So, there's been a lot of controversy in the community surrounding Master Xehanort's demise in KH3. Many people thought the way they tried to portray him in a sympathetic, pitying light was abrupt and inappropriate and didn't jive with everything we've seen of the character up until that point. Also, a lot of people were put off by Xehanort receiving any kind of fate that was not outright merciless destruction. I, for one, was an apologist for that scene, and even though the buildup for it was woefully inadequate, I believe that death scene was the most cinematic and meaningful in the series, and it resonated much more deeply. Despite that, there are many in the fandom who simply wanted Xehanort to go the way of Ansem in KH1 or Xemnas in KH2—blown the **** up. And I understand their perspective.
But, now that we have ReMIND, we've gotten a SECOND death scene for Xehanort (with all the Guardians destroying his Armored form with their combined key beams), one much more in line with what many of these disappointed members of the community wanted. And, I have to say, now that we have both, I'm even more secure in my opinions about the original death scene than before.
Now, that's not to say the new death for Xehanort was bad, but it very clearly lacked the kind of emotional or cinematic weight that the original death scene carried. And I believe that this may be evidence that the series has matured beyond a point where the old screaming-death explosion-fests of the PS2 era games feel adequate. Now, this is just my opinon, and I'm sure many people enjoyed Xehanort's new death more than his old one, but I'd like to hear just where everybody else stands on this, because I personally feel the new death proves by its comparative lacklusterness that Nomura's instincts were right in what kind of ending Xehanort should have gotten in the base game.
NOTE: this is NOT a defense of the base game's lack of buildup to his death scene, but rather a defense of the IDEA of a sympathetic/introspective death scene over a straight-up murder scene.
But, now that we have ReMIND, we've gotten a SECOND death scene for Xehanort (with all the Guardians destroying his Armored form with their combined key beams), one much more in line with what many of these disappointed members of the community wanted. And, I have to say, now that we have both, I'm even more secure in my opinions about the original death scene than before.
Now, that's not to say the new death for Xehanort was bad, but it very clearly lacked the kind of emotional or cinematic weight that the original death scene carried. And I believe that this may be evidence that the series has matured beyond a point where the old screaming-death explosion-fests of the PS2 era games feel adequate. Now, this is just my opinon, and I'm sure many people enjoyed Xehanort's new death more than his old one, but I'd like to hear just where everybody else stands on this, because I personally feel the new death proves by its comparative lacklusterness that Nomura's instincts were right in what kind of ending Xehanort should have gotten in the base game.
NOTE: this is NOT a defense of the base game's lack of buildup to his death scene, but rather a defense of the IDEA of a sympathetic/introspective death scene over a straight-up murder scene.