Beyond evolving combat from the original into a more cohesive form the game fittingly also begins to mature its principal characters. It's a story about adolescence, specifically accepting your identity. This is why the game is so secretive with rather important characters (e.g. Roxas, Riku, DiZ, Xehanort, Namine), many of whom are introduced in the opening hours and disappear until the end, they hide themselves from the player (typically out of shame from the past, or who they are/have become). Sora is one of the few that chooses not to obfuscate his identity, allowing him to grow and exist beyond the veritable twilight. With this understanding, many of the game's key moments begin to click.

The prologue segment is a brief retreat into the relatable but artificial life of Roxas before returning to his alter ego. Nobodies are said to be illegitimate reflections of one's identity, yet display disconcerting similarities to people both physically and behaviorally, inviting players to question the diagnosis. In the end the Organization chases a constructed vision of self-actualization (Kingdom Hearts, an artificial variant at that) and ironically lose what little selfhood they clinged to, minus Roxas, the only one to confront and accept himself and retaining his personhood along with Namine, ironic considering their existence was just a byproduct of an unrelated event. Some of its ideas are unkept but you realize twists like the truth behind Ansem and DiZ work in service of that flagship theme.

Now, the game's structure feels very delineated, the original plot occurring in original worlds and the Disney mostly keeping to itself. This lends itself to some dull irrelevant moments in the middle of acts, particularly with the first round of Disney world visits and their janky start-and-stop momentum between slow frequent cutscenes and blisteringly fast action combat, in addition to their misguided venture to mimic the films on ill-equipped hardware (even if they could, it would be pointless). Worlds all also feel wider and hallowed out, suited for its emphasis on more complex and crowded action but I can't help feeling like this near ubiquitous level design and lack of substantial interaction eliminates some of the charm and immersion of actually playing within a Disney movie. Second visits at least sport sleeker campaigns but have worse bosses and are structured in a repetitive way. My qualms with Disney worlds are numerous but in the end the gameplay inside them is varied and fun, and there are some real highlights, like Disney Castle, Auron in Olympus, and the implementation of Space Paranoids.

Still the zenith of the series for me, and one of my favorites.