highly recommend 100%ing this one as well. Would also recommend maxing out your stats and putting on multiple Full Bloom+'s and Shadow Archieve+'s for the fun of it.

Birth By Sleep. Still not that bad honestly. It comes at a weird time though, and the story telling kind of requires you to have some outsider knowledge so that you're not thrown for a loop the entire time. So it feels weird to go back in the past, but also necessary for the story as a whole. Fun game to play minus the hundreds of mini games you need to do for all three main characters. If it wasn't for that I would recommend playing this game to completion. It's hard to reach higher levels though and as everyone's who played the game knows. Terra sucks at End Game compared to Aqua and Ven. I beat the Secret bosses by sheer luck and I would not go back for them. You do get to learn the origins of what makes most of the future events play out though and you even get to see younger versions of Organization 13. Back when they weren't evil!

Nothing eventful happens in Re:Coded.

Dream Drop Distance... Already talked about it. Let's move on before i'm forced to remember dream eaters and their annoyingly high pitched theme song.

Birth By Sleep 0.2: A Fragmentary Passage. Really good demo for KH3 in all honestly. I had a fun time with it and seeing Aqua's pain and journey through the realm of darkness for a whole 10 years was interesting.

And now we're at Kh3. The big game we waited so long for. And its... Alright. Nothing really spectacular. The graphics are certainly splendid and gameplay feels great! If not a bit too floaty. Thats a problem for some people, especially those who were avid fans of KH2. But I had no problem with it. I have yet to play it on critical but i've heard it makes things far more entertaining. As for story, its also alright. Not the grand ending I was expecting but it was really fun all things considered. Just another ride through more modern Disney worlds. But no Final Fantasy! I get that they feel KH can stand on its own legs now but you can't take out half the formula that people fell in love with originally. Then there's no battle arena or replayable boss fights. Doesn't have to be the Real Orginization 13. Just any replayable fights with end game gear would be enough.

As for my real problem with the games. Is the treatement of the third member of the original trio. Kairi. Oh, how this character has divided a good portion of the fan base just by existing. It feels like all the time that she is just a damsel for Sora/Riku to save and rescue. In the first game, thats fine. Whatever. She was unconcious the whole time and had her heart within Sora. Chain of Memories was a game about Sora losing his memories and Riku overcoming his darkness. Thats also fine. But in KH2. Really? She gets a keyblade and can't even handle a group of shadows? The lowest level of heartless? It's embarrassing. She's supposed to be a Princess of Heart. What's that even mean anymore? It doesn't even seem relevant.

KH2 should've been her moment to become a party member just like Riku did. I dont care that it means you could possibly not have Donald or Goofy. KH2 felt the most like the penultimate ending to the series than Kh3 did in my opinon. Having the choice between your KH1 buddies (Sora, Donald and Goofy) or the Island Trio (Sora, Riku and Kairi) would have added excellent variety and much needed development for Kairi as a person rather than leaving her as a one dimensional damsel in distress who has a Nobody with more internal conflict and character motivation. Moving past that... BBS is a prequel so nothing for the original trio except for meeting Aqua/Ven/Terra. And we come back to the dreaded DDD again.

If my vision for Kairi in KH2 couldn't have become a reality. Then why wasn't DDD Kairi's game? The set up was perfect. The heroes of light need to train to overcome almost double the amount of darkness agents. Kairi (and Axel) are practically beginners at wielding a Keyblade. It should've been their time to shine and get some love while occasionally helping Sora and Riku in their Mark of Mastery exam. Why did it have to be something you do alone? Well actually you're not alone you have the stupid Dream Eaters. Regardless it could have been the newbies learning how to get to Kh2 Sora's level while Sora goes beyond his limits.

As for KH3, it's just awful. Kairi's treatment is awful and everyone knows it. She said she was gonna help but hit one whole heartless in the finale. Better than KH2 i suppose. And as for the argument of her being "too weak" to try anything agaisnt Xemans. Really? She couldn't even like. Step on his foot? Pull agaisnt his grip or switch which hand the blade is in? Since the keyblade can teleport to your hands when you need it. I don't expect her to randomly become a Keyblade Master, but. I think we all would've prefer if she just did ANYTHING over what actually happened. It's sad. I hope KH4 will give Kairi the proper treatment and character development she deserves. But for all we know it might be another Sora/Riku dual protagonist game like CoM or DDD. What do you think?

[nerdomlover]

Alright I have now finished Kingdom Hearts III, gods bless. As such after a long journey I have played all the Kingdom Hearts game and it’s time to rank them. I have played every game expect for one so lets get to it shall we? I am biased like all so your free to disagree. No Spoilers. Below are opinions and ratings out of 10

10. Kingdom Hearts Re:coded

So, codded is the only game I truly hate and Yes I’ve never played it. I watched the cut scenes and Jesus it was so boring. Look, we visit the same worlds 3 to 4 times and that’s just too much. The story really has little to no purpose expect the last bit at the end and from what I’ve seen the game play is not great either. Just skip if you can. 3/10-Not even a good try.

9. Kingdom Hearts: Union X

I’m lumping Backcover into this as well, so I’ve downloaded the game and played it and it’s okay for what it is. It’s a cellphone game, I usually cant get more than 3 missions in till I’m bored though. You’re just tapping and sliding and cant really explore a lot. I find the lore bits the most interesting stuff and I love that but honestly it upsets me that there releasing such important lore onto a cellphone game of all things. It brings great mysterious to the series don’t get me wrong especially with the ending to Kingdom Hearts III and Backcover looks amazing but again important lore on a cellphone game? Really? 5/10-Ill play it when I’m bored.

8. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

This is a solid game in my opinion and yes I’ve actually played this one. I remember finding this in a sam’s club as a kid and getting so excited about it and begging my dad to buy it. And it’s good. The graphics haven’t aged well, but it is a fun game. The game play is meh to me at this point, and lets be honest the introduction and implication of Xion is kinda bad. They clearly created her after 2 and were really trying to come up with good reasons she wasn’t ever mentioned. I honestly think it’s a good story like I said it really fleshes out Axel, Roxas, and other organization members, and you get to play as them in the multiply player mode, nice touch, but the gameplay and graphics are far from desired so, it’s lower than some of the rest. 5/10-AverageTime. played it once that was enough.

7. Kingdom Heart: Chain of Memories              

Omg, so I’ve played this on the Gameboy and the playstation2. Dear god, I use to hate this game. HATE IT. I understand why it was made this way but fuck no, I have permeant trauma now of me and my friend screaming at the screen while fighting Vexen. I hate the game play and the combat system. The saving grace of this game is the story. It was amazing, I really appreciate now. Even more after playing 2. Just Namine and the mystery of the organization. Man, I man still have nightmares but the story is at least solid. 6/10-Might actually play it agin.

6. Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage

This really shouldn’t count but screw it. This has lovely, this may as well be a demo but is was appreciated. Aqua is a favorite of the fandom and having a whole game that was just her? Yes please. It was nice having this tie into Kingdom Heart’s finale and I really did like it and the game play even it was just a preview of 3’s gameplay. Overall a good time and I love my baby Aqua *fangirl scream* 7/10 – Love has a face and it’s Aqua’s.

5. Kingdom Hearts

This was the very first game I ever played on my playstation 2. This was my game growing up. I love Disney and as I’ve grow older I’ve grown like final fantasy. This is a great game and I love it. Yeah, the controls are wonking and yes I hate some of the side missions. I was so angry while getting Aeroga but that doesn’t matter. Its fun and it’s a best selling for a reason. Where on the 10th game so it must be great? The fandom thinks so. 8/10- My first love.

4. Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance

This entire game is a freakin tease. Why would you name this 3D….I’ver never played this on the DS so forgive me. But this angered me when it came out, Everything seemed to be pointing at 3 but this came instead and don’t get me started on the Riku hate that I still have. But honestly after playing the game? I’m happy with it. The flowmotion is hella great and they have so many new worlds, I’m so happy and the combat and story are great (ignoring the obvious complaint everyone has cause yeah. 13 Xehanorts is stupid) but the only complaints I have are I didn’t like the dream eaters (I’m not here to nitendog), why is it on the freaking 3DS, and the drop system….why….Otherwise a soild game. 8/10- A really really nice dive into my heart.

3. Kingdom Hearts III

13 Years…..And was it worth. Yes? Like I had major fun playing it. The combat was great. Was there problems? Yes. But I loved playing it. It’s a good game and I will play it over some of the others easily, it looks amazing, sounds amazing, and the story. My most problems have to do with the pacing and the ending. Which leaves it at number 3. 9/10- 13 Years of waiting, complete.

2. Kingdom Heart II

Talk to any fan and usual this is their number one game. It is the golden standard of Kingdom Hearts and their right. It was the best console game for a long time and had the best combat with the drive forms,  action commands, and the combos. It fixed the gummi ships and had so many Disney worlds. I for also enjoyed Roxas stuff and generally like the story throughout, plus it’s the first kingdom hearts game I beat. Actually it’s the first game I ever beat. But, its not number one. 10/10- Love you so much

1. Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep

I love this game so much. I remember being so happy when my brother got a PSP. This was literally the only game I wanted, which to this day I have. I have such fond memories of this game and I love the characters so much. I love playing as Terra, Ven, and Aqua way more than Sora and Riku. The combats more fun and the story is just something I love. Making it my favorite, despite it’s flaws.

[gamer-chick-reviews]

Kingdom Hearts 3 (PS4) Review & Discussion (Spoiler Warning)

Hey, everyone. This is going to be my first video game review. The Kingdom Hearts series has been an important part of my life, so I really wanted to get my opinion and review of the game out since I felt like the third game left a big impact on me. I have played all the previous games more than once and was excited for the last of the Xehanort saga. I beat KH3 the week it came out, but I was surprised at how fast the playthrough went. Please remember that you can always disagree or agree with anything in this review. You can think whatever you want for any game, book, or TV show.

Moving along, the way I will go about this review is in parts. First, I will talk about the gameplay, which will consist of the new keyblade transformations, magic, attraction flow, flow motion, links, gummi ship, and mini games. Then I will talk about the Disney worlds and the overall writing of the story. I am not going to go into the visuals and music as much. Just know that I thought they were amazing as always. KH never fails with their music, and the visuals have improved tremendously. The opening was okay, but only because the song was off-beat. (I watched the Japanese opening, and the song slightly matched up better.)

After these sections will be comments on some characters. Then I will finish up with the expectations I had for this game and hopeful ideas for DLCs that could be added later.

So for every game, players have expectations on what will happen in the story or what they will do with the gameplay. Of course, KH3 is no exception; but like all games, the creators will not be able to put in everything that we thought of. So of course I came into this game knowing that every idea I thought of would not make it in the game.  

Okay let’s get started…

Gameplay:

The gameplay of KH3 has truly evolved since the last few games. I think I enjoyed the game mechanics for this game as much as I enjoyed Birth by Sleep’s gameplay. It was all very flashy, and it was nice to see the creators bring back abilities from the other titles.

Keyblade Transformations:

This function in the game was absolutely fantastic. It was a big throwback to drive forms in KH2, but with more of a combination of past abilities such as shotlocks. I think that being able to switch out keyblades in battle was a great idea because most of the time in the previous games, we would not use a keyblade after we got a stronger one. This enables players to use the weapons they like the most because of the keyblade forge/upgrade system. Also switching out weapons in battle really reminded me of Final Fantasy XV. I enjoyed the form transformations, but I did notice some of them were copies of others. Even though this was the case, I still think each one was visually unique, so I didn’t mind that they had the same abilities.

Magic:

The magic in the game has really been well developed throughout the years. KH 0.2 was the first to introduce players to how magic would be in KH3. I like that they introduced water magic, while they also made Aero more like how it was in BBS. It was cool to see the magic change slightly depending on which keyblade transformation Sora was in. Other than that, I do not have much to say about magic.

Attraction Flow:

Attraction flow was a game mechanic that was advertised very early for this game. They were fun to use, but there were times where I did not want to use them in favor of the other finishers. I did not notice until after beating the game that I could have switched between commands using L2. This was thanks to another Tumblr user making a post about it. I can confirm that none of the tutorials say you can switch between triangle commands using L2.

Flow Motion:

Flow motion has become more controlled in certain aspects since Dream Drop Distance. Wall running was something new that they added which was pretty cool. I did notice while my sister was playing that it was very hard to control the spin mechanic from pole to pole. It would get pretty ridiculous and out of hand. So air stepping was not my favorite thing, but I’m sure others had an easier time getting used to it.

Links:

The links were visually pleasing and had a lot of variety based on the Disney characters that they used. I honestly did not use them as much, which is not surprising since I have not used summons as often since KH1 where they were very helpful for those secret bosses.

Gummi Ship:

So in most KH games, my sister and I were never really invested with the gummi ship mechanics. I still feel somewhat the same way, but I do think it has become much better compared to other games. Post-game, I had to do more gummi ship missions to make the Ultima Weapon, so I got time to really explore more of the gummi ship system. I think they made the gummi ship system easier for players and the open exploration is great for people who don’t want to just be dragged into a battle.

Mini Games:

There were a lot of mini games in KH3. Some of the ones that really stood out to me were cooking at the bistro, Verum Rex, and some of the Flantastic 7 games (That cherry game was the worst for me.) Some honorable mentions would be Flash Tracer, Frozen Slider, Festive Dancer and any of The Hundred Acre Wood mini games. I honestly would have been happy with fewer mini games, but I think it was fine that they wanted to add more. The Classic Kingdom games got boring to me after a while. I played the ones that were in Union X to get the Starlight keyblade and already felt like those few games were enough for me.

Plot/Writing:

Main Story Focus/Theme:

So we all knew that in KH3, we would have to gather our seven guardians of light, which meant saving Terra, Ven, and Aqua. While we needed to locate those three, Re:Coded introduced that there could still be a way to help Roxas, Namine, and Xion. Because of the need to find and restore these people, a big theme for KH3 was finding your way back home.

This is a really good theme because so many of these characters have been separated from their friends and cut off from the realm of light. I also love this theme because home to these characters isn’t just a place, it’s their friends and overall the people they love.

Disney Worlds + Twilight Town:

Sora, who is trying to regain his power of waking, decides to travel to different Disney worlds hoping that some spark will create that opportunity. But as Sora travels to each world, it becomes very noticeable that he is not making progress in regaining that power. Sora, Donald, and Goofy even repeatedly question why they are in some of these worlds. And sure, Sora learns a lot in each world about friendship and love, but I feel like he already learned some of these lessons in previous games.

I am going to go over each Disney world briefly to talk about the pros and cons of the story in each one. It can relate to the specific world story or the main plot. Some Disney worlds will be paired together such as the Pixar ones or Corona and Arendelle because of the Princesses of Heart aspect.

Olympus: This world was a great way to start Sora’s new journey. It ties with the main plot on how Sora has to recover his lost powers (specifically the power of waking that I want to delve into more later). The story of the world finishes up nicely and gives Sora a hint to getting his lost power back: the words “with all my heart.” This ties into how Sora just needs to wish for the return of his lost friends in order to create a connection that will bring them back.

Twilight Town: One of the best things about the story in this world is how much I came to love Hayner, Pence, and Olette more. I thought they were alright characters in KH2 and Days, but their actions for finding Roxas even though they never really knew him really showed how selfless they were.. I really liked that, but I was sad that the world became smaller. I also thought the world would be more relevant in the later parts of the story. One part specifically was when Hayner, Pence, and Olette saved Ansem the Wise (omg I thought things were going to go so badly). I expected to go back to the world after that scene, but we didn’t have to… But I found that out because I went looking for the Twilight trio like, “Hey do you have news for me?” but got nothing.

The Hundred Acre Wood: There was not much of a story in this world. The world was one area that consisted of mini games. Sora’s connection with Pooh somehow weakens. Things are resolved too quickly, and I felt that was really lazy for the writers to do. Why the connection weakened is not explained in detail, but I thought it might relate to the theme of finding your way back home. I say this because Pooh considers Sora a part of his home. This relates to how a place can only feel like home because of the people in your life. I think I expected more of a story in this world, but at the end of the day, Nomura just added it to put in one more Disney world.

Toy Box & Monstropolis: I honestly think that the Pixar movies had the best storylines. Even though I had heard from other reviews that the story in Toy Box was anticlimactic, I think that it was relevant to the plot. Sora, who has decided to restore Roxas and Namine, comes into this world where toys have hearts. I think this world in a way went into how replicas were going to be brought back into the story. This is relevant to the plot because both the Organization and Sora’s gang have thought of using replicas to bring back people on their side. For Monstropolis, the story leads to Sora finally finding out Ven has been inside his heart this whole time. I think the setup of Vanitas being in Monsters Inc. makes sense because of his connection to negative emotions and the previous use of scream power in the facility. Monstropolis also has a Disney villain that is working with one of the Real Organization members which is how KH1 and KH2 made Sora and the gang more involved with the world. Overall, the characters were more involved in these stories, which was better writing from the staff.

Corona & Arendelle: These two worlds specifically showed how romantic love became a big theme in the story. Sora explains via instapost that Rapunzel’s power gave him a new outlook on how powerful love can be. It’s not like any of his powers, so he is surprised that it was able to bring back Eugene. There are also flashbacks to the endings of Corona and Arendelle when Sora meets up with Kairi again in The Final World that shows how those worlds affected him. These worlds mostly followed their movie counterparts storywise, but I felt like some aspects could have been added to make the Organization members more relevant. Corona was my one of my most-anticipated worlds. It added great interactions with Rapunzel, so I think they did better with that than in Arendelle where Sora, Donald, and Goofy were just in the background. Elsa really did just end up figuring things out for herself like Larxene wanted.

The Caribbean: The story was choppy like Corona and Arendelle, but I think it was a good world to go back to due to the connections that Sora made in KH2. I think Sora got to see how relationships change in this world through Elizabeth and Will. I mostly say this because despite KH2 not being too long ago, a lot of time has passed in The Caribbean. Furthermore, the ending of this world had a lot of foreshadowing towards the KH3 ending now that I look back on it. This world is also the only one that gives a vague hint to what’s in the Black Box. Luxord specifically says, “But they did say the box contains ‘hope’.” Other than that, this world’s story was okay because its connection to Sora, but could have been better if it was not another movie rerun. It did end up being the world with the best exploration. The pirate ship function was satisfying and probably fulfilled one of Sora’s dreams.

San Fransokyo: This was my second most-anticipated world. However, it ended up having one of the shortest stories. I do applaud the original story, but it was lacking in some way. It introduces again how hearts can take shape in any being, and I love that we got to have two Baymaxes in the end. I noticed that there was little time to explore the city due to the urgency of staying on the world-specific story path. I heard Hiro speak so many times while I tried to look around. This world also confirmed that the Organization had started using Replicas due to the appearance of Xehanort-Riku which was relevant to the main plot.

Original Worlds:

So the remaining original worlds ended up being less explorable which was a bit sad, but some of them did hype up the story.  

The Dark World: We only play this world as Riku twice and as Sora when we rescue Aqua. I think I can accept this since we got to explore as Aqua in 0.2. One thing I did not expect was for it to feel like Riku and Mickey could not manage their main mission. By having Sora be the one to save the day, it showed how Riku and Mickey were not capable. It would have been better if I we got to use Riku to fight Aqua and have Sora as support. It just left me feeling bitter for Riku, but other than that, the scene where Aqua is saved is very good. It was the welcome home that she needed.

The Land of Departure: This part was really cool, because Aqua was the third playable character. However, this moment leads into the power of waking. During Sora’s hour of need, Ventus says he needs to wake up, but Sora still does not have the power of waking. But low and behold, Ventus says Sora has always had the power, and that it will work if he calls upon it in his time of need. I think it was a poor way to reveal Sora got his powers back because it made it feel like going to the Disney worlds was just an excuse to have Sora travel around. It made me see that the Disney worlds and main plot became more separate, which I did not like. The moment where Ven wakes up is still great, and I was happy with his reunion with the others. The scene with Aqua was sweet, while I loved the “second chance” line he said to Sora.

The Keyblade Graveyard/ The Final World: This is basically the set up for the clash of the 7 lights and 13 darkness where parts of the main plot are resolved. So we get the 1000 heartless battle which is good. It was a great throwback to KH2. Then the group encounters Terranort who basically annihilates half of them. A lot of parts of this moment made me mad at the writing. I’m just going to list it…

So Kairi does not have her keyblade out, so Axel takes the blow for her

Kairi still does not have her keyblade out, so Sora just hugs her rather than blocking the hit. (Everyone had their weapons out, so I have no idea why Kairi does not have hers out,)

Cure/items apparently don’t exist in this moment, cause no one heals Ven or Axel (I saw Donald heal in a cutscene in the previous games so it just doesn’t make sense to me.)

When the heartless tornado arrives, Aqua just gave up which is very ooc.

After that Sora goes into his moment of weakness where Riku had to snap him out of it.

So I think this moment is okay, but I think Sora falling apart if Riku was taken too would have made more sense. Riku was still there with him, so I would think that Sora would not have lost all hope.

So next up is The Final World, where Sora goes after they all die from the heartless tornado. So Sora meets Chirithy, and Chirithy explains due to both his heart and body perishing, he has ended up in this place where people are at the edge of life and death. Having this world was interesting because it introduces an afterlife in the series. I also like that Kairi was the one helping to bring everyone back. It is great that she is helping and shows more of her powers, but it doesn’t make me feel much different about how her character was handled before this all happened.

As Sora is collecting himself in this world, he encounters different “stars” which are also dead people who are in this limbo. One of the stars is Namine, which I felt was great to see because she has not been in the game until this very moment. She tells Sora that she will figure out a way to find a connection to Terra. This is hinted in the KH First Breath Concert, so I was already aware that Namine would help bring back Terra. There is also one more voiced star, “The Nameless Star” who Sora meets. This character is probably from Union X (My guess is Strelitzia). I am not going to go into that much, but I will say that the cutscene with this star and Namine are missable. I found this out through different Youtube videos, because I did see these scenes when I played. I think that having those missable was not ok at all because those moments are all story relevant. It also ties to how Lingering Will changes the groups fate later, so having that scene missable can cause some confusion later if not seen.

Just a side note, but Nomura really does not explain the Power of Waking very well. To my understanding, it is supposed to wake sleeping hearts, so the way Sora uses it, is to bring back hearts that have perished. He is basically bringing people back to life. People can argue that Aqua’s heart was not sleeping when they needed to save her in the Dark World, but they still wanted Sora to get the Power of Waking because that power springs from a connection to another’s heart which would have been helpful in finding Aqua since Ven was in Sora. During that scene in the Dark World, Sora did not have that power, but in his case he was able to reach the Dark World because of his connection with Riku and with some help from the keyblade that Aqua left behind.

Anyways Sora is able to save his friends, and meets up with Kairi who is his “light in the darkness.” They are able to go back in time before facing Terranort. It was weird how everything played out the same, even though I’m pretty sure Sora was aware of the time traveling and what had happened last time.

Now the battle is back on track, and the scene with the keyblade wielders from the past and Ephemera happen. That was a really cool scene, and a creative way to put the player in the game. Also the part where Master Yen Sid helps was a nice touch.

After that is the Organization fights. Those were all fun, but the biggest flaw in that moment was what they did to Axel and Kairi (especially Kairi). The reunions were some of the best parts of this game. The Wayfinder trios reunion was the most satisfying and tied up Terra, Ven, and Aqua’s characters. I feel this way because Terra got his redemption, while Ven was able to keep his promise. I got more emotional during those scenes than the ending to be honest.

During those scenes, Xehanort kidnaps Kairi. Kairi becoming the damsel in distress again was such bad writing. She is killed in order to forge the X-blade and to provide Sora with more motivation (that was such bs). Sora’s reaction was good, but Riku’s was lacking (You guys just watched your friend die, seriously)

Also did anyone else think that Terra was going to finally get his talk with Riku before they went to close KH? I was hopeful, but I think because of the urgency I see now why it did not happen. I also want to add, that Donald and Goofy going with us to fight Xehanort was great for old times’ sake.

Scala Ad Caleum: The world was very pretty, but not explorable. It was just the world for the final boss battle. So this is where the big bad, Xehanort confronts Sora and tells him why he wanted Kingdom Hearts in the first place. Xehanort is redeemed, and goes with Erauqs because his old friend has convinced him to entrust the worlds light to these new guardians.

The writing for Xehanort was ok to me, but I explain my thoughts on it more in the character section.

Erauqs being inside of Terra was something I expected because of fan theories. I like that they did this because Erauqs was able to apologize to his students and help his friend move past his harmful ambitions.

As per tradition, I expected to fight a final boss with many forms like in KH1 and KH2. That did not happen in this game, so it was very underwhelming.

The End

Sora going alone to save Kairi was not necessary. This was a missed opportunity for Riku to go with him to search for their best friend. Cause again, Kairi is Riku’s friend too. They missed out on the chance for Riku to say “We’ll go together!” which is a meaningful line in the KH series.

All the happy endings were great. I like that Isa got to sort things out with the others. It was unexpected and even if he had not shown up I would have been fine, but it was a good add on.

Ventus reuniting with his Chirithy was cute.

Namine being her own person was good.

The beach end was fantastic, but I was left feeling complicated because Sora disappeared. It really changed the whole mood.

Sora saving Kairi off screen if Kairi really was there, is not okay. I feel this way because it makes the ending feel not earned. I want to know how Sora saved Kairi because it would have provided more closure and acceptance to his fate.

Epilogue

Xigbar being Luxu was a good reveal. I did not see it coming. I hope they can explain later how Luxu summoned the other foretellers. What was in the Black Box was not revealed but I expected that after a while. I do think that this scene was a good setup for the next saga. Since this part is heavily focused on Union X, I want to add my thoughts on the girl Isa and Axel befriended. I think it was a smart way of adding something from Union X but many questions arise. It creates another 2 boy and 1 girl trio in the series. There is not enough information for this new girl, but I do think the girl could be Skuld. My reasoning for this is through the secret reports.

Secret Ending

I don’t know what was going on in that secret ending. There are rumors about Shibya from TWEWY being involve as well as a Verum Rex world. I have played TWEWY so having it as a world is actually really cool. I feel this way because it is a great setup for bringing Sora back. The Verum Rex part is up in the air for me. I think it’s mostly because it isn’t its own game yet. And yes, I know it is what Nomura would have hoped for Final Fantasy Versus XIII. I’m very iffy about the secret ending because it did not feel like any of the other secret endings. It was also one of the first ones without text to reveal what might be coming next.

Characters:

Sora: Sora has matured a lot since the first game, but I did not like that they made him a basic bishonen character that had to “go it alone” in the end.

Riku (will be talking about Repliku too): Riku has had the best character development in the game, but his character changed a lot in KH3 because Nomura did not have it in him to give Riku scenes with his best friends. He did not have Riku talk to Kairi at all in this game. I am not counting that part in the beginning because that was a recap from DDD. For a character who had realized in DDD that he found the “strength to protect what matters,” he did not insist to go with Sora to find Kairi. Overall, this choice did not make sense with Riku’s character development.

Repliku: They tied the story and character of Repliku really well. Giving Namine that replica was very meaningful.

Kairi: They did Kairi so dirty in this game. They hyped her up since she got a keyblade. I know she has the least experience but that was no excuse for her not to have her weapon out at the Keyblade Graveyard. What was all that training for if she was just going to get kidnapped and killed?! Also the whole “damsel in distress” trope is horrible. Overall, wasted potential in this game to make Kairi a better character.

Terra: Terra was actually the character that got the most justice in this game. I think he redeemed himself, and it really brought a close to the Wayfinder trio. I wish we got him in our party too, but I know there was no time for it. But wouldn’t it be cool if we got to control the guardian during the Terranort fight?!

Axel/Lea: Well Axel also got a keyblade by the end of DDD. I’m not sure if it’s just because he got paired with Kairi, but he got sidelined in this game. Xemnas broke his keyblade, but somehow when they had to close Kingdom Hearts, he had it again. It’s disappointing because I went back on Youtube to see how Axel fights during those Organization confrontations. In a way, he can do his own keyblade transformation because his key splits into his chakrams. I love Axel, and I think he had great lines in this game, but that was about it.

Xion: Not much to say about Xion, but her return was unclear. I wonder why she decided to side with the Real Organization because it did give hints on her remembering that she betrayed them and was friends with Axel and Roxas. I was glad to see her reunited with her friends, but I wanted an explanation.

Namine: They would mention Namine, but she barely showed up. She was not in the opening either. I also wish we had gotten a scene of her just arriving on Destiny Islands because it would have shown more character interaction. I think it would be very meaningful because it’s her first time meeting people in a not serious situation.

Vexen/Even & Deymx: I think the real secret in KH3 was Vexen betraying the Real Organization to get his research to atone. That was good, and I did not expect it. Deymx helping was nice too, but after that they failed to explain where he went at the end. All we know is that he is involved with Union X.

Marluxia, Laxene, Luxord: Not much happened with them, and I expected it. It was just weird that Xemnas bothered to reveal that they were all involved with the Union X storyline with Deymx because he made it seem like he was going to use that to his advantage or just for a higher purpose.

Ansem Seeker of Darkness, Xemnas, Young Xehanort: I don’t have much to say about these characters, but I think ASD and Xemnas had really good lines at the end. When Riku said he would miss ASD, I thought that was funny because I sure wouldn’t but Riku can think otherwise. Young Xehanort had no chill in this game, he was intense in a different way, but it really made me wonder what else happened in his life for him to come to that.  

Vanitas: I actually like how Vanitas just remained a bad guy. This rarely happens in stories, so it was nice to see. His smile at the end made me wonder if they might bring him back in the next games. I do not know how to feel about that, but I thought he was a cool character.

Xehanort: I mentioned before that Xehanort was redeemed. He is shown to have not been an all bad guy but that doesn’t change the fact that he killed/harmed people. He was a character with good intentions but that is no excuse for all the bad things he did. He basically instigated Erauqs downfall and he killed Kairi. He caused all these characters to suffer, so I felt that he could have had better atonement if he had figured out a way to get Kairi back to Sora.

Expectations:

Of course, I came into this game knowing that every idea I thought of would not make it in the game. I do think my expectations were high, since this was one of my most anticipated games for a long time. The writing of the game did affect what they were going to add and not add into this game. There were a lot of missed opportunities, but what’s done is done. I will list out just some things I wanted to happen before or as the game went on, and probably briefly comment on some of them. I will also list out things that I wanted but got out of the game.

Things that I got

Sea-salt and Wayfinder trio reunions

Roxas and Ventus finally meeting (I do wish that we had gotten to see them talk)

Sea-salt trio/Twilight trio getting to go to the beach (making it the ending was just amazing)

New outfits for some characters

Namine being her own person

Things that I wanted

Better character development for Kairi (Reasoning mentioned in character section.)

Roxas to be the equivalent of how Mickey saves Sora during boss battles in KH2.

I thought it would be great to make him playable since he is Sora’s other self. The trailers made it seem like he would be there for Sora in his moment of weakness, but that was not the case. I thought the line in Big Hero 6 would have more relevance, but it didn’t. I was still happy that he at least got to be one of our party members, but he did not get enough screen time.

One thing I must say is that if Nomura going to make Roxas a secret, then actually make him a secret. There was nothing building up to that. From the trailers, we knew that he was going to come back in some way which is what everyone expected. If they really wanted to make him a secret, then they could have restored him earlier and had him doing some behind the scene things to help the others.

More character interaction

For a game that is about friendship, so many of the characters did not get to interact with each other. This is mostly due to so many important events happening at the end of the game, so I can see why it did not happen. The pacing of this game was bad, so squeezing everything at the Keyblade Graveyard gave no time for casual talk.

It was also sad that the other main characters didn’t get to interact with each other because this would have been some characters first meetings with some of the other characters.

Destiny Trio interaction

I know from an interview that Nomura stated that relationships were going to change, but I think they mostly changed because Nomura did not give this trio screen time together. They are supposed to be best friends, and it did not feel that way due to Kairi and Riku barely getting to talk to each other.

Everyone knows Sokai was going to be a thing, and that’s fine. I pretty much felt like Riku had accepted it too, but I think they should have shown Riku supporting and being there for them because they are best friends.

Skateboarding in Twilight Town

This is just a fun mechanic that  I wanted to see again, so it’s not a big deal that it was not added.

Final Fantasy Characters

I know Nomura said that KH3 could stand alone without FF characters, but they brought a lot of life to the world and had personal connections with Sora.

Selfies for Riku

Another not as important game mechanic, but Riku did have a gummi phone.

Thank Namine

After The Final World cutscene with Namine’s star, I was really hopeful to see the official thank you. I think it was either off screen or just did not happen, because Sora disappeared at the end. 

More exploration of original worlds

Twilight Town got smaller.

Yen Sid’s Tower was not added which was fine.

Other original worlds did not have much to explore and were purely for the plot or boss battles.

I don’t think they will make these more explorable, but a DLC could be done.

DLCs:

Sora’s journey to save Kairi

Kairi and Lea training (can be playable or just some extra cutscenes)

Riku and Mickey retracing Aqua’s connections through the worlds she visited or more gameplay in the realm of darkness

More playable characters during the 1000 heartless battle or during Organization XIII fights

Replayable boss battles like in Re:Coded and 358 ½ Days

Critical mode for players who want more of a challenge (Proud mode was actually ok to me, and it is probably because I was not under leveled)

More post-game content such as extra super bosses

Extra cutscenes or some kind of content where we get more character interactions (This probably will not happen, but I just wanted to mention it). One way for them to do this can just be adding the characters in the Keyblade Graveyard. Then players as Sora can briefly talk to them using the triangle command. This is very similar to how we just talk to our party members in the Disney worlds.

So with all that being said I only expect maybe 2-3 of these DLCs happening. That being critical mode and super bosses.

Verdict:

I give KH3 an 8.5/10.

KH3 was fun and nostalgic. The sass was on point in this game, where it really showed the established relationships of some characters (specifically Sora, Donald, and Goofy). I enjoyed the gameplay, but the writing needs a lot of improvement. It is so flawed, and it should not be this flawed for an ending to a saga.

I want to thank those who read this review. It’s my first one, so I know I rambled and recapped parts of the story in some places. I hope those at least helped you guys remember parts of the plot. If anyone wants to discuss fave characters or ships, feel free to send me a message.

Thanks again and hoping to write more reviews on games, TV shows, and even books.

Next up will probably be the video game The Liar Princess and The Blind Prince.

[pixel-creates]

About Me: Kingdom Hearts

Behold, my excuse to cry over KH with paragraphs for nearly each answer.

(shamelessly copied from @khfriendlyreminders​)

Favorite Kh Game Overall: … I underestimated how hard this would be. I mean, I can't simply say I love all of them (even though I do), so... I guess it has to be

ALL OF THEM.

Least Favorite Kh Game Overall: Aside from nitpicks in story and gameplay, I don't have much to say against the KH games. ^^'

I understand perfectly well when people analyze the story and explain why certain parts just don't work, but unless it's something that just outright doesn't sit well with me, I find it hard to be critical of the games. Which is weird since I can be very critical of other media, but KH is kind of... hard to see or make criticism of. I'm not entirely sure how to explain it...

Kh Games I Should Replay: … ALL OF TH-

Okay but for real, I do have to repay them all for the sake of my fic since I'm basing the events off of my gameplay. Though, one I'd like to experience once again is 0.2. I only had the chance to play once at my older brother's before I moved and I feel like I need to experience it again to really understand where the story stands currently.

Most Played Kh Game: KH2 definitely.

Least Played Kh Game: Maybe Re:Coded, Days, and Re:COM. Re:Coded, while I do enjoy, is just not that fun to play on my dying 3DS. Also, I can't remember if it's just Re:Coded, but the camera was just really loose?? On my 3DS with broken left and right triggers, there was just no end to the frustration when those babies started going out. Days is a long game to play and my gameplay is either short and brief stints or finishing the entire game in a day. Right now, I'm in the short and brief stint gameplay mode since I need a new 3DS. On that part, Days and Re:Coded aren't at fault. Re:COM just scares me. Eveyone says that it's easy to get a handle on the card system, and it is but I don't do very well under the pressure of getting the cards together. It's gotten to the point where just looking at the menu screen makes me cringe. ^^' KHUX can count, as well. The game has a hella lot of filler quests, which are fine here and there, but wow those mission goals (“Defeat Every Enemy” has been seen in my nightmares). Not only that, but I'm not really that good at keeping up with games that often require constant/daily logging in for advancement.

Kh Games I Need to Play: I've technically played them all in one form or another, but I would very much like to try out the original GBA COM game at least once. GBA used to be my favorite system and finding out a KH game had been made for it is amazing!

Favorite Gameplay: This one is a tie between KH and KH0.2.

KH2 is just... fun. It's fun to play, it's fun to watch, and it just feels satisfactory to attack and explore the worlds. It might seem a little weird, but my favorite part was being able to 'Examine' everything with the triangle button. It was like Sora's (and Roxas' thoughts for a time) were given a place to exist outside cutscenes and gave insight into how Sora/Roxas were viewing the world. I dunno what anyone else thinks about it or if they even care, but I sincerely hope it makes a comeback in KH3.

KH0.2 is like KH2 in which we are given more of an opportunity to explore and interact with the world around us by actually creating change within the world through spells, hitting objects, or finding the lost memories. I absolutely love to freely roam in games, but it doesn't do much to bring me into the world itself if I can't interact with the world. That's why, as much as it creeped the frick out of me, the Dwarf Woodlands in the Dark World was my favorite world to explore even after the main story.

Least Favorite Gameplay: It's not my least favorite by far (in fact, it's really high up there), but I feel I do have to mention that in KH DDD, I felt really bad about using Flowmotion. It was like, I'd find my way up to several treasures, but then, it turns out, that you'd eventually make it up there by unlocking the way so that you could walk to the treasure. I feel like if there was a couple of puzzles that locked some treasures away and couldn't be accessed through mobile means, it'd balance out the gameplay a little more.

I also find the Dream Eater system to be... a little cool and also a little bad. A little cool because while I can adventure to who knows where and not get constantly freaked by Donald and Goofy teleporting right behind me. It felt like I was on a little solo adventure! Not only that, but the feature to import Dream Eaters from a previous save to a new/other save was a great feature. It was especially helpful when I replayed DDD went from Beginner Mode to Critical Mode. Did I mention it was y first time playing any KH game on a mode tougher than Normal?

A little bad because sometimes that solo adventure was just a bit too solo – and when just starting out (especially on Critical Mode), rather than being my allies, my Dream Eaters were more so the colorful Pokemon rejects I babysat so they didn't die after three hits. It became annoying pretty quickly to constantly keep them alive, only for them to wander away from where the enemies are or just simply not attack and once again die.

KH Re:Com as explained above, though I will admit that once I start to get into it, I feel a lot less pressured unless it's a boss fight. Other than that, the game just feels really repetitive and as someone who's gameplay style is 80% grinding until you simply can't die, it just really didn't feel that fun to play after an hour of just grinding for a boss fight that I felt really unsure about fighting because I'm sill having trouble with the card system.

Favorite Story: Yikes, another hard one. It's easy for me to talk about gameplay in the games because they're self-contained to a singular game within the series, but goodness the story.

I suppose out of all of them, I would replay KH2, DDD, Days, and Re:Coded for story reasons only. I find them to have the more interesting stories. Right now, I'm kind of side eying BBS for... reasons, and KH1 is kind of hard for me to say anything about. More on that in the next one.

Least Favorite Story: Out of the games, KH1 is probably the most consistent one... on its own. As the series progressed and the writers tried to fit more lore and story into an idea that... no one really expected would garner so much attention, it becomes more obvious how... out of place the first game seems in comparison. This took me years to realize and I only really understood why people made such a deal about it when Caddicarus talked about it in his review.

I can't bring myself to really blame the writers (or Nomura) too much for the inconsistencies between the first game and the latest one, but I will say there are some things I wish could've been kept consistent throughout the series, or just plain kept.

So, I don't think of it as my least favorite (since there are times I'll play it simply because I love the story a heck of a lot more than the gameplay), but it's question because of how out of place its story is in comparison to its children.

Favorite Character:  Sora. I would fucking die for him – but he probably wouldn't let me. Why is he my favorite character? Probably for a similar reason why Naruto is – I am not a particularly outgoing or outspoken person. My voice is naturally soft and whenever I try to gear myself to ask people the simplest of questions or even to say hi, I chicken out at the last second. And then, we have this character who not only talks to people without an issue but easily has an active participation in not only social situations but in everyday life.

In a way, my younger self strived to be just a little but more like that, if only because I wanted to be surrounded by friends like Sora was. Not only that, but there's just the overall positivity vibe Sora gives off that I feel like I lack; I almost immediately assume the worst of situations, have trust issues, and stress horribly over situations that even I can admit are out of my control. And seeing this character go through what he did and still keep that positive outlook? How could I not want to be like that, if only just a little?

Least Favorite Character: I'll probably get shit on for saying it, but I really can't bring myself to like Kairi in any way shape or form. She's pretty much the only thing about KH that I can be really critical of and I'm not very proud of that. I can't get into her in canon and I can't get into her in fanon. I can detail point by point about why I just can't like her in any capacity and my own disappointment towards how she's written, and I really wish it was the opposite... but that's a whole other post.

For now, I'm more than content to ignore her.

Favorite Character from Main Cast: Aside from Sora? Roxas, Xion, Vanitas, Riku, Namine, and Ventus are in the ring competing for 11th favorite character since Sora has taken up the first ten spots. Aqua, Terra and Goofy are shoe ins for the next spots after them.

Least Favorite Character from Main Cast: Aside from that one chick? It's mostly as a joke, but Donald can rot.

#NeverThankDonaldDuck2018 Also, fuck Yen Sid.

Favorite Drive Form: Final. Fucking fite my vanilla ass.

Favorite Spell: While the Cure line is a staple, I'm going to have to go with the Reflect line. Late game KH2 often ends up with Heartless/Nobody encounters quickly ending as soon as it started with a single Reflectga. I really hope it makes some kind of comeback in KH3.

Favorite Keyblade: Kingdom Key. Call me vanilla, but I love it's simple design and the lore around it.

Favorite Summon: I've honestly only ever really used Tinkerbell and it's always for the Dragon!Maleficent fight in KH1. I always stress about using things with time limits, so I often just don't use them period. :,D

Favorite Limit: Okay, but if I rarely use Summons, then I really don't use Limits like ever. I hardly switch my party members out unless mandatory. Even then, I turn off the Auto Limit shit because I find it more important to make sure Sora has magic for Cure than pulling off an attack that will only hit like 3 times.

Aside from completion purposes (and Riku because how can I deny the beauty that is Sora and Riku's Limit), I don't use them in the main story.

Favorite Dream Eater: It's a toss up between Pega Slick and Me Me Bunny. While offering some pretty good abilities, I really like their aesthetic. Yoggy Ram and Aura Lion are pretty high up there, too.

Favorite World: Oooo~ How about we have fun with this answer?

KH1 – A toss up between Hollow Bastion and End of The World. The aesthetics for both just really agree with me and the map for Hollow Bation especially is really fun to explore. KH Re:COM – 100 Acre Wood for being the only world that isn't completely repetitive. Whenever I play Re:COM I use it as the 12th floor just so I can reward myself for sticking with the game. KH2 – Radiant Garden for being probably the biggest world in KH2, linking to worlds I really like (Space Paranoids/100 Acre Wood), and having an interesting story that was actually intertwined with the main plot. KHBBS – This one is a bit hard since I don't play any other story except Ventus' 90% of the time. It's a toss up between Land of Departure (aesthetic and story reasons), Disney Town (mini games are really great – except I Scream Beat), and Mirage Arena (Rumble Racing and Mono- Command Board ftw!!).

KH Re:Coded – Pretty much all of Hollow Bastion. While a re-hash of KH1, it still felt like its own thing, especially with the battle system since Data!Sora's Keyblade was destroyed. I also really liked Olympus Coliseum. It was my favorite place to grind. In fact... Re:Coded took a lot of risks in changing up how you could fight and/or navigate the world and, to me, they were all interesting takes and fun experiences. Except Agrabah. Fuck Agrabah.

KHDDD – I like La Cité des Cloches because of what it could have been... Actual worlds I like are The Country of Musketeers, The World That Never Was (Sora's story), and Symphony of Sorcery. KH0.2 – Dwarf Woodlands as explained above. KHUX – I honestly really like Daybreak Town. I wish we could freely explore it.

Least Favorite World: F U C K M O N S T R O

I have some bad memories with Monstro from KH1.

First off, there's a chance you will just plain miss the cutscene needed to get access to him. I once had to drive between Halloween Town and Atlantica six times to get him, and often require 2 or more trips around to get him to appear in general.

Second, in KH1, a game that actually would've benefited from the nowadays useless as shit map system, has a world where everything looks the damn same and has rooms literally titled 'Monstro: Chamber 1' and 'Monstro: Chamber 2'. Just watching Raisoren, someone who has played KH1 at least twice, try to find his way around Monstro was a headache in itself back when I first found out about KH. Actually playing it was a migraine.

Third, the aesthetic... just the aesthetic. I am very squicky about the 'insides' of things. I understand that the team went through lengths to make it not look realistic, but that ultimately failed since the main different between most of the rooms are ledges and the amount of barrels in a room.

With all that said, I bet many of you can guess my reaction to Monstro in KH:DDD... it honestly wasn't too bad. Unless I was grinding, I didn't have to spend as much time in Monstro as I did in KH1 and the layout was a lot more varied and easily distinguishable from each other.

And then I played it in Critical Mode. :)

Am I ready for Kingdom Hearts III: Very much so! I've been steadily getting more and more excited with each piece of news we get. I don't know what to expect, but as long as it feels like a KH game, I don't think there's a way to disappoint me.