If you had the choice.....

[Divine Past]

Let's say the writers decided to make KH3 a game where you can control multiple charachter as the main person and see the story from their perspective (Sora/Riku/Kairi etc) would you prefer it to be done in the BBS and COM style or the DDD style?

I assume you guys know what each style were but to explain it quickly. BBS and COM had 2 or more main character stories that interrelated but you need to play through one charachter story straight-through since there was no jumping around from charachter to charterer. I never played DDD but from what I gather it's just one story but you just keep bouncing back from Sora to Riku and vice versa.

Not sure which I prefer but I see the merits of both of them. I guess I prefer the DDD version as long as the writers give the players a good cushion to get comfortable with the different playing styles of the main characters. Because I can see the headaches that will be caused if every 15-20 minutes of game-play the game switches perspective to a new character and you quickly have to shake off the rust and remaster their fighting style. The benefit I see from this to me is that it's easier for me to follow the story since it flows naturally like how a TV show would be produced.

While I can see the benefit of doing it BBS style, Idk I guess having to start the game multiple times to get the full story is kind of tedious to me. Plus there is a strong potential of being spoiled by playing let's say Kairi story first, throughout her mode we can hear about major things that happen to Sora which then ruins the surprise when you finally get to Sora's mode.

Interested in hearing all of your thoughts and such.

 

[Larxene012]

Possibly BBS style. i like how stories interwoven that way. (not to say that i want that in kh3, just best of a not-so-welcomed scenario)

 

[Audo]

I like the KH3D style best, myself. And I'd definitely prefer that in KH3. I'd hate to have to play the whole game as Sora, for example, and reach the ending and learn what it is all about and then have to play again as another character. I feel like that other character's playthrough would be diminished in a sense because we know where it leads. It isn't as exciting. KH3D style lets you get everyone's story and playing as everyone without sacrificing surprise, or the journey. That's how I feel anyway. It wasn't as big of a deal in BBS because we already knew where it ended due to the KH2:FM secret ending, but we don't know where KH3 goes.

 

[Anagram]

Neither style. Multiple scenarios of all forms presented so far turn the game tedious or reptitive. If your gonna give me multiple characters make them all a part of the main singular story. Hell do it in chapter style like Crisis Core was done if you have to just dont make me have to replay the same thing with different faces.

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

I'd take KH3D's style but with long periods of one character before the next that are pre-determined by the game's story progression.

I feel spoiled by KH3D, CoM, and BBS because now I don't really want to return to a single Sora campaign.

 

[BlackOsprey]

I'd like a DDD style, only without a Drop Gauge. Basically, you could "Drop" whenever you wanted to, or campaign with one character all the way through if you wanted.

 

[Xera Highwind]

I think it should be like 3D just without the timed drop gauge. It's would make you drop at the worst times. (boss at 5% HP left, drop, redo entire fight again.) They would need to make it where you only drop at scripted moments. Like character A finishes the world so character B now has to go through it, certain worlds can only be accessed by certain characters to make it feel like you're not just doing the same thing again and again and be able to choose among each character for the endgame.

Or they could do something like Final Fantasy Type-0. Where you could just switch between each character and it doesn't matter who you are. Although certain character are better for different things.

 

[Morgenstern]

I'd think a BBS like system is more likely then DDD's, provided that the abiliy to choose what character you play as is retained, however I think thata DDD system where the drops are more story than gameplay based is preferred as it might be the only way to play as Roxas, Terra, Ventus or Aqua again.

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

Or they could do something like Final Fantasy Type-0. Where you could just switch between each character and it doesn't matter who you are. Although certain character are better for different things.

Type-0 wasn't a character driven game, though, and was world-driven. That is what really makes the difference. Any character could be the lead party member because the story didn't center on Class Zero themselves, but the events happening in Orience.

For a game series like Kingdom Hearts that is character driven, you can't really have a main playable character that is say Lea but the story we see going on is about Sora's adventures. It just doesn't work narrative-wise.

 

[Happyfunshineman]

I’m not too keen on having multiple scenarios. I just want to play a Kingdom Hearts game again that focuses on “Sora, Donald, and Goofy” (preferably said in that order, hyuck hyuck hyuck). So many times while playing DDD or Re:Coded I realized how much I missed those three being total dorks.

In an action rpg such as Kingdom Hearts I prefer the feeling of leveling up one character. For me, it’s most rewarding to have the one character and the ability to tackle all of the games challenges as that character alone. I don’t want to suddenly switch to Riku and have to think “okay, what was Riku’s deal again? What moves was I using?” Focusing on multiple characters also means that each will not be as deep or fully developed as they would have been if they had just decided to focus on one character. With the exception of chain of memories, I would say that every character in the series has played mostly the same.

If I had to pick a style though it would be CoM. Having a shorter story that fills in the some of the gaps is a lot more fun for me than being forced to switch you character. Though, if I could chose my own multiplayer option here, some sort of co-op would be really cool.

 

[Shogo-Kun]

Neither. I personally want to see KHIII return to a single scenario adventure as I feel the writers aren't competent enough to pull it off. Also, I like the idea of being in a party where I can interact with my fellow companions. That's something I didn't like about BbS; I felt lonely while playing the game.

But if I had to choose, I would choose the Birth by Sleep style since you can easily write a story about individuals who come from different walks of life coming together for a common goal. In fact, that's what I want to see for the next Kingdom Hearts game: a multi-scenario adventure with different worlds per scenario and each scenario feeling like it's own story, ultimately linking back together to a larger narrative.

However, I don't think we'll ever get that...

 

[MATGSY]

Ideally I'd like if each playable character had his/her set of worlds with only the original worlds overlapping for story purposes. Granted, that would mean KH3 having an unrealistically large quantity of worlds so probably not likely.

 

[Rael_Oblivion]

Ideally I'd like if each playable character had his/her set of worlds with only the original worlds overlapping for story purposes. Granted, that would mean KH3 having an unrealistically large quantity of worlds so probably not likely.

It would also make the most sense storywise, since we know at least Sora and Riku are doing two completely different things, probably going off to different places as well. If it were done that way, overall I could see CoM/BBS's style working, since the storylines are disparate.
But personally, I would prefer 3D's style, because I spent time saying, "But what about X? Where is he or she and what are they doing?" when I played CoM. Then once you've beaten the game, there could be an option to replay the storylines in a new game CoM/BBS style if you want.

 

[VoidGear.]

I want to switch between the characters whenever I want. :c
But of course everyone would need a really unique fighting style for this to make any sense...

 

[ok sunny]

I don't really mind either, but I'll label some pros & cons.

The reason this version is good is because I can flip flop around between characters, generally if I don't want to do a certain part on one character's story, I'd just switch to another and go from there. Although, I wouldn't want them to have that kind of time limit thing they had in in DDD. If I want to play a certain character for a while, I expect to play that character for a while. And another thing about this is that if each playable character has to meet up at some part you'd have to make them all reach that part of the game, whether they're really far back or not.

With BBS in the other hand, I feel would be a logical choice. It helps to know that you can play other characters, but from their perspectives. With this version I can complete one story and move on to another, but the problem is the time consumption. The game may either be very very long (which I don't personally mind. I like to let the journey last) or they could cut each character's story shorter than it needs to be.

With either of these modes, I don't really have an answer to which I choose. I wouldn't mind playing as several characters throughout the game, but in a way we all can enjoy. I honestly just want to play as Sora. I want the original feel of the game series to come back again.

 

[FacetiousDreamer]

As I mentioned in another thread, I’d like to control Sora, Riku and Kairi at the same time, to be able to switch between them in real time whenever I want, and to see Goofy and Donald only as a back-up characters who appear when one of the members of the main party is down or out of the party for some reason. I want to see the game where all three of them are equally important for both story and gameplay. This game was always about friendship. What better way to show the friendship of those guys than to do something like this? To see them overcome hurdles together, to see them become stronger and wiser together. And who knows maybe more matures versions of them will decide that it is time for them to chose different paths in life, or maybe on a contrary — to stay together for as long as possible, or maybe it’s up to the player to decide this, or maybe the game will decide for the player judging from his play style and decisions.
Well, maybe not in KHIII, but in some later games it could become a reality.
Choosing out of what is already have been presented I’ll go with 3D style, while being against BBS style with all my essence (well, it was kind off okay in spin-off game, but I'm no way in hell want to see this in some of the main games). Sora-driven style is OK too, but still, 3D is my #1 choise (well, #2 actually, but as you may have notised real #1 is a little bit unrealistic).

 

[Rosebudx]

Perhaps this would be okay at some point in the game, but what I am really hoping for is the return of some great character development amongst the Sora/Donald/Goofy trio. The first game, when the Disney aspect was overall more intertwined with the plot, really brought this friendship to such a level that it proved itself firmer than that of Sora/Riku/Kairi. I want that again.

Later on down the road, maybe after the Xehanort saga is over, I would love to see Riku and Kairi fighting right alongside Sora. In KHIII, however, I think Sora needs to stick with Donald and Goofy. I would not, however, be opposed to playing as Riku and Kairi while they're off doing what they're doing.

 

[Precursor Mar]

I agree with those who want to go back to only playing as Sora. There's no need for extra playable characters unless it's just for one instance (like Riku in KH2). Just have them as party members for Sora.

But if I had to choose one it would be DDD's system. Going through the game with one character and then going through the same worlds in the same general order with another got really repetitive in BBS and COM. Doing both characters at once in DDD was better for the story and kept you from feeling like you were just playing through the same game all over again.

 

[kuraudoVII]

Overall, I prefer the BBS style if not solely because by this point, I am used to having to play different scenarios ala Sonic Adventure (freaking Big the Cat T-T) in order to advance the story and get a clear cut picture.

HOWEVER, for a game that is going to be very long and filled to the brim with plot points and added elements, I feel that, for the sake of Kingdom Hearts III's cohesiveness, that it would be better to have a Dream Drop Distance-esque style. Note that I said Dream Drop Distance-esque for this game. Aside from the incredibly obvious "No Drop Bar" thing, I'd like to be able to control different characters throughout the story but not necessarily for fixed periods of time. Sora naturally needs to remain the main protagonist and main playable character in this game, but other characters need to be playable to a degree as well. What I'd like to see is that at various points in the game's narrative, we are able to control different characters for a short amount of time. All of them need to have some similarities to Sora in order to be able to control them fluidly, but they also need to be different and diverse enough to make them stand out and make playing these characters a major bonus. While this is not necessarily the best example to bring up, think of how Sonic, Tails and Knuckles operated in Sonic 3 and Knuckles. All three can run fast, perform the spin dash, curl up into a ball to attack enemies and have access to shield power ups. However, they are also notably distinct. Sonic can not only perform the Insta-Shield but is also able to use the elemental shield power ups to their fullest (bounce higher, perform and air dash, double jump). Tails is able to fly in the game and is the only character who's flight allows him to go up which makes platforming a (mostly) non issue and allows him to collect the most goodies when exploring. Knuckles can Glide, climb up walls and break certain blocks with his fists just by gliding or even running into them (notice that his running animation has his spiked fists outward so that this action is at least justified).

Now, why am I going in length about three characters from a completely different genre to begin with? Because I feel like this can explain how the characters can play. Each character can swing a keyblade around and have a base set of abilities that are either similar or the same as Sora's (think in Kingdom Hearts II where all of Roxas' abilities are now Sora's; it's similar to that). Riku, for instance, will have his keyblade and a few similar abilities, but he will also have a similar moveset/ability list as from previous games. Same goes to Roxas and Xion and so on and so forth.

 

[RoomKey]

As much as I would like BBS, I really disliked the fact that each time I went to the exact same worlds each time. That really bothered me. DDD at least made me go to the same worlds with both of the characters at the same time, so it wouldn't feel too repetitive.

I'd rather play as just Sora, tho.