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How would you rank the Kingdom Hearts games?( Favourite - least favourite)



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Vulpes XIII

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With there being so many Kingdom Hearts games I was curious what everyone’s favourites and least favourites game are and why? For me it would be these games:

1) Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix- I like nearly everything about this game apart from a few things such as the Hot Rods heartless, Dancer Nobodies and Data Demyx ( I hate that beat 99 water clones in 10 seconds part, Demyx is still a good character though.)

2). Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories - I think the card system is actually a lot of fun and I enjoy trying to come up with the best deck set up for each boss, I really enjoy Sora’s story and Riku’s story is ok. Also I think its probably one of the better written Kingdom Hearts stories and it introduces my favourite characters as well, In my opinion this game is underrated and doesn’t deserve as much hate as it gets. The Gameboy Advance version is difficult but still fun.

3) Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days - The moment I found out there a game where you play as a Organization member and get to team up with the rest of Organization XIII on missions I knew I was going to like this game. I really like watching the interactions between the Days trio and they soon became my favourite trio, Roxas and Xion are some of my favourite characters and I like Axel too just not as much. This was definitely one of the more emotional Kingdom Hearts games in my opinion and I enjoyed seeing how the Days trio developed as characters. The boss fight against Xion was definitely an emotional one, between the build up of there friendship throughout the game and Vector to the Heavens playing in the background it was one of the few times in video games where I didn’t want to fight the final boss. Also the multiplayer is actually a lot of fun in my opinion.

4) Kingdom Hearts 3 - I actually liked this game, it did have it faults but overall it was still enjoyable, I enjoyed the story for the most part I’m personally not a fan of the ending Xehanort got, however I did enjoy the fights in the Keyblade Graveyard and I was glad to see the Days trio reunite and see some of my favourite characters again and given how their stories ended it looks like their probably going to make an appearance in future games which I’m happy about.

5) Kingdom Hearts DDD - Don’t really have much to say about this game enjoyed the combat and the story despite the retcons it caused in the series lore, plus I enjoy the stuff with the Dream Eaters reminded me of Pokémon.

6) Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory - I love the music in the KH series so having a game based around it’s music was fun for me. Although there being barely any story and Kairi getting no character development was annoying. However in this case the good parts of the game outweighs the bad for me.

7) Kingdom Hearts Final Mix - Good at the time however it did not age well and the controls aren’t that great despite it being a Final Mix version.

8) Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep - I just couldn’t enjoy this game didn’t like the controls or any of the characters except Vanitas and I got bored playing it, the only reason it’s not lower is it did some stuff better than the others games.

9) Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep A Fragmentry Passage - Controls were good but it still has the same problems as above, it’s lower than Birth by Sleep because it was really short and it was more of a demo with plot than a game in my opinion.

10) Kingdom Hearts Union X - Really enjoy the main story but not the Disney ones and I dislike it‘s a mobile game.

11) Kingdom Hearts Coded- Played several worlds and it felt too repetitive, got bored playing it and decided to YouTube the cutscenes.

12) Kingdom Hearts Dark Road - Not enjoying it so far but it’s still to soon to judge the story in my opinion.

13) Kingdom Hearts Back Cover - Although we get plot it still just a movie not a game.

What does everyone else’s list look like?
 
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Grey Skies

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I'll only list the ones I've personally played.

1. 358/2 Days
I find this one has the richest story. I like the story so much that I can forgive the gameplay and controls not being as good as most KH games. Plus I do like the gameplay in the end. I like the panel system, especially because of the weapons and accessories. I really like how each weapon has its own attack combo, and how each accessory can give drastic effects.

I also find the technical limitations of a 3D game on the DS to be charming. I wish the character models were better animated in cutscenes, but it's really cool to see these characters and worlds in lo-fi. I also love the lo-fi music in this game. The instrument samples are mostly around 32KHz and they use short samples with one velocity layer and very few pitch layers. I'm a sucker for lo-fi samples, especially since most of these songs were originally much higher fidelity on the PS2.

2. KH1
The combat of KH1 is my favorite in the series. The combat is slow-paced and deep. It just feels so good. Every combo feels important, and the special attacks feel incredible. The platforming is very welcome. The exploration is very good. The level design is mostly excellent. I love the story, the music, and I think it may well have the best-designed graphics in the series. The changes from the Final Mix and the remaster are also very welcome.

3. Chain of Memories
This game has a lot going for it. Gameplay like nothing else, excellent story, excellent ultra-lo-fi music, gorgeous pixel art.

4. Re:Coded
I overall find this game very fun and pleasant. It's kind of a breath of fresh air. I really like the combat system, the platforming, and the exploration. After so many heavy KH games, I'm glad a light-hearted one was made. I really like the music and the graphics for similar reasons to 358/2 Days.

5. Birth by Sleep
I think the gameplay is mostly very good. I think the combat is great, and the platforming and exploration are welcome. The music is great, the graphics are quite pretty. Not a huge fan of the story, but I also don't hate it. I find many of the bosses are very fun. Some bosses are frustrating, but there are such a large amount of combat options available that a viable strategy can usually be found. Except in the secret bosses. Those bosses are horribly designed.

6. KH2
I mostly don't like the story or the level design. The lack of exploration and platforming really irks me and I can't excuse it. The combat is an acquired taste for me. I think most of the boss fights are excellent and the music is fantastic. It has some very frustrating enemies, leveling up forms is a huge pain in the ass, and the lack of dodge roll is baffling. I know the Final Mix version adds a lot, including dodge roll, but after playing through the base game four or five times, I'm all KH2'ed out and can't be bothered to subject myself to another playthrough for a while, even though my last full playthrough was like 7 or 8 years ago on the PS2.

7. 358/2 Days (remastered cutscenes)
It isn't playable, but the cutscenes are good. It is very well animated and the voice acting is very good.

8. Re:Chain of Memories
Dear god, what did they do to my precious CoM? Not being able to see the entire combat field is a huge problem and I just can't bring myself to play through this whole game regardless of how good the story is. I think the redone music is extremely good, and the cutscenes are great.

9. Re:Coded (remastered cutscenes)
The story in Re:Coded is not the reason I like it so much. It's the gameplay that I love. If this were fully playable, I'd rank it much higher.

10. Chi/Dark Road
I tried it for 5 minutes and stopped because I hate the gameplay that much. If I hate the gameplay of a video game, it doesn't matter how good the story is because I won't be able to stomach playing it.
 

cakito123

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1) Kh3 ReMind
As much as I think KH2 almost surpasses this one, I really like all enemies, worlds and new abilities and ideas. It just feels right to play as sora and hack and slash enemies with some magic and cool moves. I don't love the story in this one but I like it enough to love the gsme anyways

2) KH2 FINAL MIX
My first Kh game ever, there is a lot of nostalgia factor on my choice but I really think Kh2 nails every aspect I like in a KH game - incentive to battle! Coliseums, Data Battles, amazing one off bosses (better thsnk KH3's) and a really epic story when it tries and deliver drama through player actions.

3) KH ReCoded
Coded is not a game focused around story, but around gameplay. I remember first playing it and feeling amazed at how much I could customize the game to my own will to have fun. The level up system is SO GOOD in this one with the chips and I remember going to play ReCoded just to mess and play around with a Kh universe and having a blast like no other game did.

4) KH DDD
I'm a terrible player when it comes to finding treasures and other stuff at a map - so when I played the game I didnt had Ballonra ever and the game was really well balanced and fun cuz of that. I love the enemies, love the bosses and all their patterns, the story is a mysterious mess but they execute its audiovisual storytelling really greatly loke always. I fondly remember the Pelican Nightma boss in the end of the game, that's probably my favorite creature-boss in the franchise.

5) KH BBS
Playing as three characters meant I would have to Re-Level up my second and third character again and I remember that thought being a real pain. But whenever I play again I remember growing in me the feeling of following through different stories and unfolding a new piece from the tale. BBS's was the first Deck Systemed game and the gameplay was also great. I still don't know If I prefer BBS's way or DDD's of handling them... I liked all DDD's abilities butI think the synthezis function in BBS is far superior. Its clear to me BBS's story is the most interesting to follow in the franchise. It has a great pace following those stories and they can even make some disney worlds important for the characters.

6) KH 358/2 Days
I really like this game for the story and characters but I remember feeling really bored when playing so its in the bottom. The organization wouldnt really participate jn Disney 's plot and I was really itching for SDG's method of meddling since it was a lot more fun.
I remember this game had a lot of giant battles tho. That was cool.

7) KH1 Final mix
Kh1 was the only game I didnt play as a child/teenager. When I did play in 1.5 ReMiX, I felt really disappointed because the camera SUCKS, I'm bad at EXPLORING in general so the level design wasnt really friendly or straightforward to me - I see a lot of value on how battles are slower and feels deeper tho.

8) KH CoM
This game has the best scenes from the Organization period.
However the gameplay focus too much in numbers and math. CANNOT COMPUTE.
 
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Launchpad

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KH1FM = KH1 > KH2FM > KH3RM > KH3 = KH2 > 0.2 > CoM > Re:Coded > DDD > BBS > Days > Gachacrap

Nowadays, I'm really all about the challenges that the postgame can provide, and 2FM/3RM provide that amazingly. While 3RM's postgame content is head and shoulders above 2FM's, it's still... tricky. 2FM feels remarkably more polished than 3RM and Sora's tools seem much more thoughtfully designed and animated. It's a smoother experience and feels pitch perfect most of the time. That, coupled with the fact that KH2 introduces way more interesting things than KH3 does, storywise, and it slightly puts 2FM ahead of 3RM. Despite the fact that at least as of now, I'd rather load up KH3 and fight the incredibly superior data battles.

Not that any of that matters baby because KH1 is still the most competent package to this DAY!! It still has it all!! It has the story! It has set ups, pay off, interesting level design, and the most banger original worlds ever. 2006 babies are so nostalgic over Twilight Town when Traverse Town actually outclasses it in every single way, it's at once cozy and a bit mysterious, dangerous even. Hollow Bastion, enough said, and End of the World is still the most visually striking endgame world of the series. Combat and movement are also not too shabby, in truth, establishing a lot of strong concepts.

Enemy animation in KH1 was insane, at the time. No other game had enemies that emoted, telegraphed, and staggered with such fine detail and personality. Also, air combos. They didn't exist in 3D action games until KH1 created them. Also, we're STILL using the command menu! It's still the ultimate. God. They really snapped in 2002 and people who call it clunky are actually bad
 

The_Echo

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1. Kingdom Hearts II FINAL MIX = Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind
Breaking this tie is gonna require some more playthroughs of both.
While I think KHIIFM has the best overall package experience, KHIII improved so much in the gameplay department, and I do believe that Limit Cut is superior to KHII's Data Org. In terms of narrative, I might prefer KHII, but neither of them are particularly strong in my opinion. I'm very much a gameplay-first sort of person, so these two fight for the top on that merit. The bosses are always the highlight of KH for me, and these games are where boss design is at its peak.

2. Kingdom Hearts Re:coded
This is going to get me some attention, I'm sure. Again, I'm very gameplay-oriented, and Re:coded's gameplay is just good, dude. Far too many people skip straight past this game without giving it a fair shake. This is the Command Deck at its best, with fluid animations that flow neatly into and out of standard combos, balanced damage and the creative Clock Gauge keeping combat dynamic yet still in your control, and allowing all Keyblades to remain relevant throughout the game. The Stat Matrix is a straight upgrade from Days' Panel system, allowing for a level of customization (combined with Cheat Tuners) not possible in any other KH game. All this on top of a pretty healthy postgame makes for a really satisfying, pure-fun experience from start to finish.
The story gets a lot of shit for not being "important" (though I would disagree). And that's a real disservice to the story of this game, which I've always had a fondness for. Data-Sora is my favorite Sora, and his interaction with the various characters is really what sells the narrative. More than a few scenes in this game make it into my list of Best Scenes in Kingdom Hearts™. If you engage with Re:coded's story on its own terms, instead of expecting something it isn't trying to be, I think you'll find it's a nice little exploration of these characters through a new lens.
My biggest issue with this game is that it still hasn't gotten the full console remake it deserves.
... Having an analog stick for the camera would be nice.

3. Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance
Part of me wants to put this up higher as of the HD version with its various improvements.
I know a lot of people don't really like the Spirits, but I've never had an issue with them. In normal play, you don't actually need to concern yourself with the Spirit Menu very often. And if you've got the patience, setting up a full Star-rank roster makes all future playthroughs that much smoother.
I consider DDD just a step below Re:coded in terms of the quality of its combat and Command Deck. It's very much like a halfway point between Re:c and BbS when it comes to fluidity and balance. In a general sense, DDD's gameplay is just BbS But Better. The multiple characters now share a save file, which allows for quick switching and a better narrative pace/structure. Sora and Riku get to share resources, from Report completion to Commands and Spirits, significantly cutting down on the repetition BbS suffered from if you wanted 100%. Command Melding is completely gone, and constantly referencing synth charts along with it. Spirits' Ability Link boards show you exactly what you'll get (secret routes notwithstanding), with lots of overlap between them so you don't always have to use the same party. Stat Abilities being party-specific keeps you from being overpowered from stacking every buff in the game. It's just plain better and it baffles me every time someone says otherwise.
Also, Flowmotion was really damn fun.
The story in DDD isn't my favorite, but it is a lot of fun, and the very embodiment of the Mr. Bone's Wild Ride memes KH has always had a reputation for. I still remember how crazy and exciting it was to play through The World That Never Was that first time.

4. Kingdom Hearts [Re:]Chain of Memories
Some people think there's a huge disparity between the original GBA version and the PS2 remake; I am not one of those people. To me, the general gameplay experience is virtually identical, though I find myself preferring Re:CoM due to improved controls and various QoL additions like Random Joker. Reverse/Rebirth in Re:CoM is significantly more fun and interesting to play, too.
The gameplay in CoM is maybe one of the most divisive things in KH, and I don't blame anyone for disliking it. I'm not the hugest fan of it myself, but after spending time with it and learning a few tricks, it really just flows. It's incredibly easy to bust wide open, which isn't exactly a good thing, but it does let you get to the real meat of CoM's experience: the story.
Chain of Memories is, in my humble opinion, the very best a Kingdom Hearts story has ever been. Events come at a decent clip, with plot revelations doled out in a natural ebb and flow keeping Sora and the player constantly pushing forward to unravel these mysteries and find the truth. This plot is almost entirely character-driven, and thankfully the character writing is top notch here. There's so much to these characters, not just in what they say, but how it's said, and what they don't say as well. It's a story drenched in melancholy and tragedy, with themes of existence, purpose, and identity at the forefront. And yet, unlike a certain other game, it never becomes too much or too forced. The larger-than-life personalities of the Organization members contrast heavily the more moody and confused Sora, Riku Replica and Naminé, and make the adventure seem so much more like Sora's genuine nightmare. Donald, Goofy and even Jiminy really shine as Sora's support network in this game, as the poor boy gets progressively more gaslit the longer the story goes on.
And in Reverse/Rebirth, we see a tonal shift as Riku has no larger goal but to leave the Castle, the conflict mostly coming from his own introspection and guilt over his actions from the first game. In a way, Riku's main antagonist in this game is himself, with DiZ and Mickey acting somewhat as the devil and angel on his shoulders, pushing and pulling him until he finally chooses his own path. In addition, I like that Mickey is at first very far away, and becomes closer to Riku physically and emotionally both as a function of the plot and as a symbol for Riku accepting the help of others and recognizing his problems don't have to be his exclusive burden. The KH fanbase loves Riku and commonly considers his character arc the best in the franchise; this game did all of the heavy lifting for that.

TL;DR I just really love this story.

5. Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory
I love rhythm games
I love Kingdom Hearts music
In a way it feels weird ranking MoM among everything else because it's so far removed from series standard.
So, I dunno. I guess it goes here. I do really love it though.

6. Kingdom Hearts χ
This placement encompasses χ[chi], Union χ[Cross], χ Back Cover, and Dark Road as the complete "χ series."
While I'd never necessarily sing the praises of χ's gameplay in any of its incarnations (so far...), I've never been able to hate it the way some people do. It's fine for what it is, and for what it's worth, it's the only gacha/mobile game to hold my interest for longer than a couple months.
What I and probably everyone else is here for, though, is the story. And I have to slot χ directly underneath CoM for my favorite story in KH. Being almost entirely separate from the Dark Seeker Saga's narrative through time, place and cast, χ manages to create its own identity within the larger KH universe, at one time feeling both very similar and very new. χ somehow made an almost-mute create-a-character someone I can care about, and that's an accomplishment in and of itself. The layers of mystery and moral greys in this story keep me on the edge of my seat, my gears in my head constantly turning over the possibilities.
In a way I feel like I shouldn't place χ in the rankings because it's as-yet incomplete, but I feel pretty confident that this is where it's at for me.

7. Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage-
I thought about putting this higher on the list, because I really like playing it. It's the same engine as KHIII, but it does enough to set itself apart, somehow managing to bring back the feel of playing as Aqua in BbS, but actually making it fun this time.
The story in this game is short and sweet, as is the game overall, and I have no real complaints, other than I wish there were more. And that's probably the best complaint to have.

8. Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep FINAL MIX
As I already described in the DDD segment, there's a lot I find fault with in BbS. It's not a game I return to often for those reasons and more. It's a bit slow, a bit clunky, and a bit tedious. But when I do play it, I still have fun.
... as long as I'm not fighting Terra-Xehanort, which I'd unironically call a worse boss than Mysterious Figure because he's required to beat the damn game.
The story has its problems too, but I don't really have problems with it like other people do. I don't think Terra is an idiot, I don't think Aqua is boring, I never thought "there should only be one Keyblade" or anything else commonly thrown around with BbS's story. My biggest complaint is probably that Ventus doesn't really have a story in this game; he just kind of wanders around until it's time for the ending to happen.

9. Kingdom Hearts FINAL MIX
Yeah, it's this low. Wanna fight about it?
KH1 will always have a place in my heart as the game that started it all, the game that captured me all the way back in 2002.
But goddamn, I really, really don't like playing it anymore. Between Sora's scuffed movement and controls, a shitty camera even in 1.5, inadequate direction, confusing map design, and obnoxious boss design, it's really hard for me to see "the good part" of KH1. Even Hollow Bastion, everyone's golden child, does nothing for me and only features one half-decent boss in both of its visits.
Ending the game with World of Chaos also makes what should be the most exciting, satisfying part into something I'd rather avoid. And that's after forcing the player to suffer through the Linked Worlds gauntlet. (Still haven't finished a LV1 playthrough because of that horrid room.)

Sorry guys, I just don't like it anymore.

10. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
I've posted more than enough my thoughts on Days from its gameplay to its story.
As short as possible: I genuinely hate this game.
 

Face My Fears

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It's hard for me to rank the games because some of them I love the story, but don't like the gameplay. Anyway, let's see:
  1. KH1
  2. KH2
  3. KH3
  4. CoM
  5. Days
  6. BbS
  7. 3D
  8. 0.2
  9. Melody of Memory
  10. Coded
  11. KHUX/Dark Road
Days would be higher than CoM if I didn't dislike the gameplay so much. It was SO difficult for me to actually play the game on the DS that it was not enjoyable at all, but the story was perfection.

KH1/KH2 can alternate, but I always feel like KH1 is the most consistently good experience when I replay it. Sometimes when I replay KH2, I kind of zone out of it and I'm not as immersed because I can see the plot issues more clearly than when I was younger.

0.2 would have been higher than 3D if it had more story content/Disney worlds. Obviously that couldn't happen, so yeah.

Melody of Memory is fun, but I would rather play any actual KH game over Melody of Memory unless I was looking to just have fun for a few minutes. MoM is great for killing maybe 20-30 minutes before I have to go do something.
 

the red monster

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Everyone pretty much explained the reasoning of liking each game so i'll just post a list. i'm mostly going gameplay wise instead of story.
1.KH3RM (Better data fights, yozora>lingering will, better music, keyblade transformations > drive forms.)
2.KH2FM
3.KH BBS 0.2
4.KH MoM
5.KH BBSFM
6.KH1FM (the camera controls sucked. took a lot out of my enjoyment)
7.KH DR
8.KH DDD (gameplay around the same level of BBS, but the story was bad and confusing because all the time travel shenanigans)
9.KH UX (one of the best KH stories, but the gameplay isn't fun at all. hoping for a console remake with proper gameplay)

can't list Re:Coded/Days/Re:Com because i didn't actually play them.
 

Elysium

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I'm currently in the middle of Days (on DS) in a re-play of the series (I decided to play Days after CoM and before KH2) + I haven't bought MoM (since it's just a music game and Kairi gets a lot of focus, I'll wait for it to at least come down to $30). So I'll have to come back to this again in future with an updated ranking, but for now, it's this:

1. Kingdom Hearts 1
2. Kingdom Hearts 3
3. Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance
4. Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories ~ The GBA version is superior of course, but I don't think the re-make is that different. You lose the wonderful graphics and sprites, and yet it's still the same story. And you either love or hate the gameplay. I always had fun with the cards even if going through the worlds can get monotonous.
5. Kingdom Hearts 2
6. Kingdom Hearts: Coded
7. Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days
8. Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep
9. Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep ~A Fragmentary Passage~ This is actually much more fun than 3 or 4 games I have ranked above it, but since it's so short (and honestly not that much happens)... It ends up here for that reason only.

I'm not sure where MoM will land. Probably after Coded? Who knows. I have no interest in the mobile games; maybe I'll watch the story on YouTube someday. Oh, there was the Foreteller movie that was a part of one of the ReMIX collections. I personally didn't enjoy it. I'd put it at the bottom of my list.
 
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WhinyAcademic

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1. Kingdom Hearts II - an impressive escalation worthy of a sequel, great worlds and gameplay, great new and old characters. Final Mix adding Lingering Will alone was a worthy addition.
2. Kingdom Hearts III - a nearly perfect conclusion to the Dark Seeker Saga. The plot doesn’t progress until the end of the Disney worlds but those worlds are bigger and better than ever. Truly raised the bar for this series. Fun gameplay, a terrific climax, and then Re: MIND’s perfect additions of Limit Cut and Secret Episode. If the plot had been better paced, this would’ve easily dethroned II.
3. Kingdom Hearts - the dark, fun adventure that started it all. A truly magical journey for the ages. Final Mix’s additions of Xemnas and Another Side are also amazing.
4. Birth by Sleep - The story suffers from Star Wars prequel-level writing and acting at times, but it’s nonetheless a great ride especially with Aqua bringing it home. Terrific innovative gameplay, great character development, and some excellent set pieces.
5. Dream Drop Distance - The plot is confusing even for longtime fans and a lot of people don’t like how Master Xehanort is revealed to be still on the ball, but I adored the big twist nonetheless. The gameplay is athletic and fun, the Disney Worlds actually get some great realizations despite being very limited in scope this time. The music is particularly fire in this game too.
6. Days - The tragedy of Roxas, Axel, and Xion’s friendship is a compelling story more than worth the price of admission. The gameplay was nothing special, neither were the Disney worlds, but it was still perfectly fun to play and it was a dream to have a job in the Kingdom Hearts universe.
7. Chain of Memories - The card system was a cool thing to introduce, even if it’s not for everyone. It’s boring to play through the same worlds even if the plot is different in each one. The main story with Sora and Naminé is great, as is Riku’s journey to fend off his darkness with Mickey and DiZ.
8. Melody of Memory - it’s not at the bottom of the list because it’s bad, but it barely feels like a game. It’s still a lot of fun and I was pleasantly surprised at how much the plot did advance in the ending.

Coded I haven’t played, nor do I intend to, just not for me.
 

ChaosStark

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Haven't played every game, so I'll just rank the ones I have significant experience with.

1. BbS- The writing in this one is not particularly strong, but there's aspects of the story that, with more work, could really be great. I particularly liked Terra's section- I felt for the guy, honestly. He had a problem with the darkness, but he was never really taught how to manage it, and that only starts him out on the path to disaster, helped along by gullibility, poor advice, miscommunication, and good intentions taken advantage of. Aqua's story was alright, but I didn't like Ventus's at all (probably because he's a lot like Sora, and I don't like Sora). I enjoyed the changes in fighting styles between the characters, and it was honestly the first time in a KH game that I bothered with magic. I liked the worlds included in this one and how with each character, I got to see new areas in them. I rank it above KH2 mostly because of playable character variety and lack of Gummi Ship segments.

2. KH2- I like the scope of this one; after Days and DDD the worlds felt expansive, and there seemed to be a lot of them. I think this one has the best combat of the KH games that I've played, though it is a little fast for me. It's easy for me to get lost in the combat and resort to button mashing (in all honesty, I'm not that great at video games that require particularly fast reflexes), but I can still have fun doing that. There's some creative boss designs, which is nice. The story is okay, mostly getting points from me for the fact that I get to see my favorite character every now and then. I'm a little biased towards the Organization, so I find the initial justification for fighting them a little flimsy (we don't know what they're up to, but Mickey has a bad feeling and they dress in black which is suspicious so obviously they must be up to something) but I can roll with it and enjoy the trip. As much as I like the worlds, I really don't like how they represented Pirates of the Caribbean. As mentioned above, I'm also not a fan of the Gummi Ship segments- I wish I could skip those. Overall, it was a pretty fun experience.

3. DDD- My second KH game, which I got more or less just to give the heroes of the series a chance. Then it brought my favorite character back from the dead and eliminated any chance that I'd change my mind. This one introduces the time travel, which honestly went over my head during my first playthrough (I somehow missed that said time travel even happened), but once I understood what was going on, it was... disappointing. And the time travel rules in KH seem very inconsistent- from what I've seen, there's somewhere between 3 and 5 different methods. Gameplay-wise, this one is very smooth; I like the flowmotion and the snappiness of the combat. Like KH2, it can be a little too fast-paced at points. The Dream Eaters are a little silly, reminiscent of Pokémon, but I actually really like them, particularly Ryu Dragon. I could do without the "drop" segments upon first entering a world... they weren't spectacularly bad, just annoying. Let me get to the new world already!

4. Days- My first KH game, it will always hold a special place in my heart. It helped me through a particularly difficult time in my life and I'll always remember it for that. That said... it's not a great game. The story didn't capture my attention, leading me to play Mission Mode almost exclusively for a very long time. After experiencing the gameplay of KH2, BbS, and DDD, the combat in Days feels sluggish and clunky. Come to think of it, that's actually good for me, because it lets me take my time and plan out what sort of strategy I want to use (even if, as Roxas, I always button-mash anyway). It means a lot to me, but in retrospect, as a game, it's not that great. Of any of the KH games, though, I've probably gotten the most enjoyment out of it. I might even call it my favorite... but since I'm rating by a combination of factors rather than just emotional connection, it gets the 4th spot.

5. Dark Road- Obviously, we don't have much of this game at present, but based on the story so far, I mostly like it, especially the interactions between Xehanort and Eraqus. Xehanort in this installment is particularly relatable to me; he gives the impression of someone who's depressed and I kind of like that since it's a place I've been myself and it's nice to feel seen. Not too fond of any of the other characters, though- to me, the classmates are all so interchangeable that it's not even worth learning their names. Also... the gameplay is pretty abysmal. It basically plays itself- you need to grind enemies? Auto mode! I guess auto doesn't work as well for the harder areas, but... even if you have good cards, you're still at the mercy of the random card output, so what you need might not be available when you need it. I'm not even going to start on the draw tickets...

6. Union x- The story has potential- it tries something new with the main character basically being the player's avatar rather than being their own, fully fledged character like Sora is. I actually really like the idea of seeing the Keyblade War since it's this legendary event talked about at various points in the series. If that story were told, it would really flesh out the lore and history of the KH universe, make it feel more lived-in. Except... it had to tie back in to everything else, and... I really don't like that. Let the ancient history be ancient history, don't stick familiar faces in there just because they have backstories you never got into in the other installments. I also wish the player had more agency- for it being "your" Keyblade adventure, you don't have much of a say in what happens aside from what Union you pick; your character may as well be Sora with how they go through the story. Also, as plenty of people have mentioned, the gameplay is... not great. Not much skill involved, just numbers and money, and no fun.
 

The Dark Mamba

Active member
Joined
Mar 22, 2013
Messages
599
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1. KH2FM
2. KH3 + Remind (If there was no Remind, KH3 would be below KH1
3. KH1FM
4. 3D
5. BBS
6. COM
7. MOM (Fun game but light on story)
8. 0.2
9. Days
10. CODED
11. X[chi] - Back Cover - Union X - Dark Road - Until they make this a real console game I'm really sick of this story and art style
 

Absent

Nomura's Biggest Fan
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Outer Rim
Story wise:
  1. The First Kingdom Hearts: The Hero's Journey, the best template done amazingly.
  2. 358/2 Days: I love how character focused this game is. The English script is the best in the whole series.
  3. Chain of Memories: I love the setting and conflict for the MC.
  4. The rest of the series, the order doesn't matter because I don't care.
  5. V-Cast
  6. .
  7. .
  8. .
  9. .
  10. .
  11. .
  12. .
  13. 3: yuck
Gameplay wise:
  1. 2 & 3: They're both stupid fun and I don't care about the intricacies of combat.
  2. DDD: I love flowmo and dream eaters.
  3. 0.2
  4. BBS
 

*TwilightNight*

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Messages
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Age
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1. CoM
2. KHI
3. KHII
4. BBS
5. KHUx














DEEP OCEAN BOTTOM TIER:
Everything else.

KHIII: Not the worst offender, but it left much to be desired, and the DLC was just a loose band aid on what should have been common sense to have in the main game (i.e. characters interacting and actual giving a fuck about other people that's not their black hole trios).
Days: Plot and characters nonsensically caving in to fit Xion's unnecessary existence for a year doing things that Roxas could have done himself (and actually did in KHII...so...?). Spent half the game watching characters eat ice cream, only for it to amount to nothing when they lied and kept things from each other the second things began to not be about gouging ice cream. Forcing sadness and melodrama into it for sadness' sake doesn't work on me to ignore the actual fallacies, sorry not sorry. A story isn't better because it made you cry.
Coded: The gameplay was nice, but there's no real plot, though Data-Roxas and Data-Naminè saved it.
0.2.: Okay, an excuse to give Aqua's dullness some life to justify her popularity aside from waifu.
DDD: I don't know where to begin...I really don't. I think this is where it really got crazy.
 
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*TwilightNight*

Bronze Member
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Where the hell are we that "a story eliciting emotions out of the viewer" is considered an illegitimate form of quality

Because it relies on purposefully pulling your heartstrings to overlook other flawed insertions and actions of the narrative. Especially when the attempt was as obvious as Days was (also an issue with Jun Maeda's anime works). I cried like a wimp when Jack died in Titanic and the overall tragedy of the loss. That does not mean that the movie was a masterpiece or that I forgot the story took place over four days for these guys being so in love to be somehow believable.
 
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Chie

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Jun 30, 2020
Messages
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3
Sorry but this is insane conceptually to read
 

KingdomKurdistan

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 27, 2012
Messages
329
Awards
4
12. Backcover: An utter disaster. I feel embarrassed on this series' behalf whenever someone tells me they watched this film as a casual fan or non-fan. Needs to go the way of the Star Wars Holiday Special; ergo, purged from the collective memory.

11. Melody of Memory: Storytelling and literary genocide together with lazy, uninventive gameplay visuals.

10. Coded: Gah. Doesn't count.

09. KHuX: Intriguing premise let down by spectacular narrative overreach and long overstaying its welcome. Some decent dialogue again let down by the lack of editing.

08. KH3: Less ambition and progress than the jump from KH1 to KH2. Outrageous voice acting. Indefensible dialogue and writing. Non existent editing and a paucity in cinematic duty of care. That tortuous graveyard meeting of everyone standing around talking in stupid cliches and I am very smart platitudes is seared into my brain. Good fun but just feels compromised in every possible way. Listening to Disney characters with their flowing idiomatic English talk to KH original characters and their edgelordese just doesn't work and I cannot believe no one during production picked up on this.

07. Days: Excellent premise, so-so execution. I don't actually mind Xion and I think her tragic story justifies itself without owing anything to the rest of the series. The rest of the plot is so much wasted potential, missed opportunity, and frustrating narrative choices

06. Birth By Sleep: Brilliant story ideas. Terrible execution. Good voice acting from the two old men. Terrible acting from almost everyone else non-Disney (Ventus stands out, especially the part about bringing grown ups). Often succumbs to bland gameplay tedium and unfortunate narrative drift.

05. DDD: Terrific fun. Terribly executed story. Tragically wasted parts that had the potential to be riveting. Badass end scene at the Organisation.

04. KH2: Astonishing production values, huge jump in gameplay, a scarcely-believable arthouse prologue, and some amazing set pieces. Let down by bad writing, 20 hours of superfluous cutscenes, and bad writing. I'll never fail to be awed by the fidelity of that close-up of Jack Skellington at the end of that world's story, and the charming animation styles that accompanied each world.

03. KH1: Storytelling and narrative nirvana. Just ambitious enough. Heartfelt. Self aware. Very well written and localised (Here, go play hero with this!). Fantastically and dynamically edited. Beautiful cinematography and shot composition.

02. Chain of Memories: Lovely story slightly let down by pacing (somehow this felt worse on the HD remakes). Creative genius from the perspective of narrative and gameplay, especially considering the limitations of the device.

01. A Fragmentary Passage: Near masterpiece and the best KH experience ever. Perfectly contained narrative, simple plot, beautiful visuals and a curated, auterish sheen that had eluded the series till then. Just wonderful. That said, some of the dialogue needs an edit. Don't know what Nomura did differently for this, but he needs to keep doing it.

Nomura is great at making stories. He's absolutely dreadful at telling them. There needs to be an intervention. This series needs fresh faces throughout all aspects of production. It first needs a literary editor empowered to stand up to Nomura. Then it needs a fresh creative director to work with Nomura (transitioning to a producer-like role if we follow movie norms)
 
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