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Over the past four or so months I've been slowly playing my way through the Kingdom Hearts franchise!
Well, that isn't strictly true. I've been making my way through the PS4 compilation, courteously loaned to me by my younger brother. It has certainly been an interesting experience! Some of my older feelings have been reinforced. Some of my feelings have been completely overturned. Here is a really quick rundown of my thoughts on each game so far.
Kingdom Hearts - still the best. The battle system is basic, the camera can be murderous, but it has the simplest tightest story and a few really genuinely touching moments. It's just a lovely game, and it's remarkable to replay it when you know just how strange and bogged down the series has become.
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories - the beginning of the convoluted end for Kingdom Hearts, but despite everything I still have a soft spot for it. Feel like it worked better as a Gameboy Advance title. The battle system is interesting; I think I like it!
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days - I had to google that title. I still haven't actually played this! But I watched all the cutscenes as they're presented on the disk. I'm not at all sure what to say about it. I wonder if I would have been more invested if I'd actually been playing through the experiences myself. That being said, I never used to care a single jot about Saïx and now... things have changed. things have changed....
Kingdom Hearts II - plays better than the first, has a much much worse story. It might be the most convoluted "complete" game I've ever been through. I ship Axel/Saïx now, which is infuriating. I still ship Maleficent/Pete more than anything, though, and this version of the game with all those extra scenes still doesn't give them a conclusion scene in the end credits and I'll honestly never forgive Square for this.
And now I am playing Birth by Sleep! So far I've only completed Terra's story, and I'm sure I could say some things about that, but it feels like it might be worth waiting until I've seen it all through before trying to say too much more. All in all though, I'm really glad to have found myself revisiting these games—or in some cases, experiencing them for the first time. My faith in Square these days is pretty much rock bottom, so I won't be buying Kingdom Hearts III on release. But y'know, I am going to play it. And much to my own chagrin, I have hopes and dreams for what might become of these people. Curse you, Kingdom Hearts.
Maleficent/Pete better win the day is all I'm saying.
Well, that isn't strictly true. I've been making my way through the PS4 compilation, courteously loaned to me by my younger brother. It has certainly been an interesting experience! Some of my older feelings have been reinforced. Some of my feelings have been completely overturned. Here is a really quick rundown of my thoughts on each game so far.
Kingdom Hearts - still the best. The battle system is basic, the camera can be murderous, but it has the simplest tightest story and a few really genuinely touching moments. It's just a lovely game, and it's remarkable to replay it when you know just how strange and bogged down the series has become.
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories - the beginning of the convoluted end for Kingdom Hearts, but despite everything I still have a soft spot for it. Feel like it worked better as a Gameboy Advance title. The battle system is interesting; I think I like it!
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days - I had to google that title. I still haven't actually played this! But I watched all the cutscenes as they're presented on the disk. I'm not at all sure what to say about it. I wonder if I would have been more invested if I'd actually been playing through the experiences myself. That being said, I never used to care a single jot about Saïx and now... things have changed. things have changed....
Kingdom Hearts II - plays better than the first, has a much much worse story. It might be the most convoluted "complete" game I've ever been through. I ship Axel/Saïx now, which is infuriating. I still ship Maleficent/Pete more than anything, though, and this version of the game with all those extra scenes still doesn't give them a conclusion scene in the end credits and I'll honestly never forgive Square for this.
And now I am playing Birth by Sleep! So far I've only completed Terra's story, and I'm sure I could say some things about that, but it feels like it might be worth waiting until I've seen it all through before trying to say too much more. All in all though, I'm really glad to have found myself revisiting these games—or in some cases, experiencing them for the first time. My faith in Square these days is pretty much rock bottom, so I won't be buying Kingdom Hearts III on release. But y'know, I am going to play it. And much to my own chagrin, I have hopes and dreams for what might become of these people. Curse you, Kingdom Hearts.
Maleficent/Pete better win the day is all I'm saying.
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