Who here is loving Kingdom Hearts III? (Discussion Thread)

[marvelvscapcom2]

Hello everyone  


Yesterday I walked into best buy feeling like a kid again, and their were fellow nerds conversing, it was like a glorious symphany of mythical proportions.  It was like being in traverse down again.  The moments leading up to all of us reliving our childhood, unwrapping the plastic and guiding our disney heroes into yet another heartless battle to save humanity . 

I won't ever forget the feeling of when I first played the original kingdom hearts for PS2.  I was a little kid when my brother let me borrow it. All my childhood disney heroes battling to save the universe from evil unfolding before my eyes.  Heartless.  The story, so profound that it will take years if not decades to understand but also so simple that the youngest 4 year old can look and say "Look mommy, it's mickey mouse!!".    The pure simplicity of it. 


Before I begin sharing my feelings on the new game.  Please let's all keep this free of spoilers.  I don't want to ruin the game.  I won't be sharing any key moments outside of parts I like about the gameplay





Kingdom Hearts 3 lived up to every expecations I had of it which is saying a lot because I have been waiting since I was like 10 lol.   


The graphics? Stunning.  The epic new moves and abilities are awesome.  And I love the worlds and plot.  It's so rich and god tier. 



It feels good that Square is back to being god tier in the industry.  First octopath, now KH3.  Soon a FF7 remake.  They are just hitting home runs again.  it feels like the early 2000s all over again


I hope everyone is enjoying the game.   Thank you for sharing.

[bikingjahuty]

I never got into this series, but I'm happy that its fans finally got this game.

[hexen]

I'd play it, but I don't have a PS4 or Xbone... if they ever put it om Switch or PC, I guess I'll play it then.

[kamikazekeeg]

I had just finished Kingdom Hearts 2 the night before this released, so I was basically going from the last big one that came out (technically if we set aside it being a remaster I played) nearly 15 years ago and so far its doing a lot of what I wanted from the series, which is bigger and better worlds and to make the gameplay more fluid.  Visually it looks really awesome too.  I'm still only a few hours in, but it's been nice.

That said, if you want to make sense of the story, you better have played all of the stuff in the recent remasters, because basically everything short of maybe the mobile games and maybe Coded are important to the plot.  I only played KH1 and KH2 and then watched some retrospectives on Chain of Memories and 358/2, but I needed to watch stuff on at least Birth by Sleep and Dream Drop Distance, especially Birth by Sleep, which I should've played.  I think if people are just there for the silly Disney stuff, you'll probably at least get a kick out of that, but Kingdom Hearts story can be rough and this is a game for the die hard fans for sure.

[rayne315]

That said, if you want to make sense of the story, you better have played all of the stuff in the recent remasters, because basically everything short of maybe the mobile games and maybe Coded are important to the plot.  I only played KH1 and KH2 and then watched some retrospectives on Chain of Memories and 358/2, but I needed to watch stuff on at least Birth by Sleep and Dream Drop Distance, especially Birth by Sleep, which I should've played.  I think if people are just there for the silly Disney stuff, you'll probably at least get a kick out of that, but Kingdom Hearts story can be rough and this is a game for the die hard fans for sure.

lol I ran across the same issue. my wife has never played them and has only seen like 1-2 hours into kingdom hearts 1+2 so I said the dumb thing. "ill explain things as they come up" I haven't been able to explain too much of the game... its really fun though but proud mode doesn't seem as hard as I remember it being...

[kamikazekeeg]

That said, if you want to make sense of the story, you better have played all of the stuff in the recent remasters, because basically everything short of maybe the mobile games and maybe Coded are important to the plot.  I only played KH1 and KH2 and then watched some retrospectives on Chain of Memories and 358/2, but I needed to watch stuff on at least Birth by Sleep and Dream Drop Distance, especially Birth by Sleep, which I should've played.  I think if people are just there for the silly Disney stuff, you'll probably at least get a kick out of that, but Kingdom Hearts story can be rough and this is a game for the die hard fans for sure.

lol I ran across the same issue. my wife has never played them and has only seen like 1-2 hours into kingdom hearts 1+2 so I said the dumb thing. "ill explain things as they come up" I haven't been able to explain too much of the game... its really fun though but proud mode doesn't seem as hard as I remember it being...

I'm already fairly lost with stuff about how Sora not having his powers due to failing his exam and nearly falling into darkness due to Xehanort (not the one we fought in KH2) and that the Organization characters I destroyed seem to be all back, and boy should I have played Birth by Sleep lol It's why its a great thing they start out with (This isn't really that much of a spoiler) Hercules world, because that is at least a regular thing in the main 2 KH games that I'm familiar with and it's crazy getting a fully realized world for him that isn't just Colliseum stuff.

I just went with standard for difficulty, but it does seem quite easy, more so than Kingdom Hearts 2.  You get so many big special moves to use as you play, but at least its all really fun looking things.

[Agozer]

Considering I've been waiting for roughly 13 years, I'm having a blast.

Yeah, every game is canon (even Coded) and is required to make heads or tails about what's going on in KH3. Kingdom Hearts' biggest failing as a series is its fragmented nature (before the remasters happened), how you needed to have five different consoles to play them. I feel especially sorry for people who had, let's say, just a DS and only played 358/2 Days, let alone people whose first Kingdom Hearts game was Dream Drop Distance.

And don't get me started on the clusterf--- that is Kingdom Hearts X/Unchained/Union Cross.

I firmly believe that at some point when KH3 really kicked into development, someone at Square Enix sort of woke up and realized that KH3 would make no sense unless people had played all the other games, on all the systems they were on. And so, they started work on the remasters.

[pacgamer89]

I have been smiling the whole time while playing Kingdom Hearts III. It's gonna be in the top for game of the year nominations.

[NickAwesome]

As someone who loved the first game and initially hated the second game but now just tolerate it, I'm not too optimistic I am going to love 3.  Watched the story recaps and then played about 30 minutes and I was bored and confused. I haven't given up yet and I'm sure I'll like it more if I put more time, I think I just would rather finish RE 2 first. 

[kamikazekeeg]

As someone who loved the first game and initially hated the second game but now just tolerate it, I'm not too optimistic I am going to love 3.  Watched the story recaps and then played about 30 minutes and I was bored and confused. I haven't given up yet and I'm sure I'll like it more if I put more time, I think I just would rather finish RE 2 first.

That's so weird to me to like the first one, but hate the second.  I mean the first game is the only one that feels like a real Disney crossover and that it acts as such, but KH2 is such a more fun game to play, and KH3 so far is way above even that, despite being quite lost with a lot of story elements.

[marvelvscapcom2]

I had just finished Kingdom Hearts 2 the night before this released, so I was basically going from the last big one that came out (technically if we set aside it being a remaster I played) nearly 15 years ago and so far its doing a lot of what I wanted from the series, which is bigger and better worlds and to make the gameplay more fluid.  Visually it looks really awesome too.  I'm still only a few hours in, but it's been nice.

That said, if you want to make sense of the story, you better have played all of the stuff in the recent remasters, because basically everything short of maybe the mobile games and maybe Coded are important to the plot.  I only played KH1 and KH2 and then watched some retrospectives on Chain of Memories and 358/2, but I needed to watch stuff on at least Birth by Sleep and Dream Drop Distance, especially Birth by Sleep, which I should've played.  I think if people are just there for the silly Disney stuff, you'll probably at least get a kick out of that, but Kingdom Hearts story can be rough and this is a game for the die hard fans for sure.

I used to try to be woke in terms of the KH story.  And I consider myself a huge fan. But without letting spoilers out, I truly have no idea what the hell is going on ever lol.  But that's the mystic of it all.  I do think I have a rough idea of what's going on but it's all kinda blurry to me.  Like I get it but I don't.  It's where I have always treaded with it but I think it's fun being in that state.  I don't think Sora knows whats going on half the time himself lol.  It's meant to be like a dream. But as far as i'm concerned final fantasy dudes are hanging out with my childhood heroes in the disney universe kicking some heartless ass .  Everything outside of that is icing.  But the layers are complex.  I won't share spoilers.  But I think i'm keeping up, even if barely.    I did watch the YouTube videos explaining the PSP ones because I don't have a PSP.  It helped some as they were prequels.

  Dare I say it might have the deepest plot in video games.  At least as far as I have seen.  It literally takes studying like 12 games perfectly, their backstory and plot to correlate this massive story but even when you figure out the story, their are like 5 stories, 5 paths, 2 dream states, a lucid nightmare, 2 false realities,  a arch duke of norway had surrogate clones and people who aren't even what you think they are but in alternate universes they are freeing Cuba from communism on the 5th blood moon in a May rainstorm as the wolves cried but the wolves tears were also a manipulation of some Japanese samurai from ages past who after the sun set was born again into his reincarnated mega form to rule humanity with your power being his on the sabbath day?  One plotline isn't even the plot line and some lucid nightmare is the whole game or some crazy far out thing mustered in the mind of some LSD booting Jamaican surfer.   

[vivigamer]

I'm about 18 hours in and loving it! Many big series entiries this generation simply haven't lead up to the hype (Final Fantasy XV, Metal Gear Solid V) but this game is everything I dreamed it could be and more! Every world is so rich in detail! and I don't just mean graphically (Which the game is also outstanding in) but there just so much detail in every little crevasse and I've had so much fun exploring around - Unlike the majority of the empty open worlds.

Also, I just love the camaraderie between the main cast, every little cutscene has me so emotionally invested as they're really easy to engage with. I also have to give props to on World in not following the story the world is based off, but making their own scenario - Something I've said the series should do all along and the Worlds Story was so much more engaging from it!

The only thing that is bugging me is the Gummy Ship segments, I appreciate it but the damn ship just moves so Slow! I want to explore but I feel like the speed the ship goes while boost is on should be the natual speed of the airship - probably easily done when upgrading but the system has always been confusing to me. I do love the combat though, there are so many special forms and attacks to utilise that I'ev spent a lot of time just playing about in combat. I like how you can swap Keyblades in battle this time  and how you can upgrade them to keep them relevant.

In regards to the narrative, yes if you haven't played the others... you're going to be lost. Admittedly even 18 hours in I haven't seen much advancement to the overall plot but I'm sure when it hits it will need the context of the previous games - Yes Even Union X, theres an hour summary video on Youtube which coves it well. I've made great efforts to catch myself up on it all so I'm hoping I'll still understand it

This really is such a joyus experiences and I look forward to another full day in playing it

[soera]

I was looking forward to this release. Till I found out that they removed the ending of the game from the physical copy to "avoid spoilers" .... simply the most assinine decision ever made. How absurd. Imagine buying a movie to realize you have to get online and download the ending. Or a CD. Or ... a game. Oh wait. That actually happened.

[vivigamer]

I'm pretty sure the Epilogue has been unlocked now via a free update - When you look at the updates section of the game on PS4 it says so.

Also, I figured out why I hated the Gummi Ship section so much - My Ship had a 0 stat of Speed! Now that I've solved that it's great & I'm also getting plenty of components for weapon upgrades.

[NickAwesome]

As someone who loved the first game and initially hated the second game but now just tolerate it, I'm not too optimistic I am going to love 3.  Watched the story recaps and then played about 30 minutes and I was bored and confused. I haven't given up yet and I'm sure I'll like it more if I put more time, I think I just would rather finish RE 2 first.

That's so weird to me to like the first one, but hate the second.  I mean the first game is the only one that feels like a real Disney crossover and that it acts as such, but KH2 is such a more fun game to play, and KH3 so far is way above even that, despite being quite lost with a lot of story elements.

It was not the gameplay that I had an issue with regarding KHII, it was literally everything else.  I loved the simplicity of KH I's story and characters and the clear structure.  I also found Proud mode to be very challenging and liked how you had to learn to guard properly to beat several of the harder fights. The last few hours of KH II were better, I just really hated many of the worlds- particularly Tron-ugh, I hated the whole Roxas story and so many little things just irritated me.  I also didn't love the combat in KH II, it felt too floaty and awkward.   

I just finished the Hercules world in KH III, it's definitely more engaging and the combat is decent.  The whole game just feels awkward to me though.  Like SE just stitched together a bunch of different concepts and gameplay elements and they kinda work but the flow is a bit bizarre.  It's hard to describe.  No means a bad game, I'm just having a harder time getting sucked into it.