OK, let's get this right out of the way: The title of the new DS-based Kingdom Hearts game, revealed today in Square Enix's TGS 2007 "closed mega theatre," doesn't make a damn lick of sense. Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days? Does that mean it's 358 days divided by two? Why not just call it "174 Days"? Or does it mean 358 of something or another in the space of two days? That would almost fit, given the way Kingdom Hearts II's prologue was divided into days....
And like the opening hours of KHII, 358/2 Days focuses not on Sora and friends but instead on Sora's Heartless, Roxas. Or more specifically, it focuses on Roxas' comrades, the mysterious Organization XIII. Unlike previous KH titles, the DS iteration adds four-player coop to the mix -- so while one player will likely want to control Roxas while others take command of Axel or other Organization XIII members.
Much of the trailer seems to be set in Twilight Town, and its setting in the KH chronology is billed as "the time of the other side." Where that falls in relation to the other games' timeline is unknown, though presumably before KHII.
The gameplay was only briefly shown, but it appears to be fairly standard KH fare -- fully 3D, lots of melee- and combo-driven combat -- but the difference is that your brainless A.I. companions are now controlled by other players who, hopefully, will be somewhat less stupid. The camera seems fairly tight, low to the ground and close to the player's character, though it's tough to form definite opinions based on the split-second flashes of action we saw.
Despite the focus on the "bad guys," such as they are, 358/2 Days still seems to have its share of Disney elements -- King Mickey puts in an appearance in a gloomy forest, where he's confronted by someone in dark robes. Although the robed man's face is never shown, he lowers his hood, which causes Mickey to draw his Keyblade. Much of Organization XIII's stark white headquarters is shown as well, including a scene of tension where a new character -- apparently a young girl, though her face is never revealed -- is introduced, to Sora's dismay.
No release date was given for the DS version of Kingdom Hearts, but hopefully Square Enix will take its time and polish up the multiplayer. Assuming the co-op play works out, it could easily add a new and welcome dimension to the series.
