358/2 Days Countdown: III

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Published on September 27, 2009 @ 12:48 pm

Written by Raz

Hey, gang!

With less than 48 hours until the release of Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, we are pleased to present our report on number III--Xaldin.

What We Know So Far:
Xaldin first appears in Kingdom Hearts II. His somebody, Dilan, was one of the original six apprentices to Ansem the Wise. He is loyal to the Organization, manipulative when need be, and above all--very strong. In fact, his boss battle is regarded as one of the toughest in Kingdom Hearts history.

Sora crossed paths with Xaldin at Beast's Castle. Working from the shadows, the cloaked Xaldin exploited Beast's anger, turning the monster against Belle and the servants. The Beast became cold and distant, convinced that anger was the only emotion worth having. Xaldin egged him on, asking him in cruel, raspy tones,"Who could ever love a Beast?" With some help from Sora, the Beast broke free from Xaldin's grip on his heart. It is Goofy that finally realizes what Organization XIII's plan must have been--to obtain the Beast's Heartless AND his Nobody by ruining his relationship with Belle.

The second visit to Beast's Castle took place on a very important night--the Beast and Belle's ballroom date. It was interrupted when Xaldin and his Dragoon Nobodies attacked. The heavily side-burned villain grabbed Belle and the Beast's precious rose (an object vital for breaking the spell on the castle). When the group ambushed him on the bridge, Xaldin offered them an ultimatum: Belle or the Rose? Before the Beast could respond, the intrepid Belle jabbed Xaldin in the side, escaping with the rose in hand, with a big smile on her face. Angry, Xaldin summoned his six lances in a gale of wind, kicking off one of the hardest boss battles in the game. Despite all odds, Sora came out on top. The shell that was Xaldin faded away with a scream--a relatively undeveloped character until the bitter end.

His Role in 358/2 Days:
The Whirlwind Lancer has been featured in many trailers and playable demos. His main appearance is on missions with Roxas at Beast's Castle. This is no doubt setting up for the events of Kingdom Hearts II. The plan to steal the Beast's Heartless and Nobody seems to have been in place for quite a while. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days should give us more insight on his character, as well.

Will Xaldin be as great to control as he was to fight? Wielding a grand total of six lances at once, a long with the power of wind, Xaldin decimates any Heartless in his path. He should be lots of fun to play as on the DS!

What the Fans Think:
Xaldin is widely thought of as one of the most challenging battles in Kingdom Hearts II. Not much is known about him (if anything), but fans still get joy out of his devious antics and six-lance-wielding. When it comes to unappreciated Organization XIII members, Xaldin is right up there with the likes of Luxord and Lexaeus. However, forum member grimmedslug is a huge fan of the bushy-browed member. Here what he has to say:

Standing stoic in the oncoming gale is a lone figure, with an intimidating glare, a majestic pose, both blending effectively with the dark colour of his coat. He speaks haughtily, brandishes six lances, and has... Sideburns?

Xaldin is a character who leaves quite a lasting impression to pretty much everybody. Number III in the Organization, he is the shell of the former apprentice, Dilan.

In fact, during the initial encounter with the Organization, I was largely unimpressed. In all actuality, the Organization cloaks were the only thing that did. Being the evil person I am, I did wish to see the enemy playing mindgames with the hero, tormenting the opposition indirectly with varying approaches, and the open introduction was horribly disappointing, made worse by Xigbar making pleasant conversation with Sora directly afterwards, a stark contrast to all that had been done in Chain of Memories. Furthermore, aimlessly sacrificing their minions for a lost cause while hiding somewhere else is just epic fail. But once we get an insight into the character and personality of Xaldin in Beast's Castle, that begins to change.

When we glimpse our first sight of Xaldin in Beast's Castle, he looks just like any other person wearing a hoodie, but the way he manipulates Beast into attacking Sora and Co shows us that he is not to be underestimated or trifled with. Even though we later realise manipulation is a central ability of nearly all Organization members, this is indeed the first time we see it in action, which successfully helps to pique the fans' initial interest in Xaldin.

Later on, we see him ceaseless in his efforts to fulfil the Superior's order of finding new members, even resorting to cheap tricks such as stealing the rose and holding Belle captive to further his goals, displaying a somewhat cruel personality, even if the limelight was later stolen by an elbow to his chest.

Seemingly unfazed by this severe blow to his pride, he did not make even the slightest attempt to flee as his plan collapsed, instead challenging Sora head on, perhaps in an overconfident or even reckless attitude, showing us his desire for combat, even when outnumbered four to one. This is an old fashioned heroic stand, one that appeals greatly to me, and perhaps others who believe in 'honor in battle'.

And finally, we reach the reason why we all love Xaldin (apart from his personality, of course): He is awesome in battle. Many uninitiated players find themselves slaughtered by Xaldin's hard hitting strikes and seemingly impermeable wind shield, and even those who have played it before still feel the adrenaline kick as Xaldin hops on board his mechanical dragon contraption, getting ready to blast the whole screen with a maelstrom of wind currents. Indeed, this is possibly the only Organization member we ever see having style in battle, and for me, playing a musical instrument is NOT stylish (sorry to all you Demyx fans). And of course, six lances. How can anything be actually more awesome than that? Sora is severely outclassed in this battle in all aspects of offense, defence, skill and cool factor. It seems almost inevitable that Sora's defeat is secure. Xaldin is a person who is strong, and knows it, pushing his abilities to breaking capacities in order to strike down all against the Organization.

Yet against all odds, Sora manages to triumph, spitting on the memory of Xaldin as he flies off to the next world. And so Xaldin lay forgotten, leaving behind only the legends of his prowess. How he gave Sora such a close call in combat. How King Mickey got swept away in mere seconds. It just all adds up to his already sky high public opinion.

From the moment Xaldin is presented to us, he quickly displays his multi-faceted personality, revealing to us an insight of this brash and headstrong person, an incredible feat considering how limited the screen time for him was. This elevates him to an exalted position, leaving me as an admirer of this epic Organization member.

Apart from his personality, the combat experience against Xaldin was incredible. It was undeniably one of the most challenging battles in Kingdom Hearts II, and the fact that he faces you like a man instead of simply trying to delay the inevitable defeat makes him one of the most awesome 'tough guys' in Kingdom Hearts.

In Days, I hope to see how his personality in the Organization is reflected in Story Mode. Xaldin strikes me as one to make his own decisions, fully capable of independent action, and being the first to rush into the fray. After all, these are the very qualities that distinguish Xaldin from the other Organization members.

In Mission Mode, I'm very interested in seeing Xaldin's performance capabilities, as it is likely he can adapt to various situations to exceed his expectations, while obviously fulfilling the whole 'cutting a swathe through the enemy ranks with each strike' thing, which is what he deserves considering his combat capabilities in the next game.

Conclusion:
Can you believe it? Our countdown is just about over! Play as Xaldin and the rest of Organization XIII in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, which comes out on Tuesday, September 29th in the USA, and on October 9th in Europe. Only one more day!

Discuss the upcoming game on our forums! It's not too late to get your opinions on Xigbar, Xemnas, or 358/2 Days in general on the front page!