This game makes me mad.
I have REALLY wanted to adore this game and have it be the title to finally pull me back into Kingdom Hearts after hiatus, but this game is just a mess, plain and simple. I will say that this review is mostly a rant but I will bring up some positives don't worry.
Ok so the actual game mechanics here are really fun. The shotlocks are snappy and cool to pull off. The command deck is a neat alternative to magic (although I definitely prefer KH2 magic to this), with the command melding system making me constantly change up my abilities and such which was super satisfying to do. The physics feel a bit weird compared to what I remember of KH2, but they work fine enough. I really love Aqua's magic buffs and command styles in particular, she's fun to play as.
No, you see my problem here is the BOSSES. These bosses are by far the worst element of this game in my opinion. Vanitas is definitely the best example here, being a humanoid boss. Bosses in this game completely lack stagger (and revenge values as a result) which means using all your cool command decks on them is almost pointless as they could easily punish you. Vanitas here can flat out freeze his body and teleport away to punish you which is COMPLETELY random, meaning he can constantly interrupt the flow of your combos. This really applies to all the humanoid bosses in general, to the point where the most relevant strategy was spamming a dodge move and occasionally taking potshots for several minutes. This is just bad design.
I guess for last second positive thoughts, the presentation and stuff is good. Character models and environments are great especially for the PSP, with the cost of rather long loading times on the disc (I played using an ISO though). The music is good, as always, props to Yoko Shimimoura. The story here is pretty decent, pretty funny how dire the situation is for literally everyone in the plot lmao. Works as a good setup for KH1 and 2 plot threads as well.
In the end, this game leaves me confused and frustrated. I love all the options and approaches to combat the mechanics here offer, but the enemies and bosses in particular just do not compliment them at all. I still had decent fun when I wasn't fighting stupid bosses, and this game did pique my interest in the franchise again, somehow. So I guess it wasn't a complete waste of time.
I have REALLY wanted to adore this game and have it be the title to finally pull me back into Kingdom Hearts after hiatus, but this game is just a mess, plain and simple. I will say that this review is mostly a rant but I will bring up some positives don't worry.
Ok so the actual game mechanics here are really fun. The shotlocks are snappy and cool to pull off. The command deck is a neat alternative to magic (although I definitely prefer KH2 magic to this), with the command melding system making me constantly change up my abilities and such which was super satisfying to do. The physics feel a bit weird compared to what I remember of KH2, but they work fine enough. I really love Aqua's magic buffs and command styles in particular, she's fun to play as.
No, you see my problem here is the BOSSES. These bosses are by far the worst element of this game in my opinion. Vanitas is definitely the best example here, being a humanoid boss. Bosses in this game completely lack stagger (and revenge values as a result) which means using all your cool command decks on them is almost pointless as they could easily punish you. Vanitas here can flat out freeze his body and teleport away to punish you which is COMPLETELY random, meaning he can constantly interrupt the flow of your combos. This really applies to all the humanoid bosses in general, to the point where the most relevant strategy was spamming a dodge move and occasionally taking potshots for several minutes. This is just bad design.
I guess for last second positive thoughts, the presentation and stuff is good. Character models and environments are great especially for the PSP, with the cost of rather long loading times on the disc (I played using an ISO though). The music is good, as always, props to Yoko Shimimoura. The story here is pretty decent, pretty funny how dire the situation is for literally everyone in the plot lmao. Works as a good setup for KH1 and 2 plot threads as well.
In the end, this game leaves me confused and frustrated. I love all the options and approaches to combat the mechanics here offer, but the enemies and bosses in particular just do not compliment them at all. I still had decent fun when I wasn't fighting stupid bosses, and this game did pique my interest in the franchise again, somehow. So I guess it wasn't a complete waste of time.
chandler
2 years ago