Mykaila Shakespeare

[This setting takes place many years before the events of games like birth by sleep and KH1. I feel this is probably the easiest to enter simply because it doesn't display the characters in the rest of the series like Sora or Riku. However, there is an element that connects to the entire franchise I may display as spoilers. I recommend you understand the other games just in case. So, please read with caution] - - - - - - - - - Long, long ago, during the time known to be the age of fairy tales, many Keybalde wielders reside in a place called DayBreak Town. We follow a group of people known as the Foretellers, who were under the teachings of their master, simply known as the Master of Masters. The Master assigned each of his five apprentices [Ira (EE-RA), Invi, Aced (AH-SAID), Ava, and Gula] a copy of his Book of Prophecies and a role they must follow. The sixth apprentice, Luxu (LOO-SHU) was sent away to carry out his role without the book. Once set, the master disappears without a trace. Meanwhile, the foretellers lead their unions and carry out their roles. One day, they discover that there is a traitor amongst them. It is up to them to see who the traitor is while keeping up with their role to keep this land alive despite the inevitable fate that is to come. - - - - - - - - - - This title is unique simply because it is mostly the movie. So, there are no gameplay thoughts on this (will get to that bit with my Union Cross posts). So, this more a less a movie review. As you know, this takes place in the past. I really like the world building in the series. I always find fascinating on how it has their own world and trying to connect some of the Disney worlds (note, there are no Disney worlds displayed in this movie). This adds to the world building and it's history. As for the characters.... kinda meh for me....at least with the foretellers. Despite them being young, they are incredibly stale and not fun. I mean, I can tell which is which they have some sort of identity...sort of. However, there is only one character that seems to stand out and gave me a few good chuckles and and some fun, that being the Master of Masters. Despite him having no face to show and wears the coat, he had the most personality than any character in this particular title. He can be fun and silly but can easily switch to being serious and hard to read making him the, by far, most mysterious character in the series. The story is really nothing special. I was actually excited at first in hopes to see the big important event in the engine. But no, the focus are the in sections for each of the foretellers known as cases. It's not terrible, it's just kinda boring. They each display their conversation with the Master of Masters and what roles they are bestowed to fulfill. For example, we have the case of Ira, the master of masters bestowed him leadership to lead the foretellers. I will leave the rest of the cases for you to watch. But there are 2 cases I find more fascinating that actually effect the events in the series. [THIS SECTION CONTAINS SPOILERS] Ava's case more or so effect the events in this timeline a bit of the rest of the series. Her role was to gather a large amount of talented Keyblade wielders to flee from the inevitable event and keep the light alive. They are labeled as the Dandelions. This case also effects certain characters in this timeline, but will read into that in one of my future Union cross reviews. We have the case of Luxu. His role was to just simply watch the big important event unfold. He was also talked to carry a couple of items with him: one being Xehanort's Keyblade and a mysterious black box. The fact that his Keyblade is now a vital thing makes far more connected to KH3. Then there is the mysterious black box. As I write this, I do not know how KH3 will approach this maguffin. But, it is so unknown what inside the box, all we could do was just come up with theories.

[This may contains spoilers since it is an important title that leads to KH3. Please read at your own risk] [I also want you all to know that this is my third time playing this game. I will explain in detail later in this review, but do take my opinions with a grain of salt since I had a lesser experience with the entirety of the title itself.] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Continuing our story from ReCoded, we follow Sora and Riku in this next journey. With the supposed upcoming return of Master Xehanort, they must now take upon the big test, The Mark of Mastery, to prove themselves to become true masters in order to have the proper strength to fight against Xehanort's plans. They are put into the realm of dreams to awaken the sleeping worlds that reside. With the aid of Dream Eaters, you fight against their dark counterparts known as Nightmares in hopes to wake up the sleeping worlds and pass the test to become true masters. Along the way, they encounter a mysterious young man throughout their test. It is up to Sora and Riku to accomplish the test while figuring out the reason for seeing the young man following them. - - - - - - This is game interesting. If anything, it is probably the most polarizing game in the series. You play as both Sora and Riku simultaneously. Switching them requires somethings via "dropping". This is considered an annoying mechanic simply because, for example, if you were in a boss fight and the drop gauge depletes in the middle of it, you switch to another character but you come back and have to start over again (rinse and repeat). However, for my case, I always use a certain item to keep from this predicament. So, I personally had no problem at all with the dropping myself (we fans recommend you use the item). The gameplay is supported by a new kind of game mechanic called Flowmotion. It allows you to jump into higher places and allows you to travel faster. It is also an advantage in combat. I mean, this advantage is so broken it limits the other commands you can use throughout the game. It was fine for me, but to many it takes the fun out because of how repetitive it is. This time around, you have Dream Eaters as your allies in this title (in replacement of Donald and Goofy). They are a bit more helpful in terms of combat as well as linking to certain abilities. My problem with the links is that I have to find more items to create a dream eater that would give me the important abilities I need. That is called grinding my friends. I do not mind some grinding but this kind of grinding I felt like I need to get used to. The story is by far an incredibly difficult plot to explain. This title gave many fans a lot of intense face palms because of one major element that pretty much ruined the story overall. I will not say it here for the sake of avoiding spoilers. Let's just say it really connects everything because of this element? Alright, here comes my case in the title in general. This is my third time playing the game, so I can't say my full thoughts on the game altogether. I still need to get used to this game eventually. When I played this the second time for the heck of it I guess, I felt kinda meh on it. Which I find odd because I did have fun when I played it the very first time. My feelings for it are a bit complicated. On one hand, there is the ability mechanic via dream eaters that I am not a fan of (plus the plot is difficult to explain verbally). On the other hand, I think it had some decent character moments (at least for me, from a particular character. As for music....it's not as memorable as past titles. However, there are a 2-3 tunes that are pretty much the best of the bunch in my opinion: (). The rest is kinda lost for me and not exactly worth downloading. The worlds are even a tad bit meh. I don't think I have a particular favorite Disney world in this title. <strike> The closest I'll get to a favorite in terms of Disney Worlds is Symphony of Sorcery because it is by far one of the most unique worlds in the series.</strike>. At least they are somewhat newer worlds and not reusing a chunk of worlds we visited in KH1. It's just not exciting Here is where speak my thoughts on the story, including the element that made this title polarizing. So, once again, heads up on the spoilers. [SPOILERS AHEAD] One of the biggest issues it had was their introduction to Time Travel. I actually do not mind time travel. The issue for most people was that this is a sample of Nomura's habit in this series. He makes up concepts as the series goes along. What we thought was yellow and blue to green paint, Nomura just added an entirely new color out of nowhere. On top of that, how to explain time travel is a bit difficult to explain. I mentally get it, but I cannot verbally say it without sounded like I am going to burst your brain to goo. I also want to point out something that may or may not be an unpopular opinion. In case you don't know, I am a fan of Transformers. I have watched the live action films since it's first release. I have watched it grow careless and it loses potential every single time. I am saying this because it is the opposite of what Kingdom Hearts was doing. While they both are made up as they go along, Kingdom Hearts at least had more passion and care with the characters and even the story added with lore. We care so much for this otherwise we wouldn't be looking forward to KH3. That's why I feel like this title is tolerable in terms of them adding time travel. Yes, it's hard to explain but I feel like I understand it more than the somewhat empty series that is the Transformers live action films. Moving on, one of the highlights of this title is Riku. Once again, I had to say that his development is one of my favorites in this series. Seeing him now from back in KH1 is really cool to see. On top of that, back in the day, I was young and thought Riku was kinda terrible. In KH2 (back in the day), I just didn't understand his motives. But growing up now, I finally understand him. That, and is one of the reasons why the concept of how you look at both light and darkness is so good (which is something Kingdom Hearts impresses me on with it's in-depth perspective). Plus, I actually enjoy his gameplay a bit more than Sora (in this title). One of the important scenes involve the final score on their exam. Turns out, Riku managed to pass and became a Keybalde master. This scene was a bit controversial last I remembered. Not just because Riku passed in general. But the fact that Sora failed the test. To many Sora fans, it was a let down because they felt that Sora deserved a higher reward for saving all the worlds for the past two years [in game]. I want to throw in and say while I understand why people felt this way. However, between Sora and the audience, Sora handled it very well. Instead of feeling sad for himself, he cheered for Riku. This moment shows what kind of person Sora is (if anyone hasn't figured out at this point). I'm sure he was saddened, but he was able to make up for in the end. With that in mind.mi was happy for Riku. To see him come this far is a sight to behold. As previous mentioned, I didn't care about Riku at first. But going through this series, he has earned my respect for him.m. Speaking of Sora, his character throughout this title is interesting too. This title has some decent moments however. One of my favorites, of course, involves Lea (aka Axel). Anytime I see him on screen, I just feel blessed. I think out of his moments in this title, my absolute favorite is him saving Mickey and co from Maleficent and Pete. That moment was so great it deserved a mic drop. Then we also have the most shocking from him was receiving his very own Keyblade. I am looking forward to see more of this in KH3...well, Lea in general really LOL [END SPOILERS] That being said, this is a fine title. It is not a true favorite for me yet, but I do enjoy the gameplay and even the story, or least the character moments. I would not consider this the worst title for me, but it is polarizing at best. I'd say just try it out yourself and you can decide whether or not you like it. [ARTIST NOTES] This began the difficulty of ideas for the upcoming posters, this title included. This one is a bit easier to decide because it is more or less inspired by the cover art of DDD. However, I added something unique to this in a way. The setting of the sky is like 2 sides of one coin. I'll let you figure that out. I originally was going to give them their keyblades, but I felt it would create a tangent for this size, especially near the title placement (to which that was kind of a pain honestly, but still worked out LOL). If you want this for a wallpaper, you choose one side or the other ^^ --- Not very long till this project is done and Kingdom Hearts 3 being right on our door step. I got the X timeline to cover. They will be in 3 segments: Back Cover (which is simply the movie), Unchained being the gameplay of the mobile game, and Union Cross which is the story of the mobile game. After all that, will be the last game being 0.2 Fragmentary Passage. They will all be posted in January weekly till release in Japan. Please look forward to these last upcoming posters. You can check the other posters hrough this link in my deviantART: https://www.deviantart.com/mns-prime-21/gallery/67100545/Kingdom-Hearts-III-Countdown

[This title may contain spoilers.....I want to not care about it, but a warning is necessary. It contains events from the previous titles. Please read at your own risk] - - - - - - - - We follow King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy Cricket as they try to uncover the mystery behind the missing words of Jiminy's journal [of their first journey with Sora] and the mysterious message found in it's blank pages. Using the technical means to uncover it's secrets, they create a version of Sora, made of data, to help them destroy the bugs found in the journal and hopes to find a way to solve the mystery of the strange message. - - - - - - So um......this is my least favorite in the series. I mentioned in my 358/2 Days review that I prefer that over Recoded and here are my reasons why. (KEEP IN MIND THIS GAME IS SUBJECTIVE AND ALL OPINION. SO PLEASE TAKE THIS ALL WITH A GRAIN OF SALT. NEVER TAKE MY WORD FOR IT. Also, I am kinda scrambled with this review., so I apologize for this not being as organized LOL) What catches me the most is story for all the games in the series. However, I feel this story in ReCoded is just a repeat of the first game but with a twist. It's going to the same worlds mostly that felt a bit boring to me. I felt like there was nothing new to show me but near the end is what is interesting (will eave it at that). Gameplay is not my forte and not my favorite. However, it is the most bonkers I have seen....I actually mean in a good way. In this entire game, they switch up different kinds of gameplay depending on the world your in certain situations. For example, one world would allow you to having regular KH gameplay (action JRPG) to turn-based in the next world. If you guys want a KH game that is not receptive with the same kind of gameplay, you might enjoy this. Not great as KH2, obviously, but very interesting. I also realized that I was not a huge fan of the platforming. It felt too frustrating to deal with these cubes to jump on only to keep falling off I'd rather much prefer to deal with Deep Jungle's platforming over this any day....a solid opinion I know some of you may disagree on LOL There were even some bosses where I just want to pull my hair out. 358/2 didn't have many fun bosses either, but at least I still have my abilities. Some bosses require you to be good at the sudden changes in gameplay (which some do not access healing). As for me, that goes for both DS titles, I don't find it worth looking for extra content. 358/2 in terms of gameplay is kinda dull enough to not have the energy to do any extra stuff. Recoded gave me TOO much it overwhelms me to not want anymore. Fun fact y'all, I have some sort of disability (PDD-NOS) that prefers to be repetitive and not have massive change. Recoded is an example of that in gameplay. When I learn gameplay in a game getting a hang of it only switch it up entirely in another segment or world, it is frustrating to learn again. It is like a very long tutorial and here we thought KH2's prologue was tedious LOL that being said, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't satisfied with some gameplay....it's complicated LOL As I mentioned, I am not fond of the story....but the movie version made it watchable. Yes, it is still boring and I feel you could skip a whole chunk. However, one of the more (and only) interesting moments were the ending scenes. [_THIS SECTION CONTAINS SPOILERS_] There is a moment where it gets plot heavy in terms of supposedly a lore dump that is displayed only in the movie. We are introduced to some mcguffin known as the Book of Prophecies and that is all we get that actually leads us to KH3. We also got the time in Castle Oblivion. I think this is one of my absolute favorite sections in the movie....not the game per say. It gives some sort of lesson on the meaning of hurt. This is what Kingdom Hearts does right no matter what it is and that is emoting. I like that Nomura is willing to give at least a sliver of emotion in some way. I find it worth pondering understanding about hurt. It is especially impactful when he displayed his thoughts on hurt as he conversed with Data Roxas. This, I think, builds up on the kind of trial Sora will face in KH3. One more to add is the appearance of a new character in the last secret cutscene in the movie. I'll leave it at that and say he is quite mysterious and is the seed that on to everything I think. [_SPOILER END_] That being said, this is still my least favorite game in the series. The game is just an excuse to play KH1 again on a portable console and I am not a fan of instant change in gameplay. However, I cannot diss it entirely either. Many fans found good things about it more than 358/2 days and I see why. It just speaks differently to many. I actually do not hate any of the games. This title just doesn't speak well to me LOL (that and playing of the DS like this is hurting my thumbs enough LOL) [ARTIST NOTE] I kinda feel bad not putting too much effort to this title in terms of drawing it. But, this proves my point how is pretty much the same game with some glitches (if ya catch my drift). All it is is just photoshop work. That's really it LOL WORRY NOT THOUGH! I got Dream Drop Distance to cover up in December. Maybe some X timeline stuff along the way between December and January. Please stay tuned y'all! This link leads to a folder with the rest of the posters in my project https://www.deviantart.com/mns-prime-21/gallery/67100545/Kingdom-Hearts-III-Countdown

?[This may contain some slight spoilers of the previous titles as well as the title itself. However, this is a prequel, in which it is easier to avoid most spoilers. However, I give you a small warning just in case.] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 10 years ago, before the events of Kingdom Hearts 1, we follow three young warriors: Terra, Ventus, and Aqua. All follow their teachings of their mentor, Master Eraqus (pronounced AIR-UH-KISS) to become Keyblade Masters. Terra and Aqua take on the Mark of Mastery judged by Eraqus, as well as Master Xehanort (ZAY-UH-NORT). Suddenly, Eraqus learns that Master Xehanort disappears and was informed [by Master Yen Sid] of the rising manifestations of negativity called Unversed. Terra and Aqua were sent on a mission to investigate the mysteries of the Unversed and Master Xehanort's disappearance. Meanwhile, Ven is informed by a mysterious masked boy about Terra's upcoming fate and Ven goes after him before it's too late. All lead to a fate that effects the future events of this series. -- Story time! I've mentioned before that for a long time I've always only played KH1 and KH2 since I did not own any other consoles to play the spread out series. I had to rely on the Internet. That is until I got myself a PS3 and getting the remixes for Christmas. From there, I FINALLY got a chance to play birth by sleep for the first time. Can I just say that it is becoming one of my absolute favorite KH games in the series. Because it was my first ever KH "side" game that I ever completed. I find this title special for many reasons. Aside from the fact that it is the first side game I've ever finished, but I feel the most emotional of all the games I've played. Listen, i don't think I've ever cried as much for this series. Yes, it hurts me and it's emotional, but I could not genuinely shed a tear (with a slight exception for 358/2 days when playing in the DS....you know who I mean fans...). Birth by Sleep gave me the most emotional moments near the end. I feel like watching this scene is the most special because not only is it referred to an important character, it was like the game itself was talking to me and the players on our importance for our role in the series. ?*THIS SECTION WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS OF THE ENDING AND BLANK POINTS SCENE* Watching the young Sora accepting Ventus's heart into his own is such a sweet moment, it always brings me to tears (doesn't help that the music makes this more emotional). Don't know what else to say about it, it's just a pure scene. Another scene, simply called Blank Points, is one of my absolute favorite scenes in the entire series. Aqua meets a black hooded Ansem the Wise in the Dark Margin and talk to each other of their predicaments. During their conversation, Ansem brings up a boy that can mend hearts of those connected to him. When Aqua asked what the boy's name was, we get a montage of figures connected to this boy and speak of only his name: Sora. Seeing there is hope and the fact that Sora, me and the players, are the only ones to save them. That alone was so special that it brings me to tears. ?*END OF SPOILER SECTION* The gameplay is quite interesting simply because it is somewhat like chain of memories, but you are not using cards and you are not limited in hits (rather, you are not required to use card to combat). What I mean, is mostly the the choice of commands you can use in the format of the command deck. There are so many commands you can use and choose your gameplay from those commands. I find this a bit more fun than chain of memories simply because I am not limited. When I use the commands and attacks the right way, it is incredibly satisfying. One feature I always use as a go-to leveling for my commands is the command board. The setup reminds me of Mario party in a way (wouldn't be surprised if that was an inspiration LOL). I find it either dreading or fun when coming back to it. I normally use 2 command boards to level up certain commands. That and they have the commands I want. I will not go into detail on how to play the game since it is in fact very subjective. But it is definitely a mix for me. ?I also want to add that the secret bosses are interesting. I wouldn't consider them entirely spoilers, but I'll say there are about 3-4 major secret bosses. All are incredibly tricky, especially one name the Mysterious Figure. Many fans consider this boss the Lingering Will but not as fair. DO NOT USE TERRA. I mentioned in my Terra review that he is kinda heavy and slow, as such should NOT be used for secret bosses, unless you're doing the platinum trophy trip. Beside that, if anyone wants to know my favorite, it is No Heart. It is somewhat a tricky boss and not given you a breather, I personally love the design of the boss and the music makes it more elevating. ? Overall, the verdict of the game is I do think is subjective, but I can easily recommend this over the DS games. Simply because of the impactful story and interesting gameplay using the command deck. This game is a must play and is one of the most important titles in the entire series. Out of all the side games, this is the one I played the most. I make this my second favorite KH game in the series. This is 9/10 [ARTIST NOTE] This drawing is EXACTLY how I wanted it. Mainly with the Sora in front of the crack of dawn. This was going to be the only poster for BbS. But, like chain of memories, each character had their own story and they deserve their own poster. What was tricky for me was the trio. Simply and mostly for the color. It was hard finding the right balance to blend with the color of the sky without making it too low or too high. That and I had to find the right transparency for it. The title placement was interesting too. I won't really say where I originally planned it, but it really worked out in the end. I was even able to change a few more little tweaks in this. Again, this is all secret LOL Another thing to add is that I added about 5 of my art signatures. XD This title was so fun to do as a project. So far, the only title with more than 2 posters of dedication. I hope you enjoy what I have so far. I got plenty more for the next couple of months. Next up, Re:Coded!

10 years ago, before the events of Kingdom Hearts 1, we follow three young warriors: Terra, Ventus, and Aqua. All follow their teachings of their mentor, Eraqus (pronounced AIR-UH-KISS) to become Keyblade Masters. Terra and Aqua take on the Mark of Mastery judged by Eraqus, as well as Master Xehanort (ZAY-UH-NORT). Suddenly, Eraqus learns that Master Xehanort disappears and was informed [by Master Yen Sid] of the rising manifestations of negativity called Unversed. Terra and Aqua were sent on a mission to investigate the mysteries of the Unversed and Master Xehanort's disappearance. Meanwhile, Ven is informed by a mysterious masked boy about Terra's upcoming fate and Ven goes after him before it's too late. All lead to a fate that effects the future events of this series. -- We now have Aqua: she is one of my all time favorite KH characters. This young lady here is quite a character. This is somewhat special because she so far my all time favorite female character. Funny enough, I normally do not have favorite female characters and I'm female myself. I have a reason for it but it is personal and I want to to just talk about this game. Point being, she is so far, genuinely, the only favorite fictional female that is a favorite. If you truly love good women who are polite, authoritative, modest, strong, brave, kind, beautiful, and is somewhat a knight, you got what's close to the perfect gal right here. Because, this is pretty much who she is. One of my favorite moments, without being too spoiled, relates to those attributes. There is a scene when Aqua comes up and holds her hand to a character like, dare I say, a gentleman (and no, I don't consider her lesbian...you can act like a gentleman and not be lesbian). There is her immediate reaction when she made a mistake for not realizing she was in front of authoritative presence -bows and apologizes for her lack of manners. She is a true warrior if I ever saw one. Her story is not the most plot twisted of the trio nor did it effect the future events (aside from the choice she made near end game). But she is special in her own way that many of us fans care for her enough in hopes she succeeds. As for gameplay, she is heavily full magic. I am normally not a solely magic-based player. However, I did find myself enjoying her gameplay because a lot of it in general is pretty satisfying. That and it feels almost as comfortable as Ventus. It is a bit difficult at first simply because it's mostly magic and not as balanced as Ven. But, like any character you play, you eventually level up to where it feels comfortable enough to have the confidence to fight through some difficult bosses. This also makes me appreciate magic more in these games. While I find her ark in terms of big surprises to be lacking (until the final and secret episode), the inner struggles seemed to speak louder. Her personality and overall reputation shines bright to many fans. As much as I love Ven, Aqua is my second favorite in the entire series. [ARTIST NOTE] Alright, big reveal. Have you noticed what the three posters had in common? All have the 3 elements of the characters: earth, air, and water. As such, for example, Aqua is water but there is still earth and air (clouds) in the same environment. The night sky plays a symbolically major part of the story, so of course I give each of them the night sky with some sunsets. I also realized when drawing these, I drew their right hands in a unique way. Terra hand his hand closed, Ven was loosely open, and Aqua openly spreads her fingers to the sky. I'll leave that to you for interpretation. Also, the land in the background was totally made up. However, let's just make this Neverland because it reminds me of it LOL Doing these are so much fun. I may or may not mentioned this, but normally backgrounds aren't my forte. However, doing these relating to the elements for each character, that's what make it really fun to draw. Kinda felt like a new experience. I am not done yet. I have one more poster of this particular title to show. It will contain my overall thoughts on the title itself. So stay tuned y'all! (As of this post, will post it on Sunday).