This review contains spoilers
It's the backing of Roxas' everything. Great pacing of the story and buildup through the end
"Played" the ps4 powerpoint so i ain't rating it
this game is so cool i love crying
My favourite story in the series with mahaps my favourite character.
358 is wonderfully weird and heartbreaking in equal measure.
358 is wonderfully weird and heartbreaking in equal measure.
I really loved this, it made me a bit emotional
I have only „played“ that Version in the 1.5+2.5 Collection
Wonderful Story.
Wonderful Story.
This review contains spoilers
I recently beat Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days for the first time. What a weird little game, and I mean that in the absolute best way possible. As always, spoiler warning ahead for… everything.
Started: April 15th 2024
Finished: May 10th, 2024
Playing: Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days
Console: Nintendo 3DS
So I had watched the remastered cutscenes in the Remix collection before this, and I liked it! I thought it was great. I loved Roxas and Axel’s relationship especially. But, I really did not get much out of Xion. The actual game completely blows the movie out of the water in like, every aspect. WOW did the movie not do the story justice, ESPECIALLY Xion. Gameplay wise though… it has highs and very low lows… I had heard that the game purposely makes its gameplay feel long and drawn out, to help you sympathize with Roxas who feels similar things throughout the game. I can REALLY respect that. Unfortunately… I don’t think that’s exactly the case. There were plenty of times when Roxas was happy in the story but the gameplay was still just as tedious. Thus, anytime it does work, it feels more like a happy accident rather than intentional. So, if the game had been more careful about when to be fun and when to… not be, I think it could’ve pulled it off. I can see how some people might take issue with that regardless, but as someone who plays games FOR the stories and characters, I welcome the idea with open arms. I like games because they can add ONTO a story, adding another layer of depth to play with when designing one. That’s where my passion lies and I think this game does a BEAUTIFUL job at immersing me in the story, regardless of gameplay issues.
So, now to actually go over the gameplay. I’m gonna start out with my biggest issue, the thing that REALLY brought down the experience and made it feel so long and drawn out…. oh my gOSH WHY DO THE ENEMIES HAVE SO MUCH FREAKING HEALTH!?!?!? IT DRIVES ME ABSOLUTELY INSANE!!!!! EVERY SINGLE ONE TAKES SO FREAKING LONG TO DEFEAT THEY ARE DESIGNED TO BE AS LONG AND ANNOYING AND AWFUL AS POSSIBLE!!! So many enemies are just giant HP sponges. They take VERY little skill to kill, they just eat up so much of my time for NO reason. I FREAKING HATE SAPPHIRE ELEGIES WITH A BURNING PASSION!!! THE WAY THEY TELEPORT EVERY TIME YOU TRY TO HIT THEM MAKES THEM SO. FREAKING. INFURIATING TO FIGHT! THEY HARDLY EVEN ATTACK!! THEY JUST RUN AROUND ANNOYINGLY AND THE GAME SPITS SO MANY OUT AT YOU AND WANTS YOU TO KILL THEM ALL AND OH MY GOSH I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT. Sorry, had to get that off my chest… But, yeah that’s how a lot of fights feel. Not all of them, but a lot. Simple, easy to defeat enemies that take ages to kill for no reason.
And the bosses, HOOH BOY THE BOSSES!! The Leechgrave and King of the Sky fights LITERALLY TOOK ME AN HOUR!! EACH!! A FREAKING HOUR!!! An hour of pure pain and suffering. Needlessly long, repetitive fights that just aren’t that interesting. The latter fight was more interesting, but also significantly longer, to the point where my FREAKING THUMB WAS HURTING!! It was also really difficult which meant I died a few times WHICH MEANT MORE REPETITIVENESS! The boss at Beast’s Castle was pretty cool though, very fun actually, and the Final boss was beautifully simple while still being somewhat difficult. It could’ve been better but the emotion surrounding it was strong so I don’t mind. It felt like I had to use all my skills to overcome it which was great!
My second biggest issue, is more of a pet peeve I suppose, but MAN do I hate how this game expects you to BACKTRACK to previous missions to 100% them. The game has a linear progression, it is day by day, it makes no sense to go back. Not to mention, it is INCREDIBLY infuriating putting in the effort to 100% a mission, only to discover that I can’t complete it because of like, one or two things out of reach. It’s even worse because the game really rewards 100%ing missions, and this aspect actively takes that away through no fault of my own. I never went back and replayed a previous mission, I just cut my losses, but I was trying to 100% them as best I could my first time through.
Now onto good stuff! I really love how Roxas feels to control. The game feels like a great mix of KH1 and KH2 in how it plays. Roxas and Sora play identically so keep that in mind. The game still keeps that simple, “underdog” feel that Sora had in KH1 which I LOVED, while adding in some new abilities like in KH2 to add a little more complexity and strategy. Roxas just feels good to attack, jump and move around as, controller issues aside. When enemies weren’t boring HP sponges, they were REALLY fun to fight, even simple ones. Aerial combat in KH is so fun and this game absolutely keeps that. I love having to do a small hop and time my attack right when trying to hit targets close to the ground, it’s so simple but satisfying to pull off.
The game also gives you a lot of REALLY great movement options and abilities outside of attacks. I freaking LOVE Air Slide in this game. Letting you slide more than once is INCREDIBLE!! OH ITS SO FUN! I can slide away to dodge an attack then slide right back to waste no time attacking! It’s SOsatisfying. Ohhh I want every KH game to have it. By far my favorite movement option in any KH game. Glide and dodge roll are still here, you can add more attributes to them which is super neat! Float was a cool ability, never got to use it but I like the idea. It’s fun to add more little abilities like that. I want more movement options instead of more attacks. cough cough KH2… I feel like I used Block a LOT more in this game than I had previously, which was really fun. Again, you can add attributes to it which is great! I’d LOVE to see future games allow you to upgrade abilities like this, rather than just “Oh it gets better/stronger.” I also loved Limit break, it feels like a more interesting version of the forms in KH2. I love the risk and reward for needing to be at low health to use it, and how you have to manage your use of it well, in case you need it later.
Some issues do come up with the actual controls though. I think it’s just because it’s on a DS (3DS in this case), but yeah it is kinda clunky trying to do… anything. The DS doesn’t grip into my hands like a normal controller does, so it feels like it’s constantly slipping out of them. The camera is also an issue. Type A controls using the touch screen gives great control over the camera (and is satisfying to do, with kid Icarus Uprising controls) but, completely impractical since I can’t swap between the buttons and touch screen while in a tense battle Type B controls using the L&R buttons fixes the practicality, but limits camera movement, and messes with Lock on, which uses the same buttons. The latter is FAR better but still.
Other than all of that though, I am IMPRESSED by how well they ported KH gameplay onto the DS! It still feels roughly the same to control, you’ve got all the same abilities. It’s really cool! That goes for every aspect. The music, the visuals, the special effects. If you blur your eyes, you almost can’t tell without comparing the two. Very neat! Very impressive too! The colors feel a teeny bit muted but other than that, it’s great! This is actually my first DS game so I don’t know the standard, but it’s better than I thought it’d be.
Another issue is that there was a big problem in the game’s combat where Roxas's combos were so long that sometimes I couldn’t dodge enemy attacks. Obviously I could preemptively guess their pattern, but, for the most part, I could ONLY guess. The attack patterns aren’t solid and repeating, there’s variation (which is good), but the issue is that, I’ll be attacking, see the enemy charge up an attack, stop attacking and try to run away, but because his combos are so long, Roxas is just stuck there, helplessly swinging before taking the hit. I should note that each Keyblade has its own attack pattern, so maybe I just needed a different one, but I wanted aerial combos, and the one I was using was the only one I could get that Enhanced that. KH is primarily aerial combat. So, combine that with how gruelingly long even simple enemies can take to kill, and the result is that, despite the INCREDIBLE amount of satisfying movement options the game gives you, I was often just tanking hits. Maybe I’m just bad, but the ability to stop your combos on command would’ve been VERY helpful. I like the idea of a ground pound. Think Sora’s down air in Smash Bros. You can use it at any time during a combo to shoot to the ground, so you can avoid attacks better. You still need the skill to use it though, it just gives you more control over Roxas!
The panel system is interesting. At first I didn’t see the point in it, but after awhile it really grew on me. I was really worried it’d just feel limiting, but they consistently gave you new slots to install panels so it really just felt like an EXP system where you’re consistently getting stronger, but you also have the option to sacrifice something for more of another. It’s not limiting, it almost feels like you have more control! It’s a lot more “what combination of panels fits best?” And a LOT less “what do I need to give up to use this new ability?” The puzzle of trying to fit the panels together most effectively is really fun! I like those sorts of puzzles. Anytime I thought I’d have to sacrifice something major for a new ability, I spent some time rearranging panels and I ALWAYS managed to fit them in. The only exception being the ability upgrades, which did kinda suck sometimes. I was particularly concerned at first about having your levels be tied to panels, but the addition of level doublers, triplers and quadruplers completely fixed that. Never did I get a level up panel I couldn’t use.
I do have two gripes with it though, one minor, one major. Gripe #1, I don’t like that they limit you to one accessory panel. If I want to sacrifice other stuff for more accessories, I feel like I should have the freedom to do that. Nerf the accessories, of course, but still. Gripe #2, the big one. Oh my gosh I hate the magic system. Magic is WAY too easy to accidentally waste. Happened SO many times, especially when fighting a speedy enemy. It was always incredibly frustrating. Making you have a VERY limited number of spells just was not fun. They basically turn into items. I think it would’ve been WAY better, if instead of magic panels, you had MP panels, and an MP bar. More MP panels, the longer your MP bar. Maybe make you equip one panel of any given spell you want to bring. That way, accidentally wasting a shot isn’t the end of the world.
Level design is mostly just taken from KH1 or 2, mostly the former (thank goodness) which does lead to some puzzles and exploration now and again, but it’s nowhere near as good as it was in KH1.But, I do enjoy the variety of missions you can get, even if some are a little infuriating sometimes. Recon missions are especially fun, having to pay attention to environmental storytelling and use logic to find answers. Trying to find that last point of interest was sometimes tiresome but the rest of it made up for it. The story aspect was particularly fun. Collect badges missions sounded REALLY fun on paper, but the backtracking thing I mentioned completely ruined it. There was never a reason to try. Shadow Globs and the various stealth sections were pretty fun, though the latter could be very tedious at times, just having to wait for something to move.And of course, boss and collect hearts missions, which suffer from the enemies issues. I think a lot of the missions could be improved by them telling you if you’ve collected everything there is to collect in any given room. Would make looking for that last heartless or point of interest far less tedious. There were also plenty of miscellaneous missions, usually tied to the story, so the missions didn’t feel too samey.
Some miscellaneous things… I like how the game has different elements based on the different Organization members. Little sad you can’t actually use them all but I get that finding uses for all 13 elements would be… tough. I was surprised by how many enemies there were when I first opened the enemy files. Eventually I realized that most were just variants of other heartlesses which was sort of lame (Especially since a lot were only color swaps with like, slightly boosted stats) but I get it, time and hardware constraints.
Now, onto the presentation! My GOODNESS is the start of this game strong. It does a BEAUTIFUL job at putting you in Roxas’s shoes. Having to get used to using a new controller (not to mention KH gameplay in general since it’s been so long since I last played) and just, game setup, made me able to REALLY feel with Roxas as he discovers… life, for the first time. All the basic controls and common sense. As they joke about, Roxas was sort of a zombie in the beginning, he just came into existence, everything was foreign to him. So they did a wonderful job letting me feel that with him
Feeling with the characters is ABSOLUTELY the game’s BIGGEST success! I remember this once scene where, after Axel and Xion had a huge, actual fight, not gonna really explain the context too much but, Xion had confronted him, and Axel started talking to her as if she were WORTHLESS! He sounded just like the other members of the organization and I was SHOCKED! I felt SO betrayed, I was APPALLED that he would be THAT CRUEL and awful to her… and then he COMPLETELY turns it around and essentially says “I know that's what people think of you, but I don’t care. You are MY best friend and nothing can come between us.” and just FSJJSJS GEEZ AXEL! YOU REALLY FREAKING HAD ME GOING THERE!! The amount of immediate relief I felt, it was insane. There were so many moments exactly like that where I really felt like I was right there with them, like I was best friends with them too. It was crazy. Be it happy or negative emotions, I felt it. That’s REALLY impressive and hard to do.
The character writing is just… so good, both in the little moments and the big picture. Conversations feel so casual and genuine, the characters have well defined personalities without being one note. They feel so real. It’s so… simple, too. Such a WEIRD contrast to the rest of the series. I’m not sure how to properly describe it. It’s just… genuine, and I feel VERY passionate about making characters genuine. I particularly loved the vacation day, and seeing how the three of them handled it differently. Particularly Axel just wanting to sleep, it adds a new layer to his slyness, I just really like it lol.
But despite the writing being simple and ‘slice of life-y’, the narrative in the game is SOOOOO deep. There is so much to talk about. I absolutely adore how innocent all three of them are, even Axel. They want simple things, just to be together, but because they’re stuck in the Organization, it’s constantly stolen from them, every step of the way. It’s REALLY tragic seeing such innocent people getting stuck in something so evil. That juxtaposition is SO well done. It’s something that’s so prevalent in the real world, too, which makes it hit particularly hard. Not to mention all the stuff surrounding Xion’s story completely throwing a wrench in things through no fault of their own. These three people do not deserve everything that happens to them, and that narrative is achieved beautifully.
I love how many times the three of them get into arguments or drama with each other, and you think “oh boy, here’s where the rift between them starts” But EVERY time (aside from the end), they forgive each other, and come back as even stronger friends. Their friendship was built up so naturally and well. I absolutely would’ve overlooked having them go through multiple arguments throughout the story to build their friendship, if I was writing this. It’s so freaking well written how the heck is this a Kingdom Hearts game?!? Seeing them trying to figure out such basic concepts as friendship or love, was both cute, funny and tragic, or them trying to figure out how to process and deal with their emotions. All of this just created a REALLY interesting atmosphere and tone that is INCREDIBLY unique.
And that’s not even mentioning CHARACTER ARCS!! All three of them are EQUALLY well done, which is INCREDIBLY impressive. I am SUCH a sucker for good character development, and WOW does this game deliver. The way their dynamics and roles shift and change, and not always for the better, was done so seamlessly.
I’m gonna start with Axel, I remember thinking he was REALLY well done in the movie, and he only got better here. I love how in the beginning, Roxas, (and thus, I the player) view him as… a mentor I guess? Any questions he has, he goes to Axel for the answer. But slowly, throughout the game, Roxas starts to realize he doesn’t know everything, and suddenly his character starts to shift from ‘the mature one’ into arguably ‘the LEAST mature one.’ As everything around him begins to crumble and fall, we get to see as his sly, cool-headed persona he puts on, crumbles right alongside it. Revealing not only his deep emotion for his friends, but also, that he’s sorta cowardly. Constantly running from confrontation and responsibility, and actively getting mad at Roxas and Xion whenever they tried to disrupt their simple life in search of a better one. It’s something that was built up to the entire game. He’s scared of the Organization deep down, and unlike Roxas and Xion, doesn’t overcome it. At least, not soon enough. Had he acted differently, he might’ve been able to prevent some stuff that happened. At the end of the game, he just completely loses it, and seeing him finally collapse out of both physical and mental exhaustion… DANG… That carried so much weight.
I also REALLY want to highlight the scene in Neverland where Roxas convinces Axel to fly. Having Axel’s belief he could fly, come from not trust in the pixie dust or tinkerbell,or even just believing he could, but from his trust in Roxas, and how he wouldn’t lie to or betray him, did so much for both his character and their relationship. It also made later when Axel refuses to trust Roxas out of fear of the organization just REALLY hit hard.
Next is Xion, who has the opposite arc. Seeing as she develops as a person through her friendship with Roxas, in the same way Roxas developed through Axel, was so sweet. Her removing her hood for Roxas for the first time REALLY hit, which was so cool. She’s just so…. Innocent. She doesn’t know much about the world, she’s just following Roxas, and he doesn’t know much either. So seeing that innocent, simple character, learn more and more about who she is and how she came to be, and seeing her MATURE, OOOO IT WAS SO WELL DONE! Seeing her seek out the truth, taking responsibility and initiative. She starts to outgrow Roxas, no longer needing his advice and instead evolving to be sharing advice with HIM. She grows brave enough to defy the Organization and sacrifice herself for the greater good. She grows into a character I can respect which is just so neat. She didn’t have to, but she did.
And then, ROXAS! Oh boy I love him even more now! He’s kinda the same deal as Xion. Seeing him develop through Axel was so sweet, and then seeing him take that and pass it down to Xion was both adorable and funny. I absolutely loved seeing him innocently try to figure out who he is, and his role in the organization. I loved seeing him learn about morals and virtues through the Disney characters, and then look back at the organization and go “huh, weird, they don’t practice these things...” And he doesn’t know which one is right so he’s just kinda confused. For the longest time he just kinda, went along to get along, not really sure what he was doing. He didn’t know what anything he was feeling meant, he just knew he enjoyed being with his friends so he kept doing that.
Then, watching as Axel and Xion pretty much outgrow him… it made Roxas seem so much like an immature kid by comparison. He just wanted to be with his friends and have ice cream, and he can’t figure out for the life of him why life isn’t that simple. I was actually kinda shocked, I remembered him being more grumpy rather than… timid I guess. I remember really feeling like Roxas was being SO left out and abandoned, that no one was telling him anything. AND THEN!! AND THEN THE GAME GOES “YUP THATS HIS CHARACTER ARC!!” AND IM LIKE YEAAAAAHHHH!!!!! No one WAS telling him anything. They were treating him like a little child at best and a slave at worst. So FINALLY Roxas freaking SNAPS and goes “WHY AM I DOING ANY OF THIS?!?” AND I'M LIKE YEAHHHH QUESTION THAT EVIL ORGANIZATION!!! MATURE AND STAND UP FOR YOURSELF!! TAKE INITIATIVE AND SEEK THE TRUTH!!. Ohhhh it was BEAUTIFUL!!! Oh so well written and conveyed, AND PACED!! Seeing him fight for what he loves and believes in, seeing him stand up to Axel who kept keeping secrets from him, it was both satisfying and tragic. I honestly wasn’t expecting Roxas to… grow that much. Mature that much. It was kind of sudden but I was FEELING that tension build up inside him and seeing it finally boil over… oh I could keep talking about it for days man…
I absolutely love how well Roxas running away from the organization was set up. The entire game they talk about how ‘no one can leave the organization or else they’ll be killed’ so finally having that moment of leaving that main room for the final time, the room you ALWAYS return to, hit very hard. Then getting to run through the castle… I was filled with both determination and anxiety, which I just KNOW is what Roxas was feeling. Beautiful! Roxas’s Diary also adds a LOT to the experience, they really help you understand his internal thought process and they all feel so naturally written. They feel like things he would realistically write down. That final note of him just writing, and I quote, “I AM DONE WITH THIS” had so much weight behind it.
I hope that the amount I’m able to analyze these characters, their relationships and character arcs, just REALLY conveys how INCREDIBLY well written this game is. These are REALLY deep and complex characters. Every aspect of them is fleshed out and ties in together. These three feel as complex as real people, which just…. GAH!! IT’S SO IMPRESSIVE! How the heck did this team go onto make freaking Birth by Sleep, which had a VERY similar set up for it’s story, yet REALLY fumbled it. And I’m yet to even mention how CLEAR they make all the crazy Kingdom Hearts lore and stuff. This is by FAR the clearest explanation of what the actual, in-lore Kingdom Hearts is. I also had no trouble following Xion’s whole plot, or the Organization’s motives, or what was going on with DiZ, Namine and Riku. It was all crystal clear to me. Aside from like, one or two scenes, I never felt lost. Wow. Again, how is this a Kingdom Hearts game!?
Some miscellaneous things to wrap up with. Other organization members were written well as always. I particularly love Demyx. Luxord also shocked me by how much I like him. He was actually pretty kind, which I wasn’t really expecting. Xemnas was still as threatening as ever, he wasn't there much but every line out of his mouth showed so much of how despicable he is. The Disney worlds were very simple but enjoyable. Loved seeing Roxas and Xion meet the Genie or try to figure out the story of Beauty and the Beast. Seeing Roxas become friends with Phil and Tinkerbell was sweet too! I actually really loved how the Cheshire Cat was used, I don’t have much to add onto that, I just really enjoyed him in this game. I also love just… the setup of the game. Going day by day, showing their daily life. It works so well to convey their internal struggles. I would love to see like, an indie game, take this same setup of the game being split up into days in order to show someone’s whole life progress. It’s super interesting and unique.
Now, to finally wrap up. Like I said to begin with, wow what a WEIRD little game this is. It feels so unlike the rest of the Kingdom Hearts series in a REALLY refreshing way. So many issues that I have with the series aren’t prevalent in this game. That mixed with the fact I managed to beat it within a month (Something I’m NEVER able to do) just came together to make it feel… surreal, like a dream. But I mean that in a good way. The humorous yet tragic undertones of watching the characters figure out emotions and life, REALLY resonated with me. Yet… I don't know why, but I struggle to put it up among my favorite games. It just… feels like a weird dream, but again I mean that in a good way. I don’t know how to describe this game man, I just have the same feeling I get when I wake up from an interesting dream. It’s as if my brain hasn’t registered that this game is even real.
That aside, to recap…
Gameplay is overall… good. Roxas feels great to control and the variety of abilities you get adds SO much. If it wasn’t for the clunkiness of being on the DS, this would be my favorite KH game in terms of how it plays. Unfortunately, enemies feel poorly designed, having WAY too much health without having interesting enough attacks to JUSTIFY such a long fight. Missions could also just be kinda aggravating, so mixing the two made the game feel like SUCH a slog at times.
Presentationally though, WHOLE other story. The amount of complexity these characters have, and the seamless, easy to follow, journey they go on is ridiculously incredible. They grow and evolve, their dynamics shift to accommodate their change, they have realistic emotions and struggles. The narrative is so well constructed, paced and executed. I might just say, this is the best story I’ve ever experienced in a video game. I struggle to say the best characters, because there’s some REALLY harsh competition, and I've found many others more entertaining (Which is NOT at ALL a dig against these three). Most impressive characters though, yeah definitely.
As for how it ranks in the series… gosh, I hate to put it below KH1 and 2, but I think I am. I don’t know why, I just think I have more fond memories with those two. It absolutely beats out BBS and CoM though, easily.
If anyone wants my notes, here's the link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/128I3Wra8-GyvedLrW6KnXb4bW6lzL755OlETm_9sY4M/edit?usp=sharing
And so, in conclusion, the final thing I have written in my notes is:
358/2 Days have passed, and I won’t be forgetting this experience or the friends I feel I’ve made ANY time soon. Onto Dream Drop Distance!
Started: April 15th 2024
Finished: May 10th, 2024
Playing: Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days
Console: Nintendo 3DS
So I had watched the remastered cutscenes in the Remix collection before this, and I liked it! I thought it was great. I loved Roxas and Axel’s relationship especially. But, I really did not get much out of Xion. The actual game completely blows the movie out of the water in like, every aspect. WOW did the movie not do the story justice, ESPECIALLY Xion. Gameplay wise though… it has highs and very low lows… I had heard that the game purposely makes its gameplay feel long and drawn out, to help you sympathize with Roxas who feels similar things throughout the game. I can REALLY respect that. Unfortunately… I don’t think that’s exactly the case. There were plenty of times when Roxas was happy in the story but the gameplay was still just as tedious. Thus, anytime it does work, it feels more like a happy accident rather than intentional. So, if the game had been more careful about when to be fun and when to… not be, I think it could’ve pulled it off. I can see how some people might take issue with that regardless, but as someone who plays games FOR the stories and characters, I welcome the idea with open arms. I like games because they can add ONTO a story, adding another layer of depth to play with when designing one. That’s where my passion lies and I think this game does a BEAUTIFUL job at immersing me in the story, regardless of gameplay issues.
So, now to actually go over the gameplay. I’m gonna start out with my biggest issue, the thing that REALLY brought down the experience and made it feel so long and drawn out…. oh my gOSH WHY DO THE ENEMIES HAVE SO MUCH FREAKING HEALTH!?!?!? IT DRIVES ME ABSOLUTELY INSANE!!!!! EVERY SINGLE ONE TAKES SO FREAKING LONG TO DEFEAT THEY ARE DESIGNED TO BE AS LONG AND ANNOYING AND AWFUL AS POSSIBLE!!! So many enemies are just giant HP sponges. They take VERY little skill to kill, they just eat up so much of my time for NO reason. I FREAKING HATE SAPPHIRE ELEGIES WITH A BURNING PASSION!!! THE WAY THEY TELEPORT EVERY TIME YOU TRY TO HIT THEM MAKES THEM SO. FREAKING. INFURIATING TO FIGHT! THEY HARDLY EVEN ATTACK!! THEY JUST RUN AROUND ANNOYINGLY AND THE GAME SPITS SO MANY OUT AT YOU AND WANTS YOU TO KILL THEM ALL AND OH MY GOSH I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT. Sorry, had to get that off my chest… But, yeah that’s how a lot of fights feel. Not all of them, but a lot. Simple, easy to defeat enemies that take ages to kill for no reason.
And the bosses, HOOH BOY THE BOSSES!! The Leechgrave and King of the Sky fights LITERALLY TOOK ME AN HOUR!! EACH!! A FREAKING HOUR!!! An hour of pure pain and suffering. Needlessly long, repetitive fights that just aren’t that interesting. The latter fight was more interesting, but also significantly longer, to the point where my FREAKING THUMB WAS HURTING!! It was also really difficult which meant I died a few times WHICH MEANT MORE REPETITIVENESS! The boss at Beast’s Castle was pretty cool though, very fun actually, and the Final boss was beautifully simple while still being somewhat difficult. It could’ve been better but the emotion surrounding it was strong so I don’t mind. It felt like I had to use all my skills to overcome it which was great!
My second biggest issue, is more of a pet peeve I suppose, but MAN do I hate how this game expects you to BACKTRACK to previous missions to 100% them. The game has a linear progression, it is day by day, it makes no sense to go back. Not to mention, it is INCREDIBLY infuriating putting in the effort to 100% a mission, only to discover that I can’t complete it because of like, one or two things out of reach. It’s even worse because the game really rewards 100%ing missions, and this aspect actively takes that away through no fault of my own. I never went back and replayed a previous mission, I just cut my losses, but I was trying to 100% them as best I could my first time through.
Now onto good stuff! I really love how Roxas feels to control. The game feels like a great mix of KH1 and KH2 in how it plays. Roxas and Sora play identically so keep that in mind. The game still keeps that simple, “underdog” feel that Sora had in KH1 which I LOVED, while adding in some new abilities like in KH2 to add a little more complexity and strategy. Roxas just feels good to attack, jump and move around as, controller issues aside. When enemies weren’t boring HP sponges, they were REALLY fun to fight, even simple ones. Aerial combat in KH is so fun and this game absolutely keeps that. I love having to do a small hop and time my attack right when trying to hit targets close to the ground, it’s so simple but satisfying to pull off.
The game also gives you a lot of REALLY great movement options and abilities outside of attacks. I freaking LOVE Air Slide in this game. Letting you slide more than once is INCREDIBLE!! OH ITS SO FUN! I can slide away to dodge an attack then slide right back to waste no time attacking! It’s SOsatisfying. Ohhh I want every KH game to have it. By far my favorite movement option in any KH game. Glide and dodge roll are still here, you can add more attributes to them which is super neat! Float was a cool ability, never got to use it but I like the idea. It’s fun to add more little abilities like that. I want more movement options instead of more attacks. cough cough KH2… I feel like I used Block a LOT more in this game than I had previously, which was really fun. Again, you can add attributes to it which is great! I’d LOVE to see future games allow you to upgrade abilities like this, rather than just “Oh it gets better/stronger.” I also loved Limit break, it feels like a more interesting version of the forms in KH2. I love the risk and reward for needing to be at low health to use it, and how you have to manage your use of it well, in case you need it later.
Some issues do come up with the actual controls though. I think it’s just because it’s on a DS (3DS in this case), but yeah it is kinda clunky trying to do… anything. The DS doesn’t grip into my hands like a normal controller does, so it feels like it’s constantly slipping out of them. The camera is also an issue. Type A controls using the touch screen gives great control over the camera (and is satisfying to do, with kid Icarus Uprising controls) but, completely impractical since I can’t swap between the buttons and touch screen while in a tense battle Type B controls using the L&R buttons fixes the practicality, but limits camera movement, and messes with Lock on, which uses the same buttons. The latter is FAR better but still.
Other than all of that though, I am IMPRESSED by how well they ported KH gameplay onto the DS! It still feels roughly the same to control, you’ve got all the same abilities. It’s really cool! That goes for every aspect. The music, the visuals, the special effects. If you blur your eyes, you almost can’t tell without comparing the two. Very neat! Very impressive too! The colors feel a teeny bit muted but other than that, it’s great! This is actually my first DS game so I don’t know the standard, but it’s better than I thought it’d be.
Another issue is that there was a big problem in the game’s combat where Roxas's combos were so long that sometimes I couldn’t dodge enemy attacks. Obviously I could preemptively guess their pattern, but, for the most part, I could ONLY guess. The attack patterns aren’t solid and repeating, there’s variation (which is good), but the issue is that, I’ll be attacking, see the enemy charge up an attack, stop attacking and try to run away, but because his combos are so long, Roxas is just stuck there, helplessly swinging before taking the hit. I should note that each Keyblade has its own attack pattern, so maybe I just needed a different one, but I wanted aerial combos, and the one I was using was the only one I could get that Enhanced that. KH is primarily aerial combat. So, combine that with how gruelingly long even simple enemies can take to kill, and the result is that, despite the INCREDIBLE amount of satisfying movement options the game gives you, I was often just tanking hits. Maybe I’m just bad, but the ability to stop your combos on command would’ve been VERY helpful. I like the idea of a ground pound. Think Sora’s down air in Smash Bros. You can use it at any time during a combo to shoot to the ground, so you can avoid attacks better. You still need the skill to use it though, it just gives you more control over Roxas!
The panel system is interesting. At first I didn’t see the point in it, but after awhile it really grew on me. I was really worried it’d just feel limiting, but they consistently gave you new slots to install panels so it really just felt like an EXP system where you’re consistently getting stronger, but you also have the option to sacrifice something for more of another. It’s not limiting, it almost feels like you have more control! It’s a lot more “what combination of panels fits best?” And a LOT less “what do I need to give up to use this new ability?” The puzzle of trying to fit the panels together most effectively is really fun! I like those sorts of puzzles. Anytime I thought I’d have to sacrifice something major for a new ability, I spent some time rearranging panels and I ALWAYS managed to fit them in. The only exception being the ability upgrades, which did kinda suck sometimes. I was particularly concerned at first about having your levels be tied to panels, but the addition of level doublers, triplers and quadruplers completely fixed that. Never did I get a level up panel I couldn’t use.
I do have two gripes with it though, one minor, one major. Gripe #1, I don’t like that they limit you to one accessory panel. If I want to sacrifice other stuff for more accessories, I feel like I should have the freedom to do that. Nerf the accessories, of course, but still. Gripe #2, the big one. Oh my gosh I hate the magic system. Magic is WAY too easy to accidentally waste. Happened SO many times, especially when fighting a speedy enemy. It was always incredibly frustrating. Making you have a VERY limited number of spells just was not fun. They basically turn into items. I think it would’ve been WAY better, if instead of magic panels, you had MP panels, and an MP bar. More MP panels, the longer your MP bar. Maybe make you equip one panel of any given spell you want to bring. That way, accidentally wasting a shot isn’t the end of the world.
Level design is mostly just taken from KH1 or 2, mostly the former (thank goodness) which does lead to some puzzles and exploration now and again, but it’s nowhere near as good as it was in KH1.But, I do enjoy the variety of missions you can get, even if some are a little infuriating sometimes. Recon missions are especially fun, having to pay attention to environmental storytelling and use logic to find answers. Trying to find that last point of interest was sometimes tiresome but the rest of it made up for it. The story aspect was particularly fun. Collect badges missions sounded REALLY fun on paper, but the backtracking thing I mentioned completely ruined it. There was never a reason to try. Shadow Globs and the various stealth sections were pretty fun, though the latter could be very tedious at times, just having to wait for something to move.And of course, boss and collect hearts missions, which suffer from the enemies issues. I think a lot of the missions could be improved by them telling you if you’ve collected everything there is to collect in any given room. Would make looking for that last heartless or point of interest far less tedious. There were also plenty of miscellaneous missions, usually tied to the story, so the missions didn’t feel too samey.
Some miscellaneous things… I like how the game has different elements based on the different Organization members. Little sad you can’t actually use them all but I get that finding uses for all 13 elements would be… tough. I was surprised by how many enemies there were when I first opened the enemy files. Eventually I realized that most were just variants of other heartlesses which was sort of lame (Especially since a lot were only color swaps with like, slightly boosted stats) but I get it, time and hardware constraints.
Now, onto the presentation! My GOODNESS is the start of this game strong. It does a BEAUTIFUL job at putting you in Roxas’s shoes. Having to get used to using a new controller (not to mention KH gameplay in general since it’s been so long since I last played) and just, game setup, made me able to REALLY feel with Roxas as he discovers… life, for the first time. All the basic controls and common sense. As they joke about, Roxas was sort of a zombie in the beginning, he just came into existence, everything was foreign to him. So they did a wonderful job letting me feel that with him
Feeling with the characters is ABSOLUTELY the game’s BIGGEST success! I remember this once scene where, after Axel and Xion had a huge, actual fight, not gonna really explain the context too much but, Xion had confronted him, and Axel started talking to her as if she were WORTHLESS! He sounded just like the other members of the organization and I was SHOCKED! I felt SO betrayed, I was APPALLED that he would be THAT CRUEL and awful to her… and then he COMPLETELY turns it around and essentially says “I know that's what people think of you, but I don’t care. You are MY best friend and nothing can come between us.” and just FSJJSJS GEEZ AXEL! YOU REALLY FREAKING HAD ME GOING THERE!! The amount of immediate relief I felt, it was insane. There were so many moments exactly like that where I really felt like I was right there with them, like I was best friends with them too. It was crazy. Be it happy or negative emotions, I felt it. That’s REALLY impressive and hard to do.
The character writing is just… so good, both in the little moments and the big picture. Conversations feel so casual and genuine, the characters have well defined personalities without being one note. They feel so real. It’s so… simple, too. Such a WEIRD contrast to the rest of the series. I’m not sure how to properly describe it. It’s just… genuine, and I feel VERY passionate about making characters genuine. I particularly loved the vacation day, and seeing how the three of them handled it differently. Particularly Axel just wanting to sleep, it adds a new layer to his slyness, I just really like it lol.
But despite the writing being simple and ‘slice of life-y’, the narrative in the game is SOOOOO deep. There is so much to talk about. I absolutely adore how innocent all three of them are, even Axel. They want simple things, just to be together, but because they’re stuck in the Organization, it’s constantly stolen from them, every step of the way. It’s REALLY tragic seeing such innocent people getting stuck in something so evil. That juxtaposition is SO well done. It’s something that’s so prevalent in the real world, too, which makes it hit particularly hard. Not to mention all the stuff surrounding Xion’s story completely throwing a wrench in things through no fault of their own. These three people do not deserve everything that happens to them, and that narrative is achieved beautifully.
I love how many times the three of them get into arguments or drama with each other, and you think “oh boy, here’s where the rift between them starts” But EVERY time (aside from the end), they forgive each other, and come back as even stronger friends. Their friendship was built up so naturally and well. I absolutely would’ve overlooked having them go through multiple arguments throughout the story to build their friendship, if I was writing this. It’s so freaking well written how the heck is this a Kingdom Hearts game?!? Seeing them trying to figure out such basic concepts as friendship or love, was both cute, funny and tragic, or them trying to figure out how to process and deal with their emotions. All of this just created a REALLY interesting atmosphere and tone that is INCREDIBLY unique.
And that’s not even mentioning CHARACTER ARCS!! All three of them are EQUALLY well done, which is INCREDIBLY impressive. I am SUCH a sucker for good character development, and WOW does this game deliver. The way their dynamics and roles shift and change, and not always for the better, was done so seamlessly.
I’m gonna start with Axel, I remember thinking he was REALLY well done in the movie, and he only got better here. I love how in the beginning, Roxas, (and thus, I the player) view him as… a mentor I guess? Any questions he has, he goes to Axel for the answer. But slowly, throughout the game, Roxas starts to realize he doesn’t know everything, and suddenly his character starts to shift from ‘the mature one’ into arguably ‘the LEAST mature one.’ As everything around him begins to crumble and fall, we get to see as his sly, cool-headed persona he puts on, crumbles right alongside it. Revealing not only his deep emotion for his friends, but also, that he’s sorta cowardly. Constantly running from confrontation and responsibility, and actively getting mad at Roxas and Xion whenever they tried to disrupt their simple life in search of a better one. It’s something that was built up to the entire game. He’s scared of the Organization deep down, and unlike Roxas and Xion, doesn’t overcome it. At least, not soon enough. Had he acted differently, he might’ve been able to prevent some stuff that happened. At the end of the game, he just completely loses it, and seeing him finally collapse out of both physical and mental exhaustion… DANG… That carried so much weight.
I also REALLY want to highlight the scene in Neverland where Roxas convinces Axel to fly. Having Axel’s belief he could fly, come from not trust in the pixie dust or tinkerbell,or even just believing he could, but from his trust in Roxas, and how he wouldn’t lie to or betray him, did so much for both his character and their relationship. It also made later when Axel refuses to trust Roxas out of fear of the organization just REALLY hit hard.
Next is Xion, who has the opposite arc. Seeing as she develops as a person through her friendship with Roxas, in the same way Roxas developed through Axel, was so sweet. Her removing her hood for Roxas for the first time REALLY hit, which was so cool. She’s just so…. Innocent. She doesn’t know much about the world, she’s just following Roxas, and he doesn’t know much either. So seeing that innocent, simple character, learn more and more about who she is and how she came to be, and seeing her MATURE, OOOO IT WAS SO WELL DONE! Seeing her seek out the truth, taking responsibility and initiative. She starts to outgrow Roxas, no longer needing his advice and instead evolving to be sharing advice with HIM. She grows brave enough to defy the Organization and sacrifice herself for the greater good. She grows into a character I can respect which is just so neat. She didn’t have to, but she did.
And then, ROXAS! Oh boy I love him even more now! He’s kinda the same deal as Xion. Seeing him develop through Axel was so sweet, and then seeing him take that and pass it down to Xion was both adorable and funny. I absolutely loved seeing him innocently try to figure out who he is, and his role in the organization. I loved seeing him learn about morals and virtues through the Disney characters, and then look back at the organization and go “huh, weird, they don’t practice these things...” And he doesn’t know which one is right so he’s just kinda confused. For the longest time he just kinda, went along to get along, not really sure what he was doing. He didn’t know what anything he was feeling meant, he just knew he enjoyed being with his friends so he kept doing that.
Then, watching as Axel and Xion pretty much outgrow him… it made Roxas seem so much like an immature kid by comparison. He just wanted to be with his friends and have ice cream, and he can’t figure out for the life of him why life isn’t that simple. I was actually kinda shocked, I remembered him being more grumpy rather than… timid I guess. I remember really feeling like Roxas was being SO left out and abandoned, that no one was telling him anything. AND THEN!! AND THEN THE GAME GOES “YUP THATS HIS CHARACTER ARC!!” AND IM LIKE YEAAAAAHHHH!!!!! No one WAS telling him anything. They were treating him like a little child at best and a slave at worst. So FINALLY Roxas freaking SNAPS and goes “WHY AM I DOING ANY OF THIS?!?” AND I'M LIKE YEAHHHH QUESTION THAT EVIL ORGANIZATION!!! MATURE AND STAND UP FOR YOURSELF!! TAKE INITIATIVE AND SEEK THE TRUTH!!. Ohhhh it was BEAUTIFUL!!! Oh so well written and conveyed, AND PACED!! Seeing him fight for what he loves and believes in, seeing him stand up to Axel who kept keeping secrets from him, it was both satisfying and tragic. I honestly wasn’t expecting Roxas to… grow that much. Mature that much. It was kind of sudden but I was FEELING that tension build up inside him and seeing it finally boil over… oh I could keep talking about it for days man…
I absolutely love how well Roxas running away from the organization was set up. The entire game they talk about how ‘no one can leave the organization or else they’ll be killed’ so finally having that moment of leaving that main room for the final time, the room you ALWAYS return to, hit very hard. Then getting to run through the castle… I was filled with both determination and anxiety, which I just KNOW is what Roxas was feeling. Beautiful! Roxas’s Diary also adds a LOT to the experience, they really help you understand his internal thought process and they all feel so naturally written. They feel like things he would realistically write down. That final note of him just writing, and I quote, “I AM DONE WITH THIS” had so much weight behind it.
I hope that the amount I’m able to analyze these characters, their relationships and character arcs, just REALLY conveys how INCREDIBLY well written this game is. These are REALLY deep and complex characters. Every aspect of them is fleshed out and ties in together. These three feel as complex as real people, which just…. GAH!! IT’S SO IMPRESSIVE! How the heck did this team go onto make freaking Birth by Sleep, which had a VERY similar set up for it’s story, yet REALLY fumbled it. And I’m yet to even mention how CLEAR they make all the crazy Kingdom Hearts lore and stuff. This is by FAR the clearest explanation of what the actual, in-lore Kingdom Hearts is. I also had no trouble following Xion’s whole plot, or the Organization’s motives, or what was going on with DiZ, Namine and Riku. It was all crystal clear to me. Aside from like, one or two scenes, I never felt lost. Wow. Again, how is this a Kingdom Hearts game!?
Some miscellaneous things to wrap up with. Other organization members were written well as always. I particularly love Demyx. Luxord also shocked me by how much I like him. He was actually pretty kind, which I wasn’t really expecting. Xemnas was still as threatening as ever, he wasn't there much but every line out of his mouth showed so much of how despicable he is. The Disney worlds were very simple but enjoyable. Loved seeing Roxas and Xion meet the Genie or try to figure out the story of Beauty and the Beast. Seeing Roxas become friends with Phil and Tinkerbell was sweet too! I actually really loved how the Cheshire Cat was used, I don’t have much to add onto that, I just really enjoyed him in this game. I also love just… the setup of the game. Going day by day, showing their daily life. It works so well to convey their internal struggles. I would love to see like, an indie game, take this same setup of the game being split up into days in order to show someone’s whole life progress. It’s super interesting and unique.
Now, to finally wrap up. Like I said to begin with, wow what a WEIRD little game this is. It feels so unlike the rest of the Kingdom Hearts series in a REALLY refreshing way. So many issues that I have with the series aren’t prevalent in this game. That mixed with the fact I managed to beat it within a month (Something I’m NEVER able to do) just came together to make it feel… surreal, like a dream. But I mean that in a good way. The humorous yet tragic undertones of watching the characters figure out emotions and life, REALLY resonated with me. Yet… I don't know why, but I struggle to put it up among my favorite games. It just… feels like a weird dream, but again I mean that in a good way. I don’t know how to describe this game man, I just have the same feeling I get when I wake up from an interesting dream. It’s as if my brain hasn’t registered that this game is even real.
That aside, to recap…
Gameplay is overall… good. Roxas feels great to control and the variety of abilities you get adds SO much. If it wasn’t for the clunkiness of being on the DS, this would be my favorite KH game in terms of how it plays. Unfortunately, enemies feel poorly designed, having WAY too much health without having interesting enough attacks to JUSTIFY such a long fight. Missions could also just be kinda aggravating, so mixing the two made the game feel like SUCH a slog at times.
Presentationally though, WHOLE other story. The amount of complexity these characters have, and the seamless, easy to follow, journey they go on is ridiculously incredible. They grow and evolve, their dynamics shift to accommodate their change, they have realistic emotions and struggles. The narrative is so well constructed, paced and executed. I might just say, this is the best story I’ve ever experienced in a video game. I struggle to say the best characters, because there’s some REALLY harsh competition, and I've found many others more entertaining (Which is NOT at ALL a dig against these three). Most impressive characters though, yeah definitely.
As for how it ranks in the series… gosh, I hate to put it below KH1 and 2, but I think I am. I don’t know why, I just think I have more fond memories with those two. It absolutely beats out BBS and CoM though, easily.
If anyone wants my notes, here's the link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/128I3Wra8-GyvedLrW6KnXb4bW6lzL755OlETm_9sY4M/edit?usp=sharing
And so, in conclusion, the final thing I have written in my notes is:
358/2 Days have passed, and I won’t be forgetting this experience or the friends I feel I’ve made ANY time soon. Onto Dream Drop Distance!
DOR.
This one was a weird game to properly wrap my head around when trying to pick apart my feelings on what makes it tick. There are so many weird, clashing elements at play that simultaneously serve to make for something borderline unplayable and deeply interesting. Almost every misstep ultimately contributes to another aspect of the game in an evocative way while playing nicely into the whiplash and incongruence that the Kingdom Hearts series thrives in, managing to tell its best story in the process. Despite the cutscene collection getting the main gist of things across, the amount that playing the game properly adds to the nuances of each character also cannot be understated, it should be obvious, but playing the game is the preferable option to watching a truncated recap of events!
Despite my immediate praise for the game, one that extends to the core gameplay, it’s also not hard to understand why Days is so consistently maligned. There are layers to the idiosyncrasies that the player will be interacting with constantly, with each of them requiring you to meet the game on its own terms, lest things get extremely stilted and a bit difficult to fully digest. The pace of the combat is often very slow and simple compared to the PS2 games, which is to be expected given the fact that this is a DS game, but the way that its handled is pretty effective for the most part, despite a couple of sticking points. To accommodate for the simpler, slower combat, the enemies have likewise been simplified, yet are still made interesting by their mechanical extremities being emphasised. Elemental weaknesses are far more devastating in this game, and enemies will often only have one or two moves they can use, but they’ll instead be used in a synergistic way with other heartless. A big example of this is the role of the loudmouth equivalent in KH2 compared to in Days, where it’s now almost exclusively a healer for the enemies, instead of being a standard enemy with healing capabilities as well, now making them a constant priority, especially given how much slower and weaker Roxas feels than Sora. Enemies such as the barrier master have similar qualities that ultimately contribute to the majority of heartless types feeling distinct and memorable, rather than visually different pieces of fodder. The change in dynamic that the player has to get used to is one of the biggest reasons why I’ve seen a lot of dislike for the game I’d wager, as another change that was made here is that enemies will often have a lot more HP than might seem reasonable, with even the basic enemies often reaching over a health bar by the end of the game. If not properly approached, this would take an excruciatingly long time, because the game pulls no punches in making you feel weak and stupid the very moment you stop listening to it.
The panel system is key to this entire bit of the game working so well for me, as it’s the element in place to make following exactly what the game wants you to do a bit trickier. This essentially turns your inventory into a big tangram board, with each ability, piece of equipment, item and even level up being a piece to put into this inventory grid. It’s set up in such a way that you’ll be having to sacrifice some aspect of your character if you want to ever excel at anything and forces the player to plan in advance before entering a mission, using the little tidbits of information provided to make assumptions about the threats that will be faced in each individual task. If you don’t engage with this system to its fullest extent, there will be frequent situations in which you’ll be left taking far longer than feels good to accomplish your objective. This layer of strategy that gets incorporated into the game is a big part of what makes me have such a great time, it feels great to tweak your build to accommodate for the task ahead, and a lot of instances of things feeling too slow ultimately feel as if they boil down to poor strategic choices, and then it’s just a matter of if I accept this or back out so I can focus even more on the specifics that acted as a roadblock. It also has that fun little wrinkle where level ups are not a strict upgrade in every scenario, due to the space they take up that could theoretically be applied more effectively in particular cases, I just have a lot of fun when even such basic things are used as resources rather than a strict number upgrade with no strings attached sometimes. While it’s true that a lot of this could have functioned equally as well with something like an AP system, where equipping things cost a certain amount of points to use, I don’t care, this system is fun and gives the game a bit more personality!
Despite my appreciation for the ideas behind this dynamic, it doesn’t always pan out either unfortunately, some enemies really do just feel too tanky, the carrier ghosts being the most egregious example. The problem is at its worst with the boss fights however, since literally all of them other than the final couple are genuinely horrible in one way or another. The more simplistic enemy design philosophy that the game sticks to falls apart when approaching these much bigger encounters that feel as if they require a bit more to them to make them feel especially interesting to interact with. Fights like the Infernal Engine or the Guard Armor feel too simplistic and easily exploitable just by fighting normally, while fights such as the Antlion require certain precise movements that are a pain to do with the somewhat clunky controls the game can have, but the worst of it comes from the way that certain fights seem to revel in the idea of wasting your time. There’s a reason why the Leechgrave and Ruler of the Sky are considered so insufferable, and that’s just because of how long a fight with them can take even when you’re aptly prepared due to mechanics that make getting any real damage a total slog. It’s a shame because visually, both of these are some of the coolest looking heartless in the series, but a big portion of their fights respectively are either taking out a lot of really tanky enemies, or slowly chasing it down just to get a couple of hits in before it goes out of reach yet again. It’s such a shame to go through the storyline of each location only to have it culminate in something so consistently underwhelming, seeing awesome designs before being struck with the realisation yet again that the ensuing fight feels like garbage (once again with the exception of the final couple, which are genuinely incredible).
The narrative of the game is where it all really shines to me though, being by far my favourite storyline of any Kingdom Hearts game, contributing a lot to my appreciation for a solid handful of the Organisation members while also telling a poignant journey in its own right. I genuinely do not think I’d care for a few of the Org XIII members without this game, as it gives characters such as Saix and even Xemnas a lot more presence to elevate them beyond being functional but not super interesting to think about on a level deeper than “this guy is intimidating”. The idea of Nobodies and their supposed lack of hearts and emotions has always been an interesting concept in this series and this game sets out to explore this rather than leaving it as interesting in a purely conceptual way, showcasing the different ways in which the members process this facet of their existence hinting at how their pasts had shaped them along the way. It also just makes me feel really, really sad for Roxas for a multitude of reasons, dude just can’t catch a break and this is one of the few times where a game has made me cry as well, especially when even the moments in life where he’s shown the most kindness are still undercut by so much bullshit that it ultimately feels deceptive towards him and a bit of a farce. Even the structure of the game plays into this, with the nonstop, frequently insignificant missions thrown your way further reinforcing how miserable working for the Organisation was. It’s not handled perfectly, as there’s definitely a point in the middle third of the experience where it gets a bit overly tedious even when looking at the game in the favourable light of it being intended to reflect how Roxas should be feeling so upset about having to do such menial nonsense all the time, but its nonetheless really interesting to me and is essential in its role of providing space in between the big events so you can better feel things such as Saix’s increasing hostility towards you, or the developing friendship of the ice cream trio.
358/2 Days is a weird, flawed game without a doubt, but it’s also a game where a lot of those issues contribute to something else in a positive fashion. It’s the ideal sort of game for the DS, it understands that trying to replicate the feel of KH1 or 2 on the system would feel rough, and instead makes a lot of concessions to craft a slower experience that requires a lot more forethought and planning as opposed to leaning more into the execution of a lot of these plans. It doesn’t always work, but it does so often enough to make for a great baseline with some wonderful texture in how a lot of these systems feel to utilise. The game also made me cry so like, yeah. Certainly not a game for everyone, but it’s a game for me.
Despite my immediate praise for the game, one that extends to the core gameplay, it’s also not hard to understand why Days is so consistently maligned. There are layers to the idiosyncrasies that the player will be interacting with constantly, with each of them requiring you to meet the game on its own terms, lest things get extremely stilted and a bit difficult to fully digest. The pace of the combat is often very slow and simple compared to the PS2 games, which is to be expected given the fact that this is a DS game, but the way that its handled is pretty effective for the most part, despite a couple of sticking points. To accommodate for the simpler, slower combat, the enemies have likewise been simplified, yet are still made interesting by their mechanical extremities being emphasised. Elemental weaknesses are far more devastating in this game, and enemies will often only have one or two moves they can use, but they’ll instead be used in a synergistic way with other heartless. A big example of this is the role of the loudmouth equivalent in KH2 compared to in Days, where it’s now almost exclusively a healer for the enemies, instead of being a standard enemy with healing capabilities as well, now making them a constant priority, especially given how much slower and weaker Roxas feels than Sora. Enemies such as the barrier master have similar qualities that ultimately contribute to the majority of heartless types feeling distinct and memorable, rather than visually different pieces of fodder. The change in dynamic that the player has to get used to is one of the biggest reasons why I’ve seen a lot of dislike for the game I’d wager, as another change that was made here is that enemies will often have a lot more HP than might seem reasonable, with even the basic enemies often reaching over a health bar by the end of the game. If not properly approached, this would take an excruciatingly long time, because the game pulls no punches in making you feel weak and stupid the very moment you stop listening to it.
The panel system is key to this entire bit of the game working so well for me, as it’s the element in place to make following exactly what the game wants you to do a bit trickier. This essentially turns your inventory into a big tangram board, with each ability, piece of equipment, item and even level up being a piece to put into this inventory grid. It’s set up in such a way that you’ll be having to sacrifice some aspect of your character if you want to ever excel at anything and forces the player to plan in advance before entering a mission, using the little tidbits of information provided to make assumptions about the threats that will be faced in each individual task. If you don’t engage with this system to its fullest extent, there will be frequent situations in which you’ll be left taking far longer than feels good to accomplish your objective. This layer of strategy that gets incorporated into the game is a big part of what makes me have such a great time, it feels great to tweak your build to accommodate for the task ahead, and a lot of instances of things feeling too slow ultimately feel as if they boil down to poor strategic choices, and then it’s just a matter of if I accept this or back out so I can focus even more on the specifics that acted as a roadblock. It also has that fun little wrinkle where level ups are not a strict upgrade in every scenario, due to the space they take up that could theoretically be applied more effectively in particular cases, I just have a lot of fun when even such basic things are used as resources rather than a strict number upgrade with no strings attached sometimes. While it’s true that a lot of this could have functioned equally as well with something like an AP system, where equipping things cost a certain amount of points to use, I don’t care, this system is fun and gives the game a bit more personality!
Despite my appreciation for the ideas behind this dynamic, it doesn’t always pan out either unfortunately, some enemies really do just feel too tanky, the carrier ghosts being the most egregious example. The problem is at its worst with the boss fights however, since literally all of them other than the final couple are genuinely horrible in one way or another. The more simplistic enemy design philosophy that the game sticks to falls apart when approaching these much bigger encounters that feel as if they require a bit more to them to make them feel especially interesting to interact with. Fights like the Infernal Engine or the Guard Armor feel too simplistic and easily exploitable just by fighting normally, while fights such as the Antlion require certain precise movements that are a pain to do with the somewhat clunky controls the game can have, but the worst of it comes from the way that certain fights seem to revel in the idea of wasting your time. There’s a reason why the Leechgrave and Ruler of the Sky are considered so insufferable, and that’s just because of how long a fight with them can take even when you’re aptly prepared due to mechanics that make getting any real damage a total slog. It’s a shame because visually, both of these are some of the coolest looking heartless in the series, but a big portion of their fights respectively are either taking out a lot of really tanky enemies, or slowly chasing it down just to get a couple of hits in before it goes out of reach yet again. It’s such a shame to go through the storyline of each location only to have it culminate in something so consistently underwhelming, seeing awesome designs before being struck with the realisation yet again that the ensuing fight feels like garbage (once again with the exception of the final couple, which are genuinely incredible).
The narrative of the game is where it all really shines to me though, being by far my favourite storyline of any Kingdom Hearts game, contributing a lot to my appreciation for a solid handful of the Organisation members while also telling a poignant journey in its own right. I genuinely do not think I’d care for a few of the Org XIII members without this game, as it gives characters such as Saix and even Xemnas a lot more presence to elevate them beyond being functional but not super interesting to think about on a level deeper than “this guy is intimidating”. The idea of Nobodies and their supposed lack of hearts and emotions has always been an interesting concept in this series and this game sets out to explore this rather than leaving it as interesting in a purely conceptual way, showcasing the different ways in which the members process this facet of their existence hinting at how their pasts had shaped them along the way. It also just makes me feel really, really sad for Roxas for a multitude of reasons, dude just can’t catch a break and this is one of the few times where a game has made me cry as well, especially when even the moments in life where he’s shown the most kindness are still undercut by so much bullshit that it ultimately feels deceptive towards him and a bit of a farce. Even the structure of the game plays into this, with the nonstop, frequently insignificant missions thrown your way further reinforcing how miserable working for the Organisation was. It’s not handled perfectly, as there’s definitely a point in the middle third of the experience where it gets a bit overly tedious even when looking at the game in the favourable light of it being intended to reflect how Roxas should be feeling so upset about having to do such menial nonsense all the time, but its nonetheless really interesting to me and is essential in its role of providing space in between the big events so you can better feel things such as Saix’s increasing hostility towards you, or the developing friendship of the ice cream trio.
358/2 Days is a weird, flawed game without a doubt, but it’s also a game where a lot of those issues contribute to something else in a positive fashion. It’s the ideal sort of game for the DS, it understands that trying to replicate the feel of KH1 or 2 on the system would feel rough, and instead makes a lot of concessions to craft a slower experience that requires a lot more forethought and planning as opposed to leaning more into the execution of a lot of these plans. It doesn’t always work, but it does so often enough to make for a great baseline with some wonderful texture in how a lot of these systems feel to utilise. The game also made me cry so like, yeah. Certainly not a game for everyone, but it’s a game for me.
Medium. No story spoilers.
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 days, in a playable state, is only playable via the Nintendo DS, any systems with support for DS games, or via emulation of DS hardware. Alternatively, one could simply view the 358/2 days cutscene movie that is packaged with 1.5 remix. Ideally, one playing through the series should probably play the game on a DS of some sort, but the cutscene movie is fine too. Emulation is very possible and easy, but I feel that it's a little annoying to get feeling good, and it will never feel better than simply playing it on native hardware if possible. This game supports 2 player co-op, which I think makes the game more fun, but it is not a requirement.
Although in 1.5/2.5 remixes, it is positioned in between Re:Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts 2, you should not play or watch 358/2 days before playing 2! This game spoils many important aspects of KH2, and is also more enjoyable with the context of KH2.
Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days is the second major spin-off of the Kingdom Hearts franchise, and much like Chain of Memories, it is incredibly important and foundational for the plot. Functioning as a prequel to 2, and also taking place during the events of the first game and Chain of Memories, this game has a lot of importance to the extended plot. The game was exclusively released for the Nintendo DS, and has never received a remake or a remaster in the same way as Chain of Memories or Birth by Sleep. Instead, it was added to 1.5 Remix as a cutscene movie. While this covers most of the story beats, and is arguably more entertaining than the game itself, I do think it isn't quite as good as playing through the game itself despite its flaws. However, if you don't want to sink some teeth and time into this game, I would understand opting to watch the cutscene movie instead.
358/2 days follows Roxas, and as the name suggests, you follow nearly a year's worth of time as Roxas in the Organization XIII, performing and completing missions in order to further their goals. You team up with one other Organization XIII member, which can either be controlled by an AI or a player on another system, and fulfill the tasks to a manner you and the Organization may desire. These missions may vary in objectives, such as scouting out a location, defeating a powerful heartless enemy, etc. This mission structure is designed to allot for shorter play sessions that would be fitting for playing on the go, which differs from prior Kingdom Hearts titles which focused on lengthy exploration and longer challenges such as an Olympus Colosseum cup. This mission structure also has a narrative purpose, your role in the Organization is quite literally a job, and every day gets you new missions to do, and new events to follow in that chronological order.
And much like a job, this game is not necessarily entertaining. Out of all of the handheld releases, this gameplay system is most like the home console experiences, having the command list in which you can attack, use magic, and select an item to use. With the DS' limited buttons, however, this feels awkward at best. Combat in this game is incredibly simplistic, often boiling down to a DPS test with every enemy encounter. The only real dynamic element in action combat is the variable magic uses and the LIMIT system, which allows you to empower yourself once you reach a certain health threshold. You can change your equipment and magic, items and such using a cute little grid system, which expands as you get further in the game. You can trade off space for a weaker item, so that you can equip another potion, you can use differing levels of magic that may, in fact, not be strictly better as it goes from Fire to Firaga for example. You level up by adding, well, level tiles to this grid, which is a sweet little idea for a game like this. I actually do find this to be the most interesting element of gameplay, but in practice it often doesn't feel too good anyways, due to how simplistic the game itself is regardless.
Exploration is limited, both by the DS hardware itself, and the "barriers" sometimes put in place by the Organization so that you stay on target. This doesn't affect the gameplay too much though, as the environments are still nicely designed, and you can always revisit missions from prior days to get any items or bonuses you may have missed. So, while the game is shorter, and maybe doesn't have the same depth as other titles, the game still lets you take your time for completionism if you'd like. This all adds replay value into the game, if you desire to keep playing.
With all of this being said, why do I recommend playing this DS version of the game over watching the cutscene movie? In my opinion, 358/2 Days has one of the strongest narratives and overarching story in the franchise, and I feel that the cutscene movie doesn't convey all of that in a way I find as satisfactory. The significant bump in quality, and having higher quality voice acting is really good, and these are still some of the strongest scenes in the franchise, but the cutscene movie misses some small character details that I think adds up to a lot in the long run. Being able to see the attitude of many of the characters is really intriguing, and having to feel some of these character moments in gameplay is preferable to seeing them in a cutscene movie, at least in my opinion. While I may have a lot to criticize about 358/2 days, mostly just in the gameplay, I wouldn't prefer a 358/2 days without that gameplay, weirdly enough. Play (or watch) 358/2 days for what I think to be one of the strongest narratives the series has to offer, and as stated prior, play it after KH2.
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 days, in a playable state, is only playable via the Nintendo DS, any systems with support for DS games, or via emulation of DS hardware. Alternatively, one could simply view the 358/2 days cutscene movie that is packaged with 1.5 remix. Ideally, one playing through the series should probably play the game on a DS of some sort, but the cutscene movie is fine too. Emulation is very possible and easy, but I feel that it's a little annoying to get feeling good, and it will never feel better than simply playing it on native hardware if possible. This game supports 2 player co-op, which I think makes the game more fun, but it is not a requirement.
Although in 1.5/2.5 remixes, it is positioned in between Re:Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts 2, you should not play or watch 358/2 days before playing 2! This game spoils many important aspects of KH2, and is also more enjoyable with the context of KH2.
Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days is the second major spin-off of the Kingdom Hearts franchise, and much like Chain of Memories, it is incredibly important and foundational for the plot. Functioning as a prequel to 2, and also taking place during the events of the first game and Chain of Memories, this game has a lot of importance to the extended plot. The game was exclusively released for the Nintendo DS, and has never received a remake or a remaster in the same way as Chain of Memories or Birth by Sleep. Instead, it was added to 1.5 Remix as a cutscene movie. While this covers most of the story beats, and is arguably more entertaining than the game itself, I do think it isn't quite as good as playing through the game itself despite its flaws. However, if you don't want to sink some teeth and time into this game, I would understand opting to watch the cutscene movie instead.
358/2 days follows Roxas, and as the name suggests, you follow nearly a year's worth of time as Roxas in the Organization XIII, performing and completing missions in order to further their goals. You team up with one other Organization XIII member, which can either be controlled by an AI or a player on another system, and fulfill the tasks to a manner you and the Organization may desire. These missions may vary in objectives, such as scouting out a location, defeating a powerful heartless enemy, etc. This mission structure is designed to allot for shorter play sessions that would be fitting for playing on the go, which differs from prior Kingdom Hearts titles which focused on lengthy exploration and longer challenges such as an Olympus Colosseum cup. This mission structure also has a narrative purpose, your role in the Organization is quite literally a job, and every day gets you new missions to do, and new events to follow in that chronological order.
And much like a job, this game is not necessarily entertaining. Out of all of the handheld releases, this gameplay system is most like the home console experiences, having the command list in which you can attack, use magic, and select an item to use. With the DS' limited buttons, however, this feels awkward at best. Combat in this game is incredibly simplistic, often boiling down to a DPS test with every enemy encounter. The only real dynamic element in action combat is the variable magic uses and the LIMIT system, which allows you to empower yourself once you reach a certain health threshold. You can change your equipment and magic, items and such using a cute little grid system, which expands as you get further in the game. You can trade off space for a weaker item, so that you can equip another potion, you can use differing levels of magic that may, in fact, not be strictly better as it goes from Fire to Firaga for example. You level up by adding, well, level tiles to this grid, which is a sweet little idea for a game like this. I actually do find this to be the most interesting element of gameplay, but in practice it often doesn't feel too good anyways, due to how simplistic the game itself is regardless.
Exploration is limited, both by the DS hardware itself, and the "barriers" sometimes put in place by the Organization so that you stay on target. This doesn't affect the gameplay too much though, as the environments are still nicely designed, and you can always revisit missions from prior days to get any items or bonuses you may have missed. So, while the game is shorter, and maybe doesn't have the same depth as other titles, the game still lets you take your time for completionism if you'd like. This all adds replay value into the game, if you desire to keep playing.
With all of this being said, why do I recommend playing this DS version of the game over watching the cutscene movie? In my opinion, 358/2 Days has one of the strongest narratives and overarching story in the franchise, and I feel that the cutscene movie doesn't convey all of that in a way I find as satisfactory. The significant bump in quality, and having higher quality voice acting is really good, and these are still some of the strongest scenes in the franchise, but the cutscene movie misses some small character details that I think adds up to a lot in the long run. Being able to see the attitude of many of the characters is really intriguing, and having to feel some of these character moments in gameplay is preferable to seeing them in a cutscene movie, at least in my opinion. While I may have a lot to criticize about 358/2 days, mostly just in the gameplay, I wouldn't prefer a 358/2 days without that gameplay, weirdly enough. Play (or watch) 358/2 days for what I think to be one of the strongest narratives the series has to offer, and as stated prior, play it after KH2.
Also "played" the ps4 powerpoint. But the story is beautiful. So still 4 stars from me
La cabra
Fire game
Graças a Deus eu não precisei jogar 20 horas disso
This game sucks. Spending time fixing your panels between 10 min long missions where you fight enemies with way too much health with a much slower take on kingdom hearts combat just to see 2 mins of story and do the whole process over again isn't a fun cycle. I don't care if the slow pace is meant to serve the story or whatever, its boring. Speaking of that story, it is the best thing in this game, but it is nowhere near good enough to be worth playing it. I just always felt like I would rather be playing kh1 or kh2.
This game does have the funniest line in the whole series though.
"Xion, who am I gonna have ice cream with?"
This game does have the funniest line in the whole series though.
"Xion, who am I gonna have ice cream with?"
A fun side game that allowed for some interesting customization along with a ton of playable characters. The gameplay loop itself gets repetitive, but the pay-off was immense for someone into the series when this game came out.
if i was roxas i would’ve just killed myswlf Idk
Seeing as the 15th anniversary of the title is coming up this month, I figured it was about time I finally sat down and pushed through it. Not to shit on the early celebration, but I have to be honest here and say that 358/2 Days is one of the most tedious experiences I have had with a JRPG to date. It's definitely not for a lack of trying on the developers' side. Quite frankly, 358/2's story is one of the most interesting in the series, and certainly the most emotionally despondent, but the game suffers from so many problems, some of which even detract heavily from the story itself, that I can't help but be left with a sour taste in my mouth after completing it.
First things first, forget the fact that I have not been going through this series in a consistent manner, but I did go through Days' story some years ago through the remaster's VN format, so I already understood the gist of what was to come before actually playing the game myself. And yet, despite not enjoying the game very much at all, I would still say that actually playing Days is essential. Roxas' near-year long residency with the Organization is one that easier to empathize when going through the mundane day-to-day life in his shoes. While this works wonders from a storytelling perspective, it's a double-edged sword that may also cause disengagement from the player, which was partially true for me.
To better explain what I mean, I'd like to draw comparisons to Pathologic, a game that many who hold in high esteem would still call extremely boring; I mean, it's meant to be. It's very much a case of "games as art" that I don't blame anyone for hating. As of the time of typing up this review, I have not finished Pathologic myself, but I have found some great sense of roundabout enjoyment in its deeper themes and worldbuilding, despite its gameplay being the equivalent of nails on chalkboard. In the same way that Pathologic sacrifices "good" gameplay to make the player feel part of its world, one could argue that Days takes a similar approach in order for the player to connect with Roxas. The main problem, however, is that Mickey Mouse is in this game, among other things.
Kingdom Hearts is a series that tends to not take itself too seriously; a fact that attracts many to the series in the first place. As a result, though, I'm someone who has not come to expect too much from the story in these games, but rather a fun and goofy time for a majority of it, and unfortunately, Days is just not fun. Between the boring mission-based structure, the incredibly tanky bosses, and the simplistic/janky combat, there was rarely a moment of genuine enjoyment on my part. Despite this, I'm still glad I finally got to experience it to the end. Roxas, Xion, and Axel are probably my favorite trio in the series, and despite not being as enthralled with the series' overarching narrative as some others, I still think Days was a story worth telling.
First things first, forget the fact that I have not been going through this series in a consistent manner, but I did go through Days' story some years ago through the remaster's VN format, so I already understood the gist of what was to come before actually playing the game myself. And yet, despite not enjoying the game very much at all, I would still say that actually playing Days is essential. Roxas' near-year long residency with the Organization is one that easier to empathize when going through the mundane day-to-day life in his shoes. While this works wonders from a storytelling perspective, it's a double-edged sword that may also cause disengagement from the player, which was partially true for me.
To better explain what I mean, I'd like to draw comparisons to Pathologic, a game that many who hold in high esteem would still call extremely boring; I mean, it's meant to be. It's very much a case of "games as art" that I don't blame anyone for hating. As of the time of typing up this review, I have not finished Pathologic myself, but I have found some great sense of roundabout enjoyment in its deeper themes and worldbuilding, despite its gameplay being the equivalent of nails on chalkboard. In the same way that Pathologic sacrifices "good" gameplay to make the player feel part of its world, one could argue that Days takes a similar approach in order for the player to connect with Roxas. The main problem, however, is that Mickey Mouse is in this game, among other things.
Kingdom Hearts is a series that tends to not take itself too seriously; a fact that attracts many to the series in the first place. As a result, though, I'm someone who has not come to expect too much from the story in these games, but rather a fun and goofy time for a majority of it, and unfortunately, Days is just not fun. Between the boring mission-based structure, the incredibly tanky bosses, and the simplistic/janky combat, there was rarely a moment of genuine enjoyment on my part. Despite this, I'm still glad I finally got to experience it to the end. Roxas, Xion, and Axel are probably my favorite trio in the series, and despite not being as enthralled with the series' overarching narrative as some others, I still think Days was a story worth telling.
This review contains spoilers
Eu não consigo avaliar direito desse jogo pois a coleção de PC só remasterizou as cutscenes e fez um "filme". Contudo, eu gostei da história do Roxas na Organization XIII. Eu possuo aqui comigo um Nintendo DS, vou ver se consigo zerar ele nesse portátil.