It hits different when you didn't play kingdom hearts 1 first but 2, your just as clueless as Roxas is about who Sora is, but you get more attached to Roxas just for him to disappear for this Sora, and right after he just had the coolest fight you've seen with the dual keyblades, I was upset to be playing as Sora
I started with 358/2 Days. So I was just as lost as Roxas with EVERYTHING. And I grew to be attached to Roxas and his diaries. Then I played KH2 later in life and understanding everything, as if I WAS Roxas himself, just hit so much harder.
this was literally my intro to kh. played on my pops’ playstation and still get chills remembering, listening to these OSTs, and seeing roxas with axel is always sumn that makes me smile. i relate to roxas n sora a lot
Prologue of this game is basically watching someone's life falling apart in the span of less than a week. At least in Days it was a slower burn before things went south
Light manifests in many ways. And sometimes, its shadows are necessary. Such as focusing more on anger to defy rules, rather than let sadness soften you to accept destiny. I take the chance to promote you the fic series "I'll be there to bring you back". In this fic, Roxas's last gift had a different effect on Axel. Instead of the latter focusing on the depression of losing his two best friends, he focuses on the anger and frustration behind it, leading him to obessess on his memories until he remembers Xion. Remembering them two gives him the courage to desert the Org., and save Roxas from Riku. Meanwhile, Naminé reaches her last straw with DiZ. Next thing you know, she vows herself to save EVERYONE involved in the "commatose Sora" issue. I don't want to give many spoilers, so I'll just tell you the author REALLY gets the characters, and if you were looking to enter a denial stage with "Kingdom Hearts", this is the fic to do that. Plus, Naminé and Roxas get a proper birthday party, and Xion's friendship with Mulan is something I never knew I needed. Enjoy.
This game hits way harder if you played the DS game 358/2 Days as well. Roxas never had a single real chance in his life to be himself. Depressing fact: before having his memories changed he canonically was terrified of summer vacations because his whole life revolved working himself daily in life threatening assignments and having ice cream with his *two* friends was his only hobby.
By design. Denying Roxas a chance to actually be someone made him more empty, obedient, and easier to control. The whole point of bringing Roxas into the Organization was to control the Keyblade. Its wielder didn’t need a sense of self, especially since they didn’t actually exist.
I see it the opposite way. Kh2 is by far worse after playing 358/2 days. This is because it is clear that the organization members genuinely cared about Roxas, like Demyx and Luxord, thus making Sora and Co in the objective wrong. It also makes sora look like a terrible person.
On the other hand, 358/2 Days justifies a key part of Dream Drop Distance. If the heroes think they are so above the Nobodies who “fake having emotions” but in fact are emotionally stunted metaphorically (and due to Ventus/Lea/Sora/Kairi mixing Roxas/Axel/Xion have massively accelerated developing emotions), then their hardline stance there is justified until Dream Drop Distance. It does not make the heroes any better for it, and that stance was correct in regards to Xemnas, but given how much more prone the heroes are prone to charging in and not evaluating the situation, it’s practically luck that Xemnas is a faker when having emotions.
I played a little KH1, and KH2 for PS2 at age 7, but never beat KH1, and barely remembered KH2 by the time I played Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days... I beat the game and still enjoyed the plot. 10/10, cried too much.
Roxas Not being able to go tithe beach because Diz couldn’t be bothered to program one for the digital twilight town & making the kids go there without Roxas is top tier pettiness
It took me way too long to realise the message behind that was Roxas being denied something he wanted that Sora was able to take for granted. Another example of the game saying that Roxas couldn't have what Sora did.
@@AndyMeetsFantasy I've heard numerous people complain about the Twilight Town introductory chapter lasting so many hours, but like... Nothing else in the game compares when it comes to the mystery and intrigue happening there.
Man honestly that scene of Sora saying goodbye to Hayner Pence and Olette almost made me shed a tear just from seeing it in this video, the music and expressions and everything just hit so hard, and also Kingdom Hearts 2 was my childhood so it just hits extra hard for me due to nostalgia and wanting those days back
KH2's introduction really was, "Gaslighting: the Game." Roxas is easily my favorite character. It is criminal how little we get of him. 358/2 Days, the intro of KH2, and we play him a little in the Re:Mind DLC. For how well written he was and how he meshed with Kingdom Heart's world theme and lore, it surprises me they didn't capitalize more on his adventure. A dark, broody Kingdom Hearts protag with their whole own game would've killed in the late 2000's/2010's.
Indeed, sadly Kingdom Hearts never really evolved post KH2, and in many ways degenerated to become MORE "childish" or less mature in a negative sense after this.
@@AndyMeetsFantasyindeed. When we found out about that ressurection retcon, I knew it would all become a disaster. But perhaps now, with Sora away from his gaslighters, that problem can be fixed.
I don't have a problem with Sora being the protagonist. My problem is how he completely hogs it, when his friends have so much joint protagonist potential too. ESPECIALLY when I have "Forgive your abusers and give up your agency" shoved down my throat. Sorry Nomura. DiZ, Riku, Yen Sid and Mickey will not see me support them until they get the proper karma for their gaslighting and lying.
That's why I'm corrupting Mickey in my fic after his trip to the Dark Realm in "KH 1". It's the first step to hurt them. Sure, I could change the story so it never happens. But then, we would lose much emotional value.
I absolutely adored the intro to Kh2. It was actually my first game in the series (blasphemy, ik, but when you get your games at blockbuster, you work with what you have), and that gives the prologue a pretty unique perspective. Same as Roxas, i didn't know or really care who sora was, so i was entirely invested in roxas instead. Experiencing the existential dread of the simulation was haunting, and Roxas being told he doesn't deserve to exist genuinely got me mad. All the way up to his final moments of agency I was rooting for him. The end of the prologue was actually my first real experience with trying to understand death as a kid, and it hit me hard. I still played through the rest and enjoyed it, but there was always the ache as i pushed through the story trying to find Roxas again
@Gender_Ascender omg ye, it definitely was a highlight for me, too Seeing Roxas, Axel, and Xion take their names back from the father figure who named them was peak. 3 was pretty damn clunky, though, since it never really felt like sora learned to awaken hearts. It just kinda happens when it happens. Otherwise, it's little nitpicks like feeling that Roxas should have had his own set of keyblades, maybe one of flame and one of data to symbolise the two bonds that helped him become his own person Also, cool name, very punk rock in this day n' age
It also hits hard in Dream Drop Distance when Sora is able to talk with Roxas in his dreams. Roxas states, "This could have been the other way around..."
@AndyMeetsFantasy A lot of the worlds that you go to in KH2 deal with the theme of identity within the story of those worlds: Land of Dragons The Pride Lands Space Paranoids Halloween Town/Christmas Town Atlantica Timeless River 100 Acre Woods Port Royale Olympus Coliseum Whether it's a characters mistaken identity, or a character purposely hiding their identity from others, or a lost of identity.
There's a fun little theory that the reason Riku stole Roxas' money is because they hadn't programmed the beach. Unsure if that holds any water but it's funny.
That's not a theory as such, is it? It's spelled out pretty explicitly. ???: "Is it really that hard to make a beach?" DiZ: "We'd be giving the enemy another entry point."
@@Nshadowtailyes. This is why the money is stolen, as not to give Roxas a way to go to the beach and remain in the town. It is a simulation but with limits.
I grew up playing vanilla KH2, so going through 2.5 and hearing Ven’s voice come out of Roxas during combat really throws me for a loop. Jesse McCartney really surprised us with a solid performance back then, and it’s a shame some of that work ended up getting replaced in the remake.
It doesn't ruin things, of course, but it also saddens me that some of his original lines and battle quotes we replaced with his Ventus lines instead. I guess they they thought it would be easier to just use Ven's stuff but idk for sur3.
The context doesn't add much as a kid I knew that roxas was sacrificing himself so that sora could comeback. With context I learned his life has always sucked, him wanting to live and lead his life is always the wrong answer and why he has two keyblades.
I remember playing this game when i was a kid in those quiet and happy afternoons after school playing the intro of this game. Thinking back on it, Nomura really did create something special for us young teens back then. The PS2 era was truly magical and...I could afford to buy games and play them hahaha.
I remember seeing Roxas's summer end for the first time and thinking that he was gonna return at the end of the game as a 2nd playable character. Basically the same thing that happened with Sora and Riku except replace Riku with Roxas
For that to happen back then, Sora would have needed to sucumb to darkness again, but return right afterwards. I would have LOVED that ! True justice would have been served, instead of this misplaced and excessive forgiveness.
I had a great child hood growing up with games like these. Though it reminds me of that quote from sandlot. "One day we went out and played for the last time. And we didnt even know it."
I called my grandfather one day a few years ago. I was feeling particularly upbeat, so I told him how much he meant to me, and how much I appreciated everything he did for me over the years. He died suddenly the next day. It happened so fast, he wouldn't have even felt anything. But I hope that my love stayed with him in that final moment.
The saddest part to me is that if left to his own devices (aka if you cut out Riku, DiZ and Namine's meddling), I'm quite sure Roxas would have gone on to do the right and good thing on his own. The only real hiccup would have been surviving the full might of the organization bearing down on him.
Even today, there's a duality about this game I respect. You were told the right choice was for Roxas to sacrifice himself after his fight with Sora, and everyone in the Organization needed to be to die. But the more games are released, the more you realize how BS that was. I mean, I already figured it the first time I got the game. The "moral choice" was not the right one in any context. But the fact the games later prove my point (and Nomura himself confirmed Sora is the one missing the point) makes me both love and be frustrated with the game at the same time.
@_ImJayded it's a statement made by Nomura, that multiple people have been bringing up with "KH 4" getting closer. And the point Sora's missing is pretty obvious. He thinks Light is the ultimate good, and nothing else matters. The proof that this mindset is wrong lies in the fact Naminé and Roxas were born from Darkness, and Vanitas evolved from a mindless Primal Darkness into a living being by being exposed to humanity, meaning Darkness can change. Plus, Ventus's final words to Vanitas in 3 were of understanding and respect, while Sora's kinda judged him, a being of literal Darkness, for choosing Darkness. Light may be the Heart's main essence. But before any of it, there was Darkness. Both elements hold equal importance for existance, because Darkness is filtered by the element of Nothing to form the worlds around the Light of hearts, allowing them to interact without assimilating each other. That's why Riku's name is related to the term "land". He represents what every person and land is made of. A heart of light surrounded by dark bodies (hence our urges), both filtered by Nothing in order to not overpower each other.
@@_ImJayded I really loved the "Tangled" series. Know why ? Because it told and showed us it's ok NOT to be friends with everyone. That you are NOT less for it. As long as you feel you made a difference in anything that mattered to you, and as long as the other people are out of their bad place, it'll be ok. I think that's the ultimate lesson Sora needs to learn and understand. He seems to think everyone needs to have the same idea about friendship. Which wouldn't necessarily be a problem, if it wasn't for the fact it seems to give him somewhat of a "Holier than thou" attitude every once in a while, kinda like Eraqus.
Honestly, I sort of like that people focused too much on light grow too much to be holier-than-thou. It legitimately feels like a price for overfocusing on light. It feels like Light is more about the Master Morality (noble, gentle, not wanting bloodshed, but also condescending, holier-than-thou, and presuming they are the answer) and darkness is like slave morality (prone to dark emotions, and given the Nobodies, resentment, but is still a challenge to the stagnant order of the nobility, given that Xehanort, when not being about restarting the world, is surprisingly insightful about the nature of light and darkness).
@@iantaakalla8180is that why Roxas, Naminé, Xion and Lea sound like the most humble of the Keyblade bunch, even if Roxas does have his "Strength is the ultimate judge" mindset ? Because they were born as slaves, but learned to be masters without forgetting their origins ? Kinda like Captain America ? But how do you explain Kairi, then ? She's pure light, but she sympathized with Naminé and Lea right off the bat. Could it be a result of her wielding the Keyblade ? Like it's balancing her heart somehow, kinda like Ventus's ? Not even Riku feels as humble, as he kinda overidealizes Sora.
19:47 this part wasn’t in the original game. It was a final mix exclusive cutscene. We never got it until final mix was finally released worldwide via 1.5 and 2.5
29:20 I never realized that this scene was a reference to the ending of KH1 when Sora promises to come back to Kairi. It’s easy to forget that she’s a part of Sora too.
Omg dude said FUK SQUARE, FUK DISNEY EAT MAH ARSE.. BETTER NOT COPYRIGHT SHIIIIT. thank you for playing the music as much as you did. Most people run from the copyright claim lol
I've been doing a replay thing on twitch and the VODs are like 90% red muted sections, its nuts, wasn't like this years ago... sure the Utada music had to be muted, but at least world themes and fight themes were fine. Now they're laser targeted and unless you're talking constantly through it, you're gonna have muted sections.
Everything in kingdom hearts hits different when you know each character’s backstories and why they do what they do, why DIZ was so demeaning to roxas and Namine, why marluxia and larexene were a duo, why saix was so standoffish towards axel specifically, and why Xigbar seemed to know a lot more than he lead on… I’ve been playing kingdom hearts since 2002 and it’s built me into the person I am today, I thought KH2 was masterful in its execution of reveals, I remember my friends and I roaring about the seige of hollow bastion when we got to that part, and I still remember booting up the game when I was supposed to be grounded and had to wait 2 days to play the game while my mom went to sleep and saying “who the heck is this guy on the box?” Watching the opening and following it up with “who the heck is this guy in my game?!” I was bewildered because I fully played KH:CoM on my SP and never saw this guy then the game became my treasure, the whole series! Great video! You get a new sub, keep it up and I hope your following grows!
That first statement you made is so powerful. “Kh2 knew what it wanted to be and who its audience was” that’s the main problem with kh3 I feel It didn't know what it wanted to be or who its audience was. (I don’t hate kh3) I do have my gripes with it though and I’ve lacked the words for it for a long time and I think you just found them for me.
Hold up - at 18:55, DiZ says that Naminé's encounter with Roxas _put his heart_ in contact with Kairi's. And that in turn affected Sora. But that means that he let slip that _Roxas has a heart of his own, in spite of being a Nobody, and we were made aware of this YEARS BEFORE THE RELEASE OF 3D._
The whole narrative in the first bit is dark. They trap him in this simulation And erase his memories all the while creating fake ai friends to keep him busy And by the the time he figures out the whole charade He rebels trying to defend his own fate but the guy was a hologram stalling him resulting in him dying and getting asorbed by sora Losing not only his own body but his free will and soul And btw whats worse Axel tries saving him. His friend but roxas having his memories erased has zero idea and axel cant tell ether as the restoration process could eliminate roxas at any moment so he has to get him out
@@soraniostaur3839 haha, it's not the only problem either. Where Kairi felt like she was a princess in distress in KH1 (and it worked there as a classic fairy tale dynamic), it felt like she got a lot more agency and a bigger role in KH2. Then KH3 just went back on all of it and made her a sideshow princess in distress again with no bigger role, and an ugly ass outfit. ugh
@@AndyMeetsFantasy I felt that Alyson portrayed Kairi much better in 0.2 Birth by Sleep than in KH3. I can only assume the voice director(s) wanted to match Kairi's and Xion's voice just like in the Japanese dubs. Seems pointless to have changed it then especially since 0.2 had only released a year prior.
Not sure if someone already mentioned but chain of memories originially released for the gameboy advanced! 358/2 days is the one that debuted on DS. Nonetheless great game!
KH2 was my first kingdom hearts game, and the cd that I bought was broken. It only played until the part where Roxas goes into the mansion. Being a kid, I replayed the game many times hoping that it would proceed eventually which is why I have a closer connection with Roxas.
For me, I was very young when this game dropped. I didn't play it until I was about 7, and KH2 was actually my very first experience with the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It think that was part of the reason Roxas kinda imprinted on me and lowkey shaped my style. I've always vibed with the Nobodies in general, and Roxas has always been my favourite character. Truly, KH2 is a masterpiece of a game, having some of the best storytelling in video games ever, imo. This game shaped my childhood, and to that end, I'm glad my dad gave me this as a kid.
Best game in the franchise and still is. KH 1 had the better story and the nostalgia is like Dragon ball meanwhile KH 2 is Db z (no manjinbuu saga it ends on frieza)
Correct and well spotted. I can understand the confusion as the DS was released in 2004/5 and Chain of Memories was a late 2004/early 2005 release on the GBA, this is 20 years ago and easy to confuse those memories at a time with the cross over of hand helds, especially as a youngin. Let's not forget that the DS played GBA carts as well. But I imagine the reason for the error is due to most people being familiar with Chain of Memories from the 2013 Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix on the PS3, I don't know many people who even knew the game existed back in the early 2000s. It wasn't like now where you can just google everything or see posts about upcoming games on social media. So I would say it was probably just a slip of the tongue :)
Oh for sure, I just don't think most Disney movies have extreme gaslighting, multiple split personalities across the board and the health of the mind AND the universe being at stake all at the same time
Playing KH2 right after KH1 without playing the other games, i had the same reaction. At first its who is this and wheres Sora. But by the time its over, you care about Roxas and want him back
Sora got to take the train, Sora got to use the money, Sora was able to find that blue sphere, Sora basically lives on a beach. Roxas couldn’t just because. Such a heartfelt intro.
Light manifests in many ways. And sometimes, its shadows are necessary. Such as focusing more on anger to defy rules, rather than let sadness soften you to accept destiny. I take the chance to promote you the fic series "I'll be there to bring you back". In this fic, Roxas's last gift had a different effect on Axel. Instead of the latter focusing on the depression of losing his two best friends, he focuses on the anger and frustration behind it, leading him to obessess on his memories until he remembers Xion. Remembering them two gives him the courage to desert the Org., and save Roxas from Riku. Meanwhile, Naminé reaches her last straw with DiZ. Next thing you know, she vows herself to save EVERYONE involved in the "commatose Sora" issue. I don't want to give many spoilers, so I'll just tell you the author REALLY gets the characters, and if you were looking to enter a denial stage with "Kingdom Hearts", this is the fic to do that. Plus, Naminé and Roxas get a proper birthday party, and Xion's friendship with Mulan is something I never knew I needed. Enjoy.
Having the context of everything we know now about kingdom hearts it really makes KH2 even more amazing. It’s funny you can actually see Xigbar(Luxu) troll Sora on several occasions throughout the game, he already knows everything that’s going to happen in the future lol.
KH2 was my first, and I HATED Sora because of what happened to Roxas. I used to have such prejudice for KH as a whole and then when I decided to give it a chance the music softened my heart instantly, then the whole Roxas section was what made me really like the game up until Roxas died in order to Sora to wake up. I was literally in tears. Nomura made me resonate A LOT with Roxas and his struggles (I was a teen by the time), I simply loved the character, only to him be killed in the two hours it took me to finish the prologue. I truly hated Sora for a few years and to this day I still don't really like Sora. I can't resonate with him at all and if KH1 was my First game I really doubt I would be such a huge fan of KH as a whole as I am now. I thank my friend for insisting for me to play KH2 saying that I would really like it. It's funny cause at the time we weren't really that close, I was much closer and talked way more with his brother (also my friend), but the one that truly got me was the older Brother and the one that, for me at the time, didn't consider me really as a friend.
yeah it's fascinating how these things work out! I loved Sora a whole lot and felt like Roxas was "taking his place" haha, but of course, if you're coming into KH2 first, I can totally see how the roles are reversed and that the injustice might come across as even stronger!
@@AndyMeetsFantasy honestly, Sora is not the type of protagonist that i resonate with, so i probably would have dropped KH1 by Alice or Deep Jungle heheh
When I was a kid " 10 yo " playing kh2, the parts where the dreams would happen and shift like an old tv would scare me a bit. I remember feeling super uneasy and kinda sad about it. Dreams really do feel like that sometimes.
Summer vacation is also a metaphor for growing up in KH2. When they say they don't want summer vacation to end they also mean they wish to stay children and ignorant but the circumstances of the game are forcing them to come to grips with their reality falling apart along with their friendship. I like to think of all the characters in the simulated Twilight Town as kind of Roxas' mind phantasms so when each of the characters speak their kind of like some subconcious part of Roxas' mind speaking.
I just noticed something thanks to this video that I never noticed before. The data bead and the data pouch were taken from Roxas, but ended up on Sora. I kind of just assumed it was video game logic, but I just realized it actually means that Riku, who we know had them, put them on Sora. I like to think he was working with Namine to help keep him alive too.
I don't know why people connect so strongly to this series, but I'm glad I'm not alone. It's still inconceivable to me that KH4 is the beginning of the end. Looks like our summer vacation is over.
This was absolutely a kids game. Im a huge kh fan, but you guys like to make it deeper or mature than it really is. Full Metal Alchemist was technically made for kids and its light years ahead of KH in maturity. On a different note, "children's" media gets softer over the ages. If you read original king arthur or jack the giant killer, these books are as violent as berserk, yet meant for kids.
When KH2 came out, I felt like Roxas. I did not want my time in Twilight Town to end. I waited years for the game to come out after obsessing over how cool this mysterious Blond Hair Kid was in the Deep Dive secret ending. And right from the start of the sequel, I finally get to play as this badass new character. I was much more excited to play as Roxas than to go back to Sora so I milked the hell out my time with him because I knew I wasn’t going to have time with him again for the rest of the game.
So when I first played kh2 I was kind of upset at the beginning cause I wanted to see what happened to sora, so I did not care about Roxas at all but as I played more with him I actually enjoyed his character and then finally when you finish that prologue and he says THE quote and I get back to sora I immediately wanted to get back to Roxas he easily became my favorite character and then when you finally duel him for sora’s heart that music just broke me, then after I finished 2 I found out about 358/2 so I was like yes Roxas again and little did I know the depression I was going to experience from that game alone.
I have the most wonderful news for this fandom ! It took me a while, but I have finally forgiven Riku for his acts back in "Days" ! Seeing a different version of that game made the whole difference in understanding him. I hope he and Sora find their own lanterns to watch together, and live happily ever after. The same does not apply to characters such as DiZ.
Yes. This IS a kids game. When I saw that they pussied out and censored the slightly violent scenes of Pirates (Like Will poiting a gun at his head, or Jack getting impaled) I was very turned off and it's like...yeah duh of course I should have expected that but man, that blows. We couldn't even have a whiff of PG-13?
“As a kid, it felt like it took itself and me seriously” The childish games that took themselves seriously always seem to be rooted deeper in my memory. It didn’t matter if the game was about Donald Duck or a pastel hedgehog, I just needed it to be honest with itself.
KH2 is perfect because its the perfect embodiment of a *teen* game. Its teen characters are portrayed perfectly, it takes on more mature themes but understands the juvenile silliness or over the top anime level battles. "Yeah we gave the second protagonist two keyblades, no it doesnt make any sense but it goes hard as fuck." "Were going to have a fight scene where the antagonist is literally throwing buildings at Sora and hes slicing through those shits like butter." "Were taking everyones clothes and giving them a shit ton of zippers and shit, cos its cool as hell and if you dont like it go fuck yourself" Its stuff like this that piqued the angsty, edgelord teenage self. The characters dressed more mature than in KH1, but still had wacky over the top proportions. Sora as a character isnt too serious or goofy, he has snarky comebacks and remarks but still acts in awe of meeting santa. Hes treated with much more respect than he is in later titles, where he acts naive, childlike a plain stupid. The game feels awkward in such a good way, it even portrays teenage awkwardness perfectly.
I KNOW. What I used to love about Sora was his kindness and general awe of things, but also that he had a legimitately GOOD head on his shoulders. Why they chose to make him an actual sub-intelligence being is beyond me, I have no idea why they did that. I hate him in KH3.
From 2004 to 2006, I was going utterly psycho, no, a LOVECRAFTIAN level of mad, trying to figure out what the FUCK Nomura was cooking with "BHK". And in the backdrop of Roxas finally unrolling his tragic tale, I was undergoing my own pains, my own identity crises, my own sense of invalidation of my place in the world. And in those moments, I was stuck in the worst possible place for my mental health. In that regard, I was TOO optimal of an audience, and I won't ever be the same.
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It hits different when you didn't play kingdom hearts 1 first but 2, your just as clueless as Roxas is about who Sora is, but you get more attached to Roxas just for him to disappear for this Sora, and right after he just had the coolest fight you've seen with the dual keyblades, I was upset to be playing as Sora
same, i started played kh2 also and clueless as roxas.
I started with 358/2 Days. So I was just as lost as Roxas with EVERYTHING. And I grew to be attached to Roxas and his diaries.
Then I played KH2 later in life and understanding everything, as if I WAS Roxas himself, just hit so much harder.
this was literally my intro to kh. played on my pops’ playstation and still get chills remembering, listening to these OSTs, and seeing roxas with axel is always sumn that makes me smile. i relate to roxas n sora a lot
Yes. I wish i could go back and experience kh2 for the first time as the first game
Yes, exactly this! I've been saying this for years!
Prologue of this game is basically watching someone's life falling apart in the span of less than a week. At least in Days it was a slower burn before things went south
Light manifests in many ways. And sometimes, its shadows are necessary. Such as focusing more on anger to defy rules, rather than let sadness soften you to accept destiny.
I take the chance to promote you the fic series "I'll be there to bring you back".
In this fic, Roxas's last gift had a different effect on Axel. Instead of the latter focusing on the depression of losing his two best friends, he focuses on the anger and frustration behind it, leading him to obessess on his memories until he remembers Xion. Remembering them two gives him the courage to desert the Org., and save Roxas from Riku.
Meanwhile, Naminé reaches her last straw with DiZ. Next thing you know, she vows herself to save EVERYONE involved in the "commatose Sora" issue.
I don't want to give many spoilers, so I'll just tell you the author REALLY gets the characters, and if you were looking to enter a denial stage with "Kingdom Hearts", this is the fic to do that.
Plus, Naminé and Roxas get a proper birthday party, and Xion's friendship with Mulan is something I never knew I needed. Enjoy.
This game hits way harder if you played the DS game 358/2 Days as well. Roxas never had a single real chance in his life to be himself. Depressing fact: before having his memories changed he canonically was terrified of summer vacations because his whole life revolved working himself daily in life threatening assignments and having ice cream with his *two* friends was his only hobby.
By design. Denying Roxas a chance to actually be someone made him more empty, obedient, and easier to control. The whole point of bringing Roxas into the Organization was to control the Keyblade. Its wielder didn’t need a sense of self, especially since they didn’t actually exist.
I see it the opposite way. Kh2 is by far worse after playing 358/2 days. This is because it is clear that the organization members genuinely cared about Roxas, like Demyx and Luxord, thus making Sora and Co in the objective wrong. It also makes sora look like a terrible person.
On the other hand, 358/2 Days justifies a key part of Dream Drop Distance. If the heroes think they are so above the Nobodies who “fake having emotions” but in fact are emotionally stunted metaphorically (and due to Ventus/Lea/Sora/Kairi mixing Roxas/Axel/Xion have massively accelerated developing emotions), then their hardline stance there is justified until Dream Drop Distance. It does not make the heroes any better for it, and that stance was correct in regards to Xemnas, but given how much more prone the heroes are prone to charging in and not evaluating the situation, it’s practically luck that Xemnas is a faker when having emotions.
I played a little KH1, and KH2 for PS2 at age 7, but never beat KH1, and barely remembered KH2 by the time I played Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days... I beat the game and still enjoyed the plot. 10/10, cried too much.
I did play 358/2 Days. It was my first Kingdom Hearts game.
Roxas Not being able to go tithe beach because Diz couldn’t be bothered to program one for the digital twilight town & making the kids go there without Roxas is top tier pettiness
It took me way too long to realise the message behind that was Roxas being denied something he wanted that Sora was able to take for granted. Another example of the game saying that Roxas couldn't have what Sora did.
Or hear me out here. There was no beach at Twilight Town and DiZ is keeping his simulation accurate.
I still cry whenever I replay this game, i can't believe people dislike this opening, it's one of my favorite parts of the whole series
who dislikes it?
@@AndyMeetsFantasy I've heard numerous people complain about the Twilight Town introductory chapter lasting so many hours, but like... Nothing else in the game compares when it comes to the mystery and intrigue happening there.
It does feel like a filler@@TheLateLordKardok
IMO the only part that really drags is if you go for the extra AP farming munny for the beach.
@@EuroMIX2 yeah the work thing for the beach is the only tedious part here honestly. Feels kind of out of place even
It looks like my summer vacation is… over
Facts
😭😭😭
💔😭
@@asura7322 this all hit me so much harder after purchasing the games and playing 1 then 365/2 then Re:COM then 2
@gabrieldevoogel6225 yeah so much context
I swear sanctuary was the perfect opening for this amazing game.
Truly! It still gives me chills
I used to hate the song, but replaying KH2 as a grown adult, it hits pretty damn well.
Utada Hikaru is a wonderful singer imo. I don't give a fk if anyone says "ew, no"
Man honestly that scene of Sora saying goodbye to Hayner Pence and Olette almost made me shed a tear just from seeing it in this video, the music and expressions and everything just hit so hard, and also Kingdom Hearts 2 was my childhood so it just hits extra hard for me due to nostalgia and wanting those days back
same, it's really melancholic :(
I saved the point in the game where that scene happens just to cry to it. I found out the track is “Friends In My Heart”
KH2's introduction really was, "Gaslighting: the Game."
Roxas is easily my favorite character. It is criminal how little we get of him. 358/2 Days, the intro of KH2, and we play him a little in the Re:Mind DLC. For how well written he was and how he meshed with Kingdom Heart's world theme and lore, it surprises me they didn't capitalize more on his adventure. A dark, broody Kingdom Hearts protag with their whole own game would've killed in the late 2000's/2010's.
Indeed, sadly Kingdom Hearts never really evolved post KH2, and in many ways degenerated to become MORE "childish" or less mature in a negative sense after this.
@@AndyMeetsFantasyindeed. When we found out about that ressurection retcon, I knew it would all become a disaster.
But perhaps now, with Sora away from his gaslighters, that problem can be fixed.
I don't have a problem with Sora being the protagonist. My problem is how he completely hogs it, when his friends have so much joint protagonist potential too.
ESPECIALLY when I have "Forgive your abusers and give up your agency" shoved down my throat. Sorry Nomura. DiZ, Riku, Yen Sid and Mickey will not see me support them until they get the proper karma for their gaslighting and lying.
That's why I'm corrupting Mickey in my fic after his trip to the Dark Realm in "KH 1". It's the first step to hurt them. Sure, I could change the story so it never happens. But then, we would lose much emotional value.
They just need to remaster Days already.
Fucking 31 years old and I'm crying rewatching these cut scenes. This shit hit so much different
31 myself, my friend, good to hear I'm not alone!
Same! I cried when they were leaving twilight town and sora was sad but didn't know why. It made my heart hurt. 31 and the scene still gets me😢
Getting older we realized how one day saying our final goodbye to our friends can be or will happen at some point without us knowing when.
I absolutely adored the intro to Kh2. It was actually my first game in the series (blasphemy, ik, but when you get your games at blockbuster, you work with what you have), and that gives the prologue a pretty unique perspective. Same as Roxas, i didn't know or really care who sora was, so i was entirely invested in roxas instead. Experiencing the existential dread of the simulation was haunting, and Roxas being told he doesn't deserve to exist genuinely got me mad. All the way up to his final moments of agency I was rooting for him.
The end of the prologue was actually my first real experience with trying to understand death as a kid, and it hit me hard. I still played through the rest and enjoyed it, but there was always the ache as i pushed through the story trying to find Roxas again
Beautiful!
Was my first Kh2 that I ever completed growing up, I usually got lost on what I am meant to do on Destiny Islands
That's what I love to hear
Did you feel triumphant with KH3's resolution to that story? Because that was one of the genuine highlights of the entire game for me.
@Gender_Ascender omg ye, it definitely was a highlight for me, too
Seeing Roxas, Axel, and Xion take their names back from the father figure who named them was peak. 3 was pretty damn clunky, though, since it never really felt like sora learned to awaken hearts. It just kinda happens when it happens. Otherwise, it's little nitpicks like feeling that Roxas should have had his own set of keyblades, maybe one of flame and one of data to symbolise the two bonds that helped him become his own person
Also, cool name, very punk rock in this day n' age
Roxas story was the best thing that could've ever happen to KH.
It also hits hard in Dream Drop Distance when Sora is able to talk with Roxas in his dreams. Roxas states, "This could have been the other way around..."
This game is “Identity Crisis” given flesh.
How so?
@ because of Roxas. And to a lesser extent, other nobodies. This theme is also present in 358/2 Days with Xion.
@AndyMeetsFantasy A lot of the worlds that you go to in KH2 deal with the theme of identity within the story of those worlds:
Land of Dragons
The Pride Lands
Space Paranoids
Halloween Town/Christmas Town
Atlantica
Timeless River
100 Acre Woods
Port Royale
Olympus Coliseum
Whether it's a characters mistaken identity, or a character purposely hiding their identity from others, or a lost of identity.
@meteornome2556 so all Disney movies 😂
There's a fun little theory that the reason Riku stole Roxas' money is because they hadn't programmed the beach. Unsure if that holds any water but it's funny.
I was thinking the same thing, and I love that theory lol
That's not a theory as such, is it? It's spelled out pretty explicitly.
???: "Is it really that hard to make a beach?"
DiZ: "We'd be giving the enemy another entry point."
Idk man, I figure that a beach holds a lot of water usually.
@@Nshadowtailyes. This is why the money is stolen, as not to give Roxas a way to go to the beach and remain in the town. It is a simulation but with limits.
I like to believe Riku was simply acting as the tax boogeyman in that moment
I grew up playing vanilla KH2, so going through 2.5 and hearing Ven’s voice come out of Roxas during combat really throws me for a loop. Jesse McCartney really surprised us with a solid performance back then, and it’s a shame some of that work ended up getting replaced in the remake.
It doesn't ruin things, of course, but it also saddens me that some of his original lines and battle quotes we replaced with his Ventus lines instead. I guess they they thought it would be easier to just use Ven's stuff but idk for sur3.
It is pretty weird I’ll say, in 2.5 they just mixed 358 Roxas with Ventus battle grunts. It’s easy to tell which ones are from Ventus though.
Just replayed KH2 a few weeks ago, and man does that intro hit you when you have all of the context of whats going on, its all just so tragic....
Even when you don't have the context from the other games it hits like a brick
The context doesn't add much as a kid I knew that roxas was sacrificing himself so that sora could comeback. With context I learned his life has always sucked, him wanting to live and lead his life is always the wrong answer and why he has two keyblades.
13:35 I never realized how hour glassed Axel's figure was in the coat lmaoo.
got that hour glass figure memorized?
Waist: Snatched
I remember playing this game when i was a kid in those quiet and happy afternoons after school playing the intro of this game.
Thinking back on it, Nomura really did create something special for us young teens back then. The PS2 era was truly magical and...I could afford to buy games and play them hahaha.
I remember seeing Roxas's summer end for the first time and thinking that he was gonna return at the end of the game as a 2nd playable character. Basically the same thing that happened with Sora and Riku except replace Riku with Roxas
For that to happen back then, Sora would have needed to sucumb to darkness again, but return right afterwards. I would have LOVED that !
True justice would have been served, instead of this misplaced and excessive forgiveness.
Christopher Lee voicing DiZ sends chills up my spine
How in god name I didn’t recognize it!!! Thank you!
@@skeletonking4119 in the words of Count Dooku, "You disappoint me."
5:04 this scene made me cry, and this is why even tho I’m not a KH fan I’m gonna have my baby sister play this series
I had a great child hood growing up with games like these. Though it reminds me of that quote from sandlot. "One day we went out and played for the last time. And we didnt even know it."
I called my grandfather one day a few years ago. I was feeling particularly upbeat, so I told him how much he meant to me, and how much I appreciated everything he did for me over the years.
He died suddenly the next day. It happened so fast, he wouldn't have even felt anything. But I hope that my love stayed with him in that final moment.
The saddest part to me is that if left to his own devices (aka if you cut out Riku, DiZ and Namine's meddling), I'm quite sure Roxas would have gone on to do the right and good thing on his own.
The only real hiccup would have been surviving the full might of the organization bearing down on him.
Even today, there's a duality about this game I respect. You were told the right choice was for Roxas to sacrifice himself after his fight with Sora, and everyone in the Organization needed to be to die. But the more games are released, the more you realize how BS that was.
I mean, I already figured it the first time I got the game. The "moral choice" was not the right one in any context. But the fact the games later prove my point (and Nomura himself confirmed Sora is the one missing the point) makes me both love and be frustrated with the game at the same time.
Did I miss something, what point was sora missing? Genuinely asking.
@_ImJayded it's a statement made by Nomura, that multiple people have been bringing up with "KH 4" getting closer.
And the point Sora's missing is pretty obvious. He thinks Light is the ultimate good, and nothing else matters. The proof that this mindset is wrong lies in the fact Naminé and Roxas were born from Darkness, and Vanitas evolved from a mindless Primal Darkness into a living being by being exposed to humanity, meaning Darkness can change. Plus, Ventus's final words to Vanitas in 3 were of understanding and respect, while Sora's kinda judged him, a being of literal Darkness, for choosing Darkness.
Light may be the Heart's main essence. But before any of it, there was Darkness. Both elements hold equal importance for existance, because Darkness is filtered by the element of Nothing to form the worlds around the Light of hearts, allowing them to interact without assimilating each other. That's why Riku's name is related to the term "land". He represents what every person and land is made of. A heart of light surrounded by dark bodies (hence our urges), both filtered by Nothing in order to not overpower each other.
@@_ImJayded I really loved the "Tangled" series. Know why ? Because it told and showed us it's ok NOT to be friends with everyone. That you are NOT less for it. As long as you feel you made a difference in anything that mattered to you, and as long as the other people are out of their bad place, it'll be ok.
I think that's the ultimate lesson Sora needs to learn and understand. He seems to think everyone needs to have the same idea about friendship. Which wouldn't necessarily be a problem, if it wasn't for the fact it seems to give him somewhat of a "Holier than thou" attitude every once in a while, kinda like Eraqus.
Honestly, I sort of like that people focused too much on light grow too much to be holier-than-thou. It legitimately feels like a price for overfocusing on light. It feels like Light is more about the Master Morality (noble, gentle, not wanting bloodshed, but also condescending, holier-than-thou, and presuming they are the answer) and darkness is like slave morality (prone to dark emotions, and given the Nobodies, resentment, but is still a challenge to the stagnant order of the nobility, given that Xehanort, when not being about restarting the world, is surprisingly insightful about the nature of light and darkness).
@@iantaakalla8180is that why Roxas, Naminé, Xion and Lea sound like the most humble of the Keyblade bunch, even if Roxas does have his "Strength is the ultimate judge" mindset ? Because they were born as slaves, but learned to be masters without forgetting their origins ? Kinda like Captain America ?
But how do you explain Kairi, then ? She's pure light, but she sympathized with Naminé and Lea right off the bat. Could it be a result of her wielding the Keyblade ? Like it's balancing her heart somehow, kinda like Ventus's ?
Not even Riku feels as humble, as he kinda overidealizes Sora.
19:47 this part wasn’t in the original game. It was a final mix exclusive cutscene. We never got it until final mix was finally released worldwide via 1.5 and 2.5
29:20 I never realized that this scene was a reference to the ending of KH1 when Sora promises to come back to Kairi. It’s easy to forget that she’s a part of Sora too.
Omg dude said FUK SQUARE, FUK DISNEY EAT MAH ARSE.. BETTER NOT COPYRIGHT SHIIIIT. thank you for playing the music as much as you did. Most people run from the copyright claim lol
I've been doing a replay thing on twitch and the VODs are like 90% red muted sections, its nuts, wasn't like this years ago... sure the Utada music had to be muted, but at least world themes and fight themes were fine. Now they're laser targeted and unless you're talking constantly through it, you're gonna have muted sections.
Everything in kingdom hearts hits different when you know each character’s backstories and why they do what they do, why DIZ was so demeaning to roxas and Namine, why marluxia and larexene were a duo, why saix was so standoffish towards axel specifically, and why Xigbar seemed to know a lot more than he lead on… I’ve been playing kingdom hearts since 2002 and it’s built me into the person I am today, I thought KH2 was masterful in its execution of reveals, I remember my friends and I roaring about the seige of hollow bastion when we got to that part, and I still remember booting up the game when I was supposed to be grounded and had to wait 2 days to play the game while my mom went to sleep and saying “who the heck is this guy on the box?” Watching the opening and following it up with “who the heck is this guy in my game?!” I was bewildered because I fully played KH:CoM on my SP and never saw this guy then the game became my treasure, the whole series!
Great video! You get a new sub, keep it up and I hope your following grows!
thank you so much!
That first statement you made is so powerful. “Kh2 knew what it wanted to be and who its audience was” that’s the main problem with kh3 I feel It didn't know what it wanted to be or who its audience was. (I don’t hate kh3) I do have my gripes with it though and I’ve lacked the words for it for a long time and I think you just found them for me.
18:08 watching this seriously just took me back to the first time I saw it and I’m so emotionally struck by it all, all I can do is cry tears of joy
Hold up - at 18:55, DiZ says that Naminé's encounter with Roxas _put his heart_ in contact with Kairi's. And that in turn affected Sora.
But that means that he let slip that _Roxas has a heart of his own, in spite of being a Nobody, and we were made aware of this YEARS BEFORE THE RELEASE OF 3D._
Holy crap I never responded that 🤯
I miss when Roxas was known as BHK. Back when I was EXTREMELY hopeful for the future of this game.
That faded with KH3 lmao
I might have an upcoming video on KH3's intro... ooff
Kingdom Hearts 2 was my first introduction to kingdom hearts series and boy did it scar me, i was 11 years old crying to the sound of my sanctuary.
I’m you and you’re me ❤
The whole narrative in the first bit is dark.
They trap him in this simulation
And erase his memories all the while creating fake ai friends to keep him busy
And by the the time he figures out the whole charade
He rebels trying to defend his own fate but the guy was a hologram stalling him resulting in him dying and getting asorbed by sora
Losing not only his own body but his free will and soul
And btw whats worse
Axel tries saving him. His friend but roxas having his memories erased has zero idea and axel cant tell ether as the restoration process could eliminate roxas at any moment so he has to get him out
Hayden Pan was a way better kairi ... I will not apologize.
Absolutely. I was horrified with Kairi in KH3
@@AndyMeetsFantasy I fkn love you, finally someone who gets it !!! (Alyson Stoner is a great Xion tho!)
@@soraniostaur3839 haha, it's not the only problem either. Where Kairi felt like she was a princess in distress in KH1 (and it worked there as a classic fairy tale dynamic), it felt like she got a lot more agency and a bigger role in KH2. Then KH3 just went back on all of it and made her a sideshow princess in distress again with no bigger role, and an ugly ass outfit. ugh
@@AndyMeetsFantasyI agree
@@AndyMeetsFantasy I felt that Alyson portrayed Kairi much better in 0.2 Birth by Sleep than in KH3. I can only assume the voice director(s) wanted to match Kairi's and Xion's voice just like in the Japanese dubs. Seems pointless to have changed it then especially since 0.2 had only released a year prior.
Not sure if someone already mentioned but chain of memories originially released for the gameboy advanced! 358/2 days is the one that debuted on DS. Nonetheless great game!
Absolutely, simple mistake on my part!
The archaic teenage feeling of girls not remembering your name was by far the most relatable feeling I had in common with Roxas 😂
KH2 was my first kingdom hearts game, and the cd that I bought was broken. It only played until the part where Roxas goes into the mansion. Being a kid, I replayed the game many times hoping that it would proceed eventually which is why I have a closer connection with Roxas.
oh no! did you ever get a new copy?
0:37 you could even say it was a little less simple and clean
Kh2 was built different
Nomura truly took his time creating and writing this masterpiece
KH2: Existential Identity Crisis: final mix
For me, I was very young when this game dropped. I didn't play it until I was about 7, and KH2 was actually my very first experience with the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It think that was part of the reason Roxas kinda imprinted on me and lowkey shaped my style. I've always vibed with the Nobodies in general, and Roxas has always been my favourite character.
Truly, KH2 is a masterpiece of a game, having some of the best storytelling in video games ever, imo. This game shaped my childhood, and to that end, I'm glad my dad gave me this as a kid.
Best game in the franchise and still is.
KH 1 had the better story and the nostalgia is like Dragon ball meanwhile KH 2 is Db z (no manjinbuu saga it ends on frieza)
I love how the cell arc is also skipped as well. Really is the KH2 of DB. And cell getting erased like xion
Square Enix was my childhood
mine too, my friend
Wow ,grateful
Kh makes me so emotional I have no control when I play this game.
26:53 Roxas had an out here, he could’ve said “not fully… but I want to, help me remember axel”
Um kingdom hearts chain of memories came out on Gameboy advanced
Correct and well spotted.
I can understand the confusion as the DS was released in 2004/5 and Chain of Memories was a late 2004/early 2005 release on the GBA, this is 20 years ago and easy to confuse those memories at a time with the cross over of hand helds, especially as a youngin. Let's not forget that the DS played GBA carts as well.
But I imagine the reason for the error is due to most people being familiar with Chain of Memories from the 2013 Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix on the PS3, I don't know many people who even knew the game existed back in the early 2000s. It wasn't like now where you can just google everything or see posts about upcoming games on social media. So I would say it was probably just a slip of the tongue :)
Sorry I misspoke, simple typo.
@@AndyMeetsFantasy it's okay everyone makes mistakes that's why we're human
There was a re chain of memories that came out for ps2
What kids series doesn’t have something traumatizing in it?
Have you seen the Disney movies?😂
Oh for sure, I just don't think most Disney movies have extreme gaslighting, multiple split personalities across the board and the health of the mind AND the universe being at stake all at the same time
this video: "You okay?"
everyone: "Huh? Y-yeah. Don't know where it came from."
😭
Playing KH2 right after KH1 without playing the other games, i had the same reaction. At first its who is this and wheres Sora. But by the time its over, you care about Roxas and want him back
What a great video, getting me all emotional and desperate for a replay!
happy to hear it, thank you :)
Sora got to take the train, Sora got to use the money, Sora was able to find that blue sphere, Sora basically lives on a beach. Roxas couldn’t just because. Such a heartfelt intro.
Great vid bro 😢
Thank you so much
Why are you crying 😭?
@@ryozaki96 I'm not crying. YOU'RE crying 😭😭😭
I should replay Kingdom Hearts 2 for the 200th time...
The nobodies stealing the word was peak fiction such a cool little detail
You did so well analyzing this. So impressed. Nice job, and this was so interesting and soothing to reflect on with your discussion. Well done!
Thank you so much, you're too kind! :)
Light manifests in many ways. And sometimes, its shadows are necessary. Such as focusing more on anger to defy rules, rather than let sadness soften you to accept destiny.
I take the chance to promote you the fic series "I'll be there to bring you back".
In this fic, Roxas's last gift had a different effect on Axel. Instead of the latter focusing on the depression of losing his two best friends, he focuses on the anger and frustration behind it, leading him to obessess on his memories until he remembers Xion. Remembering them two gives him the courage to desert the Org., and save Roxas from Riku.
Meanwhile, Naminé reaches her last straw with DiZ. Next thing you know, she vows herself to save EVERYONE involved in the "commatose Sora" issue.
I don't want to give many spoilers, so I'll just tell you the author REALLY gets the characters, and if you were looking to enter a denial stage with "Kingdom Hearts", this is the fic to do that.
Plus, Naminé and Roxas get a proper birthday party, and Xion's friendship with Mulan is something I never knew I needed. Enjoy.
Having the context of everything we know now about kingdom hearts it really makes KH2 even more amazing. It’s funny you can actually see Xigbar(Luxu) troll Sora on several occasions throughout the game, he already knows everything that’s going to happen in the future lol.
To understand the timeline
Kingdom hearts birth by sleep
Kingdom hearts
Kh chain of memories
Kh 358/2days
Kingdom hearts 2
Kh recoded
Kh dream drop distance
Kingdom hearts back cover
Kh birth by sleep 0.2
Kingdom hearts 3
KH2 was my first, and I HATED Sora because of what happened to Roxas. I used to have such prejudice for KH as a whole and then when I decided to give it a chance the music softened my heart instantly, then the whole Roxas section was what made me really like the game up until Roxas died in order to Sora to wake up.
I was literally in tears. Nomura made me resonate A LOT with Roxas and his struggles (I was a teen by the time), I simply loved the character, only to him be killed in the two hours it took me to finish the prologue.
I truly hated Sora for a few years and to this day I still don't really like Sora. I can't resonate with him at all and if KH1 was my First game I really doubt I would be such a huge fan of KH as a whole as I am now.
I thank my friend for insisting for me to play KH2 saying that I would really like it. It's funny cause at the time we weren't really that close, I was much closer and talked way more with his brother (also my friend), but the one that truly got me was the older Brother and the one that, for me at the time, didn't consider me really as a friend.
yeah it's fascinating how these things work out! I loved Sora a whole lot and felt like Roxas was "taking his place" haha, but of course, if you're coming into KH2 first, I can totally see how the roles are reversed and that the injustice might come across as even stronger!
@@AndyMeetsFantasy honestly, Sora is not the type of protagonist that i resonate with, so i probably would have dropped KH1 by Alice or Deep Jungle heheh
Thank you universe for kingdom hearts 🥰
Kingdom Hearts had some of the best intros
When I was a kid " 10 yo " playing kh2, the parts where the dreams would happen and shift like an old tv would scare me a bit. I remember feeling super uneasy and kinda sad about it. Dreams really do feel like that sometimes.
I cry just watching the scenes- roxas hit a chord with all us emo kids back then and boy does it still strangle me all these years later still
4:30 Man, this cutscene beats Evangelion ovas to a crisp. It's just, simple and clean xD
Summer vacation is also a metaphor for growing up in KH2. When they say they don't want summer vacation to end they also mean they wish to stay children and ignorant but the circumstances of the game are forcing them to come to grips with their reality falling apart along with their friendship. I like to think of all the characters in the simulated Twilight Town as kind of Roxas' mind phantasms so when each of the characters speak their kind of like some subconcious part of Roxas' mind speaking.
Roxas will forever be my favorite character in history
So many parts in this video almost made me tear up, i really wish kh3 was better
for my next video, I have to make you tear up, not just "almost"!
@AndyMeetsFantasy well it was really just seeing all the parts I love about kh2 haha
I just noticed something thanks to this video that I never noticed before. The data bead and the data pouch were taken from Roxas, but ended up on Sora. I kind of just assumed it was video game logic, but I just realized it actually means that Riku, who we know had them, put them on Sora. I like to think he was working with Namine to help keep him alive too.
I don't know why people connect so strongly to this series, but I'm glad I'm not alone.
It's still inconceivable to me that KH4 is the beginning of the end. Looks like our summer vacation is over.
Kh2 literally changed my life when I played it, I was 10.
This was absolutely a kids game. Im a huge kh fan, but you guys like to make it deeper or mature than it really is. Full Metal Alchemist was technically made for kids and its light years ahead of KH in maturity.
On a different note, "children's" media gets softer over the ages. If you read original king arthur or jack the giant killer, these books are as violent as berserk, yet meant for kids.
Roxas stile my heart. Man Im playing final mix 2 since this week and Im so sad
When KH2 came out, I felt like Roxas. I did not want my time in Twilight Town to end. I waited years for the game to come out after obsessing over how cool this mysterious Blond Hair Kid was in the Deep Dive secret ending. And right from the start of the sequel, I finally get to play as this badass new character. I was much more excited to play as Roxas than to go back to Sora so I milked the hell out my time with him because I knew I wasn’t going to have time with him again for the rest of the game.
So when I first played kh2 I was kind of upset at the beginning cause I wanted to see what happened to sora, so I did not care about Roxas at all but as I played more with him I actually enjoyed his character and then finally when you finish that prologue and he says THE quote and I get back to sora I immediately wanted to get back to Roxas he easily became my favorite character and then when you finally duel him for sora’s heart that music just broke me, then after I finished 2 I found out about 358/2 so I was like yes Roxas again and little did I know the depression I was going to experience from that game alone.
Man I thought I was over it but this still hurts something serious.
I have the most wonderful news for this fandom ! It took me a while, but I have finally forgiven Riku for his acts back in "Days" ! Seeing a different version of that game made the whole difference in understanding him.
I hope he and Sora find their own lanterns to watch together, and live happily ever after.
The same does not apply to characters such as DiZ.
Yes. This IS a kids game. When I saw that they pussied out and censored the slightly violent scenes of Pirates (Like Will poiting a gun at his head, or Jack getting impaled) I was very turned off and it's like...yeah duh of course I should have expected that but man, that blows. We couldn't even have a whiff of PG-13?
Sassy Sora is hilarious 18:23
Great video ❤
You have gained a subscriber pal
I appreciate it, mate!
Yooooooooo the combos on the nobodies I see you were connected hahahahahahhaha
I liked how KH2 was before Xion being introduced. Xion really came out of nowhere
“As a kid, it felt like it took itself and me seriously”
The childish games that took themselves seriously always seem to be rooted deeper in my memory. It didn’t matter if the game was about Donald Duck or a pastel hedgehog, I just needed it to be honest with itself.
exactly! and it means so much, too
I FORGOT CHRISTOPHER LEE WAS IN THE GAME.
KH2 is still the best KH game to this day. Amazing story and gameplay. KH3 will never be what KH2 was. KH3 fanboys can stay mad.
🙏🙏🙏👏👏👏
side note: KH CoM released on the old gameboy advance long before DS was a thing
Best prologue in any video game
Yeah I remember the beginning of this game being such a trip.....
KH2 is perfect because its the perfect embodiment of a *teen* game. Its teen characters are portrayed perfectly, it takes on more mature themes but understands the juvenile silliness or over the top anime level battles.
"Yeah we gave the second protagonist two keyblades, no it doesnt make any sense but it goes hard as fuck."
"Were going to have a fight scene where the antagonist is literally throwing buildings at Sora and hes slicing through those shits like butter."
"Were taking everyones clothes and giving them a shit ton of zippers and shit, cos its cool as hell and if you dont like it go fuck yourself"
Its stuff like this that piqued the angsty, edgelord teenage self.
The characters dressed more mature than in KH1, but still had wacky over the top proportions.
Sora as a character isnt too serious or goofy, he has snarky comebacks and remarks but still acts in awe of meeting santa. Hes treated with much more respect than he is in later titles, where he acts naive, childlike a plain stupid.
The game feels awkward in such a good way, it even portrays teenage awkwardness perfectly.
I KNOW. What I used to love about Sora was his kindness and general awe of things, but also that he had a legimitately GOOD head on his shoulders. Why they chose to make him an actual sub-intelligence being is beyond me, I have no idea why they did that. I hate him in KH3.
I was hoping they’d keep the Roxas original design from the original KH2 instead of turning him to look like Ventus instead.
Kino game, KH2 draws the player into the plot expertly. Great video Andy 🥰
Thank you, chelly! I'm still obsessed with the game's intro as you can tell! :D
From 2004 to 2006, I was going utterly psycho, no, a LOVECRAFTIAN level of mad, trying to figure out what the FUCK Nomura was cooking with "BHK". And in the backdrop of Roxas finally unrolling his tragic tale, I was undergoing my own pains, my own identity crises, my own sense of invalidation of my place in the world. And in those moments, I was stuck in the worst possible place for my mental health. In that regard, I was TOO optimal of an audience, and I won't ever be the same.
Yeah Roxas story was depressing af. When his theme music came on its instant tears
I need to play the hd remixes. Watching the gameplay is 60+ fps looks so damn good
RIP Christoper Lee
How many times did y'all cry the first time you played the intro
I lost count after 6.
I can't decide if it's a better experience and narrative to play Days before or after the KH2 prologue.