Sure is dark.
Once upon a time, I played a beloved game, even by myself, and proceeded to poo-poo on it because it aged poorly. And I’m about to do it again!
Kingdom Hearts II is mid!
Before I begin, I’ll preface this by saying it’s much better than KH1. It’s actually playable! The world design is more fun by being shorter and more varied. The camera is …better. The lock on can still be detrimental, but they tried and got closer to best, so I won’t knock it again. Mob AI is actually fun to battle against. They’re more aggressive and don’t run away from you. You do fight the occasional basic (shadow?) heartless to remind you of how much Squaresney has grown, which is fine. It’s so much better, and I’ll spoil it now: KH2 only has one negative trait.
Graphically, it’s the same game as the predecessor. However, they changed up the chest models to fit in with the worlds, and my eyes are bad. I couldn’t see them most of the time because they blend in too well. Putting them on the mini map could have helped this, but they didn’t. Visuals are 9/10.
Sound is also the same. I might have taken out a point for standouts for a few reasons, but I didn’t for KH1, and I want to be consistent. It’s Disney; you know what you’re getting. Enjoy “Under Da Sea.” 10/10
You probably expected those numbers, but the charm is taking a massive hit here. While the worlds and NPCs are standouts in the genre, did we ever do any real exploring? Everything feels handed out once you’ve done the railroaded task. A lot of this is because the worlds aren’t as interactiveable. You can’t light up a chimney with fire magic, or vice versa, to reveal a secret passage. Casting thunder doesn’t turn on the power to an entire world anymore. Trinity Limits are gone. It’s just so flat. They’ve also taken away movement options, too. High jump is gone unless you activate a combat ability, and glide is as dead as dead can be. So not only is everything flat, but it’s less fun. Good thing the worlds are smaller to hide that.
Before I get to my obvious gripe, let’s talk about what KH2 does differently than KH1. The biggest is the command prompts. In battle, there are many mobs or bosses that let you use their skills against them. Rad concept! All you have to do is press triangle under the correct circumstances. Now, yes, you’ll more likely use an ally’s limit gauge (and all of your MP) instead, but at least you’re still doing a lot of damage with a cool cinematic. This does replace skills like Ars Arcanum, but who used those anyway? The other is the addition of a Drive Gauge. Using his allows Sora to “sacrifice” an ally to empower himself. This unlocks crazy new powers, abilities, and attacks on the unsuspecting foe. Alternatively, summons are back! I never used them, though. I liked my MP. But they seem quite cool, and I’ve read about a few broken strategies with them. Great additions. I also played on beginner mode, which I wouldn’t recommend. It’s insanely easy, and you never need to use those new things. I know, I’m a baby, but I’m here for the story. Speaking of…
It’s still so bad!
We learn who the actual bad guy in KH1 was, and it’s a solid answer to the final scenes there. But I still have so many questions. How did the Nobodies control the Heartless? What happened to Pete and Maleficent? Are the worlds actually connected or not? And, more importantly, what actually is Kingdom Hearts? It used to be a door to light that was infested with Heartless, but now it’s a heart shaped moon made of hearts. What even was this stupid moon supposed to be used for!? But, whatever. There’s a satisfying ending, and this two game franchise gets a great, heartfelt ending… What do you mean there are more games?! Why! Time travel!? At least tell me how Wakka is! 4/10
I hate this story. It doesn’t need to be this deep and filled with stupid turns. Not-sem doesn’t need to be a clone from a bald dude who’s copying Garland. Let it die, Nomura!
The second half of the game isn’t as fun, either. The bosses there have gimmicks, which I’m all for, but they were the opposite of fun. And the game requiring a finishing strike to end them didn’t help!
Kingdom Hearts II gets 36/50 points. It’s cool we can party with Auron, but why? And “why” is too frequent a question in this franchise. Cool world concepts, rad gameplay, nostalgic music, but why? Why do all this for so long with so many entries? A part of me wants to give Birth by Sleep a go, but no part of me wants to play KHIII. This world doesn’t need the fourth.
I needed a break from SNES games, and now I need a break from all games...
No comments:
Post a Comment