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Why I Love Kingdom Hearts III, Plus a Question About the Re Mind DLC.



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I realize not everyone is a fan of the latest Kingdom Hearts game, and there's nothing wrong with that. I realize that those who express criticism towards Kingdom Hearts III have a right to their own opinions, and I hope their voices can be heard so that today's imperfections can turn into the future's strengths. However, just as criticism has its purpose, so does praise. I think some of us forget that even though there are a lot of people expressing criticism towards Kingdom Hearts III for things they didn't like, there are also a lot of people who really liked, or even loved Kingdom Hearts III for many different reasons. I'm not trying to bash anyone for disliking Kingdom Hearts III by posting this thread. Instead, I just want to express why I personally love Kingdom Hearts III. In the past, I have made the mistake of arguing with people over differing opinions on the game, and I don't want to do that here. I just want to express why I love Kingdom Hearts III.

There are many reasons I love Kingdom Hearts III. I don't think it's a perfect game, and I do think it has some flaws in it, but I still love it for all the things that I personally enjoyed in it. First and foremost, I'm a fan of the entire series and I have experienced every game in the series to a fairly well extent. The only entries in the Kingdom Hearts series I haven't experienced in their entirety are 358/2 Days, Re Coded, and Union x. 358/2 Days and Re Coded are ones that I have only watched the scenes included in the HD remasters released for PS3 and PS4. I've never played the original DS games in their entirety, but I do know the stories of both games fairly well thanks to the scenes in the HD remasters. As for Union x, I actually do play it very often and I do keep up with all the story quests. The reason I haven't experienced it fully, is simply because it is an ongoing game as a service that hasn't released all of its story quests yet. I actually really like Union x, and I've been playing it ever since it was first released as Unchained x. I just don't consider myself having experienced it fully yet due to the fact that not all of the story quests have been released yet. But I still play it and keep up with it, so I know the story of Union x pretty well up until the point of the North American release of story quests.

As for all the other games in the Kingdom Hearts series, I have played and completed the main story of all of them, and I have also done a lot of the side content in each of them as well. Out of all the games in the series, I think Kingdom Hearts II is my overall favorite, but for me Kingdom Hearts III comes close.

So, that's one reason I love Kingdom Hearts III. I'm a pretty big fan of the series. I realize not all fans of the series like KH3, but I'm a fan who personally does. I apologize if that was a really long explanation for one reason I love the game, so I'll just list the rest of the reasons briefly. I'll do my best to keep it simple and clean, starting with the second reason I love the game.

I was extremely satisfied with Kingdom Hearts III's music. Yoko Shimomura did a spectacular job with the music of Kingdom Hearts III, and in my opinion it is the best soundtrack in the series. I just wish I could purchase the soundtrack on iTunes, but I can't have everything in life.

I also loved the improved aspect of the gummi ship in Kingdom Hearts III. I loved it so much, and I discovered almost as many things just traveling around in the gummi ship as I did in the worlds themselves.

I really enjoyed the expanded scale of the worlds in Kingdom Hearts III. While not every world was bigger, most of them were. Some of the worlds felt like miniature games of their own, such as The Caribbean and the Toy Box.

I had so much fun hunting down all of the lucky emblems. As I've expressed before, that feature in the game was so fun for me and made me feel like I was at Disneyland.

I am so happy that I got to experience Tangled and Frozen as worlds in Kingdom Hearts III. I love both of those movies, and to have them finally included in Kingdom Hearts was so cool to me.

I am also very happy that there were some Pixar properties in Kingdom Hearts for the first time. Toy Story, Monster's Inc, and Ratatouille were all excellent inclusions in the game.

I'm also really happy that they added Critical Mode to Kingdom Hearts III. That was originally on of my biggest problems with the game, as I thought the other difficulties were too easy. They were fun, but a little too easy for my taste. After replaying through the game on Critical Mode, I am very happy with the difficulty of the game. While it would be nice to have even more challenges available, or to have had that from the start, I'm still really happy with the added Critical Mode.

I love the addition of New Game Plus as well. That gave me more of an incentive the replay the game, since I had originally acquired the Ultima Weapon on Standard mode.

While the story of Kingdom Hearts III wasn't perfect, I still really enjoyed it. I loved the ways it wrapped up character development for some, while leaving other characters' development open for more in the future. I was originally expecting a more complete conclusion, but it makes me so happy that one of my favorite video game franchises hasn't ended just yet. The story of the series in general isn't the most well written, but it is a very beautiful story that really resonates with me. I'm happy to see that the story will continue.

Which leaves, perhaps, the biggest reason I love Kingdom Hearts III. The biggest reason I love Kingdom Hearts III is because it helped me cope through some of my own personal struggles. I won't go into too much detail, but I will say that I do experience chronic depression, anxiety, and various other forms of mental illness. The hype and excitement leading up to Kingdom Hearts III helped me cope through some really difficult times. And when the game finally released, playing through it was just so satisfying for me. It was a really long wait, but the finished product was better than I had expected or hoped for. It was really fun to play, and continuing Kingdom Hearts' story really helped me cope with things. Just like all the other games in the series before it, Kingdom Hearts III helped me cope with difficulties in my life. Even though the ending was bittersweet, I still thought the game was overall, absolutely a beautiful, emotional rollercoaster. I did feel a hole in my heart at first when I saw the ending sequence, but that hole has been filled with more strength in my life. At first, all the criticism from others really started to weigh me down. But after holding on to what I loved, and what helped me cope for so long, I now view the ending of Kingdom Hearts III with peace and calmness every time I watch it. I no longer feel that hole in my heart, as I remember the words at the beginning of the game: "They can take your world, take your heart, cut you loose from all you know. But if it it's your fate, then every step forward will always be a step closer to home."

I resonate with that quote so much now. There are a lot of quotes from throughout the series that really resonate with me, but that one is one of the biggest ones in my life. I feel like my struggles are a lot like Sora's, and although I find myself in a deep hole of darkness from time to time, holding on to what makes me happy in life and taking steps forward, no matter how big or small those steps may be, bring me closer to finding peace of mind and happiness in life.

With the upcoming Re Mind DLC, I am very excited. I think it will be great to have the equivalent of a Final Mix of the game so soon. I know there's not an official release date yet, but I know it's coming at some point. I'm personally very excited for additional optional bosses.

Anyways, enough about me. Here's a question for you: With the Upcoming Re Mind DLC, What Officially Announced Detail Are You Most Excited For?
 

Face My Fears

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I think at this point, I have stopped caring what people say about KH3. The game meant a lot to me and in my eyes it delivered. Some days I think KH3 is the best game, sometimes I think KH1 or KH2 is the best one. I never liked this competition people seemed to create between KH games, when really as fans we should just step back and just enjoy the franchise as one whole complete thing. Like I hated the gameplay in Days SO much (I get headaches playing a 3D game on a small screen), but I loved the story so much. I found things I enjoyed in the games, even KHUX (I try to keep up with the story now that KH3 made it important).

KH3 also helped me through a lot by making me feel better about things in my own life. I honestly think the problem is the gaming industry (and I guess Disney too) today compared to when KH2 was released. Everything is much bigger and everything is being scrutinized to the littlest detail. The gaming industry wasn't the giant that it is today back in 2005. Reviews were limited to the few gaming websites and G4 TV shows. YouTube wasn't rampant with thousands of people making reviews/videos about stuff that they're not even fans of just for clickbait. Gamers weren't as cynical and critical of gaming company decisions like they are today. Not only that, but the expectation of what to include in a game has changed as well -- whether it's the amount of content, storylines, even character focus (like treatment of female characters which is important and something KH should work on).

Thankfully, I'm not as immersed in the gaming world in 2019 as I was when I was younger, so a lot of the stuff people complain about in KH3 or whatever doesn't affect me. I have my own opinions on KH3, not everything was perfect and I'm not being some blind fanboy, but at the end of the day I really enjoyed KH3 and that's all that matters to me. I feel bad other KH fans didn't enjoy it and hope ReMIND can change their opinions so that we can all be happy KH fans. It really did make me sad that fans were not happy with KH3. It kind of was a damper on what should have been a celebratory moment.
 

AR829038

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KH3 was an amazing experience the whole way through for me. I don't care what anybody else has to say about it, even though there are points with which I can agree from an objective storytelling and design standpoint. But you're right: people are too eager to try and zone in on a single aspect to the older games on which this one appears deficient. The worst bashing this game got was from the KH2 elitists who hated its comparatively unchallenging gameplay.
The way I the main games is like this:
KH1 was the most pure. It had the simplest story, the most innocent concept, and the most adventurous and childlike aesthetic and atmosphere.
KH2 was the best designed. Everything about its gameplay was balanced and every aspect of it was purposeful and diverse. It felt the best to play, and it felt the best to win.
KH3 was the most evolved. Everything about this game, from the visuals to the music to the dialogue to the characters, felt like an upgrade from the previous games, and it felt like a series finally ready to step into the future.
 
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Face My Fears

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KH3 was an amazing experience the whole way through for me. I don't care what anybody else has to say about it, even though there are points with which I can agree from an objective storytelling and design standpoint. But you're right: people are too eager to try and zone in on a single aspect to the older games on which this one appears deficient. The worst bashing this game got was from the KH2 elitists who hated its comparatively unchallenging gameplay.
The way I the main games is like this:
KH1 was the most pure. It had the simplest story, the most innocent concept, and the most adventurous and childlike aesthetic and atmosphere.
KH2 was the best designed. Everything about its gameplay was balanced and every aspect of it was purposeful and diverse. It felt the best to play, and it felt the best to win.
KH3 was the most evolved. Everything about this game, from the visuals to the music to the dialogue to the characters, felt like an upgrade from the previous games, and it felt like a serious finally ready to step into the future.
I agree with that sentiment.

In fact, my feelings towards KH3 (and especially the KHUX stuff in it) has improved since watching Back Cover. I feel like previous KH games were explorations of the effect of darkness on a small community of people -- a lot of interpersonal relationships and how they were affected by this grand Keyblade War. Like you rightly said, KH3 felt like a stepping stone into the future for the series. It feels like the series can move away from this smaller scale focus and turn it into a grander story. The darkness isn't just affecting this core group of people, it's affecting everyone.
 

Nyx Winters

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Kh3 for me isnt just a game i waited for since i was young lad for its the game that convinved my partner to play and now he loves it (not as much as me but eh what can ya do) its also the reason i met and made friends with people so for me it is the best game in the series.

Kh remind dlc what can i say but HURRY AND COME OUT
 

SweetYetSalty

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I think at this point, I have stopped caring what people say about KH3. The game meant a lot to me and in my eyes it delivered. Some days I think KH3 is the best game, sometimes I think KH1 or KH2 is the best one. I never liked this competition people seemed to create between KH games, when really as fans we should just step back and just enjoy the franchise as one whole complete thing. Like I hated the gameplay in Days SO much (I get headaches playing a 3D game on a small screen), but I loved the story so much. I found things I enjoyed in the games, even KHUX (I try to keep up with the story now that KH3 made it important).

KH3 also helped me through a lot by making me feel better about things in my own life. I honestly think the problem is the gaming industry (and I guess Disney too) today compared to when KH2 was released. Everything is much bigger and everything is being scrutinized to the littlest detail. The gaming industry wasn't the giant that it is today back in 2005. Reviews were limited to the few gaming websites and G4 TV shows. YouTube wasn't rampant with thousands of people making reviews/videos about stuff that they're not even fans of just for clickbait. Gamers weren't as cynical and critical of gaming company decisions like they are today. Not only that, but the expectation of what to include in a game has changed as well -- whether it's the amount of content, storylines, even character focus (like treatment of female characters which is important and something KH should work on).

Thankfully, I'm not as immersed in the gaming world in 2019 as I was when I was younger, so a lot of the stuff people complain about in KH3 or whatever doesn't affect me. I have my own opinions on KH3, not everything was perfect and I'm not being some blind fanboy, but at the end of the day I really enjoyed KH3 and that's all that matters to me. I feel bad other KH fans didn't enjoy it and hope ReMIND can change their opinions so that we can all be happy KH fans. It really did make me sad that fans were not happy with KH3. It kind of was a damper on what should have been a celebratory moment.

You basically summed up my feelings on not only Kingdom Hearts but the gaming industry as a whole. Back in the day gaming was so much fun and reviews were chill for the most part, unless the game was super buggy. Nowadays everyone is a critic. KH3 isn't perfect, I have many issues with the game but the amount of rants and hate it got and still gets feels overblown. Certainly voice your opinions on things you didn't like about the game and on things that can be improved and better the series, but things like "Nomura sucks! His writing is stupid, he doesn't care. The new team sucks and should be replace. I hate Kingdom Hearts, and I'm done with the series" It just makes talking about Kingdom Hearts stuff feel really tiring.
 

Eonstar890

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I have tried to avoid the Re:Mind trailers as much as I can since one thing that I feel dampened my first play through experience of KH3 was how spoiler heavy the trailers were, but I do believe I saw some stuff about reworking the ending sequence which I am stoked for. The ending definitely has its moments, but I do see a lot of potential for growth there, and the fact that more characters may be playable excites me since it will make them feel more important and necessary to the plot rather than Sora seeming like the only capable person in the bunch.

I also share the sentiment on the soundtrack it was really beautiful. One of my favorite pieces being the one playing during Roxas's return scene (forgive me I don't know the song names). I also agree with a lot of the gameplay elements as well. Gummi ship, world building, and others definitely made a huge jump from previous titles. I only wish Arendelle was a little less icy at times.

So yeah for Re:Mind I am definitely most excited for story additions and modifications. I know some more scenes with MoM, Luxord, YX, and Luxu have been teased so I am dying to see how those play out. Here is to hoping for a release date announcement soon!
 
D

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I strongly agree with pretty much everything on this thread and am really happy to see that there are other people who also see the great stuff in KH3 and feel an emotional connection to it.

I bought a PlayStation 4 to catch up on the Kingdom Hearts series in 2017 when I was just finishing university, where I had bad mental health problems and made no friends, feeling scared and looking for something to make me feel happier. I loved the HD collections and couldn't wait for KH3

I wasn't disappointed at all playing the game and really enjoyed every second playing it, of which there have been many as I have gone back time and again over the months to obtain all trophies (which I haven't even tried for any other game), watch cutscenes and just explore.

I was sometimes aware of plot deficiencies and that the game was still relatively easy on Proud but I didn't actually get annoyed by these things. I do agree that too many players seem to go through games looking for things to dislike, rather than appreciating what's good about it.

I like that Sora has a wide variety of attacks that make me feel powerful when playing, which I think is a good thing for a game like this. I enjoyed the Gummiship, which I hadn't at all in 1&2. And the worlds are so amazingly brought to life and how they all follow quite different designs in size and linearity.

Most of all, I really enjoyed the storytelling, much beyond that of the other games. Particularly I think the dialogue in the game (in English translation) is often really evocative and dramatic. Master Xehanort's monologue after his defeat is so symbolic but also so simple and sad. The beauty of the writing is brought out by, in my view,some brilliant voice acting, coupled with the detailed character animation. There are so many scenes I could watch again and again just to hear the lines throughout the game, particularly involving the Organisation, particularly Ben Diskin as Young Xehanort, who mixes calmness with mocking and menace so well.

I get how the plot of the series has already added on so many new elements/characters over the many spin-off games and KH3 opened up more plot threads than it closed but I think the story KH3 does tell is good and I like the direction the series is going in about destiny and the fall of everything to darkness.

Along the way there are some really cool and emotional moments, like the climax of Toy Box and the final words of the Organisation members. I too felt really sad when I saw the credits start to roll to Don't Think Twice, which is such a beautiful song. I thought the Disney worlds actually were well integrated into the main story thematically and the original plots were interesting.

A few weeks after beating the game I found out about the fan theories and realised that there were a lot of weird things in the game, apparent plot holes, ambiguous lines, odd visual things in the game and so started to try to find things for myself and work out what could be hidden for the DLC.

I found loads of stuff in cutscenes throughout the game, the secret reports and journal entries, which seemed to call back to other things in the series or seemed deliberately vague or ominous. Even shifts in the camera angle seem to sometimes have depper meaning. Like when Roxas points his keyblade at Xemnas and explains that 'others' helped him return, the camera is angled so Roxas could also be pointing at Saïx.

To analyse a game like this is such a strange experience but I find it really fun and I am still noticing new things and reformulating theories with things in new trailers and KhUX updates. I can't wait to find out if I got anything right when ReMind comes out.

Sorry for the long post. I could have written so much more and again am just happy that there are people out there who also love this game.
 
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