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  1. The newest trailer for Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind is packed with a plethora of content, already leading to tons of fan speculation and theory-crafting. It's certainly a far cry from the announcement trailer we received back in June! Today, I'll be trying my best to analyze the various new scenes and gameplay segments. With that said, let's get started! The trailer begins with a scene from the original Kingdom Hearts III, where the monstrously large Demon Tide proceeds to kill Sora and the rest of the heroes. On screen however, we are treated to new dialogue from Chirithy emboldened in the familiar, bright gold that we have come to know since the original announcement trailer for Re Mind. "The heart you have now already existed during that time. It had already gone back into the past. Nothing can change that fact." This seemingly integral line from Chirithy is most likely referring to when Sora used the power of waking to restore everyone's hearts after the events at the Keyblade Graveyard, thereby going back in time to before it happened. This is reinforced by the trailer showing the very scene in which everyone falls. Chirithy saying this to Sora also has to mean that this exchange must be taking place after Xehanort is defeated, and Sora is searching for a way to restore Kairi. This comes further into play later on in trailer, so let's move on for now. We are then treated to a scene of Lea throwing his chakrams towards Xion, with her deflecting them back at him. It seems like Lea can transform his Keyblade into his familiar chakrams now which is rather interesting. Some new dialogue with Kairi and Lea is shown as well. Lea remarks upon the appearance of Xion's Keyblade, while Kairi realizes that it looks exactly like Sora's. Something rather noteworthy however, is Lea's interrupted question of- This is incredibly odd since at this point in time in the original game, Lea did not remember who Xion was until Xemnas came soon after. Regardless of this being a new scenario, it is rather bizarre that Lea would seemingly realize who Xion was at this point. It can possibly be that he somehow remembered it sooner because this is an alternate scenario, and events became drastically different. Or he might not think that's Xion at all and we're all off base, who knows! This is just baseless speculation however, so let's move on. After that interrupted line, we are suddenly treated to a brand new segment of gameplay. There is no HUD so it is either edited out, or triggered by something like a Situation Command. Lea transforms his Keyblade into his two chakrams and throws them at Saix who is in his Berserker state. The chakrams arc around Saix incredibly quickly, while Roxas and Xion attack him from the ground. It's not over yet though! Roxas and Xion then run towards Saix in opposing directions and do a well executed slash. This gameplay segment ends with Lea performing a final, fiery chakram slam onto the ground where Saix is. This is a rather impressive set of sequences, and it seems to either be the "linkage" that Nomura was referring to, or simply just team attacks with your party members during their respective final fights. Either way, this is a very welcome change to make these fights even more exciting and cinematic. Also of note is that both Sora and Kairi are absent for the duration of this gameplay segment, so it is possible that Sora is going to go save Kairi in this new scenario, leaving Saix to the Sea Salt trio. We do not see any actual gameplay control here so it is hard to guess if Lea and Xion are controllable. I think it's safe to assume no, and that Roxas is the only playable character during this fight since we have received no confirmation saying otherwise. Up next we see Sora talking to Chirithy in The Final World. Sora's form looks completely normal, and not transparent like how it was when he first came here during the main story, so this is most likely after the defeat of Xehanort. His objective would obviously be searching for a way to restore Kairi back to normal after her unfortunate demise, which is what he sets out to do during the original game's ending. Sora remarks how Kairi's heart hasn't been lost yet and that she is still around, somehow. Chirithy says "Maybe, but this time, the situation is a lot worse." There is a lot to unpack here. Kairi has been in The Final World before, back when she was holding Sora's form together while he restored everyone else back to normal. Kairi wasn't in any particularly special kind of danger during the initial visit, since her very reason for being there matched up with everyone else's. She is a Princess of Heart, but that does not seem to have too much bearing on what is happening here. In this instance, Kairi could be in more danger since she was literally just in The Final World not too long ago, and going there too often can possibly jeopardize ones existence. She also came here during the two times when her life was in danger of literally snuffing out for good. Sora, as Chirithy remarked during his initial visit, has come here a number of times throughout his life, but none of them had him in actual peril of death. Kairi coming here twice in a row under such dire circumstances could certainly be a reason as to why this situation is far worse. This scene ties back to the line we heard from Chirithy at the beginning of the trailer, and is assuredly the same context. After that, we get to see a new boss battle! It is a bit hard to see who this is, what with the hectic blocking and Keyblade whirlwinds about, but it is most certainly Vanitas, or rather, his Lingering Spirit. His figure, along with his iconic Keyblade whirlwinds, and the manner of how he attacks all reflect Vanitas's Lingering Spirit from Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. I have no definitive proof of this, but I think it is safe to assume that this is an extra, optional boss that is being added in. The amount of health bars he has really reinforces this as well. The arena this fight takes place in also vaguely reminds me of Scala ad Caelum, with how the floor is decorated. Perhaps you can access a variety of superbosses from Scala ad Caelum? We don't know for sure, but it would make sense considering the minimal usage of that world in the original game. Sora has a brand new form here too, with the returning Oblivion Keyblade! It's quite nice to see it return for the third numbered title. Sora's attire doesn't seem radically different from his normal outfit with the exception of the darker tone of colors. Sora's form with the Oblivion Keyblade is "Dark Form", and you can see some of its key (no pun intended) attributes right away. Sora's guard is very reminiscent of Aqua's barrier and Riku's dark barrier from Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. He is able to guard from all directions, with chains being in the center of the sphere. It also reminds me a lot of reflect from Kingdom Hearts II, but that is probably just a coincidence with its appearance. I sincerely doubt its mechanics are similar. The gauge building up above the command menu also seems to imply that "Dark Form" has two levels. There are no arrows appearing which further cements that. Additionally, the 'Attack' command gets replaced by 'Dark Burst' after guarding so it is conceivably a reprisal. Sadly, that is about all we get to see of "Dark Form", but have no fear because we have another exciting new boss battle shown right after this one! Next up, we have a very Red Dead Redemption-like standoff. Jokes aside, we barely see anything of substance in this new fight against Xigbar (or Luxu if you prefer to call him that now). At least we get a better look at Sora in his new Oathkeeper Keyblade transformation, as well as a very brief Situation Command input of sorts You have to time the 'Quick Shot' command correctly to both properly dodge Xigbar's shot as well as hitting him successfully in the process. Sora manages to hit Xigbar here, and as a result, he staggers and falls over while dropping both of his arrowguns in the process. There isn't much to say here due to the lack of HUD and actual combat outside of this quick time event. The arena looks identical to the Vanitas Lingering Spirit one so it has to be a superboss too. Sora being alone in these fights is also something unique to take note of. That is a clear difference to the superbosses in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, since most of those fights brought over your party members. The lack of party members here can make the fights less obstructive which is always a plus in my book. The next scene shows Aqua telling off Terra-Xehanort, saying how she's going to cast him out of Terra forever. Once again, we're seeing additional dialogue in these final fights with Sora not present. Something to note here is that the Japanese dialogue is slightly different. Instead of the English captions saying "There's only one thing I want, with all my heart", the Japanese dialogue says "The only thing I've wished for the past 10 years is..." This isn't a drastic difference since the overall message is the same, but it is an slight translation altercation to simply take note of. Afterwards, we see a "linkage" or team attack with Ventus and Aqua. This is one of my favorite parts of the trailer actually, and that seems to be the case with a number of people. Aqua casts blizzard and creates an ice rail that Ventus rides on with his Wayward Wind Keyblade. Ventus then performs a couple of fancy spins and lands on Vanitas, causing a large crystal of ice to spawn at the epicenter of his landing. It is a bit difficult to make out who he lands on, but thanks to slow-motion playback, I was able to confirm that it is indeed Vanitas. Sora is not present in this fight either, so it is once again very plausible that he has gone off to save Kairi in this scenario. The next scene shows the Master of Masters talking to Young Xehanort in what is most likely the same conversation that we saw in the original Re Mind trailer. There is a lot of confusion over what the Master of Masters means when he says "false light". My interpretation of this scene is that he is brainwashing Young Xehanort into wanting to cause another Keyblade War and commit a 'purge' to reset the worlds. It is uncertain what context the "false light" is referring to, but it is probable that since this seems to take place in the far past, Young Xehanort saw or dealt with something that made him question his belief in the balance of light and dark. The Masters of Masters played the foretellers like a fiddle in the events of Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover leading to the causation of a Keyblade War, so it isn't too far-fetched to assume that he would do the same with Young Xehanort. This can also take place in present day, and if that's the case, this conversation only perplexes me further. Another note regarding translation is that instead of the Master of Masters saying "What do you want for the world?" in English captions, the Japanese dialogue states "What do you want for the world [after it has been covered in darkness]?" I am unsure as to what these Japanese exclusive lines are really implying, but it can be that the Master of Masters is desperately trying to make it seem as if the worlds are truly, entirely gone and beyond redemption. The worlds are already fully coated in darkness, and the only way to undo that is to reset everything with the power that lies within Kingdom Hearts. Well, that is my take on this conversation at least. I can be entirely wrong. You also don't see Young Xehanort's eyes in this trailer which makes me a bit wary. His eyes in the original Re Mind trailer were silver, but this might be a different scene, or Young Xehanort could get gifted the golden eyes during this fateful conversation. The angle also might just be this way to make the scene more dramatic. Any of these are plausible explanations. The next scene is one of the most confusing ones in this trailer. Sora is conversing with Namine at the Station of Awakening. His statement regarding "Terra" and "them" can only mean Ventus and Aqua. Coupling Terra with anyone else wouldn't make much sense in a variety of contexts. Additionally, considering that it would be "bad news if either of them [got] hurt", can only imply Ventus and Aqua since once again, those are who Terra cares for the most in the entirety of the cast. But then, Sora says this- "The world of ocean and sky" can only mean The Final World. But, this raises a bunch of questions. Why is Sora telling her to go there, and what exactly is he doing? Well, while I don't know, there are a couple things to remember here. Namine does appear in The Final World in the original game, so is Sora telling her to go there implying that this is how she gets there in the first place? Sora was surprised when initially seeing her there though. Or maybe, she goes back there again for some reason we just don't know of. Kairi does die from Xehanort, but this conversation seems to be taking place prior to any of that happening. It's plausible that this is taking place before Sora turns back time somehow, and he is attempting to bring back Ventus and Aqua specifically to gain Lingering Will's aid. Granted, there are a lot of holes with this theory since Sora would want to save everyone regardless, but maybe him pointing out Terra specifically implies that they really do need him to turn the tides. Sora's serious tone and facial animation here also makes me wonder if he is maybe playing some sort of out of bounds, metaphysical game that goes beyond the metaphorical chess board we're all familiar with. This is just a wild guess but the way that Sora is talking in this scene seems far more competent and responsible than the Sora we're used to. Maybe this is a Sora who knows what's going to happen. Him knowing that everything was taken away from him, and that it could easily happen again could be a driving force for him to act like this. Then again, I can also be reading far too deep into this and this is actually relating to entirely different events. That's the beauty of speculation, we don't know for sure! Either way, I am very curious as to what is going on here. And finally, the trailer ends with a tease. Lingering Will and Terra-Xehanort face off and dash towards each other, but before the clash occurs, the title card shows up. There is unfortunately no definitive release date yet. This last scene is incredibly short so there isn't much info to garner here. You can see the Organization's meeting rock towers in the background which is a nice set-piece. Since there's nobody else around in the vicinity, this could very well be taking place after Lingering Will saves the party from Terra-Xehanort and goes after him. This could also possibly mean a playable Lingering Will. I would very much like that, but that might be me being a bit too hopeful. And that's it! For being a mere 1:42 trailer, there is certainly quite a bit to unpack here! While I don't expect any of my theories to be right, I find it pretty fun to analyze these scenes and form my own conclusions. If I missed anything notable, or made a severe mistake, please let me know! Civilly, of course. I hope you enjoyed this analysis and that Re Mind excites you as much as it does me. Translations for the Aqua and Master of Master lines were done by KH13 Staff Member @Solis You can watch the second Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind trailer here. We have already done coverage of this trailer here. Be sure to follow the KH13 Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr pages for further coverage on all Kingdom Hearts news. Is there anything in Re Mind you're particularly excited by or hopeful for? View full article
  2. The newest trailer for Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind is packed with a plethora of content, already leading to tons of fan speculation and theory-crafting. It's certainly a far cry from the announcement trailer we received back in June! Today, I'll be trying my best to analyze the various new scenes and gameplay segments. With that said, let's get started! The trailer begins with a scene from the original Kingdom Hearts III, where the monstrously large Demon Tide proceeds to kill Sora and the rest of the heroes. On screen however, we are treated to new dialogue from Chirithy emboldened in the familiar, bright gold that we have come to know since the original announcement trailer for Re Mind. "The heart you have now already existed during that time. It had already gone back into the past. Nothing can change that fact." This seemingly integral line from Chirithy is most likely referring to when Sora used the power of waking to restore everyone's hearts after the events at the Keyblade Graveyard, thereby going back in time to before it happened. This is reinforced by the trailer showing the very scene in which everyone falls. Chirithy saying this to Sora also has to mean that this exchange must be taking place after Xehanort is defeated, and Sora is searching for a way to restore Kairi. This comes further into play later on in trailer, so let's move on for now. We are then treated to a scene of Lea throwing his chakrams towards Xion, with her deflecting them back at him. It seems like Lea can transform his Keyblade into his familiar chakrams now which is rather interesting. Some new dialogue with Kairi and Lea is shown as well. Lea remarks upon the appearance of Xion's Keyblade, while Kairi realizes that it looks exactly like Sora's. Something rather noteworthy however, is Lea's interrupted question of- This is incredibly odd since at this point in time in the original game, Lea did not remember who Xion was until Xemnas came soon after. Regardless of this being a new scenario, it is rather bizarre that Lea would seemingly realize who Xion was at this point. It can possibly be that he somehow remembered it sooner because this is an alternate scenario, and events became drastically different. Or he might not think that's Xion at all and we're all off base, who knows! This is just baseless speculation however, so let's move on. After that interrupted line, we are suddenly treated to a brand new segment of gameplay. There is no HUD so it is either edited out, or triggered by something like a Situation Command. Lea transforms his Keyblade into his two chakrams and throws them at Saix who is in his Berserker state. The chakrams arc around Saix incredibly quickly, while Roxas and Xion attack him from the ground. It's not over yet though! Roxas and Xion then run towards Saix in opposing directions and do a well executed slash. This gameplay segment ends with Lea performing a final, fiery chakram slam onto the ground where Saix is. This is a rather impressive set of sequences, and it seems to either be the "linkage" that Nomura was referring to, or simply just team attacks with your party members during their respective final fights. Either way, this is a very welcome change to make these fights even more exciting and cinematic. Also of note is that both Sora and Kairi are absent for the duration of this gameplay segment, so it is possible that Sora is going to go save Kairi in this new scenario, leaving Saix to the Sea Salt trio. We do not see any actual gameplay control here so it is hard to guess if Lea and Xion are controllable. I think it's safe to assume no, and that Roxas is the only playable character during this fight since we have received no confirmation saying otherwise. Up next we see Sora talking to Chirithy in The Final World. Sora's form looks completely normal, and not transparent like how it was when he first came here during the main story, so this is most likely after the defeat of Xehanort. His objective would obviously be searching for a way to restore Kairi back to normal after her unfortunate demise, which is what he sets out to do during the original game's ending. Sora remarks how Kairi's heart hasn't been lost yet and that she is still around, somehow. Chirithy says "Maybe, but this time, the situation is a lot worse." There is a lot to unpack here. Kairi has been in The Final World before, back when she was holding Sora's form together while he restored everyone else back to normal. Kairi wasn't in any particularly special kind of danger during the initial visit, since her very reason for being there matched up with everyone else's. She is a Princess of Heart, but that does not seem to have too much bearing on what is happening here. In this instance, Kairi could be in more danger since she was literally just in The Final World not too long ago, and going there too often can possibly jeopardize ones existence. She also came here during the two times when her life was in danger of literally snuffing out for good. Sora, as Chirithy remarked during his initial visit, has come here a number of times throughout his life, but none of them had him in actual peril of death. Kairi coming here twice in a row under such dire circumstances could certainly be a reason as to why this situation is far worse. This scene ties back to the line we heard from Chirithy at the beginning of the trailer, and is assuredly the same context. After that, we get to see a new boss battle! It is a bit hard to see who this is, what with the hectic blocking and Keyblade whirlwinds about, but it is most certainly Vanitas, or rather, his Lingering Spirit. His figure, along with his iconic Keyblade whirlwinds, and the manner of how he attacks all reflect Vanitas's Lingering Spirit from Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. I have no definitive proof of this, but I think it is safe to assume that this is an extra, optional boss that is being added in. The amount of health bars he has really reinforces this as well. The arena this fight takes place in also vaguely reminds me of Scala ad Caelum, with how the floor is decorated. Perhaps you can access a variety of superbosses from Scala ad Caelum? We don't know for sure, but it would make sense considering the minimal usage of that world in the original game. Sora has a brand new form here too, with the returning Oblivion Keyblade! It's quite nice to see it return for the third numbered title. Sora's attire doesn't seem radically different from his normal outfit with the exception of the darker tone of colors. Sora's form with the Oblivion Keyblade is "Dark Form", and you can see some of its key (no pun intended) attributes right away. Sora's guard is very reminiscent of Aqua's barrier and Riku's dark barrier from Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. He is able to guard from all directions, with chains being in the center of the sphere. It also reminds me a lot of reflect from Kingdom Hearts II, but that is probably just a coincidence with its appearance. I sincerely doubt its mechanics are similar. The gauge building up above the command menu also seems to imply that "Dark Form" has two levels. There are no arrows appearing which further cements that. Additionally, the 'Attack' command gets replaced by 'Dark Burst' after guarding so it is conceivably a reprisal. Sadly, that is about all we get to see of "Dark Form", but have no fear because we have another exciting new boss battle shown right after this one! Next up, we have a very Red Dead Redemption-like standoff. Jokes aside, we barely see anything of substance in this new fight against Xigbar (or Luxu if you prefer to call him that now). At least we get a better look at Sora in his new Oathkeeper Keyblade transformation, as well as a very brief Situation Command input of sorts You have to time the 'Quick Shot' command correctly to both properly dodge Xigbar's shot as well as hitting him successfully in the process. Sora manages to hit Xigbar here, and as a result, he staggers and falls over while dropping both of his arrowguns in the process. There isn't much to say here due to the lack of HUD and actual combat outside of this quick time event. The arena looks identical to the Vanitas Lingering Spirit one so it has to be a superboss too. Sora being alone in these fights is also something unique to take note of. That is a clear difference to the superbosses in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, since most of those fights brought over your party members. The lack of party members here can make the fights less obstructive which is always a plus in my book. The next scene shows Aqua telling off Terra-Xehanort, saying how she's going to cast him out of Terra forever. Once again, we're seeing additional dialogue in these final fights with Sora not present. Something to note here is that the Japanese dialogue is slightly different. Instead of the English captions saying "There's only one thing I want, with all my heart", the Japanese dialogue says "The only thing I've wished for the past 10 years is..." This isn't a drastic difference since the overall message is the same, but it is an slight translation altercation to simply take note of. Afterwards, we see a "linkage" or team attack with Ventus and Aqua. This is one of my favorite parts of the trailer actually, and that seems to be the case with a number of people. Aqua casts blizzard and creates an ice rail that Ventus rides on with his Wayward Wind Keyblade. Ventus then performs a couple of fancy spins and lands on Vanitas, causing a large crystal of ice to spawn at the epicenter of his landing. It is a bit difficult to make out who he lands on, but thanks to slow-motion playback, I was able to confirm that it is indeed Vanitas. Sora is not present in this fight either, so it is once again very plausible that he has gone off to save Kairi in this scenario. The next scene shows the Master of Masters talking to Young Xehanort in what is most likely the same conversation that we saw in the original Re Mind trailer. There is a lot of confusion over what the Master of Masters means when he says "false light". My interpretation of this scene is that he is brainwashing Young Xehanort into wanting to cause another Keyblade War and commit a 'purge' to reset the worlds. It is uncertain what context the "false light" is referring to, but it is probable that since this seems to take place in the far past, Young Xehanort saw or dealt with something that made him question his belief in the balance of light and dark. The Masters of Masters played the foretellers like a fiddle in the events of Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover leading to the causation of a Keyblade War, so it isn't too far-fetched to assume that he would do the same with Young Xehanort. This can also take place in present day, and if that's the case, this conversation only perplexes me further. Another note regarding translation is that instead of the Master of Masters saying "What do you want for the world?" in English captions, the Japanese dialogue states "What do you want for the world [after it has been covered in darkness]?" I am unsure as to what these Japanese exclusive lines are really implying, but it can be that the Master of Masters is desperately trying to make it seem as if the worlds are truly, entirely gone and beyond redemption. The worlds are already fully coated in darkness, and the only way to undo that is to reset everything with the power that lies within Kingdom Hearts. Well, that is my take on this conversation at least. I can be entirely wrong. You also don't see Young Xehanort's eyes in this trailer which makes me a bit wary. His eyes in the original Re Mind trailer were silver, but this might be a different scene, or Young Xehanort could get gifted the golden eyes during this fateful conversation. The angle also might just be this way to make the scene more dramatic. Any of these are plausible explanations. The next scene is one of the most confusing ones in this trailer. Sora is conversing with Namine at the Station of Awakening. His statement regarding "Terra" and "them" can only mean Ventus and Aqua. Coupling Terra with anyone else wouldn't make much sense in a variety of contexts. Additionally, considering that it would be "bad news if either of them [got] hurt", can only imply Ventus and Aqua since once again, those are who Terra cares for the most in the entirety of the cast. But then, Sora says this- "The world of ocean and sky" can only mean The Final World. But, this raises a bunch of questions. Why is Sora telling her to go there, and what exactly is he doing? Well, while I don't know, there are a couple things to remember here. Namine does appear in The Final World in the original game, so is Sora telling her to go there implying that this is how she gets there in the first place? Sora was surprised when initially seeing her there though. Or maybe, she goes back there again for some reason we just don't know of. Kairi does die from Xehanort, but this conversation seems to be taking place prior to any of that happening. It's plausible that this is taking place before Sora turns back time somehow, and he is attempting to bring back Ventus and Aqua specifically to gain Lingering Will's aid. Granted, there are a lot of holes with this theory since Sora would want to save everyone regardless, but maybe him pointing out Terra specifically implies that they really do need him to turn the tides. Sora's serious tone and facial animation here also makes me wonder if he is maybe playing some sort of out of bounds, metaphysical game that goes beyond the metaphorical chess board we're all familiar with. This is just a wild guess but the way that Sora is talking in this scene seems far more competent and responsible than the Sora we're used to. Maybe this is a Sora who knows what's going to happen. Him knowing that everything was taken away from him, and that it could easily happen again could be a driving force for him to act like this. Then again, I can also be reading far too deep into this and this is actually relating to entirely different events. That's the beauty of speculation, we don't know for sure! Either way, I am very curious as to what is going on here. And finally, the trailer ends with a tease. Lingering Will and Terra-Xehanort face off and dash towards each other, but before the clash occurs, the title card shows up. There is unfortunately no definitive release date yet. This last scene is incredibly short so there isn't much info to garner here. You can see the Organization's meeting rock towers in the background which is a nice set-piece. Since there's nobody else around in the vicinity, this could very well be taking place after Lingering Will saves the party from Terra-Xehanort and goes after him. This could also possibly mean a playable Lingering Will. I would very much like that, but that might be me being a bit too hopeful. And that's it! For being a mere 1:42 trailer, there is certainly quite a bit to unpack here! While I don't expect any of my theories to be right, I find it pretty fun to analyze these scenes and form my own conclusions. If I missed anything notable, or made a severe mistake, please let me know! Civilly, of course. I hope you enjoyed this analysis and that Re Mind excites you as much as it does me. Translations for the Aqua and Master of Master lines were done by KH13 Staff Member @Solis You can watch the second Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind trailer here. We have already done coverage of this trailer here. Be sure to follow the KH13 Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr pages for further coverage on all Kingdom Hearts news. Is there anything in Re Mind you're particularly excited by or hopeful for?
  3. CheyRae

    kingdom hearts 3 Connection

    Fan Art I did of Sora and Kairi's connection.
  4. Hi, where can I find the high quality version of this Kingdom Hearts 3 emblem, which was used in the PS4 Pro KH3 limited edition original theme and in KH3 marketing? This emblem is taken from the PS4 theme screenshot, and looks low quality.
  5. QUIZ: How many characters are wearing plaid or have plaid accessories in Kingdom Hearts III? We're talking original characters and main characters in Kingdom Hearts III.
  6. Does anyone know how to actually make one or more of the recipes featured in the game? I cook and bake a little myself and these all look super tasty. Anyways, I thought this might be a nice thread to share and try out some of the recipes from the game! To start out, I found a recipe for a Tarte aux Fruit that looks pretty close to the one in the game. I'm probably going to try it out sometime next week, and post my results. Anyone else want to try? http://www.meettheshannons.net/2011/07/vegetalien-tarte-aux-fruits-frais-vegan.html?m=1 I'm not vegan myself, so I'll probably use dairy products instead of their vegan substitutes.
  7. A good while ago, I did a review video for Kingdom Hearts 3, but I decided to wait before posting it here so that everyone had a good amount of time to play the game. So, if you want someone else's thoughts on the game, then this is a pretty good video for you.
  8. What up everyone! How's it going? Well today I decided to another fan-made KHUx medal, but this time I decided to dd a Rapunzel medal. My main reason why I decided to do Rapunzel was that I'm very excited to see a Tangled world in Kingdom Hearts 3! Plus not to mention I watch the movie a few days ago, and I was like, "Oh yeah! That's right a Tangled world is going to be in Kingdom Hearts 3." And I really Rapunzel and I'm very curious about what her interactions would be like when she meets Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Please enjoy this Rapunzel Medal and see you later with my next fan-made KHUx medal!!!
  9. Ladies and gentlemen, I have now taken the time to think about the game since finishing it. It was, once again, 6 Transformers movies worth waiting for this title. I already shared my feelings towards this anticipation. But now, it is finally finished, I can finally express my thoughts the best that I can. This review is kinda last minute because of Kingdom Hearts 17th anniversary, I had to post this. I may update my review for this eventually, spoilers and all. Till then, enjoy what I have for now This will be semi-spoiler-ish, however. I really gotta mention some elements and speak my thoughts on it. I will try to be as vague as I can. Another thing to note and it's kind of important. As of this review, there was confirmation on DLC coming up. So, if they happen to be story changes, this will not be included in this first-thoughts review. I may add a bonus near the end as an update of sorts. Till then, this review you're reading will not include DLC in full. Without further ado, let's get into the review! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - We begin KH3 where we left off in 0.2, when Sora and Co travel once again to new worlds. They must find a way to gain the Power of Waking, for it is a way to find the hearts that were once lost. Meanwhile, Riku and King Mickey look for clues to find the 3 missing Keyblade wielders. This journey will be their toughest yet, as they try to assemble the guardians of light to fight against Xehanort's schemes. - - - - - - - Let's start off with when I first started playing. Each main title tradition is how a menu is presented (at least like KH2 did). The moment you see a portion of the drawing of Sora, the KH3 rendition of Dearly Beloved. This version was the most unique and enchanting I have heard. The moment the menu fully shows, I truly cried legitimately for the first time for any KH game. I had some tears in the past, but I never sobbed till now. My connection with the anticipation was beginning to pay off. Of course, it was the tip of the iceberg for the further emotional moments to come. The rest will involve mostly story moments. But, first things first: GRAPHICS AND PRESENTATION: No question, the best looking KH game in the series. The environments of each world was unique and beautiful in their own way. They try to make it as close to the visuals of the movies as possible, at least by game standards. Details were incredibly crucial during it's development and they delivered thanks to the Disney/Pixar IPs lending their visually picky hands in the mix. One of the aspects I did not expect involved some "CGI" moments. To keep it from being to spoiled, these moments threw me off guard when they were presented as not an opening or ending sequence. Good darn dandy it's the first time in the KH series I've seen so much of it. That is incredibly welcoming and would love to see more in the future installments. This unique feature they added was smoothly transitioning cutscene to gameplay. In fact, it is somewhat resonant to KH1. Not as smoothly as now of course. But I thought it was neat to not have that many fade-outs. Then there are "speech bubbles". Fun fact, in KH3, there aren't any. Now, there are full voice text. To which, I find that a great change in the series. Hard to say what else, it's just so gosh diddly darn pretty! GAMEPLAY: This is kinda tricky to explain. I've never been the most critical in the technicality of gaming. They are explosive and fun to say the least. However, there are some mechanics I feel needed to be addressed the best I can (this is pure opinion from yours truly, so I recommend experiencing this yourselves to receive your own conclusion). One of the mechanics involves something called Attractions. They are simply somewhat summons to Disney rides as an advantage in combat. While they are fun in their own way, depending on your play style, I feel they can be jarring depending on the timing in and out of combat or if you simply just want it there at all. For example, the issue I had was just simply trying to open a chest using △. However, if you're not looking, your situation command on an Attraction is also △, so you're just wasting the ability. I find it strange how it was introduced to the game. The context to how it existed was simply non-existent. I am telling you, I enjoy using a summon more than attraction because Summons were introduced via story cutscene. To that, I find it a more proper way to introduce a mechanic. If Square finds a way to squeeze in a reason Attraction exists via cutscene, I probably wouldn't mind them too much I think. Another feature I actually wish they brought back was clothing customization. This was from 0.2 Birth by Sleep, which is e first to use this certain feature. If anything, I find this a far more fun component in the game. I think it made 0.2 have replay value because you can get her these times via completing objectives. As such, I was hoping we get that in KH3. Sadly, it is not to be Not sure if this will be added as DLC, only time will tell (but I will be guessing no for now) Another I feel is crucial is the difficulty. Funny enough, this game does not include critical mode. You could argue that it feels traditional to add critical in a Final Mix version. However, when a series like KH would be around for so long, you would think for them to simply add it like the other in-between titles. I am saying this because I heard the game was too easy. As someone who played on standard, it did feel too easy. I even played the game on Proud, and it was not much tougher. Luckily, as of this review, Square is planning to add critical. I'll add my thoughts on that when the time comes. That being said, it did feel too easy and not super challenging. Luckily, aside from these certain issues, I still had a blast with the combat. One of my favorite mechanics is Rage Form. It is similar to anti-form in KH2. It used to be an inescapable consequence for using drive forms too many times and was not introduced in game till you randomly activate. However, you are now given an option to use it if you are at critical health (you are even healed when you use it). This form also plays an important part and I'll explain why in my spoiler section. I previously mentioned that Summons were really fun to use.....well, at least one of them. I will admit, I feel the summons are, once again, pretty forgettable. But it really depends on the play style. When I played for the first time, I have used this summon so many times because of how cool it is and it's finisher a heavy hitter. It is just that and I'd rather use a summon over piles of attraction flow. Having a Keyblade is mysterious, weilding 2 keyblades was mind-blowing. Now, I can not only equip 3 keyblades, I can now switch on the go during combat. It was really neat to pick 3 of my choosing to have certain situation I want. That being said, I am a bit saddened that there are less Keybaldes this time around. I don't even have that many original Keybaldes. It is still a tradition to get the ultima weapon and now a couple of early DLC Keybaldes, just feels kinda weird to not have many original keyblades for this big title. However, I want to remain confident in hopes we get more via DLC in the future. So, this could end up being an invalid complaint. I still love switching the keyblades I want. Another neat thing I have to mention is the gummi ship. For many years, it is considered the least favorite in the series. The only thing to gather from the gummi ship are mostly items ONLY exclusive to the gummi ship and had nothing to do outside of it. It is also on the rail shooting for both KH1 and KH2 and you have to fight rough enemies in order to open a world. Now, in KH3, you have more freedom to fly around space to gather no just gummi parts, but even parts for your Keyblade and earn some money. You also have e option whether or not you want to fight some enemies. It is entirely explorable. Even customization is more fun this time around. Out of everything in KH3, this was somewhat more nostalgic to me. The music really hit home in the gummi menu. I almost hated the gummi simply because I was learning about it and figuring out the controls. Now, I can easily say it is incredibly fun now. Speaking of music..... MUSIC: I find that music can impact anyone in many ways. In case you guys don't know, I LOVE Kingdom Hearts music. It made Yoko Shimomura my all time favorite composer (though, technically FFXV officially confirmed the top favorite composer...same person BTW). She certainly knows what points to hit and how to hit it. I previously mentioned that KH3's menu theme, Dearly Beloved, made me cry like a baby. Most of the original tracks that are from the game's plot were emotional and well composed. I want to name my favorite tracks that truly stood out to me, but that will be a list for another day. But, my gosh, she never failed to make my soul overfill itself with spirit juice and leaking it out of my eyes. STORY: SO.....now we get to the one thing that kept me going in this series. What brought me to do reaction videos, the true reason why I wanted this game. Shocker, it is the story. This section is not semi-spoiler. So, read with caution. If you want to care about the story, I will straight out say you have to understand the past titles in order to get the full picture of this game. I am not talking just about the lore and world-building. It's seeing the characters go through their trials is worth the emotional pay-off. Yes, even even if you do understand the entirety of the series, there are some issues, which I will be as vague as I can. For the Disney stories, it is 50/50. They range from original stories to exact copy of the film but adding Sora. I find the original plots of the Disney worlds to have the better experience in my opinion. I say this because it had the most memorable moments compared to the others. The rest are fine.....except for one. This world felt incredibly lacking of interacting with the Disney characters and even the story of that world. It felt like there was no impact or reasonable connection with them. It was there because it was popular and Disney was incredibly protective of it. What makes it just as frustrating is we're exploring the world the same way only to end up falling over and over, rinse and repeat. Some of you may know what world I am talking about. But it happens to be my least favorite because of it. That being said, the other half of the worlds have original plot. I'll just flat out say the worlds I am technically talking about are the Pixar worlds. Pixar requesting them to do an original plot was a smarter idea. As such, it gave Square more freedom to create a chance to work with the overall plot and became more memorable because of it. They outshine even the most popular movie title put in the game. As for the characters, there were many that had their moments and were a sight to see. However, there was one character that I felt was....how do I say....weird in how their arc was done. They started out just fine like I would expect. Continues to be one as such for awhile. Until, out of nowhere, they suddenly flip the coin to surprise you. It is somewhat explained in the reports and it may have been hinted during the actual gameplay. I just never found any hints for how they learn to come to the realization to atone. Another character I need to speak my thoughts on that is considered the big elephant in the room.....some of you may know what I'm talking about. They were incredibly advertised to be a change of pace for the character. More screen time and even a better sorry arc for them. Only for them to trip hard and lose the potential to become what they are expected to be. I'll be honest, that character never bothered me nor did I actually care. They weren't really inspirational aside from loving the name. Saying that might mean something isn't working for that character for me. I am not really as mad as everyone in this are meant, but I can see why people are frustrated. Here's hoping they improve them in the future titles or even via DLC. Who knows.... There is also the lack of some certain characters that were also discussed in the fandom. This was already confirmed before the game's release, so I'll just straight out say it. There are no Final Fantasy characters....at all....aside from Moogles. The reason was because there are so many characters in the series, they want their arcs to be completed (because that is why we waited for KH3 for so long). As a result, they felt it was unnecessary to keep them when the original characters have their own paths to walk on without FF guidance. If anything, I can definitely see that. However, the addition of Final Fantasy with Disney is what drew the other half of the weird crossover in the first place. Leaving out what made this game unique feels hallow. Don't get me wrong, Kingdom Hearts definitely created it's own identity. It's just saddening leaving out a unique ingredient from the full meal. Aside from that, there is no need to talk about my thoughts on the lore of this game because it is a fun hot mess of nonsense. What mattered was seeing the characters earn their goals that they rightfully deserve and it emotionally pays off. I am telling you, this is the first time I actually cried more often in a game. I never really cried, but I do get emotional, misty eyes and pulling heart strings. This game, just over did it and loved every moment of it. Regardless how you feel, I think KH3 has great moments, regardless how nonsensical and crazy the story is. The KH series always had moments that shines bright, despite whether of not you enjoy the other titles. - - I really did enjoy my time with this game the first time. I will cherish those moments because not only do I finally get to play KH3 after years of waiting, but at that time I was going through a difficult time from work (and I do not mean just being tired from it). Taking the time to play this game without a worry in the world, gave me the breath of happiness I need.....it was convenient too because my town was hit with the Polar Vortex and had to stay off work. During my time playing this game, I managed to record my reaction playing the entire game. I will forever look back on my favorite highlights. That being said, I will be honest, I had to take my time to really think on how I do this review due to the polarizing arguments in the fandom recently. I wanted to express my thoughts without reflecting and applying everyone's opinion to my own opinions. I want it to come from me. It is not perfect, but I just want to talk about it. To think is is finally out and finished, I admit that I actually miss the anticipation. But, now is the time to look forward to more new content for the future of the series. I will most definitely look forward to it. ARTIST'S NOTES This was a wonderful piece to do. I've always loved the largest-mirror shots, I find them aesthetically pleasing. This was based on the opening of KH3 (and it is somewhat a recurring thing in the game) and the art cover of the game. When I first saw the cover, I was blown away by the variety of colors. The sky had all the times of day simultaneously, making it incredibly beautiful. I wanted to inflict that with this drawing since, again, seems to be recurring in this title. Fun fact, I almost used this background for my Union X drawing, but decided to use this for here because the colors matched better with KH3 Sora. Speaking of one was a bit easier because he is not full of belts I guess LOL That and I learning that his shoes have become somewhat reasonably sized compared to KH1. - - - That is it. That is all the drawings up to here in this particular project. To think I've started last year, taking me 6-7 months since June, to make this project possible. It was even more fun when I replayed the games to easily give the full thoughts on each review attached to the art work. I am incredibly proud of it, I even made my own photo book on it to cherish. This series is very special and I want to share my love for it to everyone. Thank you all so much for tuning it checking it out. Please check out the whole collection of art work from the project. If you are new, I hope they will convince you to play the games. They are incredibly fun and unique that is unlike most games today. My fellow veteran fans, I hope this was enjoyable regardless. Seriously, thank you and may your hearts be your guiding key! KH COUNTDOWN FOLDER HERE >>> https://www.deviantart.com/mns-prime-21/gallery/67100545/Kingdom-Hearts-III-Countdown
  10. [Start: Right after Elsa leaves the scene] SORA: [Looking at the icicles blocking him.] Wow, those are some thick icicles. LARXENE: [Off-Screen] Now, don’t you know when to respect a lady’s space, young man? SORA: Well, given that it’s rare to see a story relevant girl around in this series, not as much as I should. Larxene: [Still Off-Screen] [-.-] What? SORA: Kind of a consequence for being in a title by Square and Disney – there’s way too many men around that you don’t remember how to interact with girls. Larxene appears behind Sora and his unimportant minions. Sora and his unimportant minions turn around to face her. LARXENE: Alright, I will give you that one. It’s no wonder why fanfiction can sometimes be sausage fests. SORA: Ah-ha! Let’s move on to the Organization stuff then. Is that alright, miss…? LARXENE: It’s Larxene, and thank you for the courtesy this time. For the basic point: we can’t let you be around Elsa for a while, so I need to keep you busy. SORA: How about we talk about why you are in the Organization? I mean, you are the second member I met whom I don’t recognize. LARXENE: Castle Oblivion, kid. You wouldn’t remember me due to Naminé’s repair job. [Sora makes an “ah” to that.] This catch up is quick and decent, but I really must keep you from Elsa a little longer. So…I’m going to use my electricity on those icicles to make a needless filler detour fortress. Ta! Larxene begins the formation. SORA: Wait Larxene! Sora pulls out the Pride Heartbinder. SORA: Do you know what this is? Larxene’s eyes went wide. LARXENE: Aw crap! When do you get that? SORA: The Monsters Inc. world: Monstropolis! Oddly enough, fire-fighting rewards you with Fire-type summons. CAPTION: Key evidence is Ifrit of Final Fantasy and Belias of Final Fantsay XII. SORA: Now, I’m going to use this to stop your fortress plan, skipping utterly needless filler to an already filler world! COME FORTH, FIRE SIMBA!!! SHOW THIS LADY WHY KING’S FLARE IS THE MOST USEFUL AND OVERPOWERED OF ALL THE LINKS!!!* [Simba is summoned, and Sora ends up on Simba’s back] SIMBA: ROAR!! [TRANSLATION: FIRE EXPLOSION!!!] The ice blocks were melted by Simba’s appearance. Larxene wasn’t pleased. LARXENE: That’s not fair! We’re supposed to be part of a cliché JRPG story: the good guys aren’t meant to get past the villain’s traps that easily! SORA: Ha-ha! What’s the matter? Did the cold air go and turn hot on you? LARXENE: ……… Larxene could only stare at him with a miffed face. SIMBA: Rowr. [TRANSLATION: That joke was lame. Even for you, Sora.] SORA: Well, excuse me, critics! At least we won’t have to go through useless filler now. LARXENE: Urg… This whole scene was a waste of time… I’m outta here! See ya at the top and on a frozen lake! Larxene brings up a dark corridor to exit through. SORA: See ya later! LARXENE: (to herself) Seriously, though. I should have just been a boss battle here. SORA: Now onward, Simba! Onward to Els-ahh!!! Simba’s time was up and thus, Simba disappeared. Sora falls to the ground, which was now covered in mushy snow. Face first. It’s “yuk” and “ouch” at the same time. END Author’s notes: Due to my time in the real game’s ice fortress, Simba indeed won the title of best Link. This was an example of a possible abridged or parody of Kingdom Hearts III (and basically post-Kingdom Hearts III) I had in mind for a while. Sorry that the jokes didn’t work. I apparently have little to no skill in joke writing.
  11. Hey, Kingdom Hearts 3 is finally coming to South Korea on 23 May 2019, confirmed in the PlayStation Festa event on 9 March. The Korean subs version will be using Japanese voices, like the Chinese subs version. https://asia.playstation.com/ko-kr/press-releases/2019/190311-KH3-releasedate/
  12. At first, the story might not seem like much has changed, but as it progresses, I believe you will notice a significant difference. Please enjoy. - R.F. de Bello CHAPTER ONE [Scala ad Caelum - Exterior] [Time of Day - Day] (The camera sweeps around the city.) [Scala ad Caelum - Library] [Time of Day - Day] (A young Eraqus and Xehanort are sitting on a window sill, playing a strategy game.) YOUNG XEHANORT Have you heard of the ancient Keyblade War? Long ago, Keyblade wielders waged a war over the ownership of light. YOUNG ERAQUS Yeah, the Master's favorite story. YOUNG XEHANORT I wonder what happened to the lost masters- after they summoned Kingdom Hearts? YOUNG ERAQUS ...Who? YOUNG XEHANORT They're the ones who started the Keyblade War. YOUNG ERAQUS Never heard of 'em. Where'd you hear about that? YOUNG XEHANORT You can drop the facade. "On that Land shall Darkness prevail and Light expire." The gazing eye sees the fate of the world. The future- it's already been written. YOUNG ERAQUS Really? I'm not too sure about that. (Eraqus looks up at Xehanort.) YOUNG ERAQUS You might be surprised. (Xehanort looks up at Eraqus.) YOUNG XEHANORT Oh, I hope so... (The camera focuses on two opposing game pieces on the board- one featuring a crown, and the other a goat.) "DISNEY" "SQUARE ENIX" "KINGDOM HEARTS III" (Sora speaks the words written on the screen.) "They can take your world. They can take your heart. Cut you loose from all you know. But if it's your fate... then every step forward will always be a step closer to home." (Face My Fears by Utada Hikaru) [Realm of Darkness - Road to Inner Darkness] [Time of Day - N/A] (Aqua is slowly walking through the Realm of Darkness. She's visibly exhausted.) AQUA Seems like I've been walking for ages. How long have I been down here? (A Darkside suddenly appears beside Aqua. She summons her Keyblade, the Master's Defender. Three more Darksides appear and surround her. Aqua looks around, afraid. Aqua then desummons her Keyblade.) AQUA Maybe... I should fade into the darkness here. (The Darksides begin their attack on Aqua, but before they can land a hit, Aqua's wayfinder glows and two Keyblades, Ends of the Earth and Wayward Wind, come soaring through the darkness. They destroy the Darksides. Aqua looks around in awe. The Keyblades fly off. Aqua smiles. She becomes surprised.) AQUA I've here so long- I almost forgot how to smile. (Aqua pulls out her wayfinder, still aglow.) AQUA There's always a way. (She holds the wayfinder to her heart.) AQUA As long as you're with me, I'll always find my way back. Always. (Aqua begins walking again, having found the will to move forward.) "REALM OF DARKNESS" [Gameplay Begins] [Starter Keyblade: Master's Defender] [Gameplay Ends] [Realm of Darkness - Inner Zones] [Time of Day - N/A] (Aqua begins to feel uneasy. She pulls out her still glowing wayfinder and looks at it. Suddenly, after a loud noise, the ground begins to shake. Aqua looks around, and then looks up. She gasps. A portal of light appears in the high in the distance. A torrent of darkness surges through the portal. Aqua looks confused and horrified. Aqua looks down at her wayfinder and sees its glow fade.) AQUA What is going on? (Aqua closes her eyes and holds her wayfinder to her heart. She opens her eyes, determined.) [Gameplay Begins and Ends] (Through the red, veiny eyes of a mysterious creature, we see the creature look around the area. The creature spots Aqua walking past. Back in a third person view, we see the red-eyed creature leap through the dark trees, circling Aqua. She notices and summons her Keyblade. The creature stops. Aqua looks around, still wary. The creature reappears and leaps towards her from behind. It knocks her over. Aqua gets up as the creature runs towards her again. She casts Firaga at the creature, but it leaps over the spell, and over Aqua. She looks at the creature from below in slow motion.) AQUA [THINKING] This monster... This is no Unversed. (The creature lands in the trees, hiding within their shadows.) AQUA Just a dweller of darkness. [Gameplay Begins] (Boss: Dark Hide) [Gameplay Ends] [Realm of Darkness - Road to Dreams] [Time of Day - Perpetual Night] (Aqua contines walking. She notices something and stops.) AQUA Could it be...? (The camera looks up to reveal the Castle of Dreams, looming in the distance. Aqua begins walking again.) AQUA Why is Cinderlla's world... here in the darkness? (Heartless appear and Aqua stops. She summons her Keyblade.) [Gameplay Begins and Ends] (Aqua is battling a group of Shadows and begins to think.) AQUA [THINKING] It's as the Master said- there's no "time" in the Realm of Darkness. In the Realm of Light, do days or years pass with each step? (Aqua finishes the last one off and desummons her Keyblade.) AQUA [THINKNING] I know something has started to go wrong. I must hurry! [Gameplay Begins and Ends] (Aqua is running towards the castle and stops when she sees the ground in front of her begins to give way. In the aftermath, there are four rocky pillars and a long bar of blue crystal stretching to the other end of the cliff.) AQUA I guess I know which way I'm going. [Gameplay Begins and Ends] [Realm of Darkness - Castle Town] [Time of Day - Perpetual Night] (Aqua is walking down the road. She looks around at the ruined, empty town. She stops and looks at the ground.) AQUA I took it for granted. I thought I had nothing in life to lose. (Aqua closes her eyes and remembers the various events of her life. Afterwards, she opens her eyes and looks around at the town.) AQUA Here, too. Everyone in this world thought that they were safe. Not just the people... but the dog waiting for his owner... the cat curled up in her nook... So much life. Trees and flowers... There's no deeper sadness than discovering all that you know is lost. The grief in this place is too much to fathom. (Aqua stands in silence for a moment, then she begins walking again.) AQUA That's enough. I can't keep on wishing for the past. [Gameplay Begins and Ends] (Aqua is walking in the path to the Castle. She stops and looks up at the clock tower. The clock doesn't seem to being moving. She makes an I-thought-so-face and continues walking. After a loud, ground-shaking explosion, the ground in front of her begins to give way. The bell on the tower suddenly rings. The clock's hands spin like mad as glowing, golden gears flying through the face of the clock. Aqua stops to look at it for a moment, when the ground beneath her gives way. She jumps off the falling ground and lands on the ground above. She turns around and sees that the path to the Castle has been completely destroyed. The bell stops ringing, and the hands stop spinning.) AQUA [THINKING] The road collapsed when the clock advanced. If only I'd made it in time... But there is no time in this place, only... the clock. (Aqua turns arounds and looks for something. She spots a floating swirl of gears nearby. She approaches it, summons her Keyblade, and uses it to hurl the gears back into the clock. The clock's hands move counter-clockwise, slightly. Part of the fallen path returns to its original place.) [Gameplay Begins] (Aqua finds and returns four more gear swirls to the clock, completing the path to the Castle.) [Short Scene Starts] (A Demon Tower suddenly appears in front of Aqua. She summons her Keyblade.) [Short Scene Ends] (Boss: Demon Tower) [Short Scene Starts] (The Demon Tower flees into a dark corridor on the ground.) [Short Scene Ends] [Gameplay Ends] (Aqua stands at the steps leading into the Castle. She looks up at the clock.) AQUA What I wouldn't give to really turn back time... (Aqua turns around and looks up at the sky.) AQUA ...to spend one more night beneath the stars with my best friends. (Aqua reaches up at the sky.) PHANTOM TERRA Aqua. (Aqua gasps and turns around. Phantom Terra walks down the steps.) AQUA It can't be! What are you doing here? You should be in the Realm of Light. (Terra stands before her and says nothing.) AQUA Why won't you say anything to me? (Aqua attempts to grab his hand, but he's just an illusion. Aqua backs away. The illusion dissipates.) [Gameplay Starts and Ends] [Realm of Darkness - Woodlands] [Time of Day - Perpetual Night] (Aqua stops and looks around. She notices the glass coffin that Snow White once rested in. Inside lies a familiar figure.) AQUA Is that...? (Aqua runs towards the coffin and peers in. Phantom Ventus rests inside. Aqua gasps.) AQUA Ven!? (Phantom Ventus vanishes in the same manner as Phantom Terra.) AQUA [THINKING] Ven... I know I promised to wake you up. I'm sorry. But I have to find a way home before I can help you. I just want you to know that's it's been you that keeps my heart strong- keeps the dark away. (Aqua feels a presence behind her and turns around. Before her floats a mirror. She approaches it. Aqua puts a hand on the glass. Her reflection grabs Aqua's hand.) AQUA What!? (Phantom Aqua pulls her in.) [Realm of Darkness - The World Within] [Time of Day - N/A] (Aqua comes out on the other side, Phantom Aqua nowhere to be seen. Aqua turns around to look at the mirror behind her. She has no reflection. Aqua looks around the area and begins walking. Aqua stops, looks down, and sighs. When she looks back up, she finds herself surrounded by three mirrors. They start spinning around her, and then fly off in opposite directions.) AQUA What just happened? (Aqua realizes that she had a reflection in those mirrors. She runs back to the mirror she came from to make sure. She still has no reflection in the mirror.) AQUA Those mirrors... (Aqua turns around to look in their direction.) AQUA maybe they're a clue. [Gameplay Begins] (Throughout this area, Aqua hears Phantom Aqua taunt her. The voice has a strange undertone.) (Aqua completes each of the mirrors' challenges. She then enters the one she came from, which now has a reflection of Aqua, but is showing a strange location.) [Gameplay Ends] (Aqua sees another floating mirror and she approaches it.) AQUA Is this what it means to face your demons? (Phantom Aqua reaches out of the mirror towards Aqua. Aqua jumps back and summons her Keyblade. Phantom Aqua summons a copy of Aqua's Keyblade and walks out of the mirror.) PHANTOM AQUA Only your heart is hollow enough to be a demon's. AQUA That's not true! My heart's strong! I'll prove it! [Gameplay Begins) (Boss: Phantom Aqua) [Gameplay Ends] (Aqua slashes Phantom Aqua and shes vanishes like Phantom Terra and Phantom Ventus. Aqua desummons her Keyblade. She approaches the mirror.) AQUA Terra and Ven didn't have anything to say, but my phantom... she wanted to destroy me. Never would have thought I'd become my own worst enemy. (Aqua sighs.) AQUA I've talked to myself a lot since falling into these shadows, but with the phantom, it's as though all of my doubts have gained a voice of their own. (Silence.) AQUA She's the weakness in my heart. (Aqua turns away from the mirror.) AQUA [THINKING] Have the uncountable hours in the shadows whittled away the courage I never really had? (Aqua pulls out her wayfinder, and looks at it. She then holds it to her heart.) AQUA [THINKING] I'm losing this fight. The darkness has found the cracks in my heart. (She turns back to the mirror.) AQUA [THINKING] How much more can I endure before it takes me over? [Gameplay Starts and Ends] [Realm of Darkness - Forest of Thorns] [Time of Day - Perpetual Night] (Aqua is walking through the forest.) AQUA Another world I know. (Aqua stops when she sees Phantom Terra and Phantom Ventus walking in front of her.) AQUA Terra... Ven... (Her face looks sad and desperate. She runs after them. They vanish as before.) AQUA [THINKING] I don't care if they aren't real. Or if I fall into the darkness. I miss them! (Aqua begins running again. Suddenly, large thorns grow out of the plants. They block the path forward. Aqua summons her Keyblade.) AQUA Get out of my way! [Gameplay Begins] (Throughout this area, Phantom Terra and Phantom Ventus continually appear in front of Aqua. They always vanish.) [Gameplay Ends] (Aqua runs forward, Keyblade in hand. She cuts through the thorns in her way. A Darkside appears in front of her.) AQUA You really think you can keep me away from my friends? [Gameplay Begins] (Boss: Darkside) [Gameplay Ends] [Realm of Darkness - Forbidden Mountain] (Aqua runs out of the forest. An army of Darksides await her.) AQUA Fine, then. [Gameplay Starts] (Boss: Darkside Army) [Gameplay Ends] (Aqua defeats the last one and falls over from exhaustion. She sees Phantom Terra and Phantom Ventus at the bottom of the entrance into Maleficent's castle. Aqua, half-conscious, forces herself to get up and approaches Phantom Terra and Phantom Ventus. Before she can reach them, a vortex of darkness appears right below Aqua and begins to pull her in. She collapses again. In a first person perspective, she sees the phantoms vanish.) AQUA Terra... Ven... (Aqua's eyes shut.) [Realm of Darkness - Depths of Darkness] [Time of Day - N/A] (Aqua is sinking into the abyss. Her wayfinder falls out of her hand.) PHANTOM AQUA Now you can be one with the darkness. (A white-gloved hand grabs Aqua's wayfinder.) MICKEY Aqua. (She opens her eyes. Mickey hands Aqua her wayfinder. He pulls her to the ground.) MICKEY Are you okay? AQUA Mickey... how... did... (Aqua gasps.) AQUA Terra! Ven! (Aqua looks around. Mickey looks confused. He looks behind her and sees something.) MICKEY No time to talk. (Mickey summons his Keyblade, the Star Seeker. Aqua turns around and sees the same Demon Tower from before. She summons her Keyblade.) AQUA Dwellers of darkness... MICKEY They're called Heartless! [Gameplay Begins] (Boss: Demon Tower) [Gameplay Ends] (The Demon Tower flies away.) MICKEY We better not push our luck. (He desummons his Keyblade. Aqua does the same.) MICKEY Gosh. I never thought I'd find ya in the Realm of Darkness, that's for sure. (Silence.) MICKEY So, um, what happened? AQUA Have you seen Terra or Ven? MICKEY No, just you. (Aqua sighs. Silence.) AQUA I'm sorry. The darkness in this place... it's getting to me. MICKEY Oh. But... you'll be okay. (Silence.) MICKEY Say, we've been looking for ya a long time. AQUA How long's it been in the Realm of Light? MICKEY About... ten years. (Silence.) MICKEY How come you're in this place? (Brief silence.) AQUA When I went after Terra, he was about to fall to darkness, so I stayed here in hopes of giving him a chance. MICKEY I... didn't know. AQUA What about you? What could have brought you here? Has something happened in the Realm of Light? MICKEY It's the Heartless. They've been attacking worlds and taking their hearts. And with no hearts, worlds vanish into darkness. But, if we can lock the Door between the two Realms from both sides, we can protect the other worlds. So ya see, I came here to find the Key on this side. AQUA So the worlds really are in danger. (Mickey looks around.) MICKEY We need to hurry! Let's find that Key and go home together! AQUA Does that mean you know an exit? MICKEY Well, uh, I was so busy finding a way in, that I didn't give a lot of thought to where there'd be a way out. But, we're sure to find one together! (Aqua laughs.) AQUA You haven't changed at all. (They both laugh. Mickey looks to the distance.) MICKEY "May your heart be your guiding key." AQUA There's a phrase no one's used in ages. MICKEY Keyblade wielders used to say those words to each other. And now... it's something I like to try and remember. (Mickey holds out his hand.) MICKEY So, ready? (Aqua grabs his hand.) AQUA Ready! [Gameplay Begins and Ends] [Realm of Darkness - Crumbling Island] [Time of Day - Perpetual Day] (Aqua and Mickey look around.) AQUA [THINKING] This is... where I met those children. MICKEY Aqua! (Mickey points in a certain direction.) MICKEY It's this way. C'mon! [Gameplay Starts and Ends] (Aqua and Mickey arrive at the entrance to the secret place. They head inside and stand in front of the featureless door.) MICKEY I bet it's in there. (Aqua and Mickey push on the door, and it opens. Inside floats the Kingdom Key D. Aqua and Mickey approach it.) AQUA Is that what you're after? MICKEY Yep, it's just the Key I was looking for. A Keyblade from the Dark Realm! AQUA A Keyblade of darkness... MICKEY "The Door to Darkness, tied by two Keys." "The Door to Darkness, to seal the light." Welp, we've got the Key. Now we need to close the Door. AQUA Well then, since you'll be the one doing the locking on this side, let me be the one to lock it on the other side. MICKEY Sorry, but the job's taken... by someone else. AQUA Huh? By who? (The ground shakes, and the two of them look around. Suddenly, a flood of brilliant light envelopes them.) [Realm of Darkness - Door to Darkness] [Time of Day - N/A] (When the light dissipates, the two find themselves in a new location. They look around, and begin walking. Around the corner, is the Door to Darkness.) AQUA Is that it? MICKEY Yep, the Door to Kingdom Hearts. (Mickey breathes in.) MICKEY It's time. With this Key in the Realm of Darkness, and his Key in the Realm of Light, we're gonna close this Door. (Mickey pauses for a moment.) MICKEY Aqua, before the Door shuts, you leave through it. AQUA What? MICKEY You've been here long enough. This is your chance. AQUA But what about you? MICKEY Don't worry about me. I'll find a way out! We'll see each other again real soon! (They both smile. Mickey spots Riku running to the Door.) MICKEY Hurry, Aqua! AQUA Right! (The Demon Tower from before, now fully transformed into the Demon Tide, bursts out of a corridor on the ground. Aqua summons her Keyblade.) [Gameplay Begins] (Boss: Demon Tide) [Gameplay Ends] (The Demon Tide heads straight for Riku.) MICKEY Oh no! (Aqua summons her Keyblade and leaps towards it, getting in front of it.) AQUA Back off! (Aqua uses her Keyblade to keep it place. Mickey runs towards Aqua.) MICKEY Aqua! (The Demon Tide breaks free and angrily rush Aqua and Mickey. Aqua becomes trapped in the Demon Tide, and Mickey falls to the ground, his clothes tattered. Mickey looks up as the Demon Tide flees through a dark corridor, taking Aqua with it.) MICKEY Aqua... [Mickey stands for a moment, before realizing he must continue on without her. He runs towards the Door.) [Realm of Darkness - Dark Margin] [Time of Day - N/A] (A man in a black coat sits on a rock on the shore. After a long moment of silence, Aqua approaches.) AQUA Who are you? (The man, surprised, looks at her.) ANSEM THE WISE Why, hello. It's not often I get visitors. AQUA Please, call me Aqua. Why are you sitting here, all alone in the Realm of Darkness? How did you end up here? ANSEM THE WISE Well... I can tell you this is my second time on these shores. But unfortunately, much like the first, I do not remember who I am or whence I came. Everything was washed away in whatever currents carried me here. AQUA That's too bad. (Aqua sits on the ground next to him.) AQUA I know I've been here a long time, wandering through the endless hours... unable to escape. ANSEM THE WISE You wish to return to your own world? (Aqua nods.) AQUA It's my friends. I promised I'd be there for them. ANSEM THE WISE Your friends? (Brief silence.) ANSEM THE WISE Somewhere in the scraps of memory I have left, you remind me of a boy I once knew. He is very much like you- true to his friends and kind. This boy travels to many worlds and fights to keep the light safe. At every turn, that boy arrives with Keyblade in hand to save the day. AQUA Huh? Wait a sec... Is his name Terra or Ven? ANSEM THE WISE Neither of those, I'm afraid. AQUA Should've known... (Silence.) ANSEM How long has it been since I met him? At least a year now, perhaps more... Back then, my heart was clouded with vengeance. I did terrible things... both to him and his friends. I brought unhappiness to more lives than one. I felt something must be done. Was that why? A means of clearing my conscience? Or perhaps, out of a sort of scholarly instinct? While the boy slept his long sleep, I hid the results of my research inside him, transplanting the data to where it might best serve a purpose. In fact, I would like to believe... 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. So many are still waiting for their new beginning... their birth by sleep. Even me... and even you. AQUA What's this boy's name? (Pause.) ANSEM THE WISE His name is... (The screen fades.) [The Mysterious Tower - The Tower] [Time of Day - Perpetual Evening] (A portal of light appears outside the Tower. Out walks Sora. He stretches and walks towards the Tower. His face is not shown.) "THE MYSTERIOUS TOWER" [Gameplay Begins] [Starter Keyblades - Kingdom Key; Star Seeker] [Gameplay Ends] (Sora is running up the steps. He spots Donald and Goofy walking ahead of him.) SORA Donald! Goofy! DONALD AND GOOFY [UNISON] Sora! (Sora runs up to them and they embrace each other, laughing. His face is still not shown. They start running up the steps.) DONALD Okay, start talking! GOOFY You were gone a long time. What were ya doin'? SORA Heh heh heh. Secret. [The Mysterious Tower - Sorcerer's Loft] [Time of Day - Perpetual Evening] (Sora opens the door at the top. His face is finally shown.) SORA I'm back! GOOFY A-hyuck! (Sora looks around. Yen Sid sits in his usual chair. No one else is here.) SORA Huh? Just us? (Donald shuts the door behind them.) YEN SID The others all had important work to do. So I sent them on their way. SORA That's great. They coulda said good-bye. DONALD It's you're fault you missed them! SORA I'm here now, right? (Sora and Donald glare at each other.) YEN SID We have matters to discuss. (The trio enter an over-the-top soldier stance.) YEN SID In order to defeat Xehanort, there are allies we must gather, acting now to rouse them from their slumber. We have discussed this before, Sora. (Sora nods.) YEN SID Your Mark of Mastery Exam was conducted in the hopes that you would acquire the power to wake them. However, Xehanort nearly made you his vessel and the process stripped you of most of the power you had gained by then. I suspect you have already noticed this, correct? (Sora sighs.) DONALD AND GOOFY [UNISON] Sora... (Sora shakes it off, and stands tall.) SORA Whatever! I'll get my power back in no time! (Yen Sid nods and smiles.) YEN SID Now then, Chip and Dale are currently analyzing data that Ansem the Wise provided to Riku, which could offer us a clue to retrieving our friends' lost hearts. I have very high hopes for this data. (Yen Sid pauses for a moment.) YEN SID However, our greatest chance of stopping Xehanort's plan still lies with you, Sora. If you trust the guidance your heart gives, I know we will find all of the Guardians of Light. But first, you must regain all of the strength you have lost. Perhaps it is foolish to expect a complete recovery, but it is absolutely vital that you perfect one power- the Power of Waking, which you failed to master during your exam. However, there is someone who lost his strength and found it again- a true hero to whom you ought to pay a visit. (Sora smiles and looks excited.) YEN SID Perhaps he can point you in the right direction. (Sora salutes.) SORA Got it. DONALD Master Yen Sid... GOOFY You can count on us to take care of Sora! YEN SID I would have it no other way. I put Sora in your hands. GOOFY Oh, this is gonna be lots of fun! (Donald and Goofy stack their hands. Sora does the same.) SORA Let's go! SORA, DONALD, AND GOOFY [UNISON] Count on us! (Yen Sid nods.) [The Ocean Between - Gummi Ship] [Time of Day - N/A] (The trio is sitting around in the Gummi Ship.) GOOFY Looks like all the old highways are closed. (Sora thinks. Donald looks impatient.) SORA How are we supposed to get there now? DONALD C'mon, Sora! Which way? SORA Ummm... DONALD Hey, would you get serious? SORA I'm trying. These things take time. (Donald groans.) GOOFY "May your heart be your guidin' key." SORA Huh? What's that? GOOFY Master Yen Sid always says that, right before we go off on any of our real important adventures. SORA Really? (Sora turns to Donald.) SORA Ring a bell? (Donald shakes his head, no.) GOOFY Maybe I just imagined it. (Goofy scratches his head.) SORA "May your heart be your guiding key." Ha! (Sora stands.) SORA I've got it! (Sora summons his Keyblade, the Kingdom Key, and points it at the front window. Sora puts his hand over his heart, and the tip of the Keyblade glows. A gate opens in the Ocean Between.) DONALD AND GOOFY [UNISON] It's a gate! (Sora desummons his Keyblade, and sits back down. He grabs the ship's controls. SORA Alright! Olympus Coliseum, here we come! (Sora flies the Gummi Ship through the gate, and it closes.) "KINGDOM HEARTS III" CHAPTER TWO: Coming February 27, 2019
  13. ClarkDesigner

    Character Card - Kairi

    I modeled her design after her KH3 appearance, with many more "combat-orientated" details that other artists include in their designs as well. For her dress, I made it a tad bit longer, and incorporated the small studs that where on her KH2 dress, and X marks on her dress when she was a child. For her belt, I kept the same consistency with Sora and Riku having Yen Sid inspired buckles, and I included the bag she wore in KH2. Under her dress, I included shorts and the sports bra she wore in KH1. I also include her bands and bracelets from KH1, 2 and 3, with some light magic ready to cast! For her boots, I included the straps from KH1, in the updated color scheme, a single black tie around her leg as a reference to her KH2 shoes. For her Title Logo, I kept with the similar style of Sora and Riku's. I included the Paopu Fruit as a shooting start image, to make the two dots for her "i"s. In the background, I made a negative space of her symbol seen in the Ultimania Guide as a small nod.
  14. You know what? I'm glad they didn't take too long getting this game out the door. In all seriousness, to say that this has been a long wait would be an understatement. While there have been plenty of games released on plenty of not-home consoles over the years, the 13 year gap between Kingdom Hearts II and Kingdom Hearts III was a long one. For better or for worse, KH3 was the game that every KH fan has been waiting for since Mickey's letter popped up in the epilogue of KH2. And now, after several years, a full engine switch, multiple HD collections, and a few more delays, Kingdom Hearts III was finally released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on January 25th, 2019. I will be reviewing the standard PS4 version of the game today. The series has seen plenty of highs, and plenty of lows, since the days of KH2, but to say that KH3 is a hyped game would be... putting it mildly, let's say. That being said, such a long wait is sure to create high expectations. After all of this time, is KH3 able to stand on its own, or is it crushed under the weight of those expectations? Let's find out. Before we get started, a quick word. This review will be dealing in spoilers from the entirety of the series. However, due to KH3 being less than a month old and the nature of the wait behind its release, I will NOT be delving into specific spoilers for KH3 itself. That being said, I will give a basic plot synopsis and be discussing what I think of certain characters and how they're handled, so if you want to go in COMPLETELY blind, don't read any further. You've been warned. Story Kingdom Hearts III takes place immediately following the events of Dream Drop Distance, and the epilogue of Birth By Sleep 0.2: A Fragmentary Passage. Jesus, these names... Anyway, Sora has returned from the Realm of Sleep to continue his adventures. However, because of his defeat at the hands of Young Xehanort in 3D, Sora has found himself stripped of most of his strength, as well as the highly coveted Power of Waking. This is kind of a huge problem, since the groundwork for a new Keyblade War is nearly finished by a freshly resurrected Master Xehanort, who plans to pit a group of 13 Darknesses against an opposing 7 Lights to forge the X-Blade and finally unlock Kingdom Hearts. While Kairi and Lea train together to prepare for the coming conflict, and Riku and Mickey venture further into the Realm of Darkness to try and save the fallen Keyblade Master Aqua (and hopefully her own friends afterwards), Sora once again joins Donald and Goofy to travel to various Disney worlds in order to regain his lost power and hopefully uncover the secret behind the Power of Waking. However, Sora is on a strict time limit: if he and the others can't form their seven Lights, Xehanort's new Organization XIII will begin going after the seven Princesses of Heart instead. It's up to Sora and friends to keep them safe, save their old friends, and put a stop to Xehanort's schemes once and for all. So I'm going to be VERY blunt here: Kingdom Hearts III's story is meant for long time fans of the series, and no one else. Despite what the short recaps in the menu screen will have you believe, I advise STRONGLY against picking up KH3 without having played the other games in the series first, if story means something to you. That's not to say you won't get it, but there there are a lot of moments in KH3 that won't have the same emotional punch if you haven't experienced the rest of the series for yourself. No matter which promo guy from Square Enix tells you that KH3 is the perfect point of entry for the series, don't believe their lies. Now look, I'm not gonna pretend that the Kingdom Hearts story is high art or anything. KH gets a lot of crap for being overly convoluted and hard to follow, but I've always found that as long as you've played the games in chronological order (of release), things flowed mostly well. Once time travel was introduced in KH3D, however, I had to accept that at some point, the plot had kinda gone off the rails. I was pretty sure that KH3 was going to be a complete mess of ideas and concepts that are barely explained and open up gaping plot holes, especially after 0.2 ended up being a prequel about how Mickey ended up shirtless in KH1's ending, and also Aqua was just there the whole time. Which is why I was so surprised that KH3 plays things mostly straightforward. To the game's benefit, it largely avoids introducing any more new concepts to the series' expansive lore, and focuses instead on wrapping up the plot threads that have been going for well over a decade at this point. Same goes for the characters, who are (besides the Disney worlds) all returning members of the cast from previous games. Your goal at the beginning of the game is crystal clear: stop Xehanort. Every single thing you do in KH3 is a step to hopefully achieve that goal. It does take a while to get to that goal, however, because KH3 has some pretty severe pacing issues. What I mean by that, is that all of the super heavy plot stuff is in the final act of the game. KH2 did something similar, but it also had a three hour set-piece in the middle to let you know that things were just getting started. Kingdom Hearts III, however, does not do that. You spend about 85% of the game going through the Disney worlds, and the final 15% is the climax. Speaking of those Disney worlds, they're a mixed bag. I'd say it's a pretty even 50/50 split in quality. A few of the worlds tell completely original stories that are able to weave together with the overarching plot pretty organically, and have a few moments that are genuinely amazing (if you've beaten the game, you know exactly which two I'm talking about). On the other hand, a few of the worlds once again fall into the trap of just being a rehash of the movie it was based on. Arendelle is a particularly egregious example, with an uninteresting setting and a plot where every original character is completely irrelevant. It's probably one of the worst worlds in the series, honestly (not THE worst. I haven't forgotten about you, Atlantica). I mentioned earlier that the climax was where most of the story was, which is disappointing in its own right. But that being said, the climax was pretty much everything I was hoping for, and more. From the moment the endgame begins, Kingdom Hearts III never lets up. It's an endless wave of amazing moment after amazing moment, with multiple characters' plotlines from years worth of games finally coming to a close. On top of the overwhelming excitement, I'm not ashamed to admit I teared up a few times as well. While the overarching plot of KH has gotten a bit out of control over the years, I've always found that Tetsuya Nomura's strongest area was his characters, and that continues to ring true for me. All of my favourite characters had incredible moments and wonderful payoffs. And while the ending has proven divisive among fans, and I can definitely understand why, I was personally largely satisfied with how things played out. I was looking for the end to the Xehanort Saga, and that's what I got, in addition to almost every single character getting their moment to shine. Key word being almost, because let's talk about Kairi. I'm not going to spoil anything, don't worry, but Kairi has always been a bit of a weak link in the main cast, albeit with hints of a good character trying to break out. She was very much little more than a damsel in distress in KH1, but she also had a fierce and fun attitude that made her likable enough to make you want to go on this journey to save her. And while KH2 Kairi is forced into a brief damsel role once again, she definitely has more agency, as well as a desire to fight back and take what she wants. Kairi becoming a Keyblade wielder and a frontline fighter was one of the aspects of KH3 I was looking forward to the most. Having beaten KH3, I can say with complete confidence that Nomura has no idea what he's doing with Kairi, and whatever attempts he made to give her more agency have fallen flat on their face. This is the WORST version of her by a significant margin, and I can only hope that she's either given her own game to fix what was done to her here, or just left alone for the rest of the series to avoid any more damage being done. Gameplay Buckle up, ladies and gentlemen, because there's a lot to get through here. Kingdom Hearts III is an Action RPG that has ditched the strappings of its portable incarnations in favour of the streamlined mechanics of the original PS2 games. You'll be wandering vast worlds, striking down enemies of all kinds, leveling up, equipping new abilities, and casting magic. You know the gist of it by now. The game was developed by the Osaka team, the guys behind BBS, 3D, and 0.2. Why is this important? Well, there's a certain... word in the KH community that has set off a bit of a firestorm. You probably know what I'm talking about, but it's used to describe the difference between the combat of KH2, and the combat of its portable counterparts. Particularly in how air combat feels and works, and your points of vulnerability while doing combos. That's right, everyone, let's talk about floaty combat. It's a subject I dread talking about because it invokes such strong feelings in everyone. If you like it, then you clearly don't understand how everything post KH2 is actually garbage and the series will never be that good again. If you hate it, then you can't accept that not everything can stay the same and that people might just like a style you deem to be factually inferior. I'm not gonna get into that, I'm just gonna give you the facts: yes, Kingdom Hearts III is floaty. Not nearly as much as 3D or BBS, but it's definitely there. Does it bother me? Not really, because unlike KH3D, the game was designed WITH that floatiness in mind. Unlike previous Osaka games, very few enemies will refuse to stagger when you attack them, and you're given a wide variety of aerial combat options to make staying in the air worth it. The air dash is quick and snappy, and Sora now has the ability to Guard while in the air, which completely changes how you can approach a fight in the skies. The boss fights have also greatly improved from the handheld games. The highly praised Revenge Values of KH2 have finally made their triumphant return. This means that you can combo and juggle bosses just like any other enemy, but if you get too aggressive and push that combo too long, they will automatically break out and counterattack to punish you. Kingdom Hearts III has some of the best boss battles of the entire series, especially in the climax section of the game. I won't spoil it, but I wish I could, because those boss battles towards the end are absolutely stellar. Kingdom Hearts III adds a LOT of new stuff to combat. So much so, that I'll probably forget to mention something. Most of these are tied to Situation Commands, KH3's version of the Reaction Commands of KH2. Upon attacking enemies for long enough, you will gain certain Situation Commands to play with depending on what you have done. Casting a certain spell several times will allow you to cast Grand Magic, a hyper Za-level version of that spell with insane range and devastating power. Every now and then, a party member with request a Team Attack with you, giving you what is essentially a Limit from KH2 minus the MP cost, the catch being that it's random. If you strike an enemy with a green circle around them, you can summon an Attraction Flow, a powerful, interactive AOE attack that will summon a different Disney Ride depending on the enemy you strike and where you strike it. You have Links, this game's version of Summons, that allow you to call upon a Disney character for a powerful attack at the cost of a full MP bar. Finally, and what you'll likely see most, are the Keyblade Transformations. After attacking enemies for long enough, you will be able to transform your Keyblade into a new form, granting you access to new abilities, attacks, and finishers. Every single Keyblade has at least one transformation, with several of them having two. And while there are a couple of recycled transformations, a grand majority of them are completely unique, encouraging experimentation with your Keyblades to find what you prefer most. In addition, you can switch between up to three Keyblades at once without going to the menus, and if you're in a Keyblade Transformation when you switch Keyblades, the transformation will still be in effect when you swap back to it. There is so much going on in KH3 that it can almost be overwhelming. I admittedly started ignoring Attraction Flows because of their long intro sequences and minimal selection, but in general, it's unlikely you'll go 30 seconds in combat without something crazy happening. You will always have plenty of options, and all of them are viable. Unfortunately, all of this overwhelming power does come at a price: Kingdom Hearts III is a pretty easy game, even on Proud Mode. Besides a couple of deaths to the final boss because of my own carelessness, I was able to power through every challenge in KH3 with relative ease. In addition, beyond a few mini-games and some Battle Portals, there is an unfortunate lack of post-game content here. I fully expect the inevitable Final Mix DLC to fix that whenever it comes out... but I'm not reviewing the Final Mix DLC, I'm reviewing vanilla KH3. And even compared to vanilla KH1 and KH2, KH3's post-game content leaves a bit to be desired. Presentation Kingdom Hearts III is absolutely gorgeous, let's just make that perfectly clear. The attention to detail is staggering, from the environments, to the lighting, to the character models, everything just comes together. Disney Worlds are far more expansive and detailed than they have ever been, and as a result, they feel alive in a way that they really never have before. The game is also bold in its artistic design, with certain worlds changing the aesthetic of the game. The Caribbean brings KH3 closer to realism than ever before, while 100 Acre Wood makes the characters look like drawings popping out of a book with the black outline around them. I was playing on the standard PS4, and despite the overwhelming number of particles that can pop up on screen, the framerate was always very stable. It would occasionally dip when things started getting REALLY crazy, but even then, it was far from getting to the point where it was a problem. As is the case in every KH game, the soundtrack is absolutely stellar. Yoko Shimomura returns once again as the head composer, and she delivers some absolute gems, especially when she gets the change to remix some old favourites. Takeharu Ishimoto also lends his hand to the series once again, and I've been seeing his work getting a lot of hate in KH3. I'm just gonna say this: no, he's not Shimomura. That does NOT mean that his music is BAD, it's just different. Ishimoto's style of composing is what gave us the Vanitas theme, and if you don't like that song, you must not like KH music. In terms of vocal performances, there's the occasional rough delivery and bland expression here and there, but the voice acting is mostly strong across the board. Haley Joel Osment gives his best performance as Sora since KH2, and the rest of the cast around him bring their A-game when it really counts. Unfortunately, there is one notable absence in the cast. For reasons unknown, Hayden Panettierre was never asked to reprise her role as Kairi, and is voiced by Alyson Stoner instead. She doesn't do a bad job at all, but it is a noticeable change, and she just isn't able to convey the attitude Kairi had in her previous appearances. In addition, there were several notable moments where it was very clear that some characters didn't have voices at all. I understand that there are reasons, and that if they don't have a voice in Japanese, they won't have a voice in English. But it's still awkward when characters are talking about what some characters are feeling, while those characters are in the room. Verdict I have loved the Kingdom Hearts series for a long time now. Loving something, however, means being able to recognize its flaws. And make no mistake, Kingdom Hearts III is a flawed game. The story takes too long to get going, Kairi gets done very dirty in this game, there's a lack of engaging post-game activity, it's too easy, the Disney worlds, while gorgeous and expansive, were a mixed bag of quality, and not everything gets wrapped up in a nice little bow, like I believe many people were expecting. There is sequel baiting here, and I know people will be annoyed by that. But when Kingdom Hearts III succeeds, it SOARS. The game is absolutely breathtakingly gorgeous while running super well, combat has a ton of variety and fun to it, the Gummi Ship takes yet another leap forward in quality from KH2, the soundtrack is excellent, it has some of the best boss battles in the whole series, most of the characters resolutions are expertly handled and hit their emotions with perfection, and it manages to end a saga that was stretched way too thin, far better than it had any right to. I was going back and forth on whether to give this a seven or an eight, but this was the deciding factor for me: when the secret ending finished and I was looking at my results screen... I was sad that it was over. That's why I'm giving Kingdom Hearts III a: 8 / 10 Kingdom Hearts III is far from perfect. It has plenty of flaws, and I can understand why people might be let down, especially after such a long wait. That being said, I never really let the hype get to me. If you spend 13 years dreaming of something, of course it will never live up to those expectations. I went in to KH3 looking for a few things: a resolution to the story so far that left me satisfied, and strong gameplay to go with it. And through all of KH3's shortcomings, I got both of those things. So at the end of the day, I'm happy with that, and ready to wait for whatever that madman Nomura has planned next. So that was my review. Did you think I was too harsh, or too lenient? Was there anything I missed? Let me know. baylaust out.
  15. Found from Andrew Potts Someone uploaded cutscenes of the early demo version of the toy story world where after Rex introduces Sora as Yozora, he grabs Donald and Goofy and says, "and these are his super sidekicks, Magia and Aegis". That line was cut from the final version.
  16. It's simply a 10 for me. I played Japanese release early, and it was phenomenal. (yes I could understand)
  17. Hello everyone, My name is Void Gear Vanitas. I have been working on my youtube channel for the past three to four months and have been slowly growing. I create Kingdom Hearts content every day and have various types of videos from Gameplay, crafts, collectables ect. All dealing with Kingdom Hearts. I would highly appreciate it if you checked my channel out. Thank you and let your hearts be your guiding keys. Here is a link to my channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjPwhRWIltk0U7VNt3qaVig
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