REVIEW: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at its best
- Details
- Published on January 23, 2017 @ 02:00 pm
- Written by Joey
KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 FINAL CHAPTER PROLOGUE is the first game in the KINGDOM HEARTS series to launch on PlayStation 4 consoles, and also the first to showcase the new look of the games in Unreal Engine 4. Combining the 5 year old DREAM DROP DISTANCE with the brand new 0.2 BIRTH BY SLEEP -A FRAGMENTARY PASSAGE- and χ[chi] BACK COVER was a smart move as each feature story elements that tie directly into the highly anticipated KINGDOM HEARTS III.
I have always regarded the KINGDOM HEARTS series as having gorgeous graphics and stunning environments but nothing could prepare me for just how gorgeous the 2.8 collection really is.
In 2012, KINGDOM HEARTS DREAM DROP DISTANCE launched on Nintendo 3DS at 240p resolution and now, five years later, it has been re-released at 1080p with 60fps and it looks and feels incredible. The game has a slick UI, mostly clean textures, and the character models look fantastic.
The shining star of the collection is KINGDOM HEARTS 0.2 BIRTH BY SLEEP -A FRAGMENTARY PASSAGE-, which showcases the winning combination of the Osaka team and Unreal Engine 4. The prologue features cutting edge visuals with responsive gameplay however there are a few stuttering issues that occur during some gameplay moments, such as changing styles or Aqua putting the Keyblade away but hopefully these will be ironed out by the time KINGDOM HEARTS III launches.
KINGDOM HEARTS 2.8 also features arguably the best voice work in the series thus far, as the voice actors for 0.2 and χ BACK COVER give incredible performances. Willa Holland and Jason Dohring have improved tremendously since BIRTH BY SLEEP in 2010. All of the new voice actors in χ Back Cover also give excellent performers and it was Karissa Lee Staples’ portrayal of as Invi that ultimately won best voice actor for a Foreteller. Michael Johnston’s Ephemer was a delight to listen to in the short time he was on screen. Ultimately it’s Ray Chase who gives the best performance in the movie, as he sold the Master of Masters sarcastic nature through a humorous performance that was not only captivating but also entertaining.
The story of KINGDOM HEARTS DREAM DROP DISTANCE remains unchanged from it’s initial release. We follow Sora and Riku who, after the events of KINGDOM HEARTS RE:CODED, find themselves taking the Mark of Mastery exam. This involves Master Yen Sid sending Sora and Riku back in time to the Destiny Islands before the storm hits (and event that kickstarted the original KINGDOM HEARTS). As Sora and Riku progress further into the Realm of Sleep, they connect with new and old Disney characters and uncover the ultimate plan that Xehanort has been working towards this whole time.
The original release on 3DS featured a flashback feature where, after getting to certain points in the story, you are given the option of viewing additional material e.g. after escaping the Light Cycle course you can view a conversation that Flynn and Sam have before Riku came to The Grid. Unfortunately this feature is left in and it feels disruptive to the natural flow of the game. It worked on the 3DS as the game was originally designed for short bursts of gameplay and gamers weren’t expected to sit through 10+ minutes of cutscenes when playing in public. On the other hand it does work with breaking up the exposition heavy scenes that take place in Yen Sid’s Tower, as asking anyone to sit through all of that in one go is a lot to ask for since it’s a heavy monologue with little else going on.
In the end, DREAM DROP DISTANCE didn’t really need any additional story added to it, no matter how confusing some people find it. It does it’s job of showing what occurs moments before the start of KINGDOM HEARTS III, which is also expanded upon in the second entry in this collection, 0.2 BIRTH BY SLEEP -A FRAGMENTARY PASSAGE-.
“The great battle with Xehanort is almost upon us.”
It’s only fitting for these to be the first words of KINGDOM HEARTS 0.2 BIRTH BY SLEEP -A FRAGMENTARY PASSAGE-. As the prologue to the highly anticipated KINGDOM HEARTS III, 0.2 has a lot of expectations riding on it. Not only is it a sequel to BIRTH BY SLEEP, it is also a sequel to DREAM DROP DISTANCE, and a prequel to KINGDOM HEARTS and KINGDOM HEARTS III. Confusing, right? Thankfully, the story of 0.2 is anything but.
Mickey Mouse begins to recount the story of Aqua who, after saving Terra at the end of BIRTH BY SLEEP, finds herself wandering aimlessly through the Dark World where she happens upon Castle of Dreams. It’s here that Aqua, through a wonderfully delivered monologue, recites the real pain the Darkness can cause. It’s more than just the worlds that get destroyed. It’s the people, the animals, the memories, all of the beauty and everything that the denizens of the world take for granted that gets ripped away from the light. This showcases a new side to Aqua, who has previously been the moral compass of the Wayfinder trio and has a strong sense of duty. Now as she travels across the land, she is full of doubt and unease, with only the visions of Terra and Ventus keeping her going.
It’s in Enchanted Dominion that the story really begins to pick up, and the events that follow provide gorgeous visuals and the story starts to connect to the other games in the series. During this adventure, Aqua is joined by King Mickey who fills her in on what’s happened to the Realm of Light. Learning about the issues plaguing the Realm of Light, Aqua has a renewed sense of purpose and confidence in finding a way home.
In a game that features a realm full of despair and defeat, it’s inspiring that the story of Aqua ends on something unexpected - hope. In her closing monologue, Willa Holland delivers her best work as Aqua yet and it makes me a little sad that we only got to enjoy Aqua’s adventure for a few short hours.
What was unexpected though was the lengthy scene at the end of the credits. For a story that ends with a glimmer of hope, it’s only fitting for the reigns to be handed back to Sora, our cheerful protagonist. In what truly is an exciting cutscene, it is clear how KINGDOM HEARTS III will begin and thinking back it makes me a little sad that there’s still a bit of a wait before we can continue this journey.
In the lead up to 2.8’s release, many have looked to χ BACK COVER as an alternative to playing the mobile game KINGDOM HEARTS UNCHAINED χ. The movie does a superb job of introducing this new world, and each character’s personality is distinct and shines through thanks to excellent performances by the cast.
As this is part of the prologue to KINGDOM HEARTS III, χ BACK COVER does suffer from being more exposition heavy and hinting at future events rather than focusing on this tale from the past and finding the traitor among the Foretellers. The story jumps over the course of a year, with flashbacks laid throughout the movie to expand upon the connection between each Foreteller and the mysterious Master of Masters. Due to the time jump, many significant in-game events are glossed over and certain characters find themselves omitted from the story entirely.
By the climax of the film, it feels like the story is about to go somewhere however, instead of delivering on this, the film just ends, no doubt to entice the viewers to download the mobile app and get the rest of the story from there. It’s unfortunate that it ended like this as I found the story and characters extremely compelling and wouldn’t mind a KINGDOM HEARTS χ BACK COVER Part 2.
The gameplay for DREAM DROP DISTANCE has been radically changed from it’s origins on the 3DS. A lot of the touchscreen functions have been remapped to work with the Dual Shock 4, and as such the game feels more responsive and easy to control. One big improvement is the addition of an easy to use camera, which makes the battles a lot easy to control as they often get hectic with lots going on.
The command menu has been given an overhaul to support one screen. Three commands are now shown, as opposed to the original two, and you can use the left and right buttons on D-pad to change out Spirits or activate Link Commands. In BIRTH BY SLEEP, the use of the left button on the D-pad was a hot link to one command of your choosing for easy access which has now been remapped to L1.
Another change in the system are the Reality Shifts. Previously, you had to swipe down on the second 3DS screen to activate a Reality Shift. You would then use the touch screen to activate the command. This has been remapped to pressing Triange and Circle at the same time. Some of the activation screens have been radically changed or removed, such as the Faith Line shift no longer requiring you draw the lines between the points.
The Dream Eater menu has also been updated to accommodate the HD release. From the main menu you can choose to bond, change your party, create new Spirits, or go into the Ability Link section. In Bond, you press Square to activate a menu showing off all of the training toys you have. These mini-games were heavily reliant on the touch screen on the 3DS, however you can now use the touch pad on the Dual Shock 4 or the left analogue stick + X button to move a little hand. The same commands are used with petting the Dream Eaters, a useful action that can provide Link Points and Affection bonuses.
Flowmotion is relatively the same as it was in the original release. You can slide into a wall, pole, or Nightmare to activate it and unleash devastating attacks or increase traversal possibilities. Mixing up commands with Flowmotion allows Sora and Riku to take down Nightmares using the full power of their abilities, and it feels good when you get a good streak going. However, it’s easy to lose yourself in the moment and wind up paying for it. Like the original release, the camera is close to the protagonist which means the field of view is small and there can be a lot happening off the screen which can cause devastating results to those who aren’t paying attention or focusing on something else.
KINGDOM HEARTS 0.2 BIRTH BY SLEEP -A FRAGMENTARY PASSAGE- is a departure from all previous games in terms of gameplay. It fuses various elements such as DREAM DROP DISTANCE’s grind rails with BIRTH BY SLEEP's style commands and KINGDOM HEARTS II’s command menu into a combat Frankenstein. Thankfully it's a system that works.
There’s a lot of elements that can happen when battling Heartless in the Dark World, and each option is left up to the player to decide how they want to progress. Situation commands being an optional element to activate solved BIRTH BY SLEEP's problem of constantly changing styles, and with a lot more depth to this system, you can have a few commands stack up. It feels satisfying to tear the Heartless apart with Firaja, followed by Blizzaja, and with KINGDOM HEARTS III boasting even more magic and abilities, I’m so excited to see where the Osaka team will take things.
For a short prologue, there’s also a wealth of content. Between 51 objectives, a new game+ mode and post-game content, such as the Zodiac Treasure Hunt and the Lingering Memory collection, the three hours it takes to complete 0.2 can easily be stretched out to 5-8+ hours.
KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 FINAL CHAPTER PROLOGUE had one job - to establish the narrative leading into KINGDOM HEARTS III, and it succeeded. From the revelation of Xehanort’s true plan to what is essentially the very first cutscene of KINGDOM HEARTS III, the game is perfect for both long-time fans and the casual crowd who have been eager for KINGDOM HEARTS III for a long time. Outside of some minor gameplay issues, both DREAM DROP DISTANCE and 0.2 are a great deal of fun to play with hours upon hours of entertainment, and χ BACK COVER is a delightful watch despite some missteps in it’s ending.
Disclaimer: KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 FINAL CHAPTER PROLOGUE was reviewed with a digital code supplied by the publisher.
COMMENTS
Re: Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
Great review, but I have a point of contention.
In 3DDD, you do have the option of activating Reality Shifts with the buttons. It's the same mapping, X+A.
Actually, I completely forgot that you could activate them with the touch screen...
Re: Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
"hey i have the game already. feel bad now! mwhahahahh"
Just kidding. Very nice review which makes me even more hyped!!
Re: Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
Fantastic review Chaser, though I personally feel that Kevin Quinn as Master Gula was the most entertaining Forteller. His apathetic attitude really sold me on his character, and out of all the Fortellers, he's the most interactive of the bunch.
Re: Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
i agree chaser with back cover i though the scene with ephemera meets luxu in the clocktowers would be in the movie and also the ending was to soon byt overal very nice review
Re: Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
Great review, but I have a point of contention.
In 3DDD, you do have the option of activating Reality Shifts with the buttons. It's the same mapping, X+A.
Actually, I completely forgot that you could activate them with the touch screen...
That is actually very interesting, I had no idea you could use the buttons in the original release.
Re: Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
JUST BOUGHT MY COPY <3333
Gonna write my opinion about BBS0.2 here too <33
Re: Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
JUST BOUGHT MY COPY <3333
Gonna write my opinion about BBS0.2 here too <33
What do you mean "bought your copy"?
It shouldn't be available until tomorrow??? 0_o
So a Kaiserschmarrn...;P
Re: Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
What do you mean "bought your copy"?
It shouldn't be available until tomorrow??? 0_o
So a Kaiserschmarrn...;P
The game actually broke street date in Germany like a week ago.
Re: Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
What do you mean "bought your copy"?
It shouldn't be available until tomorrow??? 0_o
So a Kaiserschmarrn...;P
It's been out in real- for weeks. xDD
BUT as I live in Austria, we don't have that
so I went to Saturn and asked the NICEST HUMAN EVER (lol) if they already have the game (just to get the convo starting), he said "yeah, I can actually givt it to you, but only this time ;)) LOL
SO <333
lol at kaiserschmarrn xD
Re: Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
The game actually broke street date in Germany like a week ago.
Last time I checked a store (I think it was last Wednesday) for something else there wasn't any 2.8 in the shelves!?
It also doesn't really help when you have preordered, lol.
It's been out in real- for weeks. xDD
BUT as I live in Austria, we don't have that
so I went to Saturn and asked the NICEST HUMAN EVER (lol) if they already have the game (just to get the convo starting), he said "yeah, I can actually givt it to you, but only this time ;)) LOL
SO <333
lol at kaiserschmarrn xD
Didn't see it as stated above, and I was also at a Saturn, lol.
Nonetheless doesn't help since as said I preordered.
Also doesn't really annoy me much since I still need to finish BBS. ;P
It's something tasty and it's Austrian, so it fits.
Re: Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
Great review, Chaser!
Great review, but I have a point of contention.
In 3DDD, you do have the option of activating Reality Shifts with the buttons. It's the same mapping, X+A.
Actually, I completely forgot that you could activate them with the touch screen...
Fantastic review Chaser, though I personally feel that Kevin Quinn as Master Gula was the most entertaining Forteller. His apathetic attitude really sold me on his character, and out of all the Fortellers, he's the most interactive of the bunch.
Travis Willingham as Aced also did a great job, especially in the funny bits. His reactions were hilarious. XD
Re: Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
Travis Willingham as Aced also did a great job, especially in the funny bits. His reactions were hilarious. XD
ACTUALLY I personally couldn't stand Travis as Aced because of the Troy Baker effect.
Nothing against Travis, it's just that during the end of 2016 I binge-played Telltale's Batman so every time Aced went on a monologue I felt like I was watching Harvey Dent in a mask and it really broke my immersion. It's why I love the relatively new voice actors, I have nothing else to compare them to so I could believe they were those people instead of someone else.
If Travis did it like Ray Chase who, despite me spending a week playing FFXV non-stop so I was familiar with his voice, invited me into his role as the Master of Masters and sold it to me as a completely new person instead of just hearing Noctis speak then I would have been pleased but unfortunately I was let down.
Re: Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
ACTUALLY I personally couldn't stand Travis as Aced because of the Troy Baker effect.
Nothing against Travis, it's just that during the end of 2016 I binge-played Telltale's Batman so every time Aced went on a monologue I felt like I was watching Harvey Dent in a mask and it really broke my immersion. It's why I love the relatively new voice actors, I have nothing else to compare them to so I could believe they were those people instead of something.
If Travis did it like Ray Chase who, despite me spending a week playing FFXV non-stop so I was familiar with his voice, invited me into his role as the Master of Masters and sold it to me as a completely new person instead of just hearing Noctis speak.
Re: Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
I love Kaiserschmarrn.
I think the game was available at real since like the 15th or so, but I really wanted the LE so i preordered it at gamestop instead. Hope it'll be here soon, can't wait.
Re: Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
This was beautifully written Chaser; including with the images and videos. Extremely informative about the changes and pros/cons.
Re: Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
Fantastic review though did you get to test out the new dream eaters they added? Do they have any new link attacks or limits compared to the old ones or just copy n' paste from a bunch of different dream eaters.
I am sooooo stoked for 2.8 though I don't actually think BC abruptly ends to tease the mobile game. I think it ends to tease KH3, I don't actually expect season 2 of Chi to answer any questions about the traitor or the box or the MoM or really anything. It just makes a lot more sense to be a sort of self contained tale about the Dandelions that people don't need to know, but can still enjoy experiencing it (like Rogue One). Because BC does tell us about the dandelions and introduce Ephemera of the Dandelions, so if they suddenly popped up in KH3 people wouldn't be terribly lost so long as they watched BC.
The voice acting is pretty fantastic in 2.8 though I feel like everyone is at their best in this game....except Mickey cause while the Mickey VA has gotten better he is still far and away inferior to Wayne.
Re: Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
the box will be in kh3 nomura already said somebody will be looking for it as for the dandlions i think the five people nomura meation that we will learn aboyt in in season 2/rebirth will be in kh3 as well
Re: Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
Fantastic review though did you get to test out the new dream eaters they added? Do they have any new link attacks or limits compared to the old ones or just copy n' paste from a bunch of different dream eaters.
I actually got Catanuki today. Doesn't have anything new with it, but I do like that it turns invisible in battle.
I am sooooo stoked for 2.8 though I don't actually think BC abruptly ends to tease the mobile game. I think it ends to tease KH3 |
Except it does. Back Cover ending spoilers: Back Cover ends with Gula revealing that he will defy the Master and summon Kingdom Hearts in order to discover the traitor. It's an event that has only occurred in the PC version of X however it will happen in UX whenever they get to that point in the story
Re: Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
Fantastic review though did you get to test out the new dream eaters they added? Do they have any new link attacks or limits compared to the old ones or just copy n' paste from a bunch of different dream eaters.
That said, it's the best Link in the entire game so it's all good.
Re: Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
Wait if Catanuki turns invisible does that mean it gives the vanish command? I hope so because getting vanish is kind of obnoxious it's found only on Ghostablocky and it was on a hidden disposition path no less....
I mean while we don't really see the fighting bit we did see the stuff that happened with the war, just not in BC it happens in 0.2 you see kingdom hearts, the fresh keyblade graveyard, and Luxu watching the whole thing it doesn't take much to understand what happened especially since DDD gave us a nice recap courtesy of MX. The fight itself doesn't tell us anything anyway, we've seen the fight and we didn't really learn anything from seeing it...it was just cool to experience was all. The only thing truly not resolved was the box, traitor, and dandelions but I figure the big reveals will come in KH3/post-KH3 in regards to all that.
Aww only Yuagari Penguin has a new link? Well I suppose one is better than none but still a bit of a bummer.
Re: Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
I actually got Catanuki today. Doesn't have anything new with it, but I do like that it turns invisible in battle.
Except it does. Back Cover ending spoilers: Back Cover ends with Gula revealing that he will defy the Master and summon Kingdom Hearts in order to discover the traitor. It's an event that has only occurred in the PC version of X however it will happen in UX whenever they get to that point in the story
Uh, actually...I'm wondering a little with this as
I don't remember Gula wanting to summon KH ever being addressed in Browser-Chi at all, nor is the fact that he started the whole "collecting lux only for himself/themselves" greedy variant which aggravates the situation even further. In fact, Back Cover doesn't even go beyond the Ava addressing the Dandelions scene timeline-wise as it ends with Aced and Ira being more or less "reconciled" and almost all suspicion and anger directed towards Gula for witholding information while in the last three or so Browser-Chi updates those two were depicted as utter enemies of each other while Gula was more or less so broken and had given in to hopelessness that he willingly shared classified information with Skuld.
EDIT:
I am sooooo stoked for 2.8 though I don't actually think BC abruptly ends to tease the mobile game. I think it ends to tease KH3, I don't actually expect season 2 of Chi to answer any questions about the traitor or the box or the MoM or really anything. It just makes a lot more sense to be a sort of self contained tale about the Dandelions that people don't need to know, but can still enjoy experiencing it (like Rogue One). Because BC does tell us about the dandelions and introduce Ephemera of the Dandelions, so if they suddenly popped up in KH3 people wouldn't be terribly lost so long as they watched BC.
Hirokey you actually got this backwards according to the latest Famitsu interview with Nomura.
X Back Cover is the Rogue One-esque work which fleshes out the Foretellers as persons and introduces this mysterious box which will play a role in KH 3 (just like the Death Star plans play a role in A New Hope) while the mobile game Unchained X is the more important one lore-wise:
Now, it should be noted that's [KHxBC] is a story about the Foretellers and the events that occurred behind the scenes, so for parts of the story which are important and connected to the main story, including the Keyblade War, I have separated the story telling of that into [KHx] and [KHUx], which can only be experienced by playing them.
Re: Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
I don't remember Gula wanting to summon KH ever being addressed in Browser-Chi at all, nor is the fact that he started the whole "collecting lux only for himself/themselves" greedy variant which aggravates the situation even further. In fact, Back Cover doesn't even go beyond the Ava addressing the Dandelions scene timeline-wise as it ends with Aced and Ira being more or less "reconciled" and almost all suspicion and anger directed towards Gula for witholding information while in the last three or so Browser-Chi updates those two were depicted as utter enemies of each other while Gula was more or less so broken and had given in to hopelessness that he willingly shared classified information with Skuld.
Gula seemed resigned in χ[chi], but with the context of BC, it seems that he's just naturally distant and apathetic. To a guy like him, divulging the contents of the Lost Page at that time seems inconsequential; there's no changing what was written. I believe he even says as much.
Re: Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
See Sephiroth you and I read that line differently.
I see it as him saying stuff like the keyblade war is an important event to the KH story, which it is, but we don't need to experience the keyblade war to understand it. We've got the ending and most of the details to the war all we were missing was the spark that aggravated and changed things, and that's what BC gave us. BC doesn't let us experience the events like that war, but the experience in unnecessary to understanding the story, it's just fun to be a part of it. That's why I compare it to Rogue One, we never needed to see that tale but getting the plans for the Death Star was still of vital importance to the Star Wars story as a whole. BC works as a stand alone tale, you can watch BC and you get pretty much everything important. Like how the only thing the Nightmare Chirithy Dream Eater really added to the tale was to aggravate trust between the foretellers/union. Was there was story to the Nightmare Chirithy? Yes and that is what Browser Chi's story was ultimately about, solving the mystery of the nightmare chirithy that helped cause and spread distrust. But BC not personally addressing and resolving that plot point is irrelevant to understanding the greater story being told.
We already know how the keyblade war ends, we already knew going on that it became a fight over kingdom hearts and the X-blade, we already know the keyblades were forged to help obtain kingdom hearts, we already know the fighting breaks out over greed over light, etc...
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[spoiler]BC gives us the rest we need to know by showing us the leaders of the faceless masses that instigated all this. We know who forged the first keyblades and while the foretellers don't know what they are for, we as players have the hindsight of the future to tell us that. We know the light spoken of in legend was actually a force of light called Lux. We know the forces that fought the keyblade wars are unions lead by these foretellers. We know Gula is going to summon kingdom hearts and from there it's not really a secret how things will spiral off from there. We know Luxu is the only one who will live past the keyblade war. And we know now why and how Master Xehanort got his hands on that keyblade, KH3 will explain the full ramifications of that in the future.[/spoiler]
Re: Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
Much respect for Chaser and great job writing the review! I do think the Dream Drop Distance review comes off as heavily weighted in favor of low expectations to me. If we're working from the premise that 2.8 can welcome new players into the franchise (presumably this review is intended to reach them?), it's kind of misleading to undersell just how much of a narrative reach DDD represents by arguing that it's just another prologue to KH3 as if that excuses the shoddy execution of its set-up.
Based on this review, Back Cover sounds like an immense waste of time and nearly the inverse of Dream Drop Distance, where the quality of its presentation is commendable but it's short on its commitment to furthering the story. What's the point of Back Cover if not to cover the entirety of X's mythology? The idea that we should look forward to a sequel to Back Cover is laughable, and the notion that it might just be an extended advertisement for the mobile game it was supposed to offer respite from for those players who don't have access or interest is insulting. Again, that's just what I got out of the review-- I'll watch it for myself before reaching any conclusions.
0.2 sounds like the only real case to be made for this collection, but even as a hardcore fan the idea of spending $60 on an 8 hour demo gives me pause. I guess it's fortunate my brother pre-ordered the game for me as a belated Christmas gift. I do look forward to reuniting with Aqua, and I'm glad the review positively highlighted Willa's performance.
Still, reading between the lines, this review doesn't really strike me as a recommendation of 2.8 as the KH series at its best.
Re: Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
Great review! What is the lingering memory collection?
Re: Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
Gula's resolution at the end of Back Cover gives me pretty much all the context I needed for why the Unions began to clash at the end of browse χ[chi]. He begins collecting large amounts of Lux, which prompts the others to do the same. Naturally, the wielders under them take this as competition, tensions rise, and as the War becomes inevitable, the Foretellers have to decide how they will carry themselves into that war. While Ira and Aced may have been on good terms at the end of BC, Aced's invigorated pursuit of power to win the War and lead the new world has Ira opposing him, believing Aced has become consumed with that lust for strength.
Gula seemed resigned in χ[chi], but with the context of BC, it seems that he's just naturally distant and apathetic. To a guy like him, divulging the contents of the Lost Page at that time seems inconsequential; there's no changing what was written. I believe he even says as much.
Don't you need to put all that in spoiler tags?
Indeed Gula's "resolution" gives the context for the next step of escalation, but it doesn't change the fact that X Back Cover ends very abruptly and omits everything after Ava's speech to the Dandelions and thus yet again paints an incomplete picture.
I admit though that the explanation for Aced's and Ira's later renewed "falling out" makes sense, especially when looking at it in tandem with the accusations Aced throws out on the Fountain Plaza in one of the later Browser-Chi Updates.
It's not like there's "no changing what was written" but that Gula not only failed to fulfill his task by chasing after wrong clues, but also didn't really understand fully what actually WAS written in the Lost Page since its so ambigious to begin with. That's what he says as well.
See Sephiroth you and I read that line differently.
I see it as him saying stuff like the keyblade war is an important event to the KH story, which it is, but we don't need to experience the keyblade war to understand it. We've got the ending and most of the details to the war all we were missing was the spark that aggravated and changed things, and that's what BC gave us. BC doesn't let us experience the events like that war, but the experience in unnecessary to understanding the story, it's just fun to be a part of it. That's why I compare it to Rogue One, we never needed to see that tale but getting the plans for the Death Star was still of vital importance to the Star Wars story as a whole. BC works as a stand alone tale, you can watch BC and you get pretty much everything important. Like how the only thing the Nightmare Chirithy Dream Eater really added to the tale was to aggravate trust between the foretellers/union. Was there was story to the Nightmare Chirithy? Yes and that is what Browser Chi's story was ultimately about, solving the mystery of the nightmare chirithy that helped cause and spread distrust. But BC not personally addressing and resolving that plot point is irrelevant to understanding the greater story being told.
We already know how the keyblade war ends, we already knew going on that it became a fight over kingdom hearts and the X-blade, we already know the keyblades were forged to help obtain kingdom hearts, we already know the fighting breaks out over greed over light, etc...
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[spoiler]BC gives us the rest we need to know by showing us the leaders of the faceless masses that instigated all this. We know who forged the first keyblades and while the foretellers don't know what they are for, we as players have the hindsight of the future to tell us that. We know the light spoken of in legend was actually a force of light called Lux. We know the forces that fought the keyblade wars are unions lead by these foretellers. We know Gula is going to summon kingdom hearts and from there it's not really a secret how things will spiral off from there. We know Luxu is the only one who will live past the keyblade war. And we know now why and how Master Xehanort got his hands on that keyblade, KH3 will explain the full ramifications of that in the future.[/spoiler]
I get the vive that this seems to be a rule when we interpret things, lol.
I'm not even so much focusing on the part regarding the actual Keyblade War event itself (although the actual fate of the Foretellers is still up in the air), as it is indeed irrelevant in the bigger scheme of things, but on the part of "connections to the main story" which obviously refers to Unchained "Season 2" and issues like both Maleficent and Ventus playing a role in these unfolding events.
Those are certainly going to be more important for KH III as they will most likely form the more direct connection with it while 90% of Back Cover don't really fit that part since the only really important bits are the stuff about Luxu, his Keyblade and the ominuous box.
Re: REVIEW: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
Okay, I just looked up who the voice actors are, and I can't believe my eyes that Ray Chase is the Master of Masters! Ever since he played Noctis he's become one of my favs! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!! XD
Re: REVIEW: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
Ray Chase as the Master of Masters is among the greatest KH performances in quality and effect; right up there with Billy Zane and Leonard Nimoy
Re: REVIEW: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!!!!!
Re: REVIEW: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
So should we expect a day 1 patch when this game comes out officially? My Internet connection is kinda spotty at the moment, and I just want to enjoy this game.
Re: REVIEW: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
There is a patch, yup.
Re: REVIEW: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
Have the collection since Friday and I have finished only 0.2 and back over. I've finished DDD on 3DS so only the graphics will be something new to me. So, first things first I found 0.2 good on voice acting, graphics and especially gameplay. God, I'm loving the gameplay system but I was kinda pissed because I expected a little more story wise. The scenario started going up in that famous [spoiler]terra/xehanort[/spoiler] scene and that was about 30 mins before the game ends. I liked the secred moviebut expected more since it was something that we unofficially already knew from the past KHIII trailers.
Back over was a little unfinished or should i say rushed? The VAs were doing a great job and I will give them that, BUT the story really felt apart because it wanted to be something great and in the end it left me with a "?" on my head. I just don't know what's going on with this plot anymore. Too many plotlines and plot holes left for KHIII and I'm starting to getting scared.
In general I can say I'm loving the collection until now. I will do a critical playthrought on 0.2 to do all objectives and then move to DDD HD so I have some things to do. But expected a little more from these two new additions. I would give the collection an 8/10.
Re: Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
Wait if Catanuki turns invisible does that mean it gives the vanish command? I hope so because getting vanish is kind of obnoxious it's found only on Ghostablocky and it was on a hidden disposition path no less....
Sorry, meant to reply to this yesterday. Yes, Catanuki gives the Vanish command.
Re: REVIEW: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
Ray Chase as the Master of Masters is among the greatest KH performances in quality and effect; right up there with Billy Zane and Leonard Nimoy
This is the truth and absolutely nothing but the truth. This guy. I don't think this series has ever had a more watchable character than the Master of Masters and it's Chase who sells it 100%.
Re: REVIEW: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
Back over was a little unfinished or should i say rushed? The VAs were doing a great job and I will give them that, BUT the story really felt apart because it wanted to be something great and in the end it left me with a "?" on my head. I just don't know what's going on with this plot anymore. Too many plotlines and plot holes left for KHIII and I'm starting to getting scared.
Back Cover is basically two main things:
1. to give more insight and personality/humanity to the Foretellers, which it arguably is very successful at.
and 2. to be a big tease for both the further development in X Unchained and in KH III, which it does more or less painfully straight.
It does come over as a tad rushed though, possibly mostly because Back Cover doesn't even cover the whole timeline of the original Browser-Chi, essentially ending the actual story at Lady Ava's speech to the Dandelions and omitting all further story updates following afterwards, not showing the side of the Foretellers in this remaining period and thus conveniently also omitting one of the few instances where Skuld had contact with the Foretellers, leading to her being completely omitted from the movie.
Re: REVIEW: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
This is the truth and absolutely nothing but the truth. This guy. I don't think this series has ever had a more watchable character than the Master of Masters and it's Chase who sells it 100%.
Re: REVIEW: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
BBS V2 was so fucking awesome, it actually made me real happy and thankful that they brought back the old spell system which I really disagreed with before but now I've little doubt that KH III will indeed be the greatest game in the series thus far.
Also, I read that Master of Masters will not appear or at least be revealed in KHIII, is this confirmed?
I most have missed that or it was taken out as a spoiler in the recent interview that you haven't released fully yet, looking forward to it though :).
Re: REVIEW: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
^
| - The Master appears to be quite the important character, will we find out the reason for his disappearance in [KHIII]? Nomura : Some of the story developments from [KHxBC] will be touched upon in some way or shape in [KHIII], but the Master won’t make an appearance. As for his “surprise†on the other hand... |
From this interview: http://forums.khinsider.com/kingdom-hearts-hd-2-8-final-chapter-prologue/213100-spoilers-famitsu-showcases-kingdom-hearts-hd-2-8-nomura-interview-released.html
Back Cover was a huge waste of time.
Back Cover was a huge waste of time.
You can understand the subtext in this Kingdom Hearts 3 scene now, you learn the origins behind Master Xehanort's Keyblade, you learn how Xehanort might be able to have perfect plans due to the Keyblade giving him foresight into the future, and for people who play X it gives a unique look into the otherside of some events, such as the big Foreteller fight. Plus the performances by the characters was beyond anything given to us before which made it a really entertaining watch imo, so even though I was let down by how it just ends with no proper resolution, I can't really agree in calling it a huge waste of time.
Re: REVIEW: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
Back Cover is basically two main things:
1. to give more insight and personality/humanity to the Foretellers, which it arguably is very successful at.
and 2. to be a big tease for both the further development in X Unchained and in KH III, which it does more or less painfully straight.
It does come over as a tad rushed though, possibly mostly because Back Cover doesn't even cover the whole timeline of the original Browser-Chi, essentially ending the actual story at Lady Ava's speech to the Dandelions and omitting all further story updates following afterwards, not showing the side of the Foretellers in this remaining period and thus conveniently also omitting one of the few instances where Skuld had contact with the Foretellers, leading to her being completely omitted from the movie.
Maybe back cover have been a episodic thing rather than a full lenght movie when they were deciding what to do with it? Would explain the chapter nomenclature that appears on objects.
Let me clarify my statements. There was some decent stuff. I liked the portrayal of the Foretellers, MoM, Luxu and I always wondered what Chirithy sounded like. And there definitely was some cool foreshadowing that took place.
But that's it. The movie was sold as an indeph look at X[chi]'s mythology and this movie didn't give me anything. No reveal of the traitor, no Skuld, clunky story telling, and an abrupt ending. And the movie on it's own really isn't all that good. As much as people like to sh#t on the Days and Coded movie, those were way better than what BC brought to the table.
Waste of time. And I'm person whose relatively easy to satisfy when it comes to KH content but not with BC. Now I finished 0.2 bout a couple of hours ago and oh man was that awesome.
Re: REVIEW: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is Kingdom Hearts at it's best
^
From this interview: http://forums.khinsider.com/kingdom-hearts-hd-2-8-final-chapter-prologue/213100-spoilers-famitsu-showcases-kingdom-hearts-hd-2-8-nomura-interview-released.html
Thanks :)
[SPOILER]That almost lead me to believe that he will play a major role in KH IV, perhaps as the main antogonist.
I'll be honest and say he got me kinda confused whether he's actually a bad guy or not but I can see him have similar goals as the antagonist from Psycho-Pass (S01) for anyone who have seen that show[/SPOILER]
Btw, it's kinda funny how I agree with the post above mine about Back Cover (except I still felt rather content with the movie) and still find it to be miles better than Kingsglaive lol, at least this movie had some great characters and the ending actually made me excited for KH III, Kingsglaive made me question my life choices, like what tha diddly have I spent so much time hyping about? Meh, the early trailers were kinda worth getting hyped for I suppose lol.
OathkeeperRoxas XIII
January 23, 2017 @ 02:18 pmOffline