Kingdom Hearts

[ItsaRandomUsername]

An apt comparison I couldn't have made until Current Year is that the big numbered Kingdom Hearts games (2, 3, 1, sure, why not, let's keep to the metaphor) are like Avengers MCU films -- they're the ones where the big stuff that's been hinted at culminates into a variety of climax. The non-numbered ones are like the rest of the MCU: varying degrees of semi-functional contained stories that nevertheless provide essential additional context, characterization, and development of the overarching narrative.

The comparison isn't meant to be 1:1, because KH and MCU have different approaches, but they're in a similar ballpark when it comes to the vibe and narrative climax.

- - - Updated - - -

This scene has a lot more meaning now:

Spoiler:

This may also be the reason why Marluxia was put in charge of Castle oblivion, even though he was lower in rank to Vexen, who would be better to look for Ven than an ex-comrade.
This also may explain why he was so fixed on gaining control over Sora in CoM, since he knows exactly what a keyblade is capable of.
Shame about Strelitzia though... She was the only one that tried to save the player character, and died for it.

Spoiler:

I'm a fan of the theory that Union-Era Ventus is the one who murdered Strelitzia, for how it provides additional context to the strength of Vanitas' particular brand of edgeboi darkness and serves as a strong contrast to the pure and innocent Ven we know of from BBS and on, and the notion that the reason Marluxia and Larxene turn traitor and try to wrest Castle Oblivion--which is secretly Ven's resting spot--from The Organization has something to do with enacting some kind of vengeance for Strelitzia directed at Ven.

The current story arc is almost enough to make me wanna pick up the mobage again, but I learned my lesson the first time and ain't touching that godawful timesink ever again. Uploads of story content on video sites, or transcriptions of said content, are enough for me.

[Reign]

Yeah I'm a really big fan of the mobage's story but the game itself is garbage.

Spoiler:

Have you guys seen the theory that Marluxia's ReCOM final form is designed after Strelitzia? Though I dont think he was conscious of it, since from his final words in 3 it sounds like he had amnesia.

[ItsaRandomUsername]

First time I'm hearing of it, but now that it's been mentioned I'm quite down to clown with it.

[TomPen94]

*long exhale*

That was... something...

Spoiler:

I love this game and I hate this game at the same time.

It's packed to the brim with feel-good moments. Moments that I wanted to happen. I wanted Aqua to return to the light. I wanted Ven to come back. I wanted to see Terra (he did nothing wrong) reunite with Aqua and Ven. I wanted Roxas to return. I wanted to see Axel, Roxas and Xion reunite. I wanted Namine to come back.

I wanted everyone of the MCs to be happy.

That last cutscene is all I wanted for this game... Except the last 3 seconds.

Just...
WHY?!

I'm so salty over that. And because of the salt, I start looking at all the other crap that didn't get resolved in this game and I find myself unable to let it pass.
Everyone's running after the Black Box, which contributed zero to the plot. Who the hell is the girl that Axel and Saix keep banging on about? Why couldn't Luxu just be Luxu? Why is all this Union X stuff important to the plt while at the same time getting fuck-all closure?

Gameplay-wise not many complaints, this was my first game in the series (I am caught up with the lore... mostly... dunno much about Union X but I got enough context about Ventus, Lauriam and the like) and it was pretty easy to get down (attractions happen a bit too often tho).
I liked exploring the Disney worlds a lot, Corona and The Caribbean are my favorites. So good.

THIS GAME LOOKS GORGEOUS

But those last 3 seconds man... I'll never live it down...
Ever...

[OverMaster]

They didn't want to provide full closure because they want to hook people up into buying two more decades of games, of course.

[Mattias]

They didn't want to provide full closure because they want to hook people up into buying two more decades of games, of course.

So, one more mainline game then.

[Tobias]

Wasn’t this supposed to be the last one anyway? What ever happened to that

[Katie]

KH3 is supposed to be the final game in the master xehanort arc, not the final game in the series

nomura has been pretty clear about this for a while now

[Tobias]

Ok. Cool.


guess we will wait till next time to team up with Leon to go rescue rinoa I guess.

[just Beamu]

We've known it wasn't the last for years. Also the games without numbered titles were never spin offs, even before 2, CoM was where the Organization premiered, not 2. Literally none of them are spin offs. Sadly the no FF characters part is likely a result of Nomura being extremely burned out on FF in general from the troubled development of FFXV and VII Remake. Also accoridng to him at first they were there to draw in new people to an unfamiliar franchise, which really isn't necessary at this point given the established popularity.

[OverMaster]

Who wants to bet Nomura brings Xehanort back in two more games anyway.

Probably as a good guy though so he can wank to him with a clearer conscience.

[Tobias]

We've known it wasn't the last for years. Also the games without numbered titles were never spin offs, even before 2, CoM was where the Organization premiered, not 2. Literally none of them are spin offs. Sadly the no FF characters part is likely a result of Nomura being extremely burned out on FF in general from the troubled development of FFXV and VII Remake. Also accoridng to him at first they were there to draw in new people to an unfamiliar franchise, which really isn't necessary at this point given the established popularity.

Ok well he needs to smoke a blunt or something and get over himself (this statement brought to you by a counselor who dabbles in CD) because if he leaves it at the total cocktease of that letter Leon got I may actually find a way to be more disappointed in KH then I am right now

since it’s been a while as a quick refresher, supposedly Leon has come from a world where his strength had been insufficient and everyone he knew had been killed by heartless. But after the restoration of the garden, right at the end of KH2 he got a letter from her. Since it was a letter as opposed to her coming to see him, I had assumed she had done what rinoa always done and gotten herself captured again, so in 3 we would be leading a jailbreak.

and then...nothing. No mention whatsoever.

... I get that supposedly there is another game coming and maybe that will resolve some of the various loose threads but right now it feels like KH3 was ghost written by Stephen king.

[just Beamu]

There's nothing supposed about the next game lol

[Reign]

Yeah even if Nomura hadn't said clearly before that 3 was just the end of the Xehanort story arc, 3 ending on a giant cliffhanger in the post-credits scene should make it obvious more is coming.

[Tobias]

The supposedly referred to the fact that this game took 15 years and felt about half done.It’s not that I doubt their intention to make another, I just question the ability

[TomPen94]

I was left with the feeling that Nomura was more interestef in setting up the continuation than giving this saga a proper send-off. The more I dwell on the ending the more unsatisfied I feel.

[Laith]

This game only took 4-5 years to make tobias, a normal dev time

and the game tied all the plotlines it had to tie and set up exactly 2 for the continuation(s).

[just Beamu]

Yeah it didn't start development until about 5 years before release. Because all those games you call spin-offs aren't actually spin-offs. Again, even a brief glance at a summary of games between 2 and 3 will tell you that this game is far from half done unless you think a game not having a number in the name means it's worthless

[Mattias]

It's not the fact it's not a numbered entry, it's the non-numbered entry exclusively on a different system (Until they do a HD collection right before they release the next game) that makes me dismiss it. Which is why people have trouble following KH's story. How many different consoles do you need to follow the story before the collection came out? 4? 5?

[Reign]

That's fair, but the collections came out in 2013 and 2014. There's been plenty of time to catch up while using only the PS4.