The Gummi Ship: Like or Dislike?

[Odysseus]

Long after I first played Kingdom Hearts, I started finding out that a lot of people (players and reviewers alike) didn't like the gummi ship from KH1. I found this a bit odd, as I've never had a problem with the gummi ship before.

A lot of people say it's out of place, which I suppose it is, but it gave the actual feeling of going to new worlds. I liked that I flew off of Traverse Town, fought through all the Heartless ships, and arrived at The Olympus Coliseum, and I liked that I'd go through a warp hole and fly a bit more, arriving at Agrabah. You could see it all happen, it made me think "Yeah, I've departed from this world, and have flown to another."

KH2's gummi ship levels are arguably more fun (though it plays more like a rail shooter than a Star Fox-esque space shooter), but going into the gummi ship level and leaving it felt "disconnected", as you'd start in a white hyper-drive place, head into your flight, then exit through the white hyper-drive place, not like flying from world to world in KH1. Then you'd never need to do it again, you could go to the worlds by drifting up to them. It didn't feel like I was going to a new world at all, really. Yes, it was far less tedious than KH1's fly-the-way-til-you-get-a-warp-gummi approach, but still, it cut into the immersion for me.

What are some other people's opinions on the gummi ships in each game? Do you even like them at all?

 

[Dabrikishaw]

I hate the KH Gummi Ship levels, they were much better in KH2.

 

[Sephiroth0812]

To be honest I completely loathed the gummi ship in KH1, the levels were so annoying and boring I was literally in seventh heaven when I finally got that Warp-Gummi.

In KH II the gummi-ship was actually pretty much fun, also thanks to the new and broader customization features...I even once built a bunch of Star Wars ships as gummi-ships and replayed many of the missions when I wanted a break from fighting.

That said, while the KH 2 gummi-ship was miles better than KH 1 my favorites are still Terra's, Aqua's and Ven's keyblade gliders, much more "stylish" than any gummi-ship.

In the future of the series however, depending on if Donald and Goofy will be still with Sora and Mickey/Yen Sid apparently favoring gummi-ships we might see them again (even more tweaked perhaps) in KH III.
I would also not mind this since the gummi-ship is somewhat of a staple of Sora & co. Just give Riku his own one-seater gummi-ship that flies alongside Sora's or get him an additional seat in there.
The gliders should really remain something exclusive to TAV so we have some variety. Sora does not need to get everything the others have.

 

[Spyells]

I enjoyed the gummi ship in Kingdom Hearts II much better than the Kingdom Hearts I version. At times the gummi ship levels in KH1 could be really difficult. I have to admit that I was relieved when I received the warp gummi. But the gummi ship in KH2 was a lot more fun. Even the challenging levels between worlds was really enjoyable. I hope the gummi ship comes back in KH3 and is just as fun as it was in KH2. ^_^

 

[Love Machine]

I want to swing a giant key at shadowy figures, not shoot lasers out of a very oddly-colored spaceship. They were both very boring and I could have gone without them.

 

[snow_flake40]

I absolutely hated playing the Gummi Ship levels in KHI. You could literally just keep your finger on X without even looking at the screen and you'd still get through just fine. However, that being said, I loved the sense of excitement as you slowly got closer and closer to the world, trying to guess what Disney movie it could be from.

There wasn't any surprise in KHII, seeing as how you could already see it on the map before the Gummi Ship level. But the Gummi Ship was a lot more fun in II, even if I never played a level more than once. *does not like shooter levels in general* If they combined the best parts of the Gummi Ship levels from I and II, they could make them at least somewhat enjoyable.

If they use the Gummi Ship in later games, it'd be great if they integrated it into the plot more. As in, not just using it as an excuse for a mini-game entirely seperate from the story. I loved how in Deep Jungle in KHI Sora and Donald start fighting over the controls and crash the Ship. I think it'd be good if they did more things like that...

I hope they don't give Sora a Keyblade Glider for full-time use in the future. Maybe for levels when he's on his own or for side games, but I think that in the main title games when he has a full party they should just stick to the Gummi Ship.

 

[Christhor]

I'm pretty much the completely opposite of most KH fans when it comes to this. I always liked the ones in KH the most. In KH2 everything was very exciting and all, but it just felt as if it was way too automated, like no matter what I did the game would still make me go wherever it wanted. I guess you can say the same with the original, but I felt like I had much more controll there, I could always go to whichever direction I wanted, and the enemies always seemed random, or usually anyway. In KH2 it seemed as if they had been practicing a lot, making sure their routines were perfect.

Or maybe I just like the gummi ship minigame in KH more because I was a pretty big Star Fox fan before playing KH?

 

[Odysseus]

Kingdom Hearts 2's just seemed too automated. There was also no need to build your own ship, you could "rent" them. I just overall liked the Star Fox-y style of shooting rather than the rail shooter. KH2's was a lot of fun because it was really quick and fast paced.

Imagine if in KH1's, instead of moving at a snail's pace through interspace, you were barreling incredibly quick, like an actual Star Fox game. The weird gummi architecture flying past you at 200 miles per hour, blurred from all the speed, while you blast the Heartless ships as they fly at you and from behind, all with the same controls and style from KH1. Heck, add a few barrel rolls and somersault maneuvers and it'd be just like it: really really fun.

That's what I'm hoping for in KH3.

 

[Gram]

i dislike the gummi ship levels in both games :/ didnt find either enjoyable, prefer bbs' approach to world travel.

 

[LucasDraleau]

My biggest pet peeve about KHI's Gummi Ships was the fact that you had to constantly redo the levels to go back to previous worlds; I felt like every time you wanted to go some where that you've been before it was just a hassle, so I often just gave up on the past worlds, at least until I got the warp drive mechanic. Besides that I prefer them over II's. They didn't feel as automated and they actually required some strategy. To be honest the Gummi Ships in II sort of sucked to be honest. I think that if they use the Gummi Ship aspect of I and the level travel aspect of II in III, then it would be the best Gummi Ships levels, as a whole.

 

[Reagan Rayden]

In KH1 I would just let the gummi ship run by itself, go do something else, come back and it would reach the end of the level 99% of the time.

The only time I found myself actually sorta having fun with them was the End of the World gummi ship level. Thank God for KH2.

 

[axel95]

KH's gummi ship was so easy that I struggled to keep myself awake for the whole thing. The levels in KH2 are harder (not that much harder, but hard enough), and way more fun. While I like TAV's keyblade gliders more, but as Sephirith0812 said, the gummi ship is Sora & Co.'s icon, so they should stick with the gummi ship for Sora's games.