I've recently started playing KHFM for the first time, and the one feature that has really stuck out to me (aside from the redone soundtracks, which are awesome!) is the Trinity. I guess it's just because I haven't played a full run-through of the first game in awhile, but I had almost forgotten they were a thing.
They're a thing that I actually really miss, because they are the perfect physical manifestation of Sora, Donald, and Goofy's friendship. Each time they become a little closer as a trio, they get a new power: when they first come together, they can just jump while holding hands, like a children's game. As they overcome their first major rift in Deep Jungle, they begin to learn to sort work together by crashing into a wall one after the other until it breaks. A few worlds later, they learn to literally stand on each others' shoulders to form a makeshift ladder, but it is only when they learn to really work together and beat the Hercules Cup that they learn that they are their strongest when pushing together. By the time Goofy and Donald abandon Riku to return to Sora's side, their friendship has become so powerful that it can reveal secrets just by being shown near them. Finally, they learn to channel their friendship into a powerful attack. It is a beautiful meta representation of their development as a trio.
The non-numbered games, of course, haven't really featured Donald and Goofy (well, Chain of Memories, but that showed their friendship being torn apart at the seams so...), but Kingdom Hearts 2 did. Sora learned Trinity Limit after defeating Pete, but that wasn't a particularly moving SDG moment. And, although it does manifest differently when Sora is with his friends, he can still use the move while alone. I know, it could mean that his friends are always with him, etc. etc., but it loses some of the meaning behind the original Trinities. Throughout KH2, Sora did learn different limits with each of his party members and Summons in turn, and Donald and Goofy got two apiece plus Trinity, but I lost the feeling of the abilities being fostered by relationships that the first game had. With the exception of Donald and Goofy, who come by their Limits as Get Bonuses throughout the game, the Limits are just preequipped Abilities on every party member. They look cool, but the meaning behind them is gone: Sora's just automatically such good friends with the various party members that they automatically know how to work together to pull off these sick, involved moves.
I don't really want the Trinities back in their original form (it got tedious trying to track all of them down, honestly). However, I do want the evolution of friendship that the Trinities represented in the first game to return with KHIII. I want Limits, if they exist, to mean something instead of just being around for Rule of Cool.
Above that, though, I want to see more of the SDG friendship. KH2 didn't really see it change or develop all that much, much like Sora's friendship with Kairi. It was basically the Sora-Riku show, and while that was some great character/relationship development, I really missed seeing Sora, Donald, and Goofy grow closer together. I missed, and still miss, the Trinity, and I really don't want to see Donald and Goofy shoved aside by the Keybearers.
Sorry for the novella, but I have been thinking about this all day. What are your thoughts on the subject?
They're a thing that I actually really miss, because they are the perfect physical manifestation of Sora, Donald, and Goofy's friendship. Each time they become a little closer as a trio, they get a new power: when they first come together, they can just jump while holding hands, like a children's game. As they overcome their first major rift in Deep Jungle, they begin to learn to sort work together by crashing into a wall one after the other until it breaks. A few worlds later, they learn to literally stand on each others' shoulders to form a makeshift ladder, but it is only when they learn to really work together and beat the Hercules Cup that they learn that they are their strongest when pushing together. By the time Goofy and Donald abandon Riku to return to Sora's side, their friendship has become so powerful that it can reveal secrets just by being shown near them. Finally, they learn to channel their friendship into a powerful attack. It is a beautiful meta representation of their development as a trio.
The non-numbered games, of course, haven't really featured Donald and Goofy (well, Chain of Memories, but that showed their friendship being torn apart at the seams so...), but Kingdom Hearts 2 did. Sora learned Trinity Limit after defeating Pete, but that wasn't a particularly moving SDG moment. And, although it does manifest differently when Sora is with his friends, he can still use the move while alone. I know, it could mean that his friends are always with him, etc. etc., but it loses some of the meaning behind the original Trinities. Throughout KH2, Sora did learn different limits with each of his party members and Summons in turn, and Donald and Goofy got two apiece plus Trinity, but I lost the feeling of the abilities being fostered by relationships that the first game had. With the exception of Donald and Goofy, who come by their Limits as Get Bonuses throughout the game, the Limits are just preequipped Abilities on every party member. They look cool, but the meaning behind them is gone: Sora's just automatically such good friends with the various party members that they automatically know how to work together to pull off these sick, involved moves.
I don't really want the Trinities back in their original form (it got tedious trying to track all of them down, honestly). However, I do want the evolution of friendship that the Trinities represented in the first game to return with KHIII. I want Limits, if they exist, to mean something instead of just being around for Rule of Cool.
Above that, though, I want to see more of the SDG friendship. KH2 didn't really see it change or develop all that much, much like Sora's friendship with Kairi. It was basically the Sora-Riku show, and while that was some great character/relationship development, I really missed seeing Sora, Donald, and Goofy grow closer together. I missed, and still miss, the Trinity, and I really don't want to see Donald and Goofy shoved aside by the Keybearers.
Sorry for the novella, but I have been thinking about this all day. What are your thoughts on the subject?
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