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What do you think of 358/2 Days?



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Derpcannonz

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I personally liked the story of Roxas and how it explained more of his past, and that you could play as any member of Organization XIII, but I didn't like the misson based structure of the game and how it confined you to only certain parts of the world,and the panel system was weird, more so for when you wanted to level up you couldn't if you didn't have enough space.
 

Zettaflare

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I think the biggest problem with this game was Xion herself. She was totally unecessary and just existed so that Roxas and Axel could have a trio.

Really Roxas and Axel were strong enough to carry the game by themselves
 

BlackOsprey

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It's the game that is never given the slightest bit of positivity from anyone. Some days, you'll be hard-pressed to find even a neutral opinion on it. It's all "it the worst thing that ever happened," or nothing at all.

I played it before any other game barring Re:Coded. I was completely blind in regards to the entire franchise's lore. And I really enjoyed the game. Yes, I know it has a lot of issues. spending time around here made me very aware of every single one of them. I'm not even gonna try to defend most of them, because they're legitimate gameplay and story flaws that can't really be excused. It's likely that if I'd gone in with the knowledge and expectations of a longtime fan, I wouldn't have liked it at all. But I know for a fact that I enjoyed myself. I've played through the game many times, and I'd play it again if the cartridge hadn't suddenly broken.

Also, there's the manga, which is probably one of, if not the absolute best KH adaption that Shiro Amano has created.

So yeah, I'm the weirdo who doesn't hate 358/2 Days. I'll smile a little when thinking about it rather than scowl. I guess I'm the only one, right? :/
 

Audo

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It's the game that is never given the slightest bit of positivity from anyone. Some days, you'll be hard-pressed to find even a neutral opinion on it. It's all "it the worst thing that ever happened," or nothing at all.
It's like the most loved title in the kh fandom on tumblr from what I've seen.
The vast majority of new fans in the kh fandom (as in, people who came in post-KH2) came in through Days and hold it in high regard. Sure there are a lot of vocal dissenters here, but this is KHI, literally every game is torn asunder here. It doesn't really represent the wider fandom from what I've seen.

(believe me, I WISH Days was hated by the majority of the fandom, but it just isn't lol)
 
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Chuman

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i love days only because i have high nostalgic regard for it. i'd probably hate it today tho.
 

Rosebudx

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I have been an avid KH fan since the series' inception, and I happen to enjoy Days. It's certainly better than re:Coded.

There are many, many flaws with this game, obviously, and they are pointed out so often that I do not feel the need to go over all or even most of them here. The worst to me was the stupid mission set up, and the way abilities worked.

However, I really enjoyed Xion and the further exploration of the whole "what measure is a non-human?" side of Kingdom Hearts. The insider's view of the original Org. was also fun, getting to view all their quirks and traits from the perspective of an ally, if not a friend.

Our fandom vilifies this game, and while I can see and understand their perspective, I also enjoy so much of it that I can't bring myself to dislike it.
 

LightUpTheSky452

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I love Days. Would I want every KH game to be like it? No (and to me it's biggest flaw was that it went on too long, even if I personally really liked getting a lot of insights on the characters that way, and think the other games suffer from a lack of that), but for what it was I think it was a breath of fresh air that I needed.

Also, I went into the game hating Roxas, Axel, and being prepared to despise Xion, and I left it with Roxas and Xion in my top three KH characters and liking Axel (the Days trio is also the most believable and most balanced to me, aside from SDG), so that's definitely good writing and characterization to me.

I think Days for sure definitely has the best character development and characterization in the series, and I think that a lot of people (even if they hate the rest of the game) will mostly agree with that (aside from Riku and his arc, I mean; and Naminé I guess, too).

The story is kind of stupid, I'll admit, but for the characters I can deal with it. I even like Days more than KHII, because KHII had a great story idea that was executed horribly, and Days had a story... that wasn't that great, but with characters and writing that at least made me care about them.

The biggest offender is definitely the gameplay. It's just too clunky. For a while I used to like it over CoM's style, but that's not true for me anymore:/

But, yeah: I really like Days. And I know a lot of casuals who do. My friend Michael, for instance, hates Sora and mostly plays the games for Riku, but he enjoyed getting to play as Roxas in Days, and getting to see Axel (who he likes), and he grew to like Xion.

The multiplayer was also a really fun idea, and I had a lot of fun doing that with my friends who had the games, personally.

I also really like Xion, and think she's definitely one of the better female characters in this series writing-wise (with even more depth than Aqua thus far), and I'm just glad about her being included in the series in general, because this franchise needs more girls.

And on a side note (so not trying to turn this into a Xion debate, btw), I will say that I think a lot of hate towards her is unjustified. Like, the problems that I see most people have with her are things that like 99.9% of the cast has (numerous of these characters being introduced after she was, like Vanitas), so to me it's not right to blame her for these things if you're also not going to blame the entire cast for them.

And even if you don't like her... I don't get why people would want her to disappear completely. Ask for writing about her to be better in the next installments, fine--or for a better use and role for her--but to get rid of one of the only six (really four) girls in a sea of twenty-six men is insane to me (I'm sorry).

I've also never seen a fandom, other than the KH one, that would dislike a character for not being absolutely central to the plot. I don't see people complaining about Asha/Tiara from the Game of Thrones series, and she doesn't add that much, either. But do I still like her, her story, and what she brings to the world (and characters like Theon)? You bet! And I feel the same way about Xion in KH.

Plus, not everything needs to be about plot. I like Xion for what she brings to the characters, like Roxas. And I honestly think that's more important atm, because KH is almost just plot plot plot, with no focus on the characters and their interactions at all, but I digress.

I do have to admit that I very rarely reply Days, though, and I sort of dread doing so because of the gameplay. More often than not these days, I'll settle for the movie (even if I have some issues with the movie, think it changed some of the feel of Days and made it into another beast entirely--becoming the "Axel show"--instead of about Roxas and Xion like the game was), but I can also say that about CoM, Coded, and DDD, so that's not really a sign to me that Days is bad to me. To me, at least.

Because tbh, I play these games for the story, and sometimes if I could get the story without even playing the game, I'd be very tempted (at least if we're talking about some of the harder things--like secret bosses--to get the secret movie and that kind of thing, that a lot of times I can't be bothered to do).

Edit: Also, though I don't think the Disney segments were that good, I did appreciate that they were at least new stories and not recycles of the movie plot for the millionth time. I even enjoyed some of them. Seeing Aladdin trying to solve his own problems, without relying on the Genie, was particularly nice.

And no one can deny that the localization staff totally killed it with adding humor to this game.

I'd even say that I think this game might be truer to Nomura's vision than any of the other KH titles in some ways (since he actually wrote a lot of the dialogue himself), and that it really shines through, explains things better than some of the other games, and makes it all the more enjoyable for me that way. Though I can understand why others wouldn't agree with that.
 
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Derpcannonz

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In my opinion 358/2 days is my least favorite gameplay wise, and my 2nd favorite story wise.
 

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Hated it. Wasted my money and my time. The only decent thing it did was it's manga (done by Amano) and it's localization. Honestly every game could use such localization freedom. It'd help save us the pain of things that are awkward as fuck. (like "you make the weirdest brothers" ugh)

Gameplay wasn't fun but repetitive. That's saying a lot for a series that's rehashed many of the same levels in various ways for 14yrs.
Panel system was a good idea hampered by level panels. Enemy HP was TO DAMN HIGH. It wasn't challenging nor fun but rather imposing of making the fights a chore instead. (hello leechgrave)

Then there's the characters.

Too lazy to retype said:
In regards to Days as a while I think it's best summed up by what a member once said that has forever stuck to my memory;

"Days tried to hard, while BBS didn't try hard enough"

A small sentence with a huge level of truth. Days by far had the most scenes between it's friend trio yet even they still felt like a hollow montage of ice cream scenes, Xion running away, Roxas being angst Jesse McCartney, and Axel feeling guilty. All the while I sit there wondering why a man ten years older was even hanging out with two kids who mind you have newly born mentality in 14yr old bodies. (meaning he's not even ten years older but at least two decades so mentally)

Their tragedy and drama was literally forced down my throat at nearly every turn of the story. It was doing it's damnedest to make me care any three of these people exist. But surprisingly even with this I'd say they're probably second in terms of 'most hollow'. All the repetitive and dull gameplay aside there's really not much to any three of these characters outside the silent scenes of them eating ice cream.

This becomes even more apparent if you read the manga based on this game. In the manga the characters have personality. Little development or screen time due to the limits of manga volume and the source materials own faults but even still Amano gives these beings that are bland normally personality with what little space he has.
By comparison the games with their 30+ hours of story do a not so good job. No dont give me that "it's a game! of course it puts more into gameplay" crap. Kingdom Hearts is a game yes but it's a narrative driven game. It's story is it's main focus and the gameplay carries you though that story. Thus there is no excuse for not even the semblance of development here.

Roxas for example. In KH2 he wasn't to bad, filler for tutorial maybe but not so bad. It gave you something to wonder at least. It gave an impression of a somewhat more somber Sora. A Sora that's not so happy-go-lucky. Aka he's kinda like Sora original was near the end of KH1 before his intelligence dropped.
Now ignoring the fact KH2's story basically starts here and drops off till the endgame, Roxas was fine enough for an indifferent view. "He's Sora's nobody?" Okay cool. Show me how they can be different. Show me how he can be this "other me".

Days was meant, or maybe hoped, to give us this. An exploration on Roxas' development and personality as well as the Org as a whole. We didn't get that. Roxas is, understandably, blank at first but kinda just stays that way. When he does express emotion its happiness for ice cream or being angry that he's not told anything. Only to discount it as true when he is told something[url].

He just spends the game downhearted or scowling. Rather than using his tragic circumstances to develop him I'm being forced to sit though his teen drama which he should technically be to young for given his mental age. It's only after playing Days that your realize that what was liked about Roxas, his portrayal in KH2, was more of a lie than a developed end. In KH2 he wasn't even himself because his mind was messed with to hide him in the TwilightTown.Exe for a week.


Then I got poor Xion here. I wont lie, like many back in the day I at first hated her. Buuuuutttt nowadays I just feel sorry for her. The concept was interesting, her variation in Days adorable as diddly, but her actual in-game execution just poor or feeling unnecessary. As soon as she appears it quickly goes from being about Roxas and the nobodies to being about Xion from Roxas' perspective of the story.

To be blunt I feel a good portion of her plot point would've been better spent on Roxas as both development and motivation for him to even want to find Sora. (not that Roxas should've had the exact same story just elements) She honeslty just feels like she's there solely because Nomura is afraid to stray from his two-guy-one-girl formula. (fear to stray from the familiar)

Worse yet Nomura felt the need to wrap her up in his convoluted view of mythos with a face that changes depending on person and a fake keyblade that somehow still works like one on heartless. While I was forced to see Roxas' drama rather than him shaped by this tragedy I was forced to see Xion be the plot device of this drama.
Her sole existence in the story is the source of all the "tragedy" around them. Not of her own fault but just because she exists solely to vanish to explain her lack of mention in KH2.

More than once I've seen ideas over the years I've seen ideas for a Xion being a normal girl Roxas happens to meet on a mission and bonds with or being simply a nobody with mimicry powers. Ideas that would've been simpler but ultimately better. If not for development then at least for the sake her not existing solely to drive Roxas' emo phase.

When it comes to Axel himself I honestly just can't grasp why he's hanging out with a couple of newborn minds in teenager bodies/forms. I feel he's there solely for the reason he's anywhere after Chain of Memories, Fan-Service. Not only do fans love him but so does the staff thats definitely something we all can agree on with his growing roles in each game. The best summary of Axel I've ever seen was here

An actual healthy romantic relationship is symmetrical. Roxas is a <1 year old child with the body of a 14 year old, Axel is likely at least 25. On top of that, Roxas started off as a blank slate who got pretty much all of his world views from Axel. Axel pretty clearly played a parental role in Roxas’s life, he taught him about the basic things that parents usually teach their kids: what friendship is, what love is, how school works, etc

In this light Axel isn't even a friend of this trio but a father figure which just makes me question the point of having a trio in Days more so. However, to Axel's credit, his constant shoehorned roles and father figure role has given him a little bit of development in comparison to his two hollow peers.


Rather than what was advertised as a game of Roxas and the Org instead I got a game of Xion from Roxas perspective. Granted this is all due to wasted potential on her part or others but eh the disappointment was still real.
Also granted Roxas was brainwashed for most of his part in the start of KH2 but even still it was this persona that made him popular enough for this game only for the game to warp him into some angst teen when mentally he shouldn't be old enough for that. (he's one year in a teens body)

As for Axel....meh I found him ruined since KH2 so eh. It just tried to hard to make me care with it's story and drama and had the adverse affect. In turn a game that was meant to showcase Roxas growth into his KH2 self (unbrainwashed) only for Xion to take over the center of attention from not only him but the entire Org of which this game was told to show us early on.
 

Absent

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Liked it. It got me back into Kingdom Hearts but I should give credit where credit is due, I loved it because of how amazing the localization team was. Can't say the same for the movie.
 

BufferAqua

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I only emulated Days, and I quit the game after two missions. So insulting the gameplay would be too shallow. So all I can really insult is the story and characters.

Now the story, is absolute nonsense. I was literally confused through the whole thing until I read about it on a wiki. I regretted wasting my time reading that. I did not like the story AT ALL.

As for the characters, I just really disliked most of them and even hated few of them. While Riku, Namine, and Mickey I liked, I completely hated Organization XIII. I found them dull, unlikable, and most of them had the SAME personality. And RAX has to be the worst trio I have ever seen, despite it having the most screen time.

Now, I'm going to avoid being biased on Roxas and comment on their relationship. All they do is eat icecream on top of a dangerous tower, discussing different topics, it's pretty convincing they're friends, but there's one thing and I mean ONE thing that bothered me... DRAMA!

As if the icecream scenes weren't boring enough, we see drama thrown on the side. I mean, they seem like good friends but is drama really necessary just for the audience to feel sorry for them? Jeez.

Now I know these reasons are complete bullshit so anyone can disagree whenever they like.
 

Derpcannonz

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I also feel that xion was kinda pointless, square enix should have just stuck with Roxas and Axel.
 

BufferAqua

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I didn't mind Xion as a character, but she definitely was pointless.
 

Audo

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Tons would have changed. The game is dragged down because Xion is the only character that is given plot focus to the detriment of everything else in the game. A bunch of character's characterizations are messed with, their arcs derailed, their agency and development absent all in service of her plot and arc in the game. It would be a very different game if she wasn't in it at all. Like, make no mistake, Xion is the actual protagonist in Days.

The word y'all are looking for is not "pointless", it's "unnecessary".
 
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