Okay,before I begin this review, I just need to get a flame shield real quick, because this review is gonna get real heated (no pun intended). I'm about to get furious, so if you don't want to see me get enraged, click that back button.For the rest of you, enjoy the next couple of minutes.I will show no mercy.
Story:Since most of the people on this site know the plot of this game, I'll summarize the vital parts. The game starts with Roxas becoming a member of the Organization as it takes place near the end of the original Kingdom Hearts. During his time there, he befriends a guy named Axel and a girl named Xion. They hang out with each other after they finish their tasks from the Organization. At some point, some internal struggle between the members starts to arise, including Xion's existence. As it turns out, Xion is a replica of Sora's memories of Kairi created by the Organization to absorb all of Roxas' power so that Sora never wakes up. Roxas, then, leaves the Organization after this revelation. Afterwards, Xion and Roxas duke it out, and Xion ultimately dies in Roxas' arms, leaving nothing behind but a seashell. Roxas, completely fuming with anger, storms the Organization's stronghold, now having the ability to dual-wield. Riku, knowing Sora would never wake up without Roxas, goes up to him to defeat him. However, the only way Riku could win the fight is if he tapped into the darkness. Roxas is defeated, but at the cost of Riku losing his original form and now taking the appearance of Ansem, Seeker of Darkness.DiZ sees the unconscious Roxas and he is taken to DiZ's lab, and sent to a virtual Twilight Town. From there on, the events of Kingdom Hearts II commence. Honestly, this game has the worst pacing out of any other game in the franchise. I'll admit it, though, the final parts of the game are top-notch, I do like Xion as a character, and Roxas isn't too bad, either. It's too bad the rest of the game's story is f***ing atrociously paced. It doesn't help that this game took me the longest to beat.
Presentation:The music in this game is still as good as the other games in the series, then again, it's a given, considering this is Yoko Shimomura we're talking about. On that subject, Xion's reorchestrated theme is absolutely beautiful. The voice acting is fine, nothing really worth talking about.
Gameplay: Oh God,here we go.In this game, you play as Roxas as he goes through his time at the Organization. You have "multiple" tasks, including stealth, collecting emblems, and defeating Heartless.With that said, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days has the WORST,MOST ABYSMAL, MOST INFURIATING GAMEPLAY THE SERIES HAS EVER SEEN!!! It's horrifically unbalanced difficulty-wise, the boss fights are godawful, it's boring as shit, and the combat system is one of the worst I have ever played! And don't get me started on the stealth missions! KINGDOM HEARTS SHOULD NEVER HAVE STEALTH EVER AGAIN! The stealth is basically "stay behind the guy at all times", with no thought put into it. The boss fights are bullshit. They either have hitboxes that are way too small,fly away from you, or give way too much damage, even on the easiest difficulty. The combat system is the worst in the series, IMO. It feels slow, stiff, and hard to control. Also, there's a mission mode, which lets you replay any of the missions you have completed. However, noting the unfairly high difficulty, you might want to only try it out in multiplayer. Oh yeah, there's also a multiplayer mode, in which three other players can join you in Mission Mode. I don't know how it fares, since I don't know anybody in my area who has the game.
Final Verdict: Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days is the worst game in the franchise BY FAR! It has a terribly paced story, the combat system is putrid, and the boss fights are some of the worst I have ever played against. Compared to every other game in the series, EVEN RE:CODED, 358/2 Days is a borderline travesty! I know this is going on deaf ears, considering, well, this is KH13, but I cannot recommend this game at all. Honestly, even if a Kingdom Hearts game has a less than stellar story, the gameplay makes up for it and then some. Hell, KHII and BbS are some of my favorite games of all time. Days gets neither right. I may love the Kingdom Hearts series to no end, but I cannot, for the life of me, like Days.
Okay,before I begin this review, I just need to get a flame shield real quick, because this review is gonna get real heated (no pun intended). I'm about to get furious, so if you don't want to see me get enraged, click that back button.For the rest of you, enjoy the next couple of minutes.I will show no mercy.
Story:Since most of the people on this site know the plot of this game, I'll summarize the vital parts. The game starts with Roxas becoming a member of the Organization as it takes place near the end of the original Kingdom Hearts. During his time there, he befriends a guy named Axel and a girl named Xion. They hang out with each other after they finish their tasks from the Organization. At some point, some internal struggle between the members starts to arise, including Xion's existence. As it turns out, Xion is a replica of Sora's memories of Kairi created by the Organization to absorb all of Roxas' power so that Sora never wakes up. Roxas, then, leaves the Organization after this revelation. Afterwards, Xion and Roxas duke it out, and Xion ultimately dies in Roxas' arms, leaving nothing behind but a seashell. Roxas, completely fuming with anger, storms the Organization's stronghold, now having the ability to dual-wield. Riku, knowing Sora would never wake up without Roxas, goes up to him to defeat him. However, the only way Riku could win the fight is if he tapped into the darkness. Roxas is defeated, but at the cost of Riku losing his original form and now taking the appearance of Ansem, Seeker of Darkness.DiZ sees the unconscious Roxas and he is taken to DiZ's lab, and sent to a virtual Twilight Town. From there on, the events of Kingdom Hearts II commence. Honestly, this game has the worst pacing out of any other game in the franchise. I'll admit it, though, the final parts of the game are top-notch, I do like Xion as a character, and Roxas isn't too bad, either. It's too bad the rest of the game's story is f***ing atrociously paced. It doesn't help that this game took me the longest to beat.
Presentation:The music in this game is still as good as the other games in the series, then again, it's a given, considering this is Yoko Shimomura we're talking about. On that subject, Xion's reorchestrated theme is absolutely beautiful. The voice acting is fine, nothing really worth talking about.
Gameplay: Oh God,here we go.In this game, you play as Roxas as he goes through his time at the Organization. You have "multiple" tasks, including stealth, collecting emblems, and defeating Heartless.With that said, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days has the WORST,MOST ABYSMAL, MOST INFURIATING GAMEPLAY THE SERIES HAS EVER SEEN!!! It's horrifically unbalanced difficulty-wise, the boss fights are godawful, it's boring as shit, and the combat system is one of the worst I have ever played! And don't get me started on the stealth missions! KINGDOM HEARTS SHOULD NEVER HAVE STEALTH EVER AGAIN! The stealth is basically "stay behind the guy at all times", with no thought put into it. The boss fights are bullshit. They either have hitboxes that are way too small,fly away from you, or give way too much damage, even on the easiest difficulty. The combat system is the worst in the series, IMO. It feels slow, stiff, and hard to control. Also, there's a mission mode, which lets you replay any of the missions you have completed. However, noting the unfairly high difficulty, you might want to only try it out in multiplayer. Oh yeah, there's also a multiplayer mode, in which three other players can join you in Mission Mode. I don't know how it fares, since I don't know anybody in my area who has the game.
Final Verdict: Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days is the worst game in the franchise BY FAR! It has a terribly paced story, the combat system is putrid, and the boss fights are some of the worst I have ever played against. Compared to every other game in the series, EVEN RE:CODED, 358/2 Days is a borderline travesty! I know this is going on deaf ears, considering, well, this is KH13, but I cannot recommend this game at all. Honestly, even if a Kingdom Hearts game has a less than stellar story, the gameplay makes up for it and then some. Hell, KHII and BbS are some of my favorite games of all time. Days gets neither right. I may love the Kingdom Hearts series to no end, but I cannot, for the life of me, like Days.
Score:3.2/10