In light of Kingdom Hearts III's potential release, I've decided to take a look back at the second (and best, so far) major installment in the franchise.
In light of recent events, I felt it appropriate to dust off my PlayStation 3 and dive into one of the most important game series of my short, gaming life. It took a while to figure which one to choose, after all, there have been a lot over the years. In the end though, I decided to pick the real classic. The sequel to the original that improved upon literally everything. It's fighting was smoother, magic worked better, and there were even some fun new things to try.
Although, that was thirteen years ago. At the time, the game felt groundbreaking - and after playing it again, the nostalgia gripped me really hard. I was back in my childhood, playing screaming at my PS2 as Demyx chanted, "Dance water dance!" Unfortunately, that didn't last - and I began to notice some things. Not enough to dampen my experience, but it was definitely enough for me to stop and really think about why I loved this game so much. And it also made me think about how much Kingdom Hearts III will have to do to please people nowadays.
It's a beautiful game - and I had fun, but there's a lot that doesn't hold up anymore.
THE GAME
Kingdom Hearts II is the sequel to Kingdom Hearts, and the third game in the series overall (after Chain of Memories on the Gameboy Advanced). It takes place a year after the original game, and follows Sora and his Disney companions: Donald and Goofy as they travel across various original and Disney themed worlds. They must fight the Heartless, creatures of darkness that have the power to steal peoples' hearts, and the mysterious Organization XIII - a group of half-people, who were created from the husks of people who lost their hearts.
For those you that don't know, I am a huge fan of Kingdom Hearts. It's one of the first games I ever beat completely, and I have followed it carefully since 2005 - back when I was just a 9 year-old little tyke. Since it's first game, Kingdom Hearts has been a massive success across virtually every platform (except for anything Microsoft owned, for now) thanks to its many, many prequels and mid-quels. But despite the success, people have been wondering just what's happening with third main installment.
Back in 2013, a reveal trailer was released and showed that not only was Kingdom Hearts III finally in development, but it was going to be on an all new engine with a nice new set of intense battle mechanics. Of course, the fanfare was short lived as we were quickly told that the game was far from finished.
Flash-forward to last week. Not only have we been given an amazing trailer that seems to contain a lot of new content, but we've also got Hikaru Utada's latest theme! And let me tell you something, it is beautiful. Plus, we also have a new trailer from the D23 expo, showcasing new worlds and some brilliant new game play mechanics. It looks dazzling and chaotic and more alive than I've seen a Kingdom Hearts game since KH2.
KINGDOM HEARTS III Theme Song Trailer – “Don’t Think Twice” by Hikaru Utada
KINGDOM HEARTS III is coming to Microsoft Xbox One and Sony PlayStation® 4 in 2018. Fore More Information: https://goo.gl/mJVt5i International superstar Hika...
KINGDOM HEARTS III – D23 Expo Japan 2018 Monsters, Inc. Trailer
KINGDOM HEARTS III is coming to Microsoft Xbox One and Sony PlayStation® 4 in 2018. Find more information: https://goo.gl/mKWRUC Originally aired at Disney’s...
Here are my thoughts on both trailers:
The Monster's Inc. World and Toy Story
I'm super pumped about this. I think they're an amazing addition to the many Disney-filled world's we've been given in the past. I'm pumped to see Pixar finally making an appearance in the Kingdom Hearts mythos. And it seems like the design team has worked really hard in keeping the spirits of the both Toy Story and Monster's Inc. in their design. Although, I am curious as to how they're going to incorporate each of the games' stories into the game.
From what little we've seen, it feels like they're taking more of a KH1 approach - and making the story of each world revolve around Sora and company. Unlike KH2, which had every world going through the stories of the films they were inspired by... and Sora just happened to step in and help.
Who knows?
Tangled World
We've also seen more of the beautiful forested world - and I'm pretty sure that it's the Tangled world that got confirmed a while back. It looks amazing - and I can't wait to explore every nook and cranny of it.
Marluxia
What? Where did he come from? I guess I shouldn't be surprised - after all, we all know how crazy this series can get. For those that don't know, Marluxia was the final boss of Sora's section of the Gameboy Advanced midquel, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. And here he is, back again - or perhaps this isn't Marluxia? Maybe he's returned to normal, and just kept the cool coat.
I know I would have.
Sora/Ventus/Roxas/Vanitas
This crazy grouping seems to also be getting some closure. We even see Vanitas - the dark version of BbS protagonist, Ventus - approaching Sora and doing something nefarious. Perhaps we'll find out why Vanitas looks so much like Sora? We also see Xemnas and company confronting Sora - no doubt trying to talk to him about Roxas for whatever reason? I don't know for sure.
The only person that isn't really talked about is Ventus - who we saw react to Sora's happiness at the end of Dream Drop Distance. I can only imagine what's going to happen with them - after all, it seems that Terra, Ventus, and Aqua are going to be a major part of this installment.
Riku and Mickey
We also see an clip of Riku abandoning his old, dark keyblade in the World of Darkness - and saying that he doesn't need it anymore. I can't wait to see what this game has in store for him - I hope they do the KH:3D route and give us both his and Sora' story side-by-side.
What's Missing?
Nothing, as far as I can see. I think they are smart in steadily revealing their details. The game is set to come out this year, and is apparently supposed to have a surprise that creator, Tetsuya Nomura, has been wanting to add since he created the series.
But that could be me hoping too much.
What do you think? Is there anything I've missed? Is there some story element that went over my head that was confirmed ages ago? Let me know!
Shann Smith is a freelance writer, screenwriter, playwright, gamer, and film/TV lover. When he's not working on his columns for Popdust, he's doing his best to create and consume as much media as he can!
