Anybody else think that? It had more of a "Wtf is even going on" type of atmosphere to it, compared to the rest of the series that is. I mean right off the bat, you're falling and land on a stained glass pillar without knowing what the hell is even happening. 

KH1 definitely has very nice and mysterious atmosphere, and it is the best game in series 

BBS kinda had that too. I mean, out of nowhere you're playing as three brand new characters and don't really find out your in the past until they see Sora, Riku or Kairi.

Since KH1 was how it began though, it's understandable for it to be mysterious.

Edited May 8, 201312 yr by Weiss

I agree. Though, it was the 1st game in the series, so it makes sense.

I think KH2 is more "what the firetruck is even going on" considering the 3 hour tutorial with Roxas that doesn't get explained at all until the very end of the game. >>

KH1 is definitly mysterious compared to the others

especially cause you didn't know what the worlds where, it just said ??? in KH2 it said, Beast Castle or something like that. The Heartless had all these plans you didn't know about, etc.

although I have to add, Days is pretty mysterious too. what's going on with Xion? etc.

thats why kh1 and bbs are probobly my favorites

Yeah, I miss the first time playing KH1, everything seemed so mysterious and magical. And by the end of the game you think you understand everything thats going on. Then the new games come out

Really?  I thought KH1 was pretty blunt.  Yeah, there were some mysterious elements, like where the keyblade came from, but KH1 was pretty straightforward in what it was trying to present.  Heartless are around, kill them with magical key, travel to Disney worlds to find friends, darkness=bad and light=good.  It's only from CoM onward that things get complicated and actually mysterious, when it started presenting more complex themes regarding what makes up a heart, and began to shit from the black-and-whiteness KH1 did.  I think KH1 can only be considered "mysterious" because it's where everything started, so many concepts haven't been fleshed out or even conceived.

 

I'll admit a part of me misses that bluntness.  At the very least, I didn't need a Wiki to keep track of everything.

I think KH2 is more "what the firetruck is even going on" considering the 3 hour tutorial with Roxas that doesn't get explained at all until the very end of the game. >>

Ohhhh man, I loathe the Roxas part everytime I start to play KH2

 

Really?  I thought KH1 was pretty blunt.  Yeah, there were some mysterious elements, like where the keyblade came from, but KH1 was pretty straightforward in what it was trying to present.  Heartless are around, kill them with magical key, travel to Disney worlds to find friends, darkness=bad and light=good.  It's only from CoM onward that things get complicated and actually mysterious, when it started presenting more complex themes regarding what makes up a heart, and began to shit from the black-and-whiteness KH1 did.  I think KH1 can only be considered "mysterious" because it's where everything started, so many concepts haven't been fleshed out or even conceived.

 

I'll admit a part of me misses that bluntness.  At the very least, I didn't need a Wiki to keep track of everything.

Well I mean the whole game is just more mysterious, more atmospheric than the other games. It's pretty blunt, but at the same time you're like "Wha? Darkness? Traveling to unknown worlds, wtf is this, ect." I dunno if that's because it's the first game, and it's establishing it's "Universe" or what not, but yeah...mysterious lool

Edited May 8, 201312 yr by Hei

It did seem very mysterious and magical to me, too. I hope I really do get to play it again someday and actually be able to talk about it a little more in this board and such. ;

 

 

The mysteriousness as a whole I think made me become fasanated with being a 'keyblade master' and such, like sora was, a bit, I remember. I was a rather childish adult around first playing the game. Nice it has the disney characters/worlds to 'play on that' a bit for me, as well....

 

 

The disney characters in a way only made it feel more mysterious, on some levels. From what I can recall playing the game in 2011.

 

 

KH1 was awesome. I wish I coulda won it before our ps2 broke down

Really?  I thought KH1 was pretty blunt.  Yeah, there were some mysterious elements, like where the keyblade came from, but KH1 was pretty straightforward in what it was trying to present.  Heartless are around, kill them with magical key, travel to Disney worlds to find friends, darkness=bad and light=good.  It's only from CoM onward that things get complicated and actually mysterious, when it started presenting more complex themes regarding what makes up a heart, and began to shit from the black-and-whiteness KH1 did.  I think KH1 can only be considered "mysterious" because it's where everything started, so many concepts haven't been fleshed out or even conceived. I'll admit a part of me misses that bluntness.  At the very least, I didn't need a Wiki to keep track of everything.

BLUNT?! KH1 was mysterious as hell! The objective of the game may have been blunt but not the story.

BLUNT?! KH1 was mysterious as hell! The objective of the game may have been blunt but not the story.

 

Maybe I'm just so used to the other games in the series that my standards of a mysterious atmosphere have gotten higher.  Everyone keeps saying KH1 is more "mysterious" and "magical" without really citing why they feel that way, so they feel more like buzzwords to me.  I don't see how KH1 is anymore mysterious or magical than the rest of the series; weird, mysterious things happen in every game, so how to you weigh what happens in terms of "mystery" and "magic?"

Maybe I'm just so used to the other games in the series that my standards of a mysterious atmosphere have gotten higher.  Everyone keeps saying KH1 is more "mysterious" and "magical" without really citing why they feel that way, so they feel more like buzzwords to me.  I don't see how KH1 is anymore mysterious or magical than the rest of the series; weird, mysterious things happen in every game, so how to you weigh what happens in terms of "mystery" and "magic?"

 

A couple of reasons why I find it more "mysterious and magical."

 

-It intentionally keeps things abstract. Later games like BBS and DDD will over-explain the hell out of things, but in KH1, most of the elements feel like they're almost surreal, relying more on symbolism and interpretation than overt meaning. Things like the glass podiums at the beginning, the voice that tells you to not be afraid, and even the concept of the Keyblade itself. They obviously mean something, but the game lets you figure it out on your own.

-The surrealism element, I think, is the most important in the game, because the story of Kingdom Hearts 1 is all about the dreams of a child. I don't necessarily mean literal dreams (I don't think Sora is asleep the whole time), but in the content and art of the game. Sora dreams of what all kids dream: going on an adventure, slaying the dragon, saving the world, etc. What makes it really work, in my mind, are the inclusion of Final Fantasy and Disney combined. I grew up with nearly all of the movies that they reference in the game, and these are characters and places that the audience, when they were children, might have dreamed about visiting, or thought about interacting with those characters. The choice of putting VII and VIII in is another good choice, because those are the titles that a lot of people are at least most familiar with, and the thought of getting to hang out with Cloud and Squall isn't too far off from a daydream people might have had. KH1 taps into that child-like mindset of discovery and adventure, and by making references to symbols and places from the audience's own memories helps to get them into the swing of things easier.

-If we keep running with the child's dream idea, The Heartless are probably the most nightmarish creatures you can imagine. If these worlds that you visit are essentially pieces of your own childhood memory, than the Heartless are eating pieces of your past. They try to cloak themselves in costumes and attire, but it can't hide the fact that they want to remove the heart and soul from everyone and everything. And given that the game's core revolves around emotions and feeling, the idea of having those taken away is indeed a frightening one. The fact that they are also mindless devouring things, capable of shifting shapes and appearing in the most unlikely areas, essentially make them the monsters under your bed. And by referencing these fears you might have had as a child, the game again makes reference to your life as a child, and perhaps conjures up memories which compel you to press on.

-One of the big things that makes the adventure more magical, perhaps, is that Sora is excited about things, or at the very least is enjoying himself. Compare his reaction to flying in a rocket ship, or flying in Neverland, to the reactions that the other characters in the series have had to their surroundings. Most of them are either entirely indifferent to the whimsy and nuances of the worlds they're visiting. For Sora, this is part of the adventure, and that in turn excites the audience.We're going to echo the emotion that our main protagonist is conveying, and if he's having fun with discovering new lands, so are we.

Well said my good sir! Well said!

I agree, RE:COM/COM had this "What the hell is going on?!" element to it. I've been replaying KH1, KH RE:COM and KH2 on my PS2 (no, its still my old one, no Ebay for me!) and out of em all, CoM is most mysterious. You have mysterious castle, mysterious people in black cloaks, and Sora is losing his memorys for no apparent reason. Hell, Axel killed Vexen in front of him and he said it perfectly "Who are you people ?!" I mean come on, later on we saw Sora ABANDON Donald and Goofy! The game was dark and mysterious,...until KH2 were you get told what the hell happened in that game and who those people were, who Namine was. BBS and Days explorethe origin of C.O.and the inner workings of the Organisation XIII.

That's the area where this series has lost a lot of its greatness. You pretty much know everything that's happening, you may not know why but you know what it is. In KH1 I remember not even knowing what was happening and that felt amazing. I still think that KH is the best game in the series and this is a huge factor helping it.

I love mysteries

KH1 definitely has very nice and mysterious atmosphere, and it is the best game in series 

Nooo, that title goes to kh2

Well it kinda had to be to establish a series and attract players

Yeah I think it is mysterious in a broad perspective, but compared I think KH2 is more mysterious, because the first couple of times I played it I didn't know anything about CoM.

I find KH2 a little more mysterious.  

I feel that KH less things spelled out about the mythos than KH II. Though KH II had more mysteries and twists in it.

So, basically I am saying KH left more to the imagination while KH II clarified everything while having more physical mysteries.(I know I basically just said the same thing twice)

I think KH2 is more mysterious with the Org. members lurking around. And you start out with Roxas which really through me off. I was like where's Sora?

Edited July 17, 201312 yr by VeNate13