and I enjoyed every moment of that. heck, thinking about that scene, and then that that scene in KH 0.2 where 'Terra' finds her and talks to her. one of his conversations with Aqua, using that armor as a means of trying to reach her in the void.
I agree that maybe it was not proper for a videogame. But from a cinematography standpoint, that cutscene is GORGEUS. Felt like fucking Kubrick directed that one cutscene.
I actually love the Roxas section of KH2. Getting to know him makes him having to give up his free will so much more bittersweet. Of course I was excited to finally play as Sora, but it cost the character I just got attached to who wanted to believe he is his own person succumb to the truth and disappear, waking up Sora who doesn't know he even existed.
I remember that since I played 2 first when I was little I was like “why am I playing as someone who swings their arms like a gorilla when they run instead of the guy with Donald and Goofy,” but by the end I felt cheated when I got what I wanted.
I love the intro in terms of story and character, but I think it's a bit too slow in introducing you to the gameplay elements. Like Shaff said, if it was 3 or 4 days, it could have condensed the tutorial into a shorter time which would have felt more natural. And as much as I love the intro's story, it's got a lot of unnecessary fluff.
@@jacobmonks3722 I think all that fluff is essential to build character and attachment with Roxas and his friends and it's not like every single day doesn't have lots of variety and intrigue especially for those who haven't played chain of Memories You should miss Roxas by the time you play as Sora
When shaff was comparing the games to the shrek movies, he brainwashed me so well over the years into believing shrek the third didn't exist that when he was talking about the third one I immediately thought shrek forever after
I thought he was gonna pull a fast one on us and say "KH3 is amazing, like Shrek Forever After! Because we all know the Shrek saga is a trilogy of masterful movies with NO LACKLUSTER CHAPTER WHATSOEVER, WHAT ARE YOU ON ABOUT?!?"
So basically, the perfect Kingdom Hearts game would be a combination of 1's simple but interesting plot, 2's gameplay and 3's animation/design/setting? Also Remy.
Am I the only one who actually liked the Roxas intro in KH2 my first go around? Roxas' story starts out kinda wtf but then as you play more and more and you know that he's basically being forced to give up his life to become one with Sora it's kind of heartbreaking. "Looks like my summer vacation is over" is probably one of the most memorable lines in the whole KH series to me
i don't hear many people complain about the intro atleast story wise, gameplay wise it is too long, lenght okay for the first time but revisiting it's frustating. but story wise if you can really understand him then you will love it and especially if you already know who roxas is, or after that.
I like it, but i can see why people would get fed up playing this section again. I think destiny is the best "tutorial world" simply for having so much liberty in what you can do there.
I feel like 90% of these people are lying through their teeth. You a ten year old crack addict enjoyed kh2's intro the first time around? You might have liked Roxas but I know all of our young selves just wanted to hit the X button as Sora again
SUPRISE! I am the funniest YTer evah!!!! Just kidding, it was no surprise. Everybody knew already. HAHAHHAHA!!!! That was an amazing joke (it was real talk though). WAWAWAWAWA!!!! Good afternoon, dear qo
+Euan Griffiths All the summons are the best in 1. Simba is a nuke that kills everything, Genie can stall single enemies and chew through their health, Bambi gives you infinite MP, Dumbo gives you invincibility and deals a good amount of cone of effect damage, Tinker Bell gives healing over time and can be used as a one off 1-up to allow you to get really aggressive, and Mushu is a DPS powerhouse with damage storage.
Chicken little is fucking useless. He does almost no damage. Genie is decent in some forms. Stitch is actually pretty great, especially in some of the late-game boss battles. Peter pan is also fairly useless though. Except for Tink's emergency heal.
Yeah Roxas is a character I like a lot more than Sora. Sora was my favourite character in 1 but never again. He just feels dumber than 1 half the time.
The prologue is great. I always figured speedrunners hated it though. Because its like an hour of constantly skipping cutscenes and having really basic movement. Also, he said he didn't play COM so id imagine the intro makes absolutely no sense in that regard. Atlanticas completely optional, so I never got those complaints.
Disney Japan and Square used to work in the same building, and it was a literal elevator pitch when two execs met and decided to make a game. Now here we are.
A bit of advice on the prologue for KH2, Schaff: suffer through it once more, and make a backup save at the bottom of the save menu, so you can just pick up a new story at any time without having to deal with it.
@@tloz171nfs yeah, because it technically takes place before two, but it completely reasonable not to play a game that wasn't out by the time two came out.
@@tloz171nfs i don't think so, because 358/2 has plot points from 2 and if you have 2 brain cells you can kinda net together the story of 2 which is dumb
I would strongly argue that playing or watching Days before 2 potentially ruins 2's opening. Roxas section was deliberately meant to confuse the player and have them asking questions until Sora. Playing Days first spoils the major twist of 2's opening. Days existed to retroactively tell the story of how Roxas ended up where he was in 2, not as a set up for 2. Square putting it in that order in the collection is contradictory to the way both 2 and Days were written and intended to be experienced. Roxas story in Days is hopeless because you already know how it ends. Playing it first removes the feeling of impending doom hanging over the entire game. Playing it first dramatically alters the intended tone and atmosphere of 2's opening hours. What little is gained by experiencing Days before 2 ruins a major element of the intended presentation of Roxas and his story. Days is not needed at all to understand Roxas as he factors into 2, rather complementing it by fleshing out his story. Days doesn't matter to 2, can be skipped without missing anything crucial to the plot as we knew it at the time. Days only becomes crucial thanks to 3. Days is not COM. Everything important to 2 about Days is told to the player in 2. Days came out 3 and half years after 2 and I highly doubt most players didn't understand 2's opening until that point.
"Looks like my Summer vacation is over" hits SO hard when you know the context on a repeat playthrough. and is why I'm low key sad Days only got the cutscene treatment instead of a remaster.
@@raze2012_ For me the infamous ice cream line subjectively could have maybe used an alternate take but I still assert that its brilliant in the actual story context of Roxas learning to be human
KH3 is about half and half. Some worlds like Frozen and Tangled are retellings, and then you have Toy Story, Monsters Inc and Big Hero 6, which are completely new and different.
@@laundrybasketgamers 1.5 is the PS3 collection that has kh 1 final mix (which in itself is kh 1 remastered), re chain of memories, and 358/2 days in movie form. When in doubt, always pick the version that says final mix. Preferably on PS4 tho, since the ps3 versions of those games are known to have a few technical issues. I think the best way to buy these games, at least in terms of price, is the All-in-one package, just like Schaff got em. The only problem with that one is that it's missing Days and re:coded, it instead replaces them with movies, but those two games were never re-realised to begin with, so if you wanna try them, your only bet is to find actual DS cartridges, or straight up piracy
@@cometmoon4485 Too bad that out of the original stories two of them sucked. Toy Story was literally just "Find missing toys, search team also gets lost, regroup team, fail to find said toys" but very stretched out. It was so pointless. Same with Monstropolis. "Bring Boo to bed but with a hundred obstacles and inconveniences in your way."
*SPOILERS* Unpopular opinion coming up, but I think the fact that the roxas fight is so hard was the point of the battle. It's the hardest fight you have so far, because unlike fighting a thousand heartless, this time you're basically fighting yourself. You are your own worst enemy as they say. In this fight, Sora is literally trying to become whole, while Roxas is trying to survive and become somebody. This is no longer disney movie territory, this is now a full on life or death final fantasy fight. I think it's because it's so hard that the opening and ending of the game hits way harder. For the first (overly stretched) hours of the game, you were roxas. You lived his life and you shared his pain. But, then you became sora and you quickly forgot roxas. You forgot him because, basically he was a nobody compared to sora. Then, at the end, he shows up like a pokemon rival, but with elite 4 stats. So, you grinded hard to defeat him. You began to hate him. You probably even wondered why this fight is even necessary. But, after all the grinding, all the hardwork you put into defeating this mf, after that brutal fight, you did it. You ended roxas. And for me, there's just that lingering sense of regret. You wanted this. Even though you knew roxas, the nobody who had everything stripped away from him, you still did your best to defeat him. But, just like real life, you have to accept or let go of certain parts of yourself to become whole. Even if it's not now, even if it hurts like hell, you will inevitably have to confront yourself. This is why after this fight, you obtain the totally subtle keyblade of "two become one". This allows you to unlock final form, a literal representation of attaining your ultimate potential. In my opinion, sora could never defeat xemnas without first becoming whole. Just like how we can never move forward without confronting our problems. This is why it makes the kh2 ending bittersweet. Killing roxas was hard, but it was necessary to save everyone and to save yourself. But, if you're feeling sad, don't be. Because as the ending shows, sometimes the parts we change about ourselves (roxas) compliment the changes other people have gone through (namine). I know people shit on kh's story (deservingly so, looking at you kh3 and 3D), but it's because of stuff like this that I can never really say "it was all bad". And I know, the devs probably didn't think about roxas' fight this hard. They probably just wanted to add another hard boss for the final mix. But-- Yeah, I've got nothing. But, hey thanks for listening to my TED talk!
I don’t think that an unpopular opinion lol. The Roxas fight is usually singled out as a highlight of the game. And I agree, it makes sense both mechanically and thematically that’s he’s tough. It helps that it’s extremely well designed. He’s hard in a very fair way, once you learn his moveset and how to punish it effectively. A proper rival fight that tests your skills up to that point, like Vergil in DMC3. As you said, from a thematic standpoint it makes sense that Roxas is tough. He’s a piece of Sora that must be overcome for him to be whole. I think the main reason people have trouble with Roxas is that they’re playing on Standard mode, which doesn’t adequately prepare them for a boss that can combo you as fiercely as you can combo him.
@@LongSinceDead1 I 100% agree. I'm of the opinion that KH2FM is at its most fun on Critical Mode, which gives you a ton of abilities right out of the starting gate and forces you to learn the mechanics of the game, while also not being unfair. On Standard, fights like Roxas and even Xaldin or Demyx are just randomly hard out of nowhere, instead of being tough yet balanced with the overall difficulty of the game
Also to note, this fight did not exist back in KH2. It was when KH2 FM hit that they added this particular fight (+keyblade after beating roxas). The only reason why from a gameplay standpoint as to why he's hard is because he's meant to be one of the 13 extra bosses of the data fights but his moves were just pulled and place there with lowered health compared to data fight. Any first time comers will have a hard time beating him since his moves are flashy and he does the bait and switch where he circles around you for a bit. Anyone with prior knowledge to how he fights can easily figure out how to beat him up with no hassles since his reaction is ONE OF THE BEST ABUSABLE SHIT IN THE GAME WITH LIMIT FORM HOLY FUCK.
6:16 “I lowkey wish you could take your Disney party members to different worlds.” Whenever Donald mentions maintaining the world order he might as well be breaking the fourth wall because Disney as a company has strict rules on how their franchises would interact with one another.
Even if there is somthing I dont understand the general gist is usually really simpel. Fore example when I played KH DDD there was one asoect of time travel I did not understood. They need to give up there body in order to time travel so how can they still fight? That was anerwed in KH 3 but even with that small gap of understanding the story is super simpel. The villains of the Saga use the power of time travel to gather fore one final clash with the good guys aming at obtaining the X-blade and Kingdom Hearts.
Sure the minutia can be complicated, but the broad strokes and individuals story/character arc aren't really that bad. Just divide stuff up by trios and how they connect (usually through Sora) and there you go, 80% of the story is dealt with.
The KH2 prologue works because you feel what Roxas is feeling, get discombobulated as the world starts getting weird and question when his past is brought into question. For first time players especially they start off thinking this is just an ordinary kid with strange things happening to him, and the reveals have them want to know like Roxas what is going on. That prologue makes you invested in Roxas as a character and you want him to have a happy ending. The prequel game to KH2, 358/2 Days (pronounced as 3 5 8 Days over 2) also sells the feeling as well, the missions get repetitive and you look forward to ice cream on the clock tower, just like a day at work because that is the situation for Roxas. The missions are his work and the ice cream on the clock tower is his chance to unwind and socialise with his friends, just as we get through a day at the office or in the shop so we can have a drink after work with mates.
@@laststrike4411 I am saying if the prologue feels like a slog then skipping the cutscenes that start off the days isn't too bad. Those are normally just flashbacks to KH1 stuff.
To be honest you don't need big IQ to understand Kingdom Hearts, just a lot of attention to not skip another important plot detail in smartfridge exclusive videogame only in Japanese, because without it you will not understand anything, until new collection on ps6 that remade it into cutstenes using assets from even numbered titles.
Mobile game was pretty bad, but otherwise you only needed 3 consoles for the bulk of the story (PS2, PSP and DS Lite). I get that it's annoying they weren't all on the same console, but it isn't as bad as people make it out to be. Plus nowadays it's all in one neat package, so people can't make that excuse anymore.
@@no-good_oddity how is this joke comment? all series they probably make another collection they did it for PS4, they probably make another for PS5 and then PS6 they want continue the story, they probably drop sora for abit and maybe make new MC
the irony this will happen, Sora story going take back seat for now they probably introduce a new MC to the series and continue on, kingdom hearts is going continue since KH3 didn't really end shit, main reason it got blow back people were expecting since they fucked around with title so long that KH3 might be actual wrap up to Sora's story, square thinking it probably take to PS6 to finish lol, i can see PS5 getting collections how PS4 did, probably upgrade KH3 with enhance version like they did KH2 in Japan with all added stuff
Story-wise, 'Goofy, one of the king's closest and most trusted servants, almost commit treason for Sora's sake' -territory that the first game had is something that Kingdom Hearts franchise should've kept included in future games, but instead 'the power of friendship' evolved much closer into it's more stereotypical form of Deus Ex Machina that magically grants good guys victory
KH1 by itself has the best story of all the games IMO. I love all of them, and the world building and connected story through all the games is great (especially how BbS connects everything) but the fact that you have to play 4 or 5 games to see the whole thing is kinda annoying.
Kh1 was simple because it was clearly designed with the intention of being a one off story that was left open ended for potential sequels. It stands alone as a story really damn well. Basically the one game I can play and think "this is silly but the kid in me still loves this." kh2's story gets silly but at the very least the combat is the best in the series and the interactions with the disney characters is still really dang good.
i feel like that would a weird storyline to follow. How would it go? Mickey banishing Goofy and then what we have Max as a new ally and he acts all angsty his father was banished?
That's what happens when you strip a plot device of all the context that made it work in subsequent narratives. Even authors have a hard time figuring out what it is (or was) about their stories that resonated so well. It doesn't help that Nomura and his team aren't very good storytellers to begin with.
10:36 “Overall the final battle felt incredibly climactic” *Shows clip of Xemnas sitting in a chair, swinging his sword while Sora and Riku attack him mercilessly*
@@euangriffiths7466 Oh yeah, that was a huge pain. The Game Theorists channel has a video on what might have gone wrong with the Frozen world. Ultimately, KH3 was a disappointment. It's so dragged out, with little to no plot progression, and next to no interaction with the characters that actually mattered. No Riku, Kairi, Mickey, or Aqua until the very end. And flying on Baymax was a massive letdown.
@@ketchuplover6160 It is good, and I definitely still like it. But there are a lot of flaws in writing and story progression. And Schaff is right, the worlds are a huge step back from what they used to be, story-telling wise. But I love the combat, that's where I disagree with him. I think KH3's combat is the best.
@@acegamergoldie1008 followed up by almost total existence erasure. hell until more information comes out, my theory is every world is formed from the heart of a dandelion
"Not that complicated" Okay, so Sora actually holds 3 hearts within his body, Ansem is actually Xehanort, and so is Xemnas, but Ansem is also Terra, Roxas is Sora's Nobody but looks like Ventus, and Xigbar is actually Luxu, a keyblade master who is not only a time traveler but also a body snatcher. See? Simple.
Oh, and don't forget that Xehanort is the reincarnation of the player character from Union X, and Sora is believed to be the reincarnation of Ephimer from that same game. Also, Maleficent is technically older than the first Keyblade war because she time traveled back to the age of fairy tales and talked to one of the thirteen original darknesses. Kingdom Hearts lore is so fun
Time traveling eyepatch man helps Xehanort possess Terra who goes on to become a scientist that splits his heart into a heartless and nobody named ansem and xemnas respectively. Terra’s friend Ventus’s heart goes to Sora to rest after they formed a bond on destiny island, when sora becomes a heartless his nobody takes the appearance of Ventus. It is simple if you just break it down to its linear progression
KH3 would’ve been SO much better if part of the end happened in the beginning, and the part where you rescue your allies was spread across the game instead of rushed to be done in like an hour. That was my biggest gripe. You mess around playing Disney movies for hours and hours, it’s draining, then BAM overwhelming plot and conclusion out of the blue
sometimes i do wonder if the way the disney world arcs were, were a result of the kh's writing team actual decisions or if it has some influence from disney's preferences and ideas ^^; for example: the whole let it go sequence just felt more like a marketing promotional stunt from disney to me (which i guess might essentially be what it actually is). a lot of people always debate over if kh3 (or kh in general, but mostly kh3) would have been a better story if they removed the disney aspect of it but it really did feel slightly more empty compared to the previous titles where the disney worlds actually felt quite relevant and a new fresh air to explore around in. the toy story world tho in kh3 is a good example of how to still nicely incorporate the story of kh with the story of the disney series (esp since it wasnt just a total retelling of the films)
@@greendaleforever It's not the fan's fault for hyping the game. Square Enix's marketing team did that themselves by revealing the entire game, literally, and by pumping out trailer after trailer over the course of many years. You really can't blame people for hyping the game, although that's what led to the massive disappointment.
@@greendaleforever I also think dismissing any critiques about the game as "people overhyping" to be disingenuous. KH3 did have a plot that felt rushed in the end. I also dislike you placing blame on people with speculations and theories when the entire KH franchise is practically ripe for speculation. The teasers for the next games all hid things to make you speculate. Birth By Sleep teaser trailer literally hid who the characters were until a later trailer where you see someone who looks exactly like Roxas. That breeds speculation so to say that people are at fault for doing this to the point of overhyping themselves to run defense for this game makes you look like a douche. Sorry but it does. People have right to be hyped for things. That hype does not allow the game to be immune to having its faults called out.
@@greendaleforever I honestly had no interest in a discussion with you as you would of argued from a flawed standpoint from the gate. If you think me pointing out how your argument makes you look like a douche is name calling then that is fine with me. Your only response to valid issues with the game was "you overhyped yourself". You are acting like a douche and deserve to be called one.
I do agree. I love kh3 and it’s the one I care about the most since it was the first one that I played when it came out (I have Xbox). I know that Disney was a big reason the worlds were like that but I would have loved if the story was spread across the game. There is this one video that’s basically a fanfic and the way that they put out the story is really nice and sounds like a fun game. It came out before remind but I can’t remember the name.
What's funny is that in the rethym game released in November of 202 actually censored the word "Corona" from it. They called it a "fantasy" kingdom when Arendelle was referred to as such
I feel like the Disney worlds are more important in KH3 than people realize, at least symbolically. All have themes of loss and love, and are linked thematically to the whole story.
Absolutely, Titan_Trainer has done a couple videos where he talks about all the callbacks and references throughout KH and there's a toooone of plot relevant Disney stuff that you just don't see at first glance
I always thought the comparisons were pretty obvious, the issue is how overpowering Disney is in KH3 compared to the other installments. They usually do a great job weaving in original story and FF references but in 3 it was all Disney all the time. I mean It's apt considering how overpowering Disney is in the real world, but I digress.
Even fucking arendelle has somw thematic stuff. Like riku sacrificing himself to give sora the will to keep going and kairi keeping him by a thread to life when he was dead.
Even though it's shamelessly setting up the plot for the next "saga" of Kingdom Hearts the B-plot of Pete and Maleficent trying to find the Master of Masters' box actually tied in to the worlds pretty well (well, a few of them at least). They go to Olympus because they think it's there when it's actually Pandora's Box! They go to the Caribbean only to find it's the Dead Man's Chest! And even if the majority of the worlds themselves were filler, they always gave a pretty fitting reason for the villains fucking around there near the end. Young Xehanort goes to Toy Box to research how things that originally had no hearts can grow them over time, like the toys did as well as the former Nobodies of Org XIII. Vanitas goes to Monstropolis to test how negative emotions affect the heart, when the monsters themselves used to use the screams of children (fear) to power their city, and the Unversed (which are extensions of Vanitas) are born of negative emotion. Don't forget Monstropolis also gave us the famous "YEETUS VANITAS" moment, which I'm honestly surprised Schafrillas didn't mention. When it comes to Disney characters actually interacting with the KH originals that's the pinnacle of the peak right there. It's all small details that are easy to forget when you look at the big, messy picture but they still stand out to me when I really think back on it.
I know this comment was from 2 years ago, but its honestly SUPER concerning how much of a grip Disney holds on the franchise. Like with Super smash bros ultimate, Sora was included ONLY because Sakurai met up with a Disney Executive in an elevator. And the fact that inclusion was only possible because of INCREDIBLY slim random chance and not through casual business meetings is really telling about the state of KH as a whole.
Indeed, it is such a shame disney gave so many limitations about it's precious princesses ip, and probably spoiled at least a third of the experience of a game waited for more than a decade, hope they rot in bankrupcy for their greed as they deserve
I just don’t understand how Disney doesn’t gaf about kingdom hearts but then acts like the big gatekeeper of the IP whenever permission is needed to use it elsewhere
You did it. You finally broke it. You finally won. You trashed someone. Someone who was always happy, who was always smiling. Someone who did not deserve hate. Someone who did nothing but help people. Someone who loved with all his heart. Ok, I believe you
I don't see how it's confusing as long as you consume it in release order. Coming upon it later is probably confusing, but the plot makes sense imo. Granted most of the time after KH1 the plot is stupid as fuck. After 2fm this series became a joke. Still decent games, couldn't bring myself to finish 3 though.
@@jeffboy4231 I did play them as they came out, I was thinking it'd be a lot more confusing to be a newcomer to the series now as opposed to back in the 2000s because now everything contradicts itself.
“Why is he so hard *and* required?” Well... he’s only required in the Final Mix version of the game. In fact I don’t think his fight is even in the original. I see you missed the fight with Xemnas in the first game. Honestly a wise choice for a beginner.
Yes. The Roxas Fight is only in the Final Mix. Also like KH3 one of the critics was it is to easy. So the add Critical Mode and new Harder Bosses (in the Story it is only this Roxas Fight)
Yeah, it makes sense for the boss to be hard in the context of it being added in as an extra part, but playing it through for the first time I can see why it'd feel unfair (at least you can cheese him with quick run)
no amount of deep analysis for the series could prepare you for Verum Rex popping up in Toy Story. I think that's partly why Toy Box is my favorite level.
I’m surprised that he criticized III for its cinematic retellings and didn’t mention it in II. It’s ironic because while I still enjoyed it, the Pride Lands always felt like a watered down rehash of the original film with subpar facial expressions on some of the characters and butchering of dramatic scenes like Mufasa’s death. And then 2019 Lion King arrived to do the exact thing again. Albeit they at least had Hans Zimmer doing excellent redos of his score. II just has Simba walking up Pride Rock in silence.
I thought the same thing. Shit kinda baffles me. I love II, don't get me wrong, but I feel like the Disney worlds are almost just as filler-y as III's. If not more so in some areas. Arguably at least. Like I loathe the revisits of the worlds, they're just so meaningless to me. It feels like you show up to fight a boss and then dip. I dunno, to each their own. But I personally think II has concurrent problems with III that only seems to be called out in III.
All KH games have followed the movie plots in some shape or form. It’s at its worst in KH3 with how self-indulgent worlds like Arendelle are with one-to-one recreations of movie scenes, which felt pretty infrequent in previous games. KH3 worlds are also significantly longer than the previous worlds, making them much more of a drag and basically killing the pace of the game, not helped by how they have *literally* zero impact on the plot of KH3 despite the Organization members popping up in every one of them.
"It's really not the complicated to piece together" Agreed, I think a main reason why the plot is confusing to a lot of players is simply just because there's so much kingdom hearts games that take quite a while to complete all of them, that you'd probably know more about the gameplay than the actual story just because most of the time in the games is spent on gameplay. At least that's what I think
I think the actual reason people like me don't want to give this franchise a try is because of how confusing the naming of the games are and it feels like a whole mess
Also because sometimes, at least surfacely for no reason. Things happen not to cause development, but just to make things more confusing. Again, I said surfacely - All the talking in KH3 about "you have this heart, and you has this heart" does sound a bit ludicrous, but mayhaps it makes sense if you played the other games first.
Its confusing because a lot of questions people have, don't have answers. The series is so scared of the word 'why.' You ask that at virtually any point in the story and everything falls apart. Its incredibly poorly written.
One of my favorite KH memories was when the voice actor of Xemnas killed me and my fencing instructor to the tune of One Winged Angel at a con in front of a crowd of people chanting "Man Sex, Man Sex!"
@@Shalakor hello from the future, I've been to 2 conventions this year. One a small local con in the summertime, and PAX in September. I'm going to Comic Con in December. Other than masks and vaccine cards required, not much has changed, so very much not "an artifact of the before times."
Someday we'll get a Kingdom Hearts game with the epic storytelling 1, the awesome gameplay of 2 and the breathtaking visuals of 3, and I will ascend to a higher form of Kingdom Hearts fan.
@@mikehurt3290I agree! I really don’t enjoy the big time wasting worlds. People like to hate on 2’s level design but I like how they are simple and just keep the focus on the biggest strength of the game THE COMBAT. Id much rather play the game than explore some boring space.
"its not really the complicated" *it is when you are playing them in release order and had to buy 5 different consoles just to know about a side character who turns out to be very important* and plus 358 though a good storyline was frustrating to play
I haven't played too much of 358 but tbh I was expecting to find the combat frustrating but ended up finding it quite relaxing? Idk getting into the mindset and rhythm of chipping off a bit of health and then avoiding attacks was nice, but I haven't gotten to any of the infamous bosses yet
honestly the second one is SO good when you replay it or read the manga, because it hits so hard knowing that roxas is just living in a simulation, and all of his memories are fake. it hits way too hard, man.
@@dionelmejia8093 with the free update, i'd wedge KH3 right between KH1 and KH2 in terms of how good the combat feel. that magic finisher just feels excellent to use. the DLC tips KH3 into the great territory , with all 14 super bosses added feeling excellent. shame it costs 40$ tho
@@xLittlebigQuebecx yeah it's a shame to fight the bosses u need to pay $60 but at least u can play the game in critical and with the battle update for free
Honestly, the main problem I had with Kh3, and maybe a bit of KH2, was that I had to explore worlds that didn't seem that relevant to the plot. I felt like...."What was my objective again?"
I personally loved the pirates of the caribbean world in kingdom hearts 3. When playing it I felt like an actual pirate where as in kingdom hearts 2 it was boring, everytime that you had to go to a different area it was just a loading screen, a fight, a loading screen, and then you're there. Kingdom hearts 3's pirates i could actually sail around and explore different islands, and I loved all the fights where you shot at other ships with canons. That's just my opinion though
Yes! I really like the overall mood and atmosphere of days. It's so melancholy yet calming and it gives a sense of dread and longing I can't fully explain. And the ending broke me :') Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be eating ice cream and crying in the corner.
I love the Mechs in Toy Box because it's just like a child using their imagination to play with their toys, which was a big part of Toy Story. Plus they're just so fucking cool.
ABSOLUTELY FILTERED by the fantastic opening of KH2. It's easily the best opening in the series and one of the best moments in video games, period. Nothing gives off the sense of sorrowful nostalgia for highschool and the waning moments of childhood like Roxas' intro. It also has the best characters in the entire series in it, and you don't need to play Chain of Memories to understand it. You're supposed to be just as confused as Roxas is.
I remember watching the entire ten-hour compilation of Kingdom Hearts 3 on TH-cam (with only having ever played the first Kingdom Hearts for a couple hours) and thinking, "Ah yes, I understand what is happening."
I agree, it really wasn't that complicated when you have all the games on a single console or in your case when you watched all the cutscenes in between online. (I played through all of them like a gamer on proud except for KH 1 cause it was my first game and I sucked). The main reason why people said it was complicated was because of how confused they were when they played different games at different times on different platforms. When I watched the recap video of the entire plot online, I expected to be confused but I really only missed 1 or 2 plot points and some other details. I wouldn't say you missed out storywise, but some of them were pretty fun and enhanced the experience when you played it. Anyways, great video.
I think the main reason why a lot of people find the series' plot so difficult to follow is because the cutscenes have some of the worst editing I have ever seen. There are absolutely no L-cuts anywhere, meaning that every line of dialogue is followed by a long pause that greatly slows down the overall pace of the game. This only makes the story more difficult to follow than it would be otherwise, because every time the game tries to explain its plot, the player just keeps falling asleep because of how tedious and poorly-edited the cutscenes are. This only becomes more obvious when comparing the cutscenes to the Disney films upon which they are based (e.g. there is no music or atmosphere when Simba is climbing Pride Rock in KH2, and whoever edited Scar's dialogue had absolutely no regard for the natural flow of conversation, because its so stilted and poorly delivered). The cutscenes are just embarassing to anyone who appreciates how meticulously crafted the classic Disney movies are.
@@BobbyTheGamerOfJUSTICE It gets worse as the series progresses. Watch this video for an explanation: th-cam.com/video/9ZS66Xex6gU/w-d-xo.html However, even the earlier games have a lot of cutscene problems. Frequent lack of music aside, the biggest problem with the scenes is that there are no L-cuts ANYWHERE. If you don't know, an L-cut is when audio from one take overlaps with video from another take. (So for example, Character A is still talking as the camera cuts to a shot of Character B.)
@@jonah_da_mann I don't know if they used NO L cuts at all, but I do agree with you that the cutscenes were slow and lacking in engagement with repeated songs that make it feel really slow, especially in the earlier games. I didn't really think that was a major factor, but after what you said I think the bad edits in cutscenes definitely could have had a bigger impact on the understanding of the plot for people with normal attention spans and who aren't exactly engaged in the story. I haven't finished Kingdom Hearts 3 yet (I played the beginning). Is the editing also lacking for that game?
While it wasn't one of the main games in the overall series, I enjoyed KH 358/2 Days the most. The story almost made me cry; it's so sweet at times, watching Roxas, Axel, and Xion get along so well; and, at the same time, so bitter and kind of hopeless at the magnificent end...
I felt the same! I know it’s a bit of an unpopular opinion but I absolutely loved 358/2 Days. It absolutely wrecked me emotionally but it handled the bittersweet tone so well and getting to play as part of Organization XIII was so cool. It has a special place in my heart for sure.
One problem I have with KH3 is that the final fantasy characters disappeared. Like aerith and squall return in remind, but only have a minor role. I thought you'd at least be able to fight sephiroth in remind
the thing that sucks is that if the plot wasnt so fucked up, KH3 maybe would have been one of the best kingdom hearts games of all time, cuz you can tell that the developers put a ton of time into making that game
they only had 12 years to make it cmon now. Being serious though I'm pretty sure there were so many starts in stop in the production of the game it ended up with this mess of a story.
@@IceKing89 I think the game was in developer hell for a few years, which doesn't surprise me seeing Nomura directed it, the guy is kinda nuts. I think they even had to swap game engines midway through development.
On top of both production issues (most likely of Nomura’s doing) and a 13 year wait that contributed to massive overhype, the dev team decided to use tons of newer Disney IPs and because of that Disney’s Brand Management Teams wouldn’t allow them to stray too far from the original plots of most of the worlds with the biggest example being Frozen. They actually planned to add Frozen to the game before Frozen’s official story was even finished, specifically when Elsa was being conceptualized as the villain, so when the movie didn’t match up with what the Dev team created and Disney now having a goldmine of an IP in their hands, they became much more overbearing with how the dev team portrayed Frozen in the game. Disney wanted them to make Arendelle as movie accurate as possible and lots of the work the team had done on the world already just didn’t fit the requirements so they tried to salvage and repurpose as much as they could causing the final product to feel disjointed and just overall off. I’m sure a lot of that bled into the rest of the game’s production as well. There’s actually a good video speculating on what Arendelle would have originally been like. Overall I’d say KH3 could have been a lot better if Disney would’ve just let the team do their thing instead of getting picky over every tiny detail but hey I guess that’s just how Disney is nowadays. It wouldn’t have fixed everything but I bet it would have given the team a lot more breathing room to fix up and iron out pacing issues, gameplay, and just overall enjoyment of the game. So much wasted potential and for once I don’t believe the dev team was a major contributor to the problem.
The thing is KH 3 was announced too early in 2013 but began development in 2015 and released in 2019 the Plot was fine if you played the previous games and I’d say they did a decent job at the lore as they had a little recap of each game (obviously not super in depth) but I’d say Re:Mind definitely ironed it out and it wasn’t development hell per se it’s just AFTER 2 and how great that was people just wanted 3 not side games so it wasn’t that 3 was in development hell it was more side game,world building,experimental hell granted each side game was decent BBS and DDD especially I enjoyed Re:coded gameplay and its plot was “yes we get it Sora will save them” and I hated 358/2 Days on a gameplay level but enjoyed its plot and how it added a bit of meat to KH and CoM was a good side game sometimes frustrating though
@@Lingeringwill13 358/2 and re:coded are like yin and yang, in one hand a good story that further develops existing characters but the gsmeplay sucks, and on the other a bare bones retelling of a retelling of 1 but with good gameplay tha mixes stuff around and keeps you on your toes
Funnily enough, when I was a younger child first playing this game I had no clue what FF was, and the characters really didn't feel that out of place Edit: I whole-heartedly agree with your thoughts on kh3, even the fan-service-y stuff at the end just doesn't do much for me. It just sort of feels like everything happens with little build-up or flow throughout. Maybe I expected too much from kh3, but damn, the ending (starting from the final battles) was extremely unsatisfying and underwhelming as a conclusion to this 18-year saga. Oh well, more Xemnas is more Xemnas, at least there's that
This is why I lost my respect for Schaff since he disrespected both the best character in the franchise and the Caribbean in kh3 in one fell swoop. Edit: I’ve cooled off after the past few days and I feel like I’m being way too hard. I just feel like he should have more insightful thoughts for changing my perspective of the shrek franchise, yet having a dime a dozen opinion on the series.
The final scene with Roxas in the prologue is even sadder in the manga. Looking as his hand fading Marty McFly-like he says “it was all real to me” of his virtual persona.
By far, my biggest problem with the finale of KH3 is that they just had to include THREE unending hordes of heartless that present a hopeless situation that require special means to win. Like, seriously, pick ONE (maybe two, but that's pushing it) and scrap the others, because by the time the third one happens I'm just going, "what was the point of the last two?"
@Khera Tina The "whichever character the Player is being [Sora] has to do everything" was always going to be an issue and they handled it about as well as I expected them to, which is to say not at all.
The thing is, they wanted a bunch of "cool" moments (1000 heartless + keyblade surfing + ten sid finally doing something)but didnt know how to put them all together cohesively. That's the biggest problem with KH3's story imo. Lots of really cool moments but the in betweens just isn't there
KH2 and KH3 have the same problem here: they have many cool ideas for the ending, but not how properly put them together, so they end up having lots of stuff just happening.
@@soul6733 yeah exactly, that's why kh1 has got the best, most consistent story for me. They didnt try to do too much and still had a for the most part cohesive plot
@@-Anonymous-. Yeah me too I first didn't liked it cause I thought Roxas would replace Sora after that I missed Roxas and learned more about him in the fight scene
Exactly, one of the hypest moments in 3 was SPOILERS....... A suit of armour that was literally to angry to die, coming to save the day after the first time loop resulted in Donald Duck going Super Saiyan and nearly killing himself XD
"They'll pay for this" isn't something I ever wanted to hear from Mickey Mouse, until I actually heard it and now I think I can add it to and then cross it off my "things I needed to see/hear before I die" list.
Honestly, I unironically love that scene. They somehow managed to perfectly sell that Micky legitimately thought his best friend died and was furious over it, without being overly dramatic about it. I can't think of any other time in Micky's history where they had him absolutely furious like that. Frustrated, sure, but never seething.
I was not expecting to hear any complaints on KH3’s gameplay from this AT ALL, but I am glad I’m not the only one who thinks KH2 is the best in the series.
The real reason is that he wasn't in the vanilla game and was designed as a superboss for Finax Mix, but then they decided to add the fight into the story anyway even though his moveset was already designed to be difficult, but they just lowered his HP count and decided "good enough."
I started playing and got to know the franchise in 2019 and I really like KH1 more than KH2, in KH1 the combat may not be the best, but the worlds were much more full of personality in the background and interactions, they had many hidden things and details that made the world much more interesting, KH2 basically is based on combat and forgets all part of make the worlds themselves interesting, the exploration is based on going from one place to another while on KH1 there were several great puzzles on the way, the level design of the maps on KH2 are horrible most of the time, while on KH1 despite having flaws, it is much more superior, it is not uncommon that in KH2 there are empty maps with only some platforms full of chests, but I have to agree that the 3 was not as good as it should be, the combat was very slow, but the 2020 update has improved a lot
I love KH3, and definitely spent its entire run time crying, but I completely agree about the story pacing. I was convinced I was only halfway through when I got to the final act because no story stuff had happened yet. Even DDD had better pacing than that. Also, I love how suddenly people are talking about KH at the exact time I'm replaying all of them lmao
You really do owe it to yourself to experience Birth by Sleep. Although it was released for the PSP, it goes into HUGE plot points for the franchise and gives you all the feels leading up to III. I played it on PS3 and had a good time. Definitely recommend.
Yesss, it really made me almost cry, I really recommend it to anyone who likes kingdom hearts. Also, it's soo replayable cause each character gives such a new perspective of everything, it's so goood
It’s a shame that KH3 didn’t take advantage of its potential. I heard that this was on Disney for wanting to market more Disney properties. It would’ve been better if we had a middle section of the game where we went away from the Disney stuff and focused on more traditional KH locales.
Don’t be a casual. Play the Limit Cut and Secret Episode of Remind and talk about the combat and boss design again. 2FM has the best combat by far, but Limit Cut and the Secret Episode are the best content in the series yet.
Well, he did say he wrote the script in 2019. But yes, I do agree he should talk about Re:Mind. He should also know about the item weapon switching tech that Trueblade Seeker discovered.
@@1sdani you don't have to. it doesn't fix _everything_, but there were free updates that addressed things like the overly random specials and floaty combat. Interesting what a few abilities can do to make (base) sora feel completely different.
KH4 Kairi goes on her own full-fledged journey and is accompanied by her 2 new companions, royal squire Max having a personal crisis over if he actually wants to be a knight, and uhh, idk a FF character they haven't used yet or another oc or something.
I think the main problem with KH3 was that since the movies they used were more recent, Disney really did not want them to change much, now Monsters Inc, Toy Story, and Big Hero 6 did not do that, but you can tell that with Frozen and Tangled, that Disney was watching them the entire time, why else would they have Let it Go play? Because Disney wanted it.
Something must be in the air because it seems like out of nowhere people are talking about Kingdom Hearts again. I don't think you're the only one that has wanted to replay this recently! 😂
We found him. That one guy who likes Atlantica in KH2.
I mean, I liked it a lot on my first playthrough. I feel like most people did. It just doesn't have *any* replay value.
Had the same reaction when he said the Colosseum was also a favorite. I personally hated those two lol
I loved Atlantica in KH1, hated it in 2.
Atlantica is so cool in KH1. Ariel is also a really solid party member, one of my favorites in the original game.
NGL it was very weird hearing someone like Atlantica, but also think the KH3 minigames were annoying and obstrusive.
"kh 1 and 2 cutscenes aren't that long."
Xemnas. Walking. Down. STAIRS.
Edit: idk how this is my most liked comment across TH-cam, but thanks guys.
and I enjoyed every moment of that. heck, thinking about that scene, and then that that scene in KH 0.2 where 'Terra' finds her and talks to her. one of his conversations with Aqua, using that armor as a means of trying to reach her in the void.
In fairness that's only one cutscene where as in 3 its like every cutscene 😅
KH2 Sora floppin between Axel, Xemnas, Saix, and Maleficent in a single cutscene slower than a guy in a wheelchair goin uphill
I agree that maybe it was not proper for a videogame. But from a cinematography standpoint, that cutscene is GORGEUS. Felt like fucking Kubrick directed that one cutscene.
@@nerdychocobo In fairness fairness that cutscenes only appears in the Final Mix version of the game.
Let’s be real... KH3 would be Schaff’s favorite if there was a Moana world with a Tamatoa boss fight.
especially if there was a rhythm game portion to the tune of “Shiny”
We need Kingdom Hearts 4 with a Moana world! (And also Coco)
@@mariajimenafigueroa233 there should be a princess and the frog world too
@@mariajimenafigueroa233 are we getting a fourth? I only played the game on psp (kh1 and birth by sleep) and haven't touch it for years now.
Or a Ratatouille world, even though I’m not sure how you would make that work since it’s not a very fantastical world.
My favorite thing to ever come out of Kingdom Hearts is Donald Duck saying "Sora, It's Sephiroth!"
The second best thing is Goofy replying: “Ain’t Sephiroth supposed to be the dark part of Cloud’s heart?”
I might be alone on this but am I the only one who smiles when Donald says "lucky emblem"
LMAOOOO
@@agentclank8183 word?
true
Did somebody mention the door to darkness?
*Intense* *Mickey* *Appeares*
Edgy Mickey.
THE DTD?!
D T D !
Xion, no... who will I have ice cream with?
You forgot the "Say, fellas". It ain't the same without the "Say, fellas".
I actually love the Roxas section of KH2. Getting to know him makes him having to give up his free will so much more bittersweet. Of course I was excited to finally play as Sora, but it cost the character I just got attached to who wanted to believe he is his own person succumb to the truth and disappear, waking up Sora who doesn't know he even existed.
I remember that since I played 2 first when I was little I was like “why am I playing as someone who swings their arms like a gorilla when they run instead of the guy with Donald and Goofy,” but by the end I felt cheated when I got what I wanted.
I love the intro in terms of story and character, but I think it's a bit too slow in introducing you to the gameplay elements. Like Shaff said, if it was 3 or 4 days, it could have condensed the tutorial into a shorter time which would have felt more natural. And as much as I love the intro's story, it's got a lot of unnecessary fluff.
@@jacobmonks3722 I think all that fluff is essential to build character and attachment with Roxas and his friends and it's not like every single day doesn't have lots of variety and intrigue especially for those who haven't played chain of Memories
You should miss Roxas by the time you play as Sora
the intro is really good for the first time, but only for the first time
@@jeffboy4231 it's still engaging and challenging. You can get oneshotted by Nobodies on Critical while playing as Roxas
When shaff was comparing the games to the shrek movies, he brainwashed me so well over the years into believing shrek the third didn't exist that when he was talking about the third one I immediately thought shrek forever after
If I had to assign a KH game to the "Forever After" slot, it would be 358/2 days (even though it came out before 3 XD)
@@euangriffiths7466 yesss Days is so emotionally amazing!!
I thought he was gonna pull a fast one on us and say "KH3 is amazing, like Shrek Forever After! Because we all know the Shrek saga is a trilogy of masterful movies with NO LACKLUSTER CHAPTER WHATSOEVER, WHAT ARE YOU ON ABOUT?!?"
@@emalaw1329 yeah, for me kh3 is basically like forever after so I was also hoping for that
KH1: Shrek 1
KHCOM: Shrek 2
KH2: Shrek Forever After
KH3: Shrek The Third
So basically, the perfect Kingdom Hearts game would be a combination of 1's simple but interesting plot, 2's gameplay and 3's animation/design/setting? Also Remy.
As a long-time KH fan, yes, absolutely. And more emo zipperpunk.
Yes, unironically, yes.
100% and its no joke (And bringing Fusions back cof cof)
100%
& a Moana world, don't forget that.
Am I the only one who actually liked the Roxas intro in KH2 my first go around? Roxas' story starts out kinda wtf but then as you play more and more and you know that he's basically being forced to give up his life to become one with Sora it's kind of heartbreaking. "Looks like my summer vacation is over" is probably one of the most memorable lines in the whole KH series to me
i don't hear many people complain about the intro atleast story wise, gameplay wise it is too long, lenght okay for the first time but revisiting it's frustating. but story wise if you can really understand him then you will love it and especially if you already know who roxas is, or after that.
I like it, but i can see why people would get fed up playing this section again. I think destiny is the best "tutorial world" simply for having so much liberty in what you can do there.
I'm on the same boat
That's why u play days before 2, the prologue is excellent
I feel like 90% of these people are lying through their teeth. You a ten year old crack addict enjoyed kh2's intro the first time around? You might have liked Roxas but I know all of our young selves just wanted to hit the X button as Sora again
“The first game’s *_Simple and Clean_* narrative”
Nice
Hikki fanboys, unite!
Hearing mickey mouse say "He'll pay for this" made me fucking die of laughter
SUPRISE! I am the funniest YTer evah!!!! Just kidding, it was no surprise. Everybody knew already. HAHAHHAHA!!!! That was an amazing joke (it was real talk though). WAWAWAWAWA!!!! Good afternoon, dear qo
Yet it's also one of my favorite moments in any videogame.
“Hey fellas! Did someone say the door to darkness?”-A literal fucking mouse
@@AxxLAfriku shutup
All over Goofy getting knocked out by a rock.
Ignore the Light Sora, the *bees* are nothing to fear. Control them, channel them! Become a *bee* keeper.
As captain america would say “I got the reference”
So this is basically the best comment on this video
So this is basically the best comment on this video
Ahah I getted the refrencr!!! Hahahahahahahaha do funny!
JellyRagnarok
Or the real name
JelloApocolypse
I love how Schaff didn't mention the fact that there's a freaking Chicken Little summon in KH 2.😆
Plus how in KH1, Tinkerbell was the best summon, helping you beat Chernobog (or however you spell it) and Ansem XD
@@euangriffiths7466 Don't forget reflect spamming
@@iaxacs3801 reflect = win
+Euan Griffiths All the summons are the best in 1. Simba is a nuke that kills everything, Genie can stall single enemies and chew through their health, Bambi gives you infinite MP, Dumbo gives you invincibility and deals a good amount of cone of effect damage, Tinker Bell gives healing over time and can be used as a one off 1-up to allow you to get really aggressive, and Mushu is a DPS powerhouse with damage storage.
Chicken little is fucking useless. He does almost no damage. Genie is decent in some forms. Stitch is actually pretty great, especially in some of the late-game boss battles. Peter pan is also fairly useless though. Except for Tink's emergency heal.
You leave Demyx alone. Not his fault that you have to dance, water, dance.
I'm just thinking that if this video timetravelled back to the 00s fandom he'd be viciously murdered
He's so Bowie. Water dance = Magic dance
I still love demyx
His data fight is such bullshit. Kill 30 water bois in like 3 seconds, seems about right
@@ashcetenbeets5644 Actually, its kill 99 water bois in 30 seconds
How one can dislike the prologue while adoring KH2's Atlantica is beyond me, lol.
Because at least Atlantica only lasts half an hour.
When I first played the game I preferred Atlantica
Yeah Roxas is a character I like a lot more than Sora. Sora was my favourite character in 1 but never again. He just feels dumber than 1 half the time.
The prologue is great. I always figured speedrunners hated it though. Because its like an hour of constantly skipping cutscenes and having really basic movement. Also, he said he didn't play COM so id imagine the intro makes absolutely no sense in that regard. Atlanticas completely optional, so I never got those complaints.
Who thought Disney and Final Fantasy was the most logical collab
Disney Japan and Square used to work in the same building, and it was a literal elevator pitch when two execs met and decided to make a game. Now here we are.
@@mooglenort3570 huh
God
Nomura obviously
@@Seb_Villac Yeah, that's what I said.
A bit of advice on the prologue for KH2, Schaff: suffer through it once more, and make a backup save at the bottom of the save menu, so you can just pick up a new story at any time without having to deal with it.
I've replayed kh2 for years and never thought of doing that, that's brilliant
The prologue is my favorite part
@@jeromealday614
It’s one of mine. I was sad to see roxas sidelined at the beginning, my first play through. I didn’t want to play as Sora.
GENIUS!
You can't truly experience how great that game is if you can't slog past the prologue.
"The beginning of 2 sucks"
"Why is this boss fight here, and so hard?"
This is what happens when you watch the cutscenes of Chain but not 358/2
You mean the game that came out after two.
@@fightingmedialounge519 In the collections, 358/2 is listed before 2. So yes, if you're a newcomer, you should watch 358/2 before playing 2.
@@tloz171nfs yeah, because it technically takes place before two, but it completely reasonable not to play a game that wasn't out by the time two came out.
@@tloz171nfs i don't think so, because 358/2 has plot points from 2 and if you have 2 brain cells you can kinda net together the story of 2 which is dumb
I would strongly argue that playing or watching Days before 2 potentially ruins 2's opening. Roxas section was deliberately meant to confuse the player and have them asking questions until Sora.
Playing Days first spoils the major twist of 2's opening. Days existed to retroactively tell the story of how Roxas ended up where he was in 2, not as a set up for 2. Square putting it in that order in the collection is contradictory to the way both 2 and Days were written and intended to be experienced.
Roxas story in Days is hopeless because you already know how it ends. Playing it first removes the feeling of impending doom hanging over the entire game. Playing it first dramatically alters the intended tone and atmosphere of 2's opening hours.
What little is gained by experiencing Days before 2 ruins a major element of the intended presentation of Roxas and his story. Days is not needed at all to understand Roxas as he factors into 2, rather complementing it by fleshing out his story. Days doesn't matter to 2, can be skipped without missing anything crucial to the plot as we knew it at the time. Days only becomes crucial thanks to 3.
Days is not COM. Everything important to 2 about Days is told to the player in 2. Days came out 3 and half years after 2 and I highly doubt most players didn't understand 2's opening until that point.
"xehanort, you're so caught up in finding the shadows,you forgot about the light that cast them" is still one of my favorite quotes from kh3
I've never been a KH fan sans watching Barry Kramer's 'Good Enough' summary but man that hits hard
"Looks like my Summer vacation is over" hits SO hard when you know the context on a repeat playthrough. and is why I'm low key sad Days only got the cutscene treatment instead of a remaster.
@@raze2012_ Days deserves a full blown remake. There's so many little moments the cutscene comp leaves out, especially "Roxas, That's a stick".
@@raze2012_ For me the infamous ice cream line subjectively could have maybe used an alternate take but I still assert that its brilliant in the actual story context of Roxas learning to be human
Still think sora spent like an hour or two trying to practice it in the bathroom of the gummi ship
KH 1.5 "I like how the stories weren't just retellings of their movies and tied into the main story"
KH3 :')
KH3 is about half and half. Some worlds like Frozen and Tangled are retellings, and then you have Toy Story, Monsters Inc and Big Hero 6, which are completely new and different.
Kingdom hearts 1.5 is kingdom hearts 1? I wanna get into this franchise but I’m confused which one is the first lol
@@laundrybasketgamers 1.5 is the PS3 collection that has kh 1 final mix (which in itself is kh 1 remastered), re chain of memories, and 358/2 days in movie form.
When in doubt, always pick the version that says final mix. Preferably on PS4 tho, since the ps3 versions of those games are known to have a few technical issues. I think the best way to buy these games, at least in terms of price, is the All-in-one package, just like Schaff got em. The only problem with that one is that it's missing Days and re:coded, it instead replaces them with movies, but those two games were never re-realised to begin with, so if you wanna try them, your only bet is to find actual DS cartridges, or straight up piracy
@@mega20able ok tgabks
@@cometmoon4485 Too bad that out of the original stories two of them sucked. Toy Story was literally just "Find missing toys, search team also gets lost, regroup team, fail to find said toys" but very stretched out. It was so pointless. Same with Monstropolis. "Bring Boo to bed but with a hundred obstacles and inconveniences in your way."
*SPOILERS*
Unpopular opinion coming up, but I think the fact that the roxas fight is so hard was the point of the battle.
It's the hardest fight you have so far, because unlike fighting a thousand heartless, this time you're basically fighting yourself. You are your own worst enemy as they say. In this fight, Sora is literally trying to become whole, while Roxas is trying to survive and become somebody. This is no longer disney movie territory, this is now a full on life or death final fantasy fight.
I think it's because it's so hard that the opening and ending of the game hits way harder. For the first (overly stretched) hours of the game, you were roxas. You lived his life and you shared his pain. But, then you became sora and you quickly forgot roxas. You forgot him because, basically he was a nobody compared to sora.
Then, at the end, he shows up like a pokemon rival, but with elite 4 stats. So, you grinded hard to defeat him. You began to hate him. You probably even wondered why this fight is even necessary. But, after all the grinding, all the hardwork you put into defeating this mf, after that brutal fight, you did it. You ended roxas.
And for me, there's just that lingering sense of regret. You wanted this. Even though you knew roxas, the nobody who had everything stripped away from him, you still did your best to defeat him.
But, just like real life, you have to accept or let go of certain parts of yourself to become whole. Even if it's not now, even if it hurts like hell, you will inevitably have to confront yourself. This is why after this fight, you obtain the totally subtle keyblade of "two become one". This allows you to unlock final form, a literal representation of attaining your ultimate potential.
In my opinion, sora could never defeat xemnas without first becoming whole. Just like how we can never move forward without confronting our problems. This is why it makes the kh2 ending bittersweet. Killing roxas was hard, but it was necessary to save everyone and to save yourself.
But, if you're feeling sad, don't be. Because as the ending shows, sometimes the parts we change about ourselves (roxas) compliment the changes other people have gone through (namine).
I know people shit on kh's story (deservingly so, looking at you kh3 and 3D), but it's because of stuff like this that I can never really say "it was all bad". And I know, the devs probably didn't think about roxas' fight this hard. They probably just wanted to add another hard boss for the final mix. But--
Yeah, I've got nothing. But, hey thanks for listening to my TED talk!
I don’t think that an unpopular opinion lol. The Roxas fight is usually singled out as a highlight of the game. And I agree, it makes sense both mechanically and thematically that’s he’s tough. It helps that it’s extremely well designed. He’s hard in a very fair way, once you learn his moveset and how to punish it effectively. A proper rival fight that tests your skills up to that point, like Vergil in DMC3.
As you said, from a thematic standpoint it makes sense that Roxas is tough. He’s a piece of Sora that must be overcome for him to be whole. I think the main reason people have trouble with Roxas is that they’re playing on Standard mode, which doesn’t adequately prepare them for a boss that can combo you as fiercely as you can combo him.
@@LongSinceDead1 I 100% agree. I'm of the opinion that KH2FM is at its most fun on Critical Mode, which gives you a ton of abilities right out of the starting gate and forces you to learn the mechanics of the game, while also not being unfair. On Standard, fights like Roxas and even Xaldin or Demyx are just randomly hard out of nowhere, instead of being tough yet balanced with the overall difficulty of the game
Also to note, this fight did not exist back in KH2. It was when KH2 FM hit that they added this particular fight (+keyblade after beating roxas). The only reason why from a gameplay standpoint as to why he's hard is because he's meant to be one of the 13 extra bosses of the data fights but his moves were just pulled and place there with lowered health compared to data fight. Any first time comers will have a hard time beating him since his moves are flashy and he does the bait and switch where he circles around you for a bit. Anyone with prior knowledge to how he fights can easily figure out how to beat him up with no hassles since his reaction is ONE OF THE BEST ABUSABLE SHIT IN THE GAME WITH LIMIT FORM HOLY FUCK.
I had a lot more trouble with marluxia imo
Perfectly said!
I know this man is not shitting on Roxas, arguably the *best* character in KH
I find really funny how Roxas is the best character in the series while Ventus is just a little bitch.
I believe that is Aqua
!!!!!! agree
"why is hoodmeister so hard and required?" CAUSE ROXAS WANTS HIS FUCKING LIFE BACK
In fairness I think his problem is more with his prologue and the difficulty of his boss fight, rather than roxas himself
Not everyone agrees, but I really really like Birth By Sleep, it has a consistent story and some great disney interaction
Bro bbs is still my favorite besides kh3
I loved it too
shittiest gameplay and the mechanics so far
Bbs was the beggining of the downfall for the KH series in terms of gameplay and storyline/characters.
i didnt like it cuz the lame worlds and clunky combat but thats just me. imo ddd felt a lot more fluid with bigger worlds
I think it’s hilarious you destroyed a mans existence then go hang out with a small bear and his friends
6:16 “I lowkey wish you could take your Disney party members to different worlds.”
Whenever Donald mentions maintaining the world order he might as well be breaking the fourth wall because Disney as a company has strict rules on how their franchises would interact with one another.
@@rosalinecapulet
This guideline isn’t about Disney characters as a whole in other media, it just pertains specifically for Kingdom Hearts
"It's really not that confusing to put together."
For the most part.
Even if there is somthing I dont understand the general gist is usually really simpel. Fore example when I played KH DDD there was one asoect of time travel I did not understood. They need to give up there body in order to time travel so how can they still fight? That was anerwed in KH 3 but even with that small gap of understanding the story is super simpel. The villains of the Saga use the power of time travel to gather fore one final clash with the good guys aming at obtaining the X-blade and Kingdom Hearts.
Lol
Sure the minutia can be complicated, but the broad strokes and individuals story/character arc aren't really that bad. Just divide stuff up by trios and how they connect (usually through Sora) and there you go, 80% of the story is dealt with.
It's really super easy..............until you have to mention anything about Xehanort
KH DDD has joined the chat.
The KH2 prologue works because you feel what Roxas is feeling, get discombobulated as the world starts getting weird and question when his past is brought into question. For first time players especially they start off thinking this is just an ordinary kid with strange things happening to him, and the reveals have them want to know like Roxas what is going on. That prologue makes you invested in Roxas as a character and you want him to have a happy ending.
The prequel game to KH2, 358/2 Days (pronounced as 3 5 8 Days over 2) also sells the feeling as well, the missions get repetitive and you look forward to ice cream on the clock tower, just like a day at work because that is the situation for Roxas. The missions are his work and the ice cream on the clock tower is his chance to unwind and socialise with his friends, just as we get through a day at the office or in the shop so we can have a drink after work with mates.
The prolouge's plot is really good, but I still feel like it takes too long to get to the point.
@@darienb1127 The prologue is pretty fast to me. I think it works best if you skip the cutscene that starts each day for the first 3
@@aerostrafe1075 Are you saying you skip the cutscenes or that others should do it?
@@laststrike4411 I am saying if the prologue feels like a slog then skipping the cutscenes that start off the days isn't too bad. Those are normally just flashbacks to KH1 stuff.
To be honest you don't need big IQ to understand Kingdom Hearts, just a lot of attention to not skip another important plot detail in smartfridge exclusive videogame only in Japanese, because without it you will not understand anything, until new collection on ps6 that remade it into cutstenes using assets from even numbered titles.
Mobile game was pretty bad, but otherwise you only needed 3 consoles for the bulk of the story (PS2, PSP and DS Lite). I get that it's annoying they weren't all on the same console, but it isn't as bad as people make it out to be. Plus nowadays it's all in one neat package, so people can't make that excuse anymore.
@@euangriffiths7466 you replied to a joke seriously, congrats on your clown license
Bruh
@@no-good_oddity how is this joke comment? all series they probably make another collection they did it for PS4, they probably make another for PS5 and then PS6 they want continue the story, they probably drop sora for abit and maybe make new MC
the irony this will happen, Sora story going take back seat for now they probably introduce a new MC to the series and continue on, kingdom hearts is going continue since KH3 didn't really end shit, main reason it got blow back people were expecting since they fucked around with title so long that KH3 might be actual wrap up to Sora's story, square thinking it probably take to PS6 to finish lol, i can see PS5 getting collections how PS4 did, probably upgrade KH3 with enhance version like they did KH2 in Japan with all added stuff
Story-wise, 'Goofy, one of the king's closest and most trusted servants, almost commit treason for Sora's sake' -territory that the first game had is something that Kingdom Hearts franchise should've kept included in future games, but instead 'the power of friendship' evolved much closer into it's more stereotypical form of Deus Ex Machina that magically grants good guys victory
KH1 by itself has the best story of all the games IMO. I love all of them, and the world building and connected story through all the games is great (especially how BbS connects everything) but the fact that you have to play 4 or 5 games to see the whole thing is kinda annoying.
I don’t know whether to cry or laugh that this paragraph is actually technically coherent
Kh1 was simple because it was clearly designed with the intention of being a one off story that was left open ended for potential sequels. It stands alone as a story really damn well. Basically the one game I can play and think "this is silly but the kid in me still loves this." kh2's story gets silly but at the very least the combat is the best in the series and the interactions with the disney characters is still really dang good.
i feel like that would a weird storyline to follow. How would it go? Mickey banishing Goofy and then what we have Max as a new ally and he acts all angsty his father was banished?
That's what happens when you strip a plot device of all the context that made it work in subsequent narratives. Even authors have a hard time figuring out what it is (or was) about their stories that resonated so well. It doesn't help that Nomura and his team aren't very good storytellers to begin with.
10:36 “Overall the final battle felt incredibly climactic”
*Shows clip of Xemnas sitting in a chair, swinging his sword while Sora and Riku attack him mercilessly*
Toilet Xemnas is bad
Death noise literally has him constipated 😂
“The worlds are never not enjoyable” *Tarzan world music intensifies*
*Son of man plays to maximum decibels*
Frozen; You climb the same mountain 3 times whilst scenes from the movie play in full XD
@@euangriffiths7466 Oh yeah, that was a huge pain. The Game Theorists channel has a video on what might have gone wrong with the Frozen world. Ultimately, KH3 was a disappointment. It's so dragged out, with little to no plot progression, and next to no interaction with the characters that actually mattered. No Riku, Kairi, Mickey, or Aqua until the very end. And flying on Baymax was a massive letdown.
@@DiZtheJedi I wouldn't say it was that bad honestly, it's got some great stuff
@@ketchuplover6160 It is good, and I definitely still like it. But there are a lot of flaws in writing and story progression. And Schaff is right, the worlds are a huge step back from what they used to be, story-telling wise. But I love the combat, that's where I disagree with him. I think KH3's combat is the best.
"Aren't you kids a little young to be teaming up with 7 warriors of light to wage war against XIII vessels of darkness?
Yes. Yes we are.
@@jenius9164 well I'm glad to see young people taking an interest in defending the light
*sweats in Kingdom Hearts X*
@@spencerc4252 literally child soldiers
@@acegamergoldie1008 followed up by almost total existence erasure. hell until more information comes out, my theory is every world is formed from the heart of a dandelion
"Not that complicated"
Okay, so Sora actually holds 3 hearts within his body, Ansem is actually Xehanort, and so is Xemnas, but Ansem is also Terra, Roxas is Sora's Nobody but looks like Ventus, and Xigbar is actually Luxu, a keyblade master who is not only a time traveler but also a body snatcher.
See? Simple.
Tbf, there was always something off about Xigbar.
Oh, and don't forget that Xehanort is the reincarnation of the player character from Union X, and Sora is believed to be the reincarnation of Ephimer from that same game. Also, Maleficent is technically older than the first Keyblade war because she time traveled back to the age of fairy tales and talked to one of the thirteen original darknesses. Kingdom Hearts lore is so fun
@@brycelemieux8013 As someone who has never played any of the mobile games: *what?*
@@TheBlueWizzrobe yup! Welcome to current kingdom hearts lore. You won't understand it, so there's really no point in trying
Time traveling eyepatch man helps Xehanort possess Terra who goes on to become a scientist that splits his heart into a heartless and nobody named ansem and xemnas respectively. Terra’s friend Ventus’s heart goes to Sora to rest after they formed a bond on destiny island, when sora becomes a heartless his nobody takes the appearance of Ventus.
It is simple if you just break it down to its linear progression
"the other Sora, and the other kairi reunion"
I'm sorry, i know that he didn't know the names but I just had to laugh-
pretty sure its because he "doesn't want to spoil it" even though he shows it anyways so idk lmao
"wink wink"
"Hades, lord of the underworld, cutting a deal with Cloud Strife." The mere concept and existence of Kingdom Hearts is so funny to me!
KH3 would’ve been SO much better if part of the end happened in the beginning, and the part where you rescue your allies was spread across the game instead of rushed to be done in like an hour. That was my biggest gripe. You mess around playing Disney movies for hours and hours, it’s draining, then BAM overwhelming plot and conclusion out of the blue
sometimes i do wonder if the way the disney world arcs were, were a result of the kh's writing team actual decisions or if it has some influence from disney's preferences and ideas ^^; for example: the whole let it go sequence just felt more like a marketing promotional stunt from disney to me (which i guess might essentially be what it actually is). a lot of people always debate over if kh3 (or kh in general, but mostly kh3) would have been a better story if they removed the disney aspect of it but it really did feel slightly more empty compared to the previous titles where the disney worlds actually felt quite relevant and a new fresh air to explore around in. the toy story world tho in kh3 is a good example of how to still nicely incorporate the story of kh with the story of the disney series (esp since it wasnt just a total retelling of the films)
@@greendaleforever It's not the fan's fault for hyping the game. Square Enix's marketing team did that themselves by revealing the entire game, literally, and by pumping out trailer after trailer over the course of many years. You really can't blame people for hyping the game, although that's what led to the massive disappointment.
@@greendaleforever I also think dismissing any critiques about the game as "people overhyping" to be disingenuous. KH3 did have a plot that felt rushed in the end. I also dislike you placing blame on people with speculations and theories when the entire KH franchise is practically ripe for speculation. The teasers for the next games all hid things to make you speculate. Birth By Sleep teaser trailer literally hid who the characters were until a later trailer where you see someone who looks exactly like Roxas. That breeds speculation so to say that people are at fault for doing this to the point of overhyping themselves to run defense for this game makes you look like a douche. Sorry but it does. People have right to be hyped for things. That hype does not allow the game to be immune to having its faults called out.
@@greendaleforever I honestly had no interest in a discussion with you as you would of argued from a flawed standpoint from the gate.
If you think me pointing out how your argument makes you look like a douche is name calling then that is fine with me. Your only response to valid issues with the game was "you overhyped yourself". You are acting like a douche and deserve to be called one.
I do agree. I love kh3 and it’s the one I care about the most since it was the first one that I played when it came out (I have Xbox). I know that Disney was a big reason the worlds were like that but I would have loved if the story was spread across the game. There is this one video that’s basically a fanfic and the way that they put out the story is really nice and sounds like a fun game. It came out before remind but I can’t remember the name.
*"The Kingdom of Corona"*
damn they even set a level in the real world
*uh oh*
That's just 2021
Does this mean that Disney owns the earth?
The game came out in 2019 and the movie came out in 2010.
What's funny is that in the rethym game released in November of 202 actually censored the word "Corona" from it. They called it a "fantasy" kingdom when Arendelle was referred to as such
I feel like the Disney worlds are more important in KH3 than people realize, at least symbolically. All have themes of loss and love, and are linked thematically to the whole story.
Absolutely, Titan_Trainer has done a couple videos where he talks about all the callbacks and references throughout KH and there's a toooone of plot relevant Disney stuff that you just don't see at first glance
@@caryssonford now this is interesting
I always thought the comparisons were pretty obvious, the issue is how overpowering Disney is in KH3 compared to the other installments. They usually do a great job weaving in original story and FF references but in 3 it was all Disney all the time. I mean It's apt considering how overpowering Disney is in the real world, but I digress.
Even fucking arendelle has somw thematic stuff. Like riku sacrificing himself to give sora the will to keep going and kairi keeping him by a thread to life when he was dead.
Even though it's shamelessly setting up the plot for the next "saga" of Kingdom Hearts the B-plot of Pete and Maleficent trying to find the Master of Masters' box actually tied in to the worlds pretty well (well, a few of them at least). They go to Olympus because they think it's there when it's actually Pandora's Box! They go to the Caribbean only to find it's the Dead Man's Chest!
And even if the majority of the worlds themselves were filler, they always gave a pretty fitting reason for the villains fucking around there near the end. Young Xehanort goes to Toy Box to research how things that originally had no hearts can grow them over time, like the toys did as well as the former Nobodies of Org XIII. Vanitas goes to Monstropolis to test how negative emotions affect the heart, when the monsters themselves used to use the screams of children (fear) to power their city, and the Unversed (which are extensions of Vanitas) are born of negative emotion. Don't forget Monstropolis also gave us the famous "YEETUS VANITAS" moment, which I'm honestly surprised Schafrillas didn't mention. When it comes to Disney characters actually interacting with the KH originals that's the pinnacle of the peak right there.
It's all small details that are easy to forget when you look at the big, messy picture but they still stand out to me when I really think back on it.
I'm playing kh3 now and my problem already is Disney clearly had their foot wayyy too deep in the direction of this game.
I know this comment was from 2 years ago, but its honestly SUPER concerning how much of a grip Disney holds on the franchise.
Like with Super smash bros ultimate, Sora was included ONLY because Sakurai met up with a Disney Executive in an elevator.
And the fact that inclusion was only possible because of INCREDIBLY slim random chance and not through casual business meetings is really telling about the state of KH as a whole.
Indeed, it is such a shame disney gave so many limitations about it's precious princesses ip, and probably spoiled at least a third of the experience of a game waited for more than a decade, hope they rot in bankrupcy for their greed as they deserve
I just don’t understand how Disney doesn’t gaf about kingdom hearts but then acts like the big gatekeeper of the IP whenever permission is needed to use it elsewhere
You did it. You finally broke it. You finally won. You trashed someone. Someone who was always happy, who was always smiling. Someone who did not deserve hate. Someone who did nothing but help people. Someone who loved with all his heart.
Ok, I believe you
Is this a reference to something?
And my name spelled backwards is Disney
What
@@dragonsswarm1987 kh bbs
@anahsezahemalf. OK
Hey Schafrillas doing gamer stuff
Doing gamer stuff like a gamer and making gamer videos for gamers
@Ki Soon Kim yeah but he just being doing more than he has before recently
he's saying the n word?
@Ki Soon Kim (acts as though I said he never did gamer stuff before)
I guess you weren't here for the Lego Star Wars video...
Or the Kid Icarus video...
Or the Majora's Mask video...
Or the Top Games of 2020 video
Did this absolute Chad just say kingdom hearts isn't confusing
I don't see how it's confusing as long as you consume it in release order. Coming upon it later is probably confusing, but the plot makes sense imo. Granted most of the time after KH1 the plot is stupid as fuck. After 2fm this series became a joke. Still decent games, couldn't bring myself to finish 3 though.
@@deaj8450 well it is more confusing if you played them when they came out, you probably didn't have all the info in your head all the time and stuff.
@@jeffboy4231 I did play them as they came out, I was thinking it'd be a lot more confusing to be a newcomer to the series now as opposed to back in the 2000s because now everything contradicts itself.
@@deaj8450 sooo... what is kingdom hearts than? :D
@@Jotarokun2233 The heart of the multiverse basically
“Why is he so hard *and* required?”
Well... he’s only required in the Final Mix version of the game. In fact I don’t think his fight is even in the original. I see you missed the fight with Xemnas in the first game. Honestly a wise choice for a beginner.
Yes. The Roxas Fight is only in the Final Mix. Also like KH3 one of the critics was it is to easy. So the add Critical Mode and new Harder Bosses (in the Story it is only this Roxas Fight)
i have the original ps2 version and i can confirm there was no roxas boss fight. only a cutscene showcasing a short battle.
Yeah, it makes sense for the boss to be hard in the context of it being added in as an extra part, but playing it through for the first time I can see why it'd feel unfair (at least you can cheese him with quick run)
I really loved that part of kh2 tbh the best part in my opinion if you know the story fully it hits hard fighting roxas
@@gloom9174 true, roxas was basically fighting for the right to exist and his story is possibly the most tragic in the series
Schaffrillas: I'm made a Kingdom hearts vid
Me:"Okay, I believe you "
how did you comment 17 hours and 55 minutes before the vid was released
@@AbhinavBhagavan Damn, those time travelers are getting out of hand
@@AbhinavBhagavan Patreon bro
My name spelled backwards is-
@@AbhinavBhagavan Patreon, I guess ?
I actually love the intro to KH2. I love the story and ambiance of summer it gives, and all-out mystery. plus I love Hayner, Pence, and Ollette
it even serves as a good introduction to the organization and nobodies for people who didn't play chain of memories.
Schriffales: That.
Schriffales: Was....
Schriffales: His.
Schriffales: Mistake...
brooo youre not even gonna talk about the Sully Vanitas moment in KH3
YEETUS VANITAS
Because it's best when you don't see it coming
Or Woody telling Xehanort that no-one loves him.
The emotional moments in KH3 are really good.
@@AAhmou Especially if you’ve played the games outside the numbered trilogy
The fact that I actually thought Goofy died in KH2 just shows how amazing it is
"you get sucked into a random edgy videogame?" oh my sweet summer child
no amount of deep analysis for the series could prepare you for Verum Rex popping up in Toy Story. I think that's partly why Toy Box is my favorite level.
Took some real balls to put that whole segment in KH3. Took even bigger balls to make it the fucking secret final boss in the DLC.
@@Sniperboomheadshot49 that boss took me months to beat lol
"infinity war is th---
schafrillas: SHUT UP
Shrek is the greatest crossover
@@glendarjj3991 yes
@@glendarjj3991 smash bros too :(
What about soul caliber
What about Megamind
I’m surprised that he criticized III for its cinematic retellings and didn’t mention it in II. It’s ironic because while I still enjoyed it, the Pride Lands always felt like a watered down rehash of the original film with subpar facial expressions on some of the characters and butchering of dramatic scenes like Mufasa’s death.
And then 2019 Lion King arrived to do the exact thing again. Albeit they at least had Hans Zimmer doing excellent redos of his score. II just has Simba walking up Pride Rock in silence.
I thought the same thing. Shit kinda baffles me. I love II, don't get me wrong, but I feel like the Disney worlds are almost just as filler-y as III's. If not more so in some areas. Arguably at least. Like I loathe the revisits of the worlds, they're just so meaningless to me. It feels like you show up to fight a boss and then dip. I dunno, to each their own. But I personally think II has concurrent problems with III that only seems to be called out in III.
I 100% agree with both of you and I'm glad someone pointed this out
All KH games have followed the movie plots in some shape or form. It’s at its worst in KH3 with how self-indulgent worlds like Arendelle are with one-to-one recreations of movie scenes, which felt pretty infrequent in previous games.
KH3 worlds are also significantly longer than the previous worlds, making them much more of a drag and basically killing the pace of the game, not helped by how they have *literally* zero impact on the plot of KH3 despite the Organization members popping up in every one of them.
"It's really not the complicated to piece together"
Agreed, I think a main reason why the plot is confusing to a lot of players is simply just because there's so much kingdom hearts games that take quite a while to complete all of them, that you'd probably know more about the gameplay than the actual story just because most of the time in the games is spent on gameplay. At least that's what I think
I think the actual reason people like me don't want to give this franchise a try is because of how confusing the naming of the games are and it feels like a whole mess
Also because each game after the first tends to pile up more questions than answers.
That, or because Dream drop distance introduces time travel
Also because sometimes, at least surfacely for no reason. Things happen not to cause development, but just to make things more confusing. Again, I said surfacely - All the talking in KH3 about "you have this heart, and you has this heart" does sound a bit ludicrous, but mayhaps it makes sense if you played the other games first.
Its confusing because a lot of questions people have, don't have answers. The series is so scared of the word 'why.' You ask that at virtually any point in the story and everything falls apart. Its incredibly poorly written.
One of my favorite KH memories was when the voice actor of Xemnas killed me and my fencing instructor to the tune of One Winged Angel at a con in front of a crowd of people chanting "Man Sex, Man Sex!"
Wow, cons are quite the weird artifact of the before times.
@@Shalakor hello from the future, I've been to 2 conventions this year. One a small local con in the summertime, and PAX in September. I'm going to Comic Con in December. Other than masks and vaccine cards required, not much has changed, so very much not "an artifact of the before times."
Someday we'll get a Kingdom Hearts game with the epic storytelling 1, the awesome gameplay of 2 and the breathtaking visuals of 3, and I will ascend to a higher form of Kingdom Hearts fan.
and maybe the mobility and exploration of 3
days remake when
@Jeff boy I hate the exploration of 3 the levels felt empty and the worlds were huge just because they could, not because it made the game better
@@mikehurt3290I agree! I really don’t enjoy the big time wasting worlds. People like to hate on 2’s level design but I like how they are simple and just keep the focus on the biggest strength of the game THE COMBAT. Id much rather play the game than explore some boring space.
ah yes, kingdom hearts 6
"its not really the complicated"
*it is when you are playing them in release order and had to buy 5 different consoles just to know about a side character who turns out to be very important*
and plus 358 though a good storyline was frustrating to play
Grave vine demands blood sacrifice to beat
@@TimBagels if you are talking about the same boss in Halloween Town....
fuck that boss so much... it frusted me so much
@@duke86fan The Halloween town boss genuinely stunted my commitment to that game for a good few months as a kid
I haven't played too much of 358 but tbh I was expecting to find the combat frustrating but ended up finding it quite relaxing? Idk getting into the mindset and rhythm of chipping off a bit of health and then avoiding attacks was nice, but I haven't gotten to any of the infamous bosses yet
Why would it be complicated in release order?
Kingdom Hearts 2 is a fucking BANGER. Great game.
where are you i have hedgehog repelent
Nah it’s sucks
@@Flome810 im afraid you are very wrong my friend
@@Flome810 you dont have to like it but you are 100% wrong my friend
@@hwanniggles187 you’re contradicting yourself if you say I don’t have to like it but say I’m wrong
honestly the second one is SO good when you replay it or read the manga, because it hits so hard knowing that roxas is just living in a simulation, and all of his memories are fake. it hits way too hard, man.
The manga is so good!!!!
Me: *A practically lifelong KH fan about to get my feelings hurt*
hopefully not, seems like he really enjoyed the games
@@IceKing89 haha yeah I wrote the comment before watching the video. Just thought it would be a funny comment
Same here but he enjoys them he need to play kh3 with the free update to see how much the battle improved
@@dionelmejia8093 with the free update, i'd wedge KH3 right between KH1 and KH2 in terms of how good the combat feel. that magic finisher just feels excellent to use. the DLC tips KH3 into the great territory , with all 14 super bosses added feeling excellent. shame it costs 40$ tho
@@xLittlebigQuebecx yeah it's a shame to fight the bosses u need to pay $60 but at least u can play the game in critical and with the battle update for free
"It feels way slower and floatier than it did in 2"
Ah, so you've already learned how to talk like a KH fan. Welcome, brother.
Honestly, the main problem I had with Kh3, and maybe a bit of KH2, was that I had to explore worlds that didn't seem that relevant to the plot. I felt like...."What was my objective again?"
I personally loved the pirates of the caribbean world in kingdom hearts 3. When playing it I felt like an actual pirate where as in kingdom hearts 2 it was boring, everytime that you had to go to a different area it was just a loading screen, a fight, a loading screen, and then you're there. Kingdom hearts 3's pirates i could actually sail around and explore different islands, and I loved all the fights where you shot at other ships with canons. That's just my opinion though
I just wish the story wasn't a mess in that world for 3 & had a hidden boss on one of the islands. I did enjoyed both tho
"Usually..."
*shows Demyx*
Them's fightin words buddy
"All killer, no filler!"
*shows Land of Dragons*
I wish people cared more about 358/2 days, by itself it’s such a beautiful story
Some of us do
Story-wise it's my second favorite game, my first being KH2
It's the best setup for kh2 ever
Yeah, it's the first and only KH game that made me cry.
Yes! I really like the overall mood and atmosphere of days. It's so melancholy yet calming and it gives a sense of dread and longing I can't fully explain. And the ending broke me :') Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be eating ice cream and crying in the corner.
I love the Mechs in Toy Box because it's just like a child using their imagination to play with their toys, which was a big part of Toy Story. Plus they're just so fucking cool.
ABSOLUTELY FILTERED by the fantastic opening of KH2. It's easily the best opening in the series and one of the best moments in video games, period. Nothing gives off the sense of sorrowful nostalgia for highschool and the waning moments of childhood like Roxas' intro. It also has the best characters in the entire series in it, and you don't need to play Chain of Memories to understand it. You're supposed to be just as confused as Roxas is.
"I played all 3 games" uh... uhhmmm should we tell him?
Idk
@Khera Tina yeah i watch the whole video, but it's still funny so i leave it here
"That was undeniable proof that we totally owned you lamers!"
Oh, I get it. #&&% means heart
Ouch, too far man..
I remember watching the entire ten-hour compilation of Kingdom Hearts 3 on TH-cam (with only having ever played the first Kingdom Hearts for a couple hours) and thinking, "Ah yes, I understand what is happening."
"I can't think of one world in the game I disliked."
Atlantica: Am I a joke to you?
Ironically, I suppose that means atlantica ISN'T a joke to him
I agree, it really wasn't that complicated when you have all the games on a single console or in your case when you watched all the cutscenes in between online. (I played through all of them like a gamer on proud except for KH 1 cause it was my first game and I sucked). The main reason why people said it was complicated was because of how confused they were when they played different games at different times on different platforms. When I watched the recap video of the entire plot online, I expected to be confused but I really only missed 1 or 2 plot points and some other details. I wouldn't say you missed out storywise, but some of them were pretty fun and enhanced the experience when you played it. Anyways, great video.
I think the main reason why a lot of people find the series' plot so difficult to follow is because the cutscenes have some of the worst editing I have ever seen. There are absolutely no L-cuts anywhere, meaning that every line of dialogue is followed by a long pause that greatly slows down the overall pace of the game. This only makes the story more difficult to follow than it would be otherwise, because every time the game tries to explain its plot, the player just keeps falling asleep because of how tedious and poorly-edited the cutscenes are. This only becomes more obvious when comparing the cutscenes to the Disney films upon which they are based (e.g. there is no music or atmosphere when Simba is climbing Pride Rock in KH2, and whoever edited Scar's dialogue had absolutely no regard for the natural flow of conversation, because its so stilted and poorly delivered). The cutscenes are just embarassing to anyone who appreciates how meticulously crafted the classic Disney movies are.
@@jonah_da_mann I thought the cutscenes are all perfectly fine???
@@BobbyTheGamerOfJUSTICE It gets worse as the series progresses. Watch this video for an explanation: th-cam.com/video/9ZS66Xex6gU/w-d-xo.html
However, even the earlier games have a lot of cutscene problems. Frequent lack of music aside, the biggest problem with the scenes is that there are no L-cuts ANYWHERE. If you don't know, an L-cut is when audio from one take overlaps with video from another take. (So for example, Character A is still talking as the camera cuts to a shot of Character B.)
@@jonah_da_mann I don't know if they used NO L cuts at all, but I do agree with you that the cutscenes were slow and lacking in engagement with repeated songs that make it feel really slow, especially in the earlier games. I didn't really think that was a major factor, but after what you said I think the bad edits in cutscenes definitely could have had a bigger impact on the understanding of the plot for people with normal attention spans and who aren't exactly engaged in the story. I haven't finished Kingdom Hearts 3 yet (I played the beginning). Is the editing also lacking for that game?
@@jonah_da_mann nvm, video answered my question lol. Thank you
While it wasn't one of the main games in the overall series, I enjoyed KH 358/2 Days the most. The story almost made me cry; it's so sweet at times, watching Roxas, Axel, and Xion get along so well; and, at the same time, so bitter and kind of hopeless at the magnificent end...
I felt the same! I know it’s a bit of an unpopular opinion but I absolutely loved 358/2 Days. It absolutely wrecked me emotionally but it handled the bittersweet tone so well and getting to play as part of Organization XIII was so cool. It has a special place in my heart for sure.
The manga for 358/2 Days is also the best one of the ones I've read for the franchise imo, so if you haven't read it, I think you may enjoy it.
Ok but you gotta apreciate how much the Disney characters shit on the villians in KH3,I mean cmon that was hilarious.
Sully yeeting Vanitas is still one of my favorite scenes with Woody roasting Xehanort
@@hwanniggles187 "My guess is, nobody has ever loved you before." When Woody said that to the white haired anime villain wtf.
That’s fucking dumb. How to kill the non-existing mood even more
lol i can’t seem to submit my comment
Why the fuck my comment with my argument keep getting deleted and the other ones can appear instead?
*THIS LOOKS LIKE A GOOD SPOT TO GET UP ON THE HYDRA'S BACK!*
I literally had flashbacks to those moments
One problem I have with KH3 is that the final fantasy characters disappeared. Like aerith and squall return in remind, but only have a minor role. I thought you'd at least be able to fight sephiroth in remind
“Clayton rides on a giant chameleon demo-“
My inner KH fanboy: “IT’S CALLED A STEALTH SNEAK YOU WHO-“
Btw, great video!
the thing that sucks is that if the plot wasnt so fucked up, KH3 maybe would have been one of the best kingdom hearts games of all time, cuz you can tell that the developers put a ton of time into making that game
they only had 12 years to make it cmon now. Being serious though I'm pretty sure there were so many starts in stop in the production of the game it ended up with this mess of a story.
@@IceKing89 I think the game was in developer hell for a few years, which doesn't surprise me seeing Nomura directed it, the guy is kinda nuts. I think they even had to swap game engines midway through development.
On top of both production issues (most likely of Nomura’s doing) and a 13 year wait that contributed to massive overhype, the dev team decided to use tons of newer Disney IPs and because of that Disney’s Brand Management Teams wouldn’t allow them to stray too far from the original plots of most of the worlds with the biggest example being Frozen. They actually planned to add Frozen to the game before Frozen’s official story was even finished, specifically when Elsa was being conceptualized as the villain, so when the movie didn’t match up with what the Dev team created and Disney now having a goldmine of an IP in their hands, they became much more overbearing with how the dev team portrayed Frozen in the game. Disney wanted them to make Arendelle as movie accurate as possible and lots of the work the team had done on the world already just didn’t fit the requirements so they tried to salvage and repurpose as much as they could causing the final product to feel disjointed and just overall off. I’m sure a lot of that bled into the rest of the game’s production as well. There’s actually a good video speculating on what Arendelle would have originally been like. Overall I’d say KH3 could have been a lot better if Disney would’ve just let the team do their thing instead of getting picky over every tiny detail but hey I guess that’s just how Disney is nowadays. It wouldn’t have fixed everything but I bet it would have given the team a lot more breathing room to fix up and iron out pacing issues, gameplay, and just overall enjoyment of the game. So much wasted potential and for once I don’t believe the dev team was a major contributor to the problem.
The thing is KH 3 was announced too early in 2013 but began development in 2015 and released in 2019 the Plot was fine if you played the previous games and I’d say they did a decent job at the lore as they had a little recap of each game (obviously not super in depth) but I’d say Re:Mind definitely ironed it out and it wasn’t development hell per se it’s just AFTER 2 and how great that was people just wanted 3 not side games so it wasn’t that 3 was in development hell it was more side game,world building,experimental hell granted each side game was decent BBS and DDD especially I enjoyed Re:coded gameplay and its plot was “yes we get it Sora will save them” and I hated 358/2 Days on a gameplay level but enjoyed its plot and how it added a bit of meat to KH and CoM was a good side game sometimes frustrating though
@@Lingeringwill13 358/2 and re:coded are like yin and yang, in one hand a good story that further develops existing characters but the gsmeplay sucks, and on the other a bare bones retelling of a retelling of 1 but with good gameplay tha mixes stuff around and keeps you on your toes
Funnily enough, when I was a younger child first playing this game I had no clue what FF was, and the characters really didn't feel that out of place
Edit: I whole-heartedly agree with your thoughts on kh3, even the fan-service-y stuff at the end just doesn't do much for me. It just sort of feels like everything happens with little build-up or flow throughout. Maybe I expected too much from kh3, but damn, the ending (starting from the final battles) was extremely unsatisfying and underwhelming as a conclusion to this 18-year saga. Oh well, more Xemnas is more Xemnas, at least there's that
"Once you get past the annoying opening" shows THAT scene with Roxas
*sobs*
This is why I lost my respect for Schaff since he disrespected both the best character in the franchise and the Caribbean in kh3 in one fell swoop.
Edit: I’ve cooled off after the past few days and I feel like I’m being way too hard. I just feel like he should have more insightful thoughts for changing my perspective of the shrek franchise, yet having a dime a dozen opinion on the series.
The final scene with Roxas in the prologue is even sadder in the manga. Looking as his hand fading Marty McFly-like he says “it was all real to me” of his virtual persona.
@@jbcatz5 that’s really sad. I got the Kh2 manga and could never find more than 2 books.
Tobyjack123 If you don’t mind digital they’re on Comixology.
@@jbcatz5 thanks.
By far, my biggest problem with the finale of KH3 is that they just had to include THREE unending hordes of heartless that present a hopeless situation that require special means to win. Like, seriously, pick ONE (maybe two, but that's pushing it) and scrap the others, because by the time the third one happens I'm just going, "what was the point of the last two?"
@Khera Tina The "whichever character the Player is being [Sora] has to do everything" was always going to be an issue and they handled it about as well as I expected them to, which is to say not at all.
The thing is, they wanted a bunch of "cool" moments (1000 heartless + keyblade surfing + ten sid finally doing something)but didnt know how to put them all together cohesively. That's the biggest problem with KH3's story imo. Lots of really cool moments but the in betweens just isn't there
KH2 and KH3 have the same problem here: they have many cool ideas for the ending, but not how properly put them together, so they end up having lots of stuff just happening.
@@soul6733 yeah exactly, that's why kh1 has got the best, most consistent story for me. They didnt try to do too much and still had a for the most part cohesive plot
I feel like I’m the only person in the world who loves KH2’s slow-paced intro.
In the 6th grade I didn’t like it during my first play through, but after I loved it.
@@-Anonymous-. Yeah me too I first didn't liked it cause I thought Roxas would replace Sora after that I missed Roxas and learned more about him in the fight scene
I'm just gonna sum up Kingdom Hearts series in one sentence: It is so dumb, but so much fun
Facts.
Having played the whole series...
U so right
Yup, I’m a hardcore KH fan, and you’re right, it’s really stupid but so much fun
Exactly, one of the hypest moments in 3 was SPOILERS....... A suit of armour that was literally to angry to die, coming to save the day after the first time loop resulted in Donald Duck going Super Saiyan and nearly killing himself XD
I think KH makes the most fun when you just lean back and enjoy the ride.
Even tough I also really like diving deep into the plot.
"They'll pay for this" isn't something I ever wanted to hear from Mickey Mouse, until I actually heard it and now I think I can add it to and then cross it off my "things I needed to see/hear before I die" list.
Honestly, I unironically love that scene. They somehow managed to perfectly sell that Micky legitimately thought his best friend died and was furious over it, without being overly dramatic about it.
I can't think of any other time in Micky's history where they had him absolutely furious like that. Frustrated, sure, but never seething.
I was not expecting to hear any complaints on KH3’s gameplay from this AT ALL, but I am glad I’m not the only one who thinks KH2 is the best in the series.
I mean most people think that 2 is the best lol
"Did somebody mention the Door to Darkness?"
*Occult Mickey rolls in*
“Door to Darkness?”
Mickey: 👁👄👁
"Only problem with that analogy is that this game has TWO Okumura Palaces!"
I felt that.
"Why was [Roxas] so insanely hard and required?"
I...Schaff...dude wtf?
“Why is this story-centric character required for the story?”
@@hilotakenaka exactly what i was thinking lmfao
@Ice Bear I mean
Considering three people voiced their complaint about him skimming over it, there are at least three people who do care
@@hilotakenaka I think Ice Bear is referencing that horrid IGN review of KH2, that's how the reporter described Roxas.
@Ice Bear I apologise, my bad
There is a reason roxas is hard and it’s pretty simple to understand...
_phrasing_
@@chickennugget6684 oh we still doing phrasing 😂
“Two?!”
The real reason is that he wasn't in the vanilla game and was designed as a superboss for Finax Mix, but then they decided to add the fight into the story anyway even though his moveset was already designed to be difficult, but they just lowered his HP count and decided "good enough."
I started playing and got to know the franchise in 2019 and I really like KH1 more than KH2, in KH1 the combat may not be the best, but the worlds were much more full of personality in the background and interactions, they had many hidden things and details that made the world much more interesting, KH2 basically is based on combat and forgets all part of make the worlds themselves interesting, the exploration is based on going from one place to another while on KH1 there were several great puzzles on the way, the level design of the maps on KH2 are horrible most of the time, while on KH1 despite having flaws, it is much more superior, it is not uncommon that in KH2 there are empty maps with only some platforms full of chests, but I have to agree that the 3 was not as good as it should be, the combat was very slow, but the 2020 update has improved a lot
At this point, it feels like "That was his mistake!" is just an involuntary reaction Schaff has.
I love KH3, and definitely spent its entire run time crying, but I completely agree about the story pacing. I was convinced I was only halfway through when I got to the final act because no story stuff had happened yet. Even DDD had better pacing than that.
Also, I love how suddenly people are talking about KH at the exact time I'm replaying all of them lmao
You really do owe it to yourself to experience Birth by Sleep. Although it was released for the PSP, it goes into HUGE plot points for the franchise and gives you all the feels leading up to III. I played it on PS3 and had a good time. Definitely recommend.
Yesss, it really made me almost cry, I really recommend it to anyone who likes kingdom hearts. Also, it's soo replayable cause each character gives such a new perspective of everything, it's so goood
It’s a shame that KH3 didn’t take advantage of its potential. I heard that this was on Disney for wanting to market more Disney properties. It would’ve been better if we had a middle section of the game where we went away from the Disney stuff and focused on more traditional KH locales.
This game would've benefited from 2 world visits like KH2 imo. Or at least some actually story stuff sprinkled in every 2 world's or so
Don’t be a casual. Play the Limit Cut and Secret Episode of Remind and talk about the combat and boss design again. 2FM has the best combat by far, but Limit Cut and the Secret Episode are the best content in the series yet.
Well, he did say he wrote the script in 2019. But yes, I do agree he should talk about Re:Mind. He should also know about the item weapon switching tech that Trueblade Seeker discovered.
I see you are a man of culture as well
You shouldn't need to pay $30 to fix a game you don't enjoy.
@@1sdani If you didn't enjoy it, why did you buy it? Besides, the DLC didn't fix anything. It just improved the base game much like the final mix did.
@@1sdani you don't have to. it doesn't fix _everything_, but there were free updates that addressed things like the overly random specials and floaty combat. Interesting what a few abilities can do to make (base) sora feel completely different.
"Trillogy"
Hah.
Haha.
*HAHAHAHAHAHAHA-*
How come Max didn’t appear? I really want to see him fight side by side with his dad.
That was an OneyPlays reference I just made
Because hearing Sora and Donald stand there in utter confusion saying "Goofy Fucks?!" would short circuit your console.
@@iaxacs3801 I mean, Dolan has a girlfriend in KH. he shouldn't be THAT surprised lol
KH4 Kairi goes on her own full-fledged journey and is accompanied by her 2 new companions, royal squire Max having a personal crisis over if he actually wants to be a knight, and uhh, idk a FF character they haven't used yet or another oc or something.
@@moonmannd7501 huey dewey and louie
I think the main problem with KH3 was that since the movies they used were more recent, Disney really did not want them to change much, now Monsters Inc, Toy Story, and Big Hero 6 did not do that, but you can tell that with Frozen and Tangled, that Disney was watching them the entire time, why else would they have Let it Go play? Because Disney wanted it.
Everyone forgets about Kingdom Hearts Recoded. I still have that one
Something must be in the air because it seems like out of nowhere people are talking about Kingdom Hearts again. I don't think you're the only one that has wanted to replay this recently! 😂
maybe its because the all in one collection got a 75% discount last week in the playstation store, thats how i got into the series
And now he's in Smash!