[SPOILERS] KH2.8 discussion Thread

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Aug 13, 2016
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#2
What's everyone's thoughts on 2.8 so far? Really impressed by 0.2 Birth by Sleep and the clear of Evolution of KH's graphics. The series has never looked this good before and it took me a while to get used to the clear evolution. I know much has been said about the plasticine look of some of the characters in previous trailers, but i think there is a definite improvement in the final release. The cutscenes in both 0.2 and X back cover look fantastic and i think there's a clear attention to detail. I wasn't sold on the Kingdom Shader at first, but after seeing it in action and how it makes the disney aspects of the dark world in 0.2 come alive (like a playable disney movie), i can definitely see what they are aiming to achieve with KH3.

It also feels like they are trying to make KH a challenge again, not being able to spam commands like in KH2 and having to earn it. It really makes me hopeful for KH3. As much as i enjoyed my time with FFXV, i think it would have benefited from another years development to make it feel more complete. I hope KH3 is given the time it needs.
 

SonOfEtro

Warrior of Light
May 2, 2016
1,036
1,192
#3
I found KH 0.2 and Back Cover beautiful to look at. 0.2's story was a little odd for me at first, but after going through it again, it sort of made sense. Still, I was hoping for at least a teaser of Aqua seeing Sora or Riku or someone reaching out for her to pull her from the Realm of Darkness.

I actually found Back Cover quite enjoyable. Having a modicum of foreknowledge about the narrative of Chi helps, but I enjoyed how the Master's "tasks" ended up dividing the Foretellers. I've got my own little theory about how the Master ties into this and why he vanished, but I'll save that.
 
Aug 13, 2016
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#4
I found KH 0.2 and Back Cover beautiful to look at. 0.2's story was a little odd for me at first, but after going through it again, it sort of made sense. Still, I was hoping for at least a teaser of Aqua seeing Sora or Riku or someone reaching out for her to pull her from the Realm of Darkness.

I actually found Back Cover quite enjoyable. Having a modicum of foreknowledge about the narrative of Chi helps, but I enjoyed how the Master's "tasks" ended up dividing the Foretellers. I've got my own little theory about how the Master ties into this and why he vanished, but I'll save that.
I thought exactly the same with the CG intro teasing Aqua being pulled out of the realm of darkness by Sora. It would have been nice to see a glimpse of her being saved at the end of 0.2, but looks like they are saving it for KH3. I'm wondering whether the suitcases that Yen Sid gave to Mickey and Riku contain new costumes or armour similar to the Birth by Sleep trio? Thinking it's a way for them to cross into the realm of darkness?

It was also great to see Kairi given some importance again. I think she was near enough ignored in KH2 after a pretty central role in the original KH, so i hope she's given an important role in KH3. Would be great to see Sora, Riku and Kairi team up as keyblade wielders, similar to Aqua, Terra and Ven. I also quite enjoyed X Back Cover and think the master of masters was a particular highlight (also surprised to hear that Ray Chase was the voice actor!). Interested to see how he'll affect KH3 moving forward.
 
Likes: SonOfEtro

Lulcielid

Warrior of Light
Oct 9, 2014
3,826
2,826
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Argentina
#5
I found back cover kinda meh, and as a whole unnecesary adition to the lore, only remarkable stuff from it was Ray Chase performance as the Master of Master, he steals the attention everytime he's on screen.

Can't say too much about 0.2 gameplay cause is probable that some aspects of it won't translate from Aqua to Sora (and don't own a new console yet :( ) but I like that the reveange value mechanique returned.
As for story, I'm not a fan of Nomura wanting to connect every possible dot with each other to make it seen that it's this complex narrative was planned that way all along, it felt not organic.
 

Ikkin

Warrior of Light
Oct 30, 2016
1,099
1,705
#7
What's everyone's thoughts on 2.8 so far? Really impressed by 0.2 Birth by Sleep and the clear of Evolution of KH's graphics. The series has never looked this good before and it took me a while to get used to the clear evolution. I know much has been said about the plasticine look of some of the characters in previous trailers, but i think there is a definite improvement in the final release. The cutscenes in both 0.2 and X back cover look fantastic and i think there's a clear attention to detail. I wasn't sold on the Kingdom Shader at first, but after seeing it in action and how it makes the disney aspects of the dark world in 0.2 come alive (like a playable disney movie), i can definitely see what they are aiming to achieve with KH3.
Still kind of bitter about the loss of Luminous, to be honest. =/ I know the switch to UE4 was necessary and there have been significant improvements in some of the most troublesome areas (namely, the character models no longer looking like low-poly versions of television CG from the '90s), but Luminous seems to have crystallized into something better suited to Squenix's graphical style. It'll be interesting to see what happens with regards to performance between 0.2 and KHIII, in any case; 0.2 went for 900p with framerate drops much like Episode Duscae did, but Episode Duscae was running on an unfinished engine. I hope they'll at least be able to pull off a variable up-to-1080p resolution on standard PS4 for KH3.

To be fair, the environments looked nice most of the time, and Back Cover looked great all around. I just wish the overall feel was more Visual Works and less Unreal.

It also feels like they are trying to make KH a challenge again, not being able to spam commands like in KH2 and having to earn it. It really makes me hopeful for KH3. As much as i enjoyed my time with FFXV, i think it would have benefited from another years development to make it feel more complete. I hope KH3 is given the time it needs.
Considering the giant game balance patch that showed up the day after I beat the game on Proud Mode... I think they might have gone a bit too far in that regard. xD; I'm going to have to play it again to see how it feels with the changes (which range from tightening up dodging/blocking/shortcuts for magic to decreasing the damage output of enemies on Proud Mode), but it's gonna take me a while to jump back in after beating the final boss without that patch.

With all of that said, though...

Storywise, it really feels like KH is back after the shakiness that was 3D. I really liked what 0.2 did for Aqua (even if the tone was almost constantly depressing XD; ), and Back Cover set up a really interesting conflict (even if it stopped earlier than I would have liked). The Master of Masters in particular is... really something else, and Ray Chase really chewed up the scenery when playing him. All of the new music is fantastic (and sometimes a bit reminiscent of FFXV, which is an amusing bit of cyclical influence).

And, apart from one particularly nightmarish bit of balancing, actually controlling Aqua in 0.2 was a whole lot of fun. Situation Commands are a great evolution of Command Styles, the magic felt way better than it had in previous KH games, and the much shorter timer for Curaga helped make magic feel more consistently viable.
 
Aug 13, 2016
59
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#8
Still kind of bitter about the loss of Luminous, to be honest. =/ I know the switch to UE4 was necessary and there have been significant improvements in some of the most troublesome areas (namely, the character models no longer looking like low-poly versions of television CG from the '90s), but Luminous seems to have crystallized into something better suited to Squenix's graphical style. It'll be interesting to see what happens with regards to performance between 0.2 and KHIII, in any case; 0.2 went for 900p with framerate drops much like Episode Duscae did, but Episode Duscae was running on an unfinished engine. I hope they'll at least be able to pull off a variable up-to-1080p resolution on standard PS4 for KH3.

To be fair, the environments looked nice most of the time, and Back Cover looked great all around. I just wish the overall feel was more Visual Works and less Unreal.



Considering the giant game balance patch that showed up the day after I beat the game on Proud Mode... I think they might have gone a bit too far in that regard. xD; I'm going to have to play it again to see how it feels with the changes (which range from tightening up dodging/blocking/shortcuts for magic to decreasing the damage output of enemies on Proud Mode), but it's gonna take me a while to jump back in after beating the final boss without that patch.

With all of that said, though...

Storywise, it really feels like KH is back after the shakiness that was 3D. I really liked what 0.2 did for Aqua (even if the tone was almost constantly depressing XD; ), and Back Cover set up a really interesting conflict (even if it stopped earlier than I would have liked). The Master of Masters in particular is... really something else, and Ray Chase really chewed up the scenery when playing him. All of the new music is fantastic (and sometimes a bit reminiscent of FFXV, which is an amusing bit of cyclical influence).

And, apart from one particularly nightmarish bit of balancing, actually controlling Aqua in 0.2 was a whole lot of fun. Situation Commands are a great evolution of Command Styles, the magic felt way better than it had in previous KH games, and the much shorter timer for Curaga helped make magic feel more consistently viable.
I also beat the game on proud mode first time round and the final boss was a challenge to say the least! Also the final boss theme definitely gave me strong FFXV vibes and it definitely wasn't something i would have expected from Yoko in a KH game:


It is definitely a grower and i look forward to her work in KH3! I know there are quite a few mixed views around Dream Drop Distance, particularly around introducing time travel and its story. I haven't played the HD version yet, but back on the 3DS i really enjoyed it. I think the most memorable scenes come from Sora and i think his experiences in the world that never was (understanding Roxas's pain, realising he's not special because of the keyblade, but of those he's connected to and succumbing to darkness) ground his character in a way which i think never happened in KH2. I also enjoyed the last act fighting Xemnas, Ansem and Young Xehanort and i think the soundtrack is fantastic. Also characters from TWEWY being involved and the TWEWY soundtrack getting an update was a real highlight (My favourite DS game which i think definitely needs a sequel!). I'd rate KH1 the best in the series, with KH2 final mix in second and birth by sleep in third. After that i don't think DDD is too far behind and i think it definitely has its moments.
 

SonOfEtro

Warrior of Light
May 2, 2016
1,036
1,192
#9
It was also great to see Kairi given some importance again. I think she was near enough ignored in KH2 after a pretty central role in the original KH, so i hope she's given an important role in KH3.
I've generally seen this series treat female characters disgracefully - with the blissful exception of Aqua, they're given hardly any real inclusion in the series' great events, and when they are it's as damsels in distress (one of the few character archetypes I hold in pure disdain when it's played straight) or antagonists (ala Maleficent) rather than proper protagonists and supporting who can perhaps rescue Sora, maybe?). I hope KHIII and potential future entries can rectify that.
 
Aug 13, 2016
59
71
31
#10
I've generally seen this series treat female characters disgracefully - with the blissful exception of Aqua, they're given hardly any real inclusion in the series' great events, and when they are it's as damsels in distress (one of the few character archetypes I hold in pure disdain when it's played straight) or antagonists (ala Maleficent) rather than proper protagonists and supporting who can perhaps rescue Sora, maybe?). I hope KHIII and potential future entries can rectify that.
My biggest gripe with KH2 was how Sora seemed oblivious towards Kairi when they were finally reunited and he seemed more bothered about finding Riku. His hug with Kairi seemed contrived to me. Although Kairi was out of action for most of KH1, she played a key role as a princess of heart and the fact she saved Sora after turning into a heartless. With Riku saying take care of her at the door to Kingdom Hearts and them being separated, it made the original game for me and i still believe its the best in the series. I think the way she's been relegated to being a bit part character goes against her original standing in the series. Now she has a keyblade and she's back in the frame after 0.2, i hope that they can go someway to rectifying it.

I think Aqua is potentially the strongest keyblade wielder of light at present, with her surviving the dark world, being a master and holding Master Eraqus's keyblade. Also i think Ava is one of the most important foretellers in Kingdom Hearts X, so i'd like to think and hope progress is being made with the female characters in the series.
 
Likes: SonOfEtro

Ikkin

Warrior of Light
Oct 30, 2016
1,099
1,705
#11
I also beat the game on proud mode first time round and the final boss was a challenge to say the least!
Pre- or post-patch? Because it took me something like an hour and a half of yelling at the game for randomly stunlocking me to death in spite of Second Chance/Once More. XD; I fought nothing but the enemies who showed up directly in my path, but still...

Also the final boss theme definitely gave me strong FFXV vibes and it definitely wasn't something i would have expected from Yoko in a KH game:


It is definitely a grower and i look forward to her work in KH3!
Same here! It's kind of incredible that I don't hate it given how many times I heard it fighting that boss, but it's still one of those songs that I'll leave on for ten minutes if the video I'm using is one of those extended kind instead of saying "enough already" after 3-5 minutes. XD

There's something FFXV-like about 0.2 in general, though -- the tone felt similar to the tone in the back half of FFXV, at the very least.

I know there are quite a few mixed views around Dream Drop Distance, particularly around introducing time travel and its story. I haven't played the HD version yet, but back on the 3DS i really enjoyed it. I think the most memorable scenes come from Sora and i think his experiences in the world that never was (understanding Roxas's pain, realising he's not special because of the keyblade, but of those he's connected to and succumbing to darkness) ground his character in a way which i think never happened in KH2. I also enjoyed the last act fighting Xemnas, Ansem and Young Xehanort and i think the soundtrack is fantastic. Also characters from TWEWY being involved and the TWEWY soundtrack getting an update was a real highlight (My favourite DS game which i think definitely needs a sequel!).
My issue with it is that it doesn't feel like there's any information you couldn't have gotten from watching trailers/being familiar with the movies the worlds came from up until the final world, and getting there wasn't as fun as in KH2/BbS thanks to a lot of fights that felt cheap. >_>; The ending was definitely the highlight of the game, though. And the TWEWY characters, I guess. XD;

I'd rate KH1 the best in the series, with KH2 final mix in second and birth by sleep in third. After that i don't think DDD is too far behind and i think it definitely has its moments.
KHI's gameplay feels so archaic to me nowadays. XD; I really loved Birth by Sleep's command system, command styles, and the way that a fight could go from a quick wipe to a quick victory just by figuring out how to maintain momentum, so I'd probably put that one first. KHII is a close second (with Final Mix being better than stock KHII in every respect except for the ridiculously balanced mandatory Roxas fight), followed by 3D and then KHI. Gameplay-wise, I'd probably actually put Re:Coded above 3D, though 3D would still win overall because nothing happens in Coded. XD; 358/2 Days and Re:CoM end up at the back of the pack because I didn't like how either of them played, which is sort of unfortunate, because I like Re:CoM's story almost as much as BbS's (I just detest numerical cards, why) and I actually like the characters of 358/2 Days a lot when progression isn't conditioned on playing what felt an awful lot like a mediocre clone of KHI. (Making a movie out of 358/2 Days was the best thing that could have happened to it, IMO. =P )

I think Aqua is potentially the strongest keyblade wielder of light at present, with her surviving the dark world, being a master and holding Master Eraqus's keyblade. Also i think Ava is one of the most important foretellers in Kingdom Hearts X, so i'd like to think and hope progress is being made with the female characters in the series.
Aqua is awesome. <3

Back Cover's portrayal of the Foretellers kind of amused me, actually, because Ava is clearly the one who managed to keep the world from completely falling apart and Invi is the only other Foreteller who didn't do anything to make things worse. All of the guys let their paranoia/jealousy/desperation/secrecy get out of hand and essentially guaranteed the end of the world because of it.
 

Nova

Warrior of Light
Jul 14, 2015
1,773
2,595
#12
KH2FM > KH1FM >>>>>>>>> BBS > DDD (HD remaster might change) >>>>>>>>> the rest for me.

The amount of depth within 2FM's combat especially in a level 1 run, combined with the rest of the Final Mix exlusive content, easily has it sitting in my all-time favorite in both gameplay and franchise department.