Editorial ► KINGDOM HEARTS III First Impressions Review (Spoiler Free)

[Neo_]

I said this another thread, but the Square/Disney collab seems weirder than ever now (when it wasn't even weird in the first place because KH1's story was at least logical); KH3 started awesome, made sense and was thrilling until Xigbar came along and was like "hearts... darkness... light" with Donald, Goofy and Herc standing there like "How tf did we even get involved in this nonsense?". It's so jarring, and I hate that aspect of the game. It does not mesh well at all with the Disney aspect. I know that's why a lot of you here, but in my opinion it's horrendous writing and a complete misunderstanding of brand recognition.

Spoiler Show

and the side quest with the little boy and the herc figurines is great.

omg, please elaborate this to me because I was wondering what the hell all those figures are for.

 

[Grono]

omg, please elaborate this to me because I was wondering what the hell all those figures are for.

Spoiler Show

It's in the area with the Herc statue being rebuilt. There's a boy at a stand with a bunch of herc figurines. Talk to him and he'll ask you if you can get five of the limited edition gold figurines of Herc, which are found around the world. Don't know what the prize for getting them is yet.

 

[furusatoe]

I’m just finishing up Toy Box and the biggest impression I have so far is how much better the writing/pacing is in this game compared to the others. I really like how they’ve tied threads of the original story into the Disney worlds - it actually makes them feel significant for once, rather than something you have to push through just to move on to the “real” story.

Also, I’ve heard people complain that there is “no story” until endgame and I’m like, uhhh, I’ve been fed original story at every world and in-between so far. Mickey/Riku, Kairi/Axel, Ienzo, Ansem/Xemnas . . . all of them are featured in cutscenes very early to advance the plot.

The worlds are gorgeous, and I’m quite happy that even though they are big they don’t feel oppressively big/lifeless like they did in 3D.

If I have any criticisms so far, it’s that the gameplay is pretty busy. I think situation commands activate way too quickly and frequently - it’s just mayhem between the keyblade transformations, party links, attraction flows, flowmotion, and grand magic. I don’t have to think a ton in battle, as it seems to boil down to: smack enemies a few times to get situation commands and ride them from there (and I’m playing on Proud, btw). I appreciate that they’re trying to think of new ways to battle beyond the x button - something the developers have been trying to address in every game after KH1 - but the most memorable and satisfying battles I’ve had in the KH series have come from needing to learn enemy attack patterns and time my offense/defense well. That’s what made Lingering Will, Zodiac Phantom Aqua, Roxas, Data Org, Hades Cup, and the Cavern of Remembrance hallway so good. I’m hoping we get a few of those battles in this game, and it would be even better if some of them were story-mode battles (like Roxas). The boss fights so far have been flashy, but low on skill.

Also, as someone who prefers the inverted control stick setup, I’m struggling to find an optimal controller setup. When you move into the “rectical” view, such as when operating the phone camera, shotlocks, or first-person attraction flows, I prefer to use the standard control stick for shotlocks but the inverted control stick for everything else. Unfortunately, I can’t do that, so I either have to live with my shotlock feeling awkward or my other “rectical view” situations feeling awkward. Sigh...

But overall I’m happy with the game so far and excited to see where it goes.

 

[Alpha Baymax]

Yeah, this game is my favourite entry in the franchise. It really shows that Disney and Pixar were directly involved with the Disney worlds, and the method of exposition is really smart between Gummi ship travels and the original worlds.

Lol, did anyone notice that Phil was silent the whole time and only made these weird facial expressions? Seems like they didn’t even want to settle with the Danny Devito impersonator in KH3, unlike in 1 and 2.

If you think that was bad, two original characters were not voiced in this game. I know it's probably for budgeting reasons, but I find that really insulting and out of character for the both of them.

And even with the more minor cast like Philocetes, why make him mute? That's not natural to his characters, shouldn't he be talking about making Sora, Donald and Goofy real heroes? Matter of fact, the supporting cast of Hercules was awful in terms of engagement. Meg doesn't have her sass or many opportunities to talk, and Olympus itself isn't in cutscenes for very long.

Outside of that gripe, I love this game. Also, Verum Rex is totally Nomura's revenge against Tabata for Final Fantasy XIII.

I said this another thread, but the Square/Disney collab seems weirder than ever now (when it wasn't even weird in the first place because KH1's story was at least logical); KH3 started awesome, made sense and was thrilling until Xigbar came along and was like "hearts... darkness... light" with Donald, Goofy and Herc standing there like "How tf did we even get involved in this nonsense?". It's so jarring, and I hate that aspect of the game. It does not mesh well at all with the Disney aspect. I know that's why a lot of you here, but in my opinion it's horrendous writing and a complete misunderstanding of brand recognition.

You can't be serious! I fricking loved it when Xigbar appeared. He basically took the mick out of Hercules for being a Demi-god for his success, which is true in context.

Matter of fact, Organization XIII interacting with the Disney cast always tend to be my favourite parts.

 

[DangerNoodle]

I said this another thread, but the Square/Disney collab seems weirder than ever now (when it wasn't even weird in the first place because KH1's story was at least logical); KH3 started awesome, made sense and was thrilling until Xigbar came along and was like "hearts... darkness... light" with Donald, Goofy and Herc standing there like "How tf did we even get involved in this nonsense?". It's so jarring, and I hate that aspect of the game. It does not mesh well at all with the Disney aspect. I know that's why a lot of you here, but in my opinion it's horrendous writing and a complete misunderstanding of brand recognition.


omg, please elaborate this to me because I was wondering what the hell all those figures are for.

If you haven’t visited twilight town for the first time early in the game, dont open. Not really a spoiler, but still

Spoiler Show

If you thought that was awkward, oh just you wait until two of the most evil and manipulative characters are standing in Twilight town right in front of Sora and the gang, whilst Sora, Donald and Goofy are having casual chit chat on what they should do next to help with their quest.

 

[Neo_]

Wrapped up Olympus, and so unbelievably stoked that the town is flooded with NPC's once you revisit, and pretty much the entire world is reshaped (well Thebes at least), so I must ask (feel free to use spoiler tags): how do the rest of the worlds compare in this way? Does Andy's room fill up with some of the toys that were kidnapped? It would be really weird if they couldn't handle putting in like five more Toy Story characters when they reconstructed Thebes and filled it with citizens. How are the side quests upon returning? Like getting the Hercules figures; is there a lot of stuff like that? What can you do when you revisit a completed Galaxy Toys?

Does the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor fill up with employees? I'm guessing the answer to all these questions is no, and that Olympus for some reason is a rare exception, though I would love to hear otherwise.

And Phil's JP voice actor died, so I guess the muted him out of respect, which couldn't be more atypical of the character. My friend texted me this, and it must've been voice to text because it read "why didn't danny devotion voice filled?" lmao.

If I have any criticisms so far, it’s that the gameplay is pretty busy. I think situation commands activate way too quickly and frequently - it’s just mayhem between the keyblade transformations, party links, attraction flows, flowmotion, and grand magic. I don’t have to think a ton in battle, as it seems to boil down to: smack enemies a few times to get situation commands and ride them from there (and I’m playing on Proud, btw). I appreciate that they’re trying to think of new ways to battle beyond the x button - something the developers have been trying to address in every game after KH1 - but the most memorable and satisfying battles I’ve had in the KH series have come from needing to learn enemy attack patterns and time my offense/defense well. That’s what made Lingering Will, Zodiac Phantom Aqua, Roxas, Data Org, Hades Cup, and the Cavern of Remembrance hallway so good. I’m hoping we get a few of those battles in this game, and it would be even better if some of them were story-mode battles (like Roxas). The boss fights so far have been flashy, but low on skill.

lol, even on Proud the entire game is like activate limit, ground pound, throw Goofy into the ground, hop on the Buzz Lightyear ride (those should've been unlocked btw) lol.

Edit: Also, how are you guys pacing yourselves? Taking your time, or plowing through it?

 

[Alpha Baymax]

Wrapped up Olympus, and so unbelievably stoked that the town is flooded with NPC's once you revisit, and pretty much the entire world is reshaped (well Thebes at least), so I must ask (feel free to use spoiler tags): how do the rest of the worlds compare in this way? Does Andy's room fill up with some of the toys that were kidnapped? It would be really weird if they couldn't handle putting in like five more Toy Story characters when they reconstructed Thebes and filled it with citizens. How are the side quests upon returning? Like getting the Hercules figures; is there a lot of stuff like that? What can you do when you revisit a completed Galaxy Toys?

I don't understand, you have the game yet you still ask questions that are going to be answered in the game itself? Dude, you do not need to know the answer to everything beforehand. Just experience it for yourself.

 

[Neo_]

I don't understand, you have the game yet you still ask questions that are going to be answered in the game itself? Dude, you do not need to know the answer to everything beforehand. Just experience it for yourself.

It's gonna be a while before I get that far. I'm not one of these people that can afford to sit at home and no-life KH3.

And it's my right to know something beforehand. It's a video game dude. smh

 

[SuperSaiyanSora]

As someone who's been a fan from the beginning... KH3 is so far shaping up to be my favorite entry, and my favorite was previously KH2. (Not even Final Mix+ even though it's great, my favorite was for a long time vanilla KH2) It just feels like a natural progression of a numbered title. I don't have any issues so far with the game at all.

 

[Axel92]

I'm enjoying the game a lot, there is a lot of attention to details, The atmosphere is quite fan and the interaction between SDG are amazing (even their cutscenes)
I love the "but we met them recently" and Sora "yeah, but it seems it is passed a lot of time" referencing the long release process!

 

[Rydgea]

Lol, did anyone notice that Phil was silent the whole time and only made these weird facial expressions? Seems like they didn’t even want to settle with the Danny Devito impersonator in KH3, unlike in 1 and 2.

*raises hand* Playing the first couple of worlds, it's interesting to hear about characters brought up in conversation that are off-screen (and may not have a physical, tangible presence in game), but this instance is almost opposite. Phil is there, glaringly silent. It felt a little odd, especially considering Phil is known for his vocal interjections. It's not a huge deal, though.

I've loved what I've played so far. The amount of combat intricacy and minigames having just scratched its surface is incredible.

 

[Alpha Baymax]

It's gonna be a while before I get that far. I'm not one of these people that can afford to sit at home and no-life KH3.

And it's my right to know something beforehand. It's a video game dude. smh

The spoiler section exists for a reason. Why do you want answers that teeter on the edge of being spoilers in a non-spoiler section? Makes no sense to me.

 

[Neo_]

The spoiler section exists for a reason. Why do you want answers that teeter on the edge of being spoilers in a non-spoiler section? Makes no sense to me.

Because the game is out, it's hardly a spoiler and we have spoiler tags, but you guys are too damn precious about a game; I'll gladly go elsewhere.

 

[furusatoe]

Lea/Axel came off as a bit of a creeper in his intro scene, no? I mean, I get *why*, but it's still kinda creepy lol.

 

[Laurel]

Currently Tangled is my favorite world in terms of character interactions and engaging with the environment.

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It's too bad that Rapunzel stops being your party member half way through, but it's understandable. The fight after the lantern scene was fun and I took a bunch of pics since the scenery was lovely. I didn't really get why Marluxia knocked Sora out, it seemed random since Marluxia can just disappear through the portal so he doesn't have to deal with the trio.

 

[Grono]

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Tangled's really good. Not as good as the movie, but nothing is!

 

[furusatoe]

I am surprised by how much Re:coded is factoring into the early story. I nearly skipped the cutscene movie when I played through the collection last month. Glad I stuck with it. Suddenly the lore of data worlds seems like it's going to be relevant to what's ahead (which I don't know, and this is all so early I don't think it's a spoiler).

 

[furusatoe]

This is a small thing, but does anyone else wish they had taken the time to re-animate flashback scenes? It's just weird to me how they just splice in PS2 cutscenes into a PS4 game. Of course, this is not the first time this has happened: they did this in 0.2 as well. I would have loved to see some of these old scenes redone on the PS4 engine.

 

[Neo_]

This is a small thing, but does anyone else wish they had taken the time to re-animate flashback scenes? It's just weird to me how they just splice in PS2 cutscenes into a PS4 game. Of course, this is not the first time this has happened: they did this in 0.2 as well. I would have loved to see some of these old scenes redone on the PS4 engine.

Yes; it's incredibly jarring.

 

[Elysium]

Spoiler Show

I’m at the end of Monstropolis, just before the final bosses I believe. I wanted to take a break before I finished there and jumped into Arendelle. Corona is the only bad world so far. The world design is alright (I love area outside the castle especially) and I like the dancing minigame, but the plot was almost exactly re-created from the movie—down to the body movements and facial expressions! Even Marluxia couldn’t liven that up. I’m hoping and praying Frozen isn’t the same way….

I’d say KH3 has the best gameplay of the series right now. I used to always kvetch when people would say that about KH2, because I hated Drive Forms / Antisora / Reaction Commands, and the magic was mostly useless. And on top of that, everything died so easily, that it discouraged you from using anything else besides mashing X nonstop or it would become mindnumbingly easy. And you would have to avoid most encounters with Heartless going from A to B or you would overlevel without even trying. 3’s the first game since CoM where I’ve loved the gameplay all-around. 3D was close—I loved the Dream Eaters and flowmotion—but I’ve always hated the command deck, and while it was better than the other games that used the deck like Days/BbS, it still wasn’t as fun as the attack menu from 1 and 2.

I think the only thing that would’ve made this game perfect is a slightly harder difficulty. I immediately went with Proud for my first play. The game’s not “easy” the way KH2 is easy, thankfully, but there’s mostly no real fear of dying. Overleveling isn’t a problem; I’ve been fighting only the enemies that get presented to you for the most part and I’m below the world lvls, which is good. The large HP for enemies helps. The game could almost lean the other way and turn out exhausting like Days (as in, not scared of dying, but takes forever to kill the things), but there’s enough diversions in how you can choose to fight that keep it from ever getting boring. I love the magic, rides, Keyblade transformations / upgrades, shotlocks, etc. My only question is if there’s a way to choose what triangle command you want to press when there are around 4 to choose from. Sometimes I just want to use the magic upgrade, but not the rides or character attacks/limits. Anyway, yeah, whatever else I might say about KH3 once through the whole thing, it has the best gameplay of the series, imo. They definitely managed to combine gameplay aspects from most of the series together in a way that didn’t break the game, imo.

Most of the voice recasts don’t bother me. Except Mickey…. :/ Is Spongebob playing Randall, too? I know he’s Rabbit’s new voice (since that Winnie the Pooh film in 2011).

Btw, can anyone figure out how to crack an egg? Lol The mini-games are all simple enough and I’ve got an excellent for everything at the bistro except for the stuff that requires an egg so far. I haven’t been able to crack one so far even though I tried like 30+ times now. I’ve done most of the Moogle picture quests. I have around 90% of treasures without re-playing any of the worlds. Well, I did go back to Olympus for a second to get the pics for the forge, Zeus, and the Herc statue. The hidden Mickey’s are harder than the other little collector side quests, although I’ve got around 25 so far.