Just because Kingdom Hearts is convoluted doesn't mean it isn't confusing

[12kez90]

Just something I want to get off my chest. I've been hearing a lot of excuses saying that the Kingdom Hearts plot isn't confusing, just convoluted. I just want to say, stop that. Something that's convoluted is what makes the something confusing in the first place. Hell, the definition of convoluted is "something that's hard to follow". Now before you say "that doesn't necessarily mean it's confusing", something that's hard to follow leads to at least some confusion.

 

[Chuman]

Well yeah its the same thing. It's gotten pretty convoluted at times but overall it isn't too confusing if you're a long time fan who follows every detail.

 

[Nazo]

Convoluted means "so complex to the point that it becomes difficult to follow or understand".

Thus, Kingdom Hearts is convoluted. The two words are synonyms, more or less.

 

[DarkGrey Heroine]

KH really is confusing when you start getting into the series. After you get the bigger picture and know the plots of all titles at least a bit, things clear up BUT KH is still so complicated even after knowing the whole story, thus I can't really find an excuse for KH not being confusing.
These days a friend of mine got interested in buying the games/joining the KH universe, and I was both happy that he wants to try the games and afraid that the confusing story will scare him off xD Then again, one can play KH without caring too much about the story, the gameplay is fun enough by itself. In the end, with all mixed feelings, I just told him "... You know, when I first played KH, I expected a light-hearted Disney adventure game, but at that time I really, really didn't know what I would get myself into."
KH is one of the most complex and confusing fictional universes I know for sure

 

[Nazo]

KH is only really complicated if you're trying to understand the nitty-gritty. An understanding sufficient enough to follow the series is easy. But if you're a diehard lore nerd like myself, prepare for hours of research and reading wikis.

 

[Chuman]

I actually find it fun to delve into the backstories and mythos, theories, history, and string everything together while appreciating the mess for what it is.

this isn't an excuse for not having a simple to follow outer layer. Take tron for example; its simple, straightforward fun. Not complicated. But if you're a big fan, you can read the novels, reexamine the scenes, play all of the (preferably canonical) games, and uprising. And its pretty simple to piece together. Star wars was like kingdom hearts so Disney took necessary steps in cleaning up the franchises weak points and holes. Kh is a fun series, more so for hardcore/longtime fans fueled mostly off of nostalgia, but it should get its shit together.

 

[Divine Past]

In my opinion, there isn't anything wrong with leaving things ambiguous that aren't critical to the plot but let fans theorize on what really happen. For example when Roxas asks Sora why did he pick you (Yes I know it was a mistranslation but let's ignore that for this example. ) fans can create an infinite number of scenarios of who Roxas meant. Is it Xemnas? Riku? Axel? etc. And this ambiguity leads to fun discussion that all fans can take part into with theories that can't really be proven wrong, but importantly aren't central to understanding the bigger picture of the game/plot.

I think a fair criticism of the serie is that fans need to look up interviews just to understand bigger plot points that the game leaves out. That freezes out a section of the fanbase who want to enjoy the series more than just a "casual fan" will, but doesn't have the time or patience to look up interviews to understand important issues of the game.

 

[Anagram]

This story is definitely complicated. There's really no way to dance around that fact but it's not complicated because it's hard to understand. It's complicated and convoluted because it's not explained properly at all. Everything you need to know about the backstory and mythos is scattered around in Nomura interviews, game reports and ultimania jargon.

I remember back in the day how Nomura was once stated to want fans to use their imagination, therefore the ambiguity of most things, but then he just goes behind that and answers many things that should be explained in the games itself.
There's honestly no excuse for explanations being all over the damn place in magazines and internetland when they should be in the media form the series is most accessible in. It's like having a movie but leaving all the explanation for everything of that movies story and background to a novel.

I quit following it all personally. Theres so much to track down it's annoying and I'm to jaded with the direction the story has taken to care. The only way I find it possible to enjoy even a few games is to just say diddly it and roll with the outlining plot you can get from the games themselves. I just ride that nostalgia. Not even sure I'll still be with it past KH3.

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The best way to interpret the story: http://theboychosenbythekeyblade-riku.tumblr.com/post/116593654856/backstory-png

 

[Nazo]

Everything you need to know about the backstory and mythos is scattered around in Nomura interviews, game reports and ultimania jargon.

I remember back in the day how Nomura was once stated to want fans to use their imagination, therefore the ambiguity of most things, but then he just goes behind that and answers many things that should be explained in the games itself.

I have to agree with this. There have been so many times in KH games where there's some tiny little cryptic thing that's confusing as all hell, and I'm like "Well, they'll explain that later, I'm sure" but they never do.

Prime examples being, Terra in the Keyblade Graveyard near the beginning of BBS talking to Xehanort and he suddenly has this short vision thingy of the battle near the end of the game. Why? How?

Again with Terra, in Enchanted Dominion, he leans over Aurora after her heart is stolen, and suddenly has a split second vision of Ven laying there instead. I believe this is supposed to be foreshadowing that Ven loses his heart and his body becomes comatose just like Aurora's is at that moment? But does the game explain that? Nope.

In DDD, time is frozen and Young Xehanort starts moving again and suddenly Mickey says "Oh no. Are you-?" But we never have any idea what the hell he was going to say. It was only by digging through articles and interviews that I learned that apparently, Master Xehanort possess Young Xehanort, hence why he is able to move and why his keyblade transforms. Mickey was asking "Are you Master Xehanort?" or something like that. But does the story explain that? Nope. If you just play the game, you have NO idea why YX can keep moving and such.

 

[Chuman]

Kh is a cult series. There is no convenient, nifty little book or web link that explains everything, its series you explore, and when you're finished, having accomplished everything yet not being satisfied, leads to a journey over the internet where you look up every interview, ultimania excerpt, comb through videos and overanalyze battles and the soundtrack hoping for clues, and when you've soaked up everything the series has to offer until the next game or piece of media, that is a badge you have earned, especially if you've only just jumped into the franchise. It comes easier for longtime fans who had to wait for games and had nothing to do inbetween tho, but we earned it nonetheless.

 

[Sephiroth0812]

Incognito_ hit the bullseye with his post as KH is not confusing because the story in itself is bad or overly convoluted, but because the presentation lacks sorely and important information is scattered around secondary media and supplementary material instead of being in the primary medium.

Even the more complicated elements of the story can be understood if you have all the pieces of that element together, yet many people do not know where even to find most of those pieces because Nomura scatters them around.
If they would be scattered around only in the different games, ok, then you could still gather them all, but that's not how it is done.

One of the best (and most recent examples) I can think of is people still confused over if the Xehanort that gets revived in DDD is indeed the old Master Xehanort.
The confirmation that it is indeed old Xehanort that came back cannot be gained from anywhere in any of the games, but only from the DDD Ultimania (indirectly) and the Memorial Ultimania (where it is directly stated).

 

[Dreaded_Desire62]

Maybe, I am an idiot for thinking this, "Why can't there be more information in the game?"

Kh is a cult series. There is no convenient, nifty little book or web link that explains everything, its series you explore, and when you're finished, having accomplished everything yet not being satisfied, leads to a journey over the internet where you look up every interview, ultimania excerpt, comb through videos and overanalyze battles and the soundtrack hoping for clues, and when you've soaked up everything the series has to offer until the next game or piece of media, that is a badge you have earned, especially if you've only just jumped into the franchise. It comes easier for longtime fans who had to wait for games and had nothing to do inbetween tho, but we earned it nonetheless.