News ► New Kingdom Hearts 3 Re:Mind DLC trailer, Release Dates Announced

[Elysium]

Kairi was more important than contrived reason to include the Radiant Garden gang. You just don't like how she was important. And that's fine! Plenty of people weren't. But that's besides the point. The two have nothing to do with each other. You're just holding her up because it was something you didn't like and are attempting to use it to justify something you wanted.

“Contrived”? There are plenty of legitimate story reasons they should’ve been present in KH3 and that’s why people have lambasted the game for their absence. I'd much rather have seen the FF characters deal with the people who wiped out their world suddenly being given free reign to destroy the universe again than Kairi's blah story addition. Anyone could've filled the same role Kairi did in that moment; even the attempt to include Kairi "more" was considered a failure to most fans.

This is looking great. However I'll wait for the inevitable Final Mix version of KH 3 where all content will be on disc.

Same... If that actually even happens, since it didn't for XV. Otherwise, the FF characters only exist via YouTube, which doesn't really "fix" KH3 for me. The only real hope to take from this in my case is that Nomura learned his lesson from pissing the fanbase all the way the hell off and FF characters will be in the next KH base game proper the way they should be.

 

[Xagzan]

Something I just thought of. I wonder if we'll get a new theme for Kairi's fight against Xehanort. I hope so. It'd be so awesome if Shimomura or Kawamori could blow our minds.

For that matter I wonder what music will be used for the individual Xemnas, Ansem and YX fights. Will they just use that one theme for each of them, or will there be 3 new tracks?

 

[Sephiroth0812]

I usually love making theories and coming up with explanations for stuff, but I honestly have no idea what to make of the current situation.

Even putting my greatly reduced time for such things aside I have to agree with this as due to the whole Ux-stuff intruding everywhere and the atrocious pacing of that game giving barely any tangible information in a reasonable time frame it's gotten hard to make feasible theories. I think there are still things from the original browser Chi that haven't been properly addressed.
Combine this with the hard to grasp worldline-stuff and you are hard-pressed to even find enough solid factual ground to start even base a theory on.
Speaking of "worldlines", what is that exactly anyways? Parallel dimensions? Alternate universes? Different timelines created from meddling too much with time travel? Simple different layers of reality?

Regarding Xigbar being a good guy I'd say, he and the Master of Masters seem more morally grey or amoral than good or bad at the moment. We don't really know what the end goal is and perhaps their method is the only one that ends well.

Didn't we (as in the community, not specifically us two) already had such discussions with Xehanort already around BBS/DDD times?
"Good guys" and "bad guys" being designations for settings with strictly black and white moral views aside, I'd say the "ends justify the means"-approaches are always a slippery slope and the whole "doing horrible things for the greater good" were in fact truly already done by Xehanort.
Having MoM and/or Luxu operate on a similar mindset would get somewhat boring.

Yeah as much as I enjoy these kinds of things, they really didn't feel necessary in KH. Especially considering how convoluted the series is already considered to be.

Kingdom Hearts still has enough unexplored concepts they could have expanded upon, instead of going into more obscure and hard to pull of tropes.

Time Travel wasn't needed for the showdown that we got. They could have just used replicas and data for all of the Seekers and we'd have gotten a similar result.

The problem is KH doing too much at once while not explaining, or rather getting people to understand by showing most of these introduced concepts.
These days KH seems to be very much flashy stuff and creating shocking twists for drama points and "wow"-factor rather than any coherency to what is actually happening.
DDD started a valiant effort to at least partly bring things back on track and tie loose subplots from the handheld trinity games back to the main plot even if it was at the same time the introduction of the whole time travel crap, but the whole X-era mumbo jumbo threw everything off the rails again and that shows in KH 3 itself.

I would argue this isn't the case, he does give significant narrative importance to a handful of the characters. It's just not the characters people keep begging them to be, mostly the female ones. It's been pretty self explanatory that he gives more attention and plot importance only to characters he personally has attachments to, everyone else is more or less just window dressing props and stand-ins to emphasize the core themes of the series (friendship, hearts living on beyond death as new forms of people, etc), or remnants of characters he initially was interested in when they were first created, but lost the drive to continue building up their arcs.

I think the core problem with Nomura is that he's prone to let his current favorite interests interfere with his already established universe and characters, the whole "Verum Rex"-stuff is the best example for that alongside the whole UX-stuff with Foretellers, MoM and associated "lore".

Nomura simply wasn't that interested anymore in the things that were built up by KH 1/2, BBS, Days and Coded, at least compared to the X-stuff and all associated new material.
He knew he had to bring the already started stuff to an end but the excitement and eagerness to work with the new things was so great that finishing the old story/saga became working down a checklist instead of actually fleshing it out fully.

“Contrived”? There are plenty of legitimate story reasons they should’ve been present in KH3 and that’s why people have lambasted the game for their absence. I'd much rather have seen the FF characters deal with the people who wiped out their world suddenly being given free reign to destroy the universe again than Kairi's blah story addition. Anyone could've filled the same role Kairi did in that moment; even the attempt to include Kairi "more" was considered a failure to most fans.

Gotta have to agree.
Based on already established story beats from previous games it would have made much more sense to have Merlin and the FF gang call the shots in Radiant Garden from the beginning and serve as guides and secondary support characters like they always did.
Having Ienzo and the mute Dilan and Aeleus there from the start and also as the major RG characters was an out of the blue shot that has no base in the already established story. Why would RG let those involved in its destruction take charge again just like that without any conflict and settling scores?
Would have been much better if the FF gang started out there with Ienzo and co. joining later and doing their thing after they managed to convince the majority that they're now on their side and working to make amends.

Tbh I am quite unsure what to make of Kairi by now. Except for one scene in where she speaks about Naminé it seems everything she is involved with if at all is always only about Sora yet again like she has no agency of her own at all.

 

[the red monster]

I originally missed that Kairi's Meteor attack seems to be her shotlock.

It's interesting that with the currently given info on the playable characters in this DLC, she's gotten a shotlock. So far only Aqua and Sora, who both have more play time (counting 0.2) have them, wonder if this means something or if Roxas and Riku, will receive some too. Part of me hopes she gets some more play time than just the bossfight, but I'll be happy either way.

Also is anyone else hoping that we'll get a SRK fight and a team move, like Aqua and Ven or RAX have?

I mean we already saw in the first Re:Mind trailer that roxas and riku doesn't get shotlocks, doubt it will change.

 

[Ryuman]

“Contrived”? There are plenty of legitimate story reasons they should’ve been present in KH3 and that’s why people have lambasted the game for their absence. I'd much rather have seen the FF characters deal with the people who wiped out their world suddenly being given free reign to destroy the universe again than Kairi's blah story addition. Anyone could've filled the same role Kairi did in that moment; even the attempt to include Kairi "more" was considered a failure to most fans.

I mean, are you suggesting they take part in the war? The idea itself isn't bad, but there would be no scenario I can think of that doesn't purely mean extra work. They would never take the place of any of the other seven lights and adding an extra scenario in RG where some bad guys show up would take more resources than anything they could feasibly cut to accommodate it.
As pointed out before, Kairi is a main character. Regardless of who likes her or how she is used. She's connected to the other characters and is easy to implement. Even in a world where you can cut her for them you'd just have a load people upset that she wasn't used at all.
Edit: I suppose a cutscene showing them fending off against some stuff would be an alright compromise but I feel like we'd still see similar complaints for just being done through a couple cutscenes.

 

[LightUpTheSky452]

@2 quid is good I was thinking that it might be Andrea Bowen. But I wasn't sure. And thank you for the idea about who Yozora's voice actor might be! I'll have to look into his IMDB page

@AdrianXXII I noticed that Kairi has a Shotlock like Sora and Aqua and unlike Riku, too! Though I imagine Riku might get one in looks like his new scenario?

And I'd be all for a Destiny Trio attack. They didn't at all get enough love in KHIII (though maybe Nomura's saving that for their reunion in IV), or Riku and Kairi...

Which is unfortunate, since 0.2 had cute Riku and Kairi bonding and that was originally a part of KHIII. Actually, maybe that was the problem: the 0.2 section was supposed to cover the Riku and Kairi stuff, and then when it got clipped off KHIII, Nomura didn't think to really put any more anywhere else. (Okay, to be fair, I think there was some stuff. Like, people complain that Riku didn't seem upset about the Kairi situation at all and I disagree. He was clearly concerned when Sora implied she'd been kidnapped by Xemnas. He had a panicked look on his face, if I recall correctly, and said "You mean something happened to her?" And seemed irritated, to me, when Sora got cut off by Master Xehanort before he could tell him more. And then when Xehanort killed her, he growled and tried to destroy him. And he was also the only one assuring Sora at the end that they'd find a way to save Kairi by going to Master Yen Sid's... but when Sora didn't want to wait for that, he accepted his decision. I think there was a little Kairi caring about Riku too, like her respecting his wanting to be alone on Destiny Islands, and seeming to know that her saving Sora would lead to him rescuing the others--of course including Riku--but I still want more).

@Xagzan I would kill for Shimomura-san to do a combined version of Sora and Kairi's themes, the way she did for Noctis and Luna's ones in Royal Edition. Kill! Especially since she shipped the tragic, star-crossed lovers of Noctluna so much and Nomura made SoKai parallel them in KHIII (maybe because it was actually originally his idea, and some of Noctluna was still Noctella?). I also felt like some of the Noctluna ideas originally came from SoKai.

So, does anyone think there's a chance that Rinoa could be in this DLC? Or at least mentioned like she's off in the background somewhere? Because I'm imagining this might have Leon change his name back to "Squall". And Nomura eluded years ago, that Squall changed his name because of her (interviewer: "The red wing pattern in Squall’s back is based off of Rinoa’s image, isn’t it?" Nomura: "That’s right. Well, there is a reason why Leon rejects being called Squall. I added Rinoa’s wings to imply something definitely happened in the past.")--and that she'd be in III--so it'd feel almost wrong if that happened without her.

On the subject of Leon: I'm glad that Riku is finally meeting the Restoration Committee, and will now be able to appreciate them instead of being jealous. And if Leon tells Riku how Sora didn't give up on him, and Riku then uses that as motivation to not give up on Sora now, I'll cry.

Also, thank you to the person I didn't show gratitude towards before, who let me know it was Yozora talking to Sora in the trailer and not Young Xehanort

@Sephiroth0812 In a lot of ways, KHIII didn't do Kairi any favors (though I did write a meta

https://oveliagirlhaditright.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F189129636527

about some of the things that I think KHIII did do better with her, if you can believe it, because while KHIII Kairi is my least favorite Kairi... I don't think the situation is as black and white as it seems. Like, I think there were a few areas where she was better than ever, at least in combat). I think there are a few things in there, other than her just being all about Sora (but it's still probably less than it ever has been before, sadly), like Naminé, as you said (she was also on the side of helping Roxas), her becoming friends with Axel... seeing that Kairi is a writer, like some had theorized from her poem in KHII... her scene with Aqua was cute, and I want more stuff like that. And I think Kairi wanted to fight for a more selfless reason in this game. In KHII, via her text bubble lines, it seemed it was more she wanted to do this so she wouldn't be left behind anymore. But in KHIII, she wanted to get out there to do "her part to help"... and I think it's implied that she partly chooses to fight so the other Princesses of Heart won't be targeted? I also liked her fighting Xion, which is something I always wanted to happen... I'm just sad we didn't get to really see them interact (I did, however, love that Xion cared about Kairi and reassured Sora), but it looks like Re:Mind is adding a scene for them. I also do think there was a tiny bit of Riku and Kairi stuff (though moreso from Riku's side), and not nearly enough there. Also, Mickey and Kairi... that is baffling in this game. On one hand, you have nice moments--like Mickey trying to kill Xehanort after Kairi's death and telling him "he'll pay", and him agreeing with her "Kairi's right, Sora"--but in others, it seems like he doesn't care about her at all and would have happily let her die or left her dead Yikes. That's not a good look for Disney's main character, Nomura, who should't be okay with any children dying and should want to fight against it, if at all possible. Edit: Oh, and in a roundabout way, Kairi did sort of lead to all of our Guardians of Light who died being saved. So there's that. Edit 2: Kairi avenging her own murder now is also -blows chef's kiss- But I'm still sad she was murdered to begin with. But I'll happily take this.

 

[SS501]

I mean we already saw in the first Re:Mind trailer that roxas and riku doesn't get shotlocks, doubt it will change.

You're probably right but it might have been an early build of the dlc.

 

[LightUpTheSky452]

Someone in this thread earlier was also saying that they think the "Nameless Star" is actually Verum Rex girl. And when I recently replayed KHIII--before this Re:Mind trailer came out--I had the same thought... It could easily still be wrong (especially since Nomura said we'd already seen this girl before KHIII, I guess, so maybe Verum Rex girl doesn't count, then). But here's what I posted about it on Tumblr at the time:

"Oh my GOSH. The theory about Verum Rex girl being the Nameless Star is RIGHT. She said that her name and everything was taken away from her. You mean when she became Luna/Luna took her place–and the FFXV main female lead lost the name "Stella" for that reason, and Stella was kicked out of what was originally her game over Luna's, FFXV? What she said can be meta about the Noctis/Yozora thing, too (since XV Noctis isn’t Nomura’s Noctis). “His heart (Versus Noct) has been replaced by another’s (XV Noct), but if he were to recover his old self (Verum Rex Yozora), he would be distressed by my absence”: Versus Noct/Yozora would be distressed by the absence of Stella.

What first started this theory online, was that people apparently found out Stella’s voice actress from the Japanese E3 2013 Versus XIII (turned into FFXV) re-reveal trailer voices the Nameless Star. And “Stella” means Star. And some of what she talks about sounds of 'leaks' from the Versus plot. And many think if it was Strelitzia, she would have whispered 'Lauriam' in Sora’s ear, and he doesn’t know that name so his reaction wouldn’t have made sense (plus, Strelitzia’s name wasn’t taken from her, as far as we know). But Sora does know the name 'Yozora'."

But if the voiced star doesn't end up being Verum Rex girl, maybe one of the two stars that talks about missing the person they used to fight with is.

 

[SweetYetSalty]

I wonder how many things ReMind is going to change, if this is a alternate timeline that Sora is muddling...I mean meddling with. I've wondered this before but could this mean two new RAX and TAV reunions? The RAX stuff is clearly new, so hmm. I wonder which ones will be considered canon? Will they be better then the base game reunions? Will the ReMind ending retcon the base game ending? Which one will be better? So far ReMind's story stuff looks like a world without Sora situation. Who will beat Xehanort if not Sora? And what of the Organization XIII members? How is my boi Roxas suppose to return? Is his heart just floating in space with no Sora. Does Luxord still have his wild card? Will Xigbar still survive?

Yeah, now that the overall hype feel of the trailer is passing me, I'm starting to wonder about a few things. Still excited for ReMind, for my RAX moment and now that awesome GoL vs Nort clones scene (Aqua, Xion, and Mickey trio) but I'm curious where this will all lead for the next game and KH4.

 

[MATGSY]

Maybe s

"one of the more well implemented worlds" in KH3 is such a backhanded compliment. Only KH2 sets the bar lower.

Nah, Days was bottom of the Disney world barrel.

 

[alexis.anagram]

What did Luxord do in KH2 other than say "Parlay" and steal some medallions to pad out an extra scenario for a second Port Royale visit?

In order to answer that question, you first have to recognize that the Organization played a distinctly different role in KH2 than they do in KH3. In KH2, they were a source of mystery whose members intentionally obfuscated their collective agenda in order to manipulate Sora into providing them with the resources they needed to execute their master plan. The individual members were definitely varied in the degree to which they took a central position in that process, but their participation in the story was nevertheless buttressed by that unifying, consistent purpose: interacting with the Organization members was integral to progressing both the protagonists' and the audience's understanding of the leading narrative in KH2.

KH3 has no leading narrative, it's got a series of scattered and unfocused subplots that never coalesce into an effective climax, and so the Organization has no unifying purpose as an antagonistic force. It's not that Luxord's character writing was astoundingly superior in KH2, it's that he functioned in his limited capacity in a way that, at the very least, didn't actively distract from the essential elements of that story. The opposite is true for KH3, not just for Luxord but for every Org. member that isn't a direct derivative of Xehanort: so while, case in point, Luxord's writing carries the same level of consideration given to his characterization as it did in KH2, his only two reasons for being present in this story have nothing to do with KH3 itself. His significance is artificially inflated through allusion to a relevance elsewhere that never comes into play here-- nothing more objectively emphasizes this than the "wild card" he provides to Sora during his death, which is dropped from the narrative as quickly as it is introduced, rendering even his very last scene in the game irrelevant.

Kairi was more important than contrived reason to include the Radiant Garden gang. You just don't like how she was important. And that's fine! Plenty of people weren't. But that's besides the point. The two have nothing to do with each other. You're just holding her up because it was something you didn't like and are attempting to use it to justify something you wanted.

The intent was to draw a comparison between two aspects of the series which were underserved by the approach Nomura took to the story, and which in turn reflect weaknesses within the storytelling: it's not beside the point, the contention itself is that both Kairi's characterization and the absence of the Restoration Committee are indicative of how poorly Nomura conceptualized this entry. The idea that Riku and Mickey could visit Radiant Garden and have no interaction with Leon et al., the idea that Sora would not seek them out while he was looking for answers and that his heart/the universal elements surrounding his journey would not lead him to them as has always happened when he needs guidance, reassurance, or a base of operations from which to work, the idea that they would have no knowledge of and do nothing to help prepare Kairi and Lea in their training (despite Merlin's centrality to that subplot) or assist the GoL in their greater mission using the resources they have at their disposal-- these are the contrivances harming KH3's internal narrative logic.

Kairi's character is beset by similar failures to coordinate her implied and stated qualities as a protagonist in previous titles with a meaningful arc that challenges and advances both her individual status quo and the function she performs in relationship with others. But there's no reason to bother going down this route if you're going to actually frame criticism of it as disingenuously as "not liking how she was important." That is such a standard deflection and an appeal to the lowest threshold of discourse. As a matter of the substance of her arc, symbolic presence does not substitute for character agency and personal development.

Well... duh. He felt they weren't relevant. Therefore they weren't prioritised. Therefore they weren't given time. That's how dev works. He saw a factor they were working on and chose to cut it. You're essentially criticising him for (albeit small-scale) planning, something you clearly think he isn't properly capable of, because he made a decision you didn't like.

I hope you realize that all you're doing is taking my commentary out of context and reframing it to fit the semantics of the argument you want to make. It's really transparent. Do I really need to point out that this is obviously an issue of Nomura making decisions I didn't like, and that the issue is not that he literally gave this game zero thought but that the level of thought he put into it and the direction in which that led him to approach this process created the problems that are the basis of the criticism it has received? Because, well....duh.

I mean, what's the point in acknowledging it? It's not even a SE thing, very few places would speak up about it. It's not like anything serious happened anyway. Everyone's seen it, not like talking about it will do anything but make them look stupid. To ask for anything else would basically be a want for drama. This was probably for State of Play and they have some deal with Sony. Not like they could just throw their hands up and release the trailer. That would just get them in trouble with Sony. When encountered with a very serious leak caused by illegal activity SE did in fact address it.

The point in acknowledging it would be...to acknowledge it, and take ownership of the situation, and communicate with their customer base about the situation. That said, I don't have a dog in this race. I didn't make the comment because I feel strongly about this one way or the other, I made it as an additional observation of the superficial comparisons between this trailer's release and the fan reaction it has evoked and the circumstances surrounding the pre-release buzz for KH3. It's a minor note, not an indictment of SE's entire organizational structure.

 

[Xickin]

Now, am I imagining this, or did someone announce that the scene from KH 358/2 Days with Axel and Xion in front of the mansion was going to be remade using the new graphics. Cause I'd KILL for that

 

[Ballad of Caius]

The idea of the Master of Masters gathering exceptional warriors from different Worldlines intrigues me. It could open a door of possibilities concerning an entire universe of spinoffs for KINGDOM HEARTS.

Hell, have Dissidia KH take place in a worldline where Chaos and Cosmos exist.

 

[alexis.anagram]

Maybe s

Nah, Days was bottom of the Disney world barrel.

Whatever problems Days had with keeping the traditional structure of a KH game intact vis-a-vis Disney, it redeems itself the minute those devices are activated during the final boss fight, leading to a dramatic world-spanning climax that fully pays off the other 357 days of

Now, am I imagining this, or did someone announce that the scene from KH 358/2 Days with Axel and Xion in front of the mansion was going to be remade using the new graphics. Cause I'd KILL for that

As far as I understand it, that was just a rumored showcase of what the new Photo Mode that comes with the DLC can do with existing assets. More information can be found in this thread: https://www.khinsider.com/forums/in...ng-next-month-new-difficulties-teased.221658/

 

[LightUpTheSky452]

I also forgot to mention that someone in this thread said that No Name is now read instead of blue. The Master of Masters is Yozora confirmed? LOL

 

[FudgemintGuardian]

Someone in this thread earlier was also saying that they think the "Nameless Star" is actually Verum Rex girl. And when I recently replayed KHIII--before this Re:Mind trailer came out--I had the same thought... It could easily still be wrong (especially since Nomura said we'd already seen this girl before KHIII, I guess, so maybe Verum Rex girl doesn't count, then). But here's what I posted about it on Tumblr at the time:

"Oh my GOSH. The theory about Verum Rex girl being the Nameless Star is RIGHT. She said that her name and everything was taken away from her. You mean when she became Luna/Luna took her place–and the FFXV main female lead lost the name "Stella" for that reason, and Stella was kicked out of what was originally her game over Luna's, FFXV? What she said can be meta about the Noctis/Yozora thing, too (since XV Noctis isn’t Nomura’s Noctis). “His heart (Versus Noct) has been replaced by another’s (XV Noct), but if he were to recover his old self (Verum Rex Yozora), he would be distressed by my absence”: Versus Noct/Yozora would be distressed by the absence of Stella.

I wonder how many things ReMind is going to change, if this is a alternate timeline that Sora is muddling...I mean meddling with. I've wondered this before but could this mean two new RAX and TAV reunions? The RAX stuff is clearly new, so hmm. I wonder which ones will be considered canon? Will they be better then the base game reunions? Will the ReMind ending retcon the base game ending? Which one will be better? So far ReMind's story stuff looks like a world without Sora situation. Who will beat Xehanort if not Sora? And what of the Organization XIII members? How is my boi Roxas suppose to return? Is his heart just floating in space with no Sora. Does Luxord still have his wild card? Will Xigbar still survive?

Yeah, now that the overall hype feel of the trailer is passing me, I'm starting to wonder about a few things. Still excited for ReMind, for my RAX moment and now that awesome GoL vs Nort clones scene (Aqua, Xion, and Mickey trio) but I'm curious where this will all lead for the next game and KH4.

Sora is still part of Riku's fight, so this isn't 100% Sora-less.

With Sora wanting to stop Lingering Will and Terranort's battle, and we're seeing a physical Sora seemingly trying to do that, maybe Sora possessed himself in order to go after them, which causes his absence in the other battles. The only thing is, since Terranort and Lingering Will's battle had to have happened before Riku's, then Sora succeeded in the Terranort confrontation and was able to get back in time. So the big question is why won't Sora be joining the other groups' battles. Does our boy fade away then or does he become too tired to continue but will be back for the Nort Court and Xehanort?

And Sora IS fighting alongside Kairi during her battle with Xehanort. A very important thing to note is Kingdom Hearts in this fight is purple, meaning we could still be in KG since Kingdom Hearts before the purpling and during the final battle was yellow. Kairi might have not been kidnapped this time.

 

[Twilight Lumiair]

Somebody in SE's PR department has been giving Nomura notes.

Now all they need to do is give him a co-writer & continuity editor, and I might have faith in this series' writing again

Precisely. More to this point, as well as @FudgemintGuardian 's, I think there's an identifiable reason the trailer created a sense of "burn out," as you aptly describe it, and it has to do with another sentiment that has been expressed here: the notion that it recalls the marketing effort for KH3 proper. In particular, I think if we look at the Final Battle trailer, it provoked essentially the same reaction from large swaths of the fanbase-- KH3 is surely an epic masterpiece, look at the sheer scale and breadth of events occurring in rapid, disordered cuts that offer effectively zero insight into the context informing the moments in realtime. Sora screaming! What's going on with Donald! Hype and fervor!

Yeah, I agree it's important to look past the hype and recognize the patterns of how they choose to market the material. Not saying hype is bad, but it shouldn't be a matter of blind faith for things we have very limited context for at this stage. That is to say, "we're getting everything that should've been in KH3", is a very lofty claim to make considering how little information we actually have, and is based on the preconceived notion that Nomura and Co are properly listening to fans, regardless of how they may have went about it. Which is fine if you're being optimistic, but skepticism and caution are still very much justified considering the track record they've already set with the base game and it's own marketing (some of which was inconsistent, inaccurate, or greatly misleading). The Final Battle trailer is honestly a pretty spot comparison to make.

Nomura had years to develop a story for this game, and when push came to shove, he had time enough to figure out what he was going to feature and what he was going to cut: and we got Verum Rex and buckets of cryptic allusion as to how relevant KH4 will be to making sense of this title when we could have gotten a plot for Xion. Or Roxas. Or Terra. Or Kairi.

Right. Ultimately what KH3 was missing, among other things, were strong character plots that were cohesive and helped to properly conclude their arcs within the series. Instead, Nomura opted to shove everything into the final hour of the narrative, which consequently forced him into a corner. He had less time to focus on the returning characters, and had to navigate how to bring them all back satisfyingly one right after the other, without it feeling rushed and/or empty. But as he himself admitted, this was difficult to pull off, as one would expect, and it shows how problematic such a strategy can be in the final product. I can think of at least a few dozens ways they could've given Roxas, Xion, Namine, and Terra better closure had they simply had more screen time spaced out across the experience. However, Nomura has shown that even with additional screentime, he still doesn't know how to properly conclude character arcs in a way that pays off all the things their journey set up. Case and point: Anti-Aqua, and literally everything attached to it. It's no secret by now how much I despise that concept with every fiber of my being, not because it lacked potential, but because of how it was clearly only conceptualized to padd out out the story, and inject unnatural conflict into Aqua's narrative (effectively forcing her to sit out roughly 75-80% of the game, as well as a whole host of other problems). It really comes off like Nomura wanted to actively avoid the work of navigating a way to include everyone into the overarching story that allowed their collective and individual arcs to come a proper and satisfying close. In other words, "writing is hard, unless it's something I'm currently interested in working through" (i.e. Verum Rex; Fortellers; Union X; etc.).

The fact that you see the Heartless Tornado as a ton of Anti-Aquas is.... Telling. I always figured the poor girl had PTSD considering the events of everything, but now it's been laid out clearly. It sounds like it was her falling into the abyss that really messed her up, because in 0.2 she was worried for her sanity but at the end, she had renewed faith. And in the scene with Ansem The Wise in KH3, she seemed to be pretty optimistic that she'd still be saved by somebody.

Ugh.. That shot made me hurl in disgust. Just seeing that many Anti-Aqua's is almost enough to make me lose any and all goodwill I had with this trailer. Never thought I'd hate a fictional concept so much, lol.

Personal feelings aside though, we're supposed to be thinking that her PSTD is almost exclusively from her experience of being Anti-fied, or rather her time in the abyss, right? Definitely makes more sense than her simply shutting in fear of the Shadnado itself. Now, that'd be acceptable, if it weren't for the absolutely contrived way she ended up there, and her dropping the subject entirely as soon as she was reverted. Not getting into it all here, but because of the context surrounding Anti-Aqua as a whole (and the fact that this is a direct consequence of that), I can't view her vision as anything else but... forced and unnecessary. In terms of it's function in the narrative, it does nothing except make her come across as a total doormat (as does the rest of the game), and.. I'm sorry, but I don't appreciate it one bit

 

[Chaser]

Now, am I imagining this, or did someone announce that the scene from KH 358/2 Days with Axel and Xion in front of the mansion was going to be remade using the new graphics. Cause I'd KILL for that

It’s apparently part of the photo mode thingy. You can set up characters in a scene for a photo and then stitch them together with music for a slideshow, and one they showcased was Axel and Xion at the Twilight Town mansion.

 

[Deleted member 252753]

And Sora IS fighting alongside Kairi during her battle with Xehanort. A very important thing to note is Kingdom Hearts in this fight is purple, meaning we could still be in KG since Kingdom Hearts before the purpling and during the final battle was yellow. Kairi might have not been kidnapped this time.

Well, Kingdom Hearts isn't yellow the whole time during the final battle. When you end the battle, Xehanort turns Kingdom Hearts purple again before shooting his beam of darkness at Sora.

The beam hits Sora and then Donald and Goofy apparently help reverse time slightly then to before the beam pierces Sora's defences. Then Kingdom Hearts is again yellow. This bit is really strange so I wouldn't be surprised if it were explored in ReMind

 

[FudgemintGuardian]

Well, Kingdom Hearts isn't yellow the whole time during the final battle. When you end the battle, Xehanort turns Kingdom Hearts purple again before shooting his beam of darkness at Sora.

The beam hits Sora and then Donald and Goofy apparently help reverse time slightly then to before the beam pierces Sora's defences. Then Kingdom Hearts is again yellow. This bit is really strange so I wouldn't be surprised if it were explored in ReMind

*video watching noises* Oh, yeah, it did.