I have never, in the twenty five years I've
existed on this planet, been as excited for something as I was for Kingdom Hearts 3. I don’t even know how to properly express
it. Being a fan of Kingdom Hearts doesn’t even
begin to describe my connection to the series. I feel like I’ve lived this series, bled
for it, grown with it. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I’ve
been there from the beginning. I’ve been with this series since 2002; I’ve
been with this series for twenty years. I’m twenty five years old, which means that
barring five years of my existence, Kingdom Hearts has always been there. I’ve had twenty years to play the games,
listen to the music, think about the story, and cry. A lot. I pieced together the plot over time before
it was so… available; spent sleepless nights pouring over Wikia pages to line the pieces
up. I read and wrote a few fanfictions which will
never see the light of day. I played Kingdom Hearts at least once a year,
mostly the second one. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the
series makes up a large part of my identity, which isn't something I like to admit, but
everyone has a blind spot. You can track my life through Kingdom Hearts
releases: the innocent child playing through Kingdom Hearts, Chain of Memories, and 2;
the angsty pre-teen playing through 358 Days Over 2 and Birth By Sleep; the eager, confused
teenager playing through Dream Drop Distance, waiting for Kingdom Hearts 3; and now, the
anxiety-ridden adult, playing Kingdom Hearts 3. With each milestone I gained another reason
to love it. As a child, I was excited to see more of the
Disney worlds; Roxas resonated so strongly with my pre-teen self that I thought about
him practically every day; as a teenager, I dived headfirst into the bizarre lore; and
as an adult, I'm able to identify themes I never knew were present. As the franchise has grown, changed, evolved:
so too have my tastes broadened, morphed, transformed. Though the franchise won’t end anytime soon,
Kingdom Hearts 3 was the end of a story arc. Just as you can say it’s the final act for
a chapter in these character’s lives, it too marked the conclusion of a chapter in
my life. For many, this was an unsatisfying conclusion
to that chapter. I suppose controversy has never quite been
foreign to Kingdom Hearts, but usually that disdain originated from external sources. For those unfamiliar with the series, it's
sorta become the internet's punching bag. Not everyone has the patience to deal with
Tetsuya Nomura. Can't say I blame them. But, Kingdom Hearts 3 was one of the first
times I saw such a massive gulf between the opinions of fans. Evidently, it was not what everyone wanted,
not even close. Often, even when I disagree with an opinion,
I at least understand where it's coming from. I think Final Fantasy VII Remake is a bold
and refreshing commentary on the nature of remakes and the strict rules they're coerced
to abide by; yet, I completely understand why there are some who do not like that direction,
as it essentially had to betray a subset of people to make that point. I don't really hold Super Mario Galaxy 2 in
high regard, I think it's an unfortunately derivative sequel which lacks a lot of the
heart I always saw in the original; but I completely get that, for a lot of people,
the levels being more fun for them is enough of a reason to love it. We all have different perspectives, we don't
all have to like or dislike something for the same reasons. I understand that a lot better now than I
did when I was younger. Nevertheless, with Kingdom Hearts 3: I just
don't get it. I do not, and probably will never fully understand
why so many fans were disappointed by it. Because when I raced up to Gamestop that cold,
snowy January day, blaring "Face My Fears" on the car stereo, praying that I wouldn't
slide into a fifteen car pile-up, and finally plopped that Disc into my PS4, I was out of
commission for several days. When I emerged from that binge, my face was
red from tears, and my heart had never been more full. That left me… in a weird spot. There were very few people I followed at the
time who loved KH3 like I did, and in fact, most people I knew didn't like it. I saw claims that it was one of the biggest
disappointments in gaming, which has ultimately become its legacy. I've had a long time to think about that disparity,
and I'm not happy to admit that it's made me feel… less than good about myself sometimes. I'm someone who champions detachment. Your video game opinions should never matter
so much that they begin to affect your mental health, and they usually don't. But even I have to admit, coming out of that
opinion-binge, seeing what people had to say, be it friends, other creators, or even just
a bunch of random Reddit posts… all I could think was… "Am I stupid? Are my standards really that low? Did I overlook something? What's… wrong with me?" It's no one's fault but my own, people are
allowed to feel whatever way they want. Yet, I couldn't escape the feeling that something
was wrong with me. I like to put on a mask of confidence, say
that absolutely nothing phases me anymore, that I've seen enough comments to build a
platinum wall around my skull… but that's not really the truth, is it? Occasionally I find myself trying to explain
why I came away loving the game, and I can never shake the feeling that people think
I'm crazy. It's one of the reasons this video has taken
so long to write; I was terrified of putting this out there. Ironically, it would only get harder the longer
I waited. Expectations continued to mount, everyone
would ask me when KH3 was coming. I didn't want to disappoint anyone, and that
pressure had me staring at a blank page for hours some days. Just as Nomura went through many drafts, I
too have gone through many, many different scripts. I started the first couple paragraphs back
in 2019, and have written, torn up, and replaced so much of it. I think it's been long enough. I can't let my insecurities hold me hostage. My video on Kingdom Hearts 3 is happening
now. I'm here to tell you that Kingdom Hearts 3
is a more than worthy conclusion to the Dark Seeker Saga, and proudly sits among 1 and
2 as one of my favorites. Whether you choose to accept it or not, this
is as passionate a defense of KH3 as I'll ever be able to muster. - Half of Kingdom Hearts' essence is found within
its Disney content. The crossover appeal was what initially drew
me in; however, I'll be the first to admit that its implementation can be fairly hit
or miss. Spinoffs like Chain of Memories, Days, Re:coded,
and Union Cross tend to rip Disney Worlds from the numbered titles wholesale. There might be one or two interesting shake-ups,
such as you being the "villain" in 358, but for the most part, it's just you doing the
same plot you did in the more interesting game. I generally find that the Kingdom Hearts games
lower on my totem pole treat their Disney integrations as somewhat of an afterthought. Kingdom Hearts 3 is on the top of mine in
part because of the love and care put into its Disney side. Excluding Hercules, Pirates of the Caribbean,
and Winnie the Pooh, we're dealing with entirely new properties. We get films like Tangled and Frozen, your
more traditional Disney Princess-faire. We visit a Marvel property through Big Hero
Six. And we finally get to step into the realm
of Pixar, spending time in the worlds of Toy Story and Monsters Inc, a dream I've had since
the series began. A lot of work was poured into these worlds. Films like Tangled and Frozen have had many
of their iconic scenes recreated nearly frame-by-frame. KH3 is able to do this because it's not only
the best looking Kingdom Hearts by a country mile, it's also one of the best looking games
I've ever played. They've done so much justice to the films
they're adapting and brought us so close to them. It's startling to me how many scenes taken
directly from the movies rival their quality, even for a live action property like Pirates. We're a far cry from the PS2 Port Royal days,
fond as I am of them. Sora, Donald and Goofy have been given a delightful
Pirate-themed makeover, which they absolutely did not need to do. Feels as though every Disney World was this
huge project, and more of a priority than they have ever been. Olympus Colosseum is the perfect kick-off
to such a conclusive title. We're given a chance to explore a whole new
aspect of this world while still reveling in its return. It's heartwarming to see Hercules again, getting
to hear a new rendition of that classic battle theme. Where KH2 introduced the underworld, and let
you explore its dark depths, KH3 does the opposite and has you ascend to Mount Olympus. You arrive to help Hercules save the city
of Thebes, before you start your journey up the mountain. They really sell how dire the situation is,
the titans are wreaking havoc. Amidst the blaze, you get to help citizens
in need, demonstrating your might as true heroes! The scale of the world is unlike anything
we've ever seen in this series before. You can look back as you climb Mount Olympus
and marvel at the path you took to get up. Some of the world's secrets can only be found
by diving off once you're at the highest point. There are many different winding paths up
this mountain, each with a ton of chests and heartless battles lying in wait. You cap off the ascent with a fight against
the Rock Titan, a real spectacle as you run up the cliffside, dodging the rocks it throws
your way. A storm gradually sets in the farther you
climb, as a fantastic, multi-phase rendition of The Deep End plays, arranged by Yoshitaka
Suzuki. In true Kingdom Hearts fashion, you defeat
the Rock Titan by ramming him with the train from Disneyland's Big Thunder Mountain. You'd expect this to be where any normal Kingdom
Hearts world would end, but this is only the midpoint. What follows is an exploration of Mount Olympus,
which leads to a Titanic Clash against the Ice, Fire, and Wind Titans. I think it's fitting that, for the (likely)
final appearance of Olympus, we get the true end of the original film, putting a nice bow
on top of this now iconic KH world. It's a great way to ease players from the
old directly into the new. Toybox utilizes its scale wonderfully. I love how it feels to be the size of a toy,
for the surrounding structures to tower over you like skyscrapers. True to its name, Galaxy Toys is super fun
to hang out in, with all of the stores you'd expect. Toys, video games, even a playplace! You get to run up and down the aisles, sliding
into the ventilation shafts, playing rock 'em sock 'em robots, and fighting creepy dolls. Some of the new Heartless are giant mechs
called Gigas, who will kick your teeth in if you try to fight them normally. Naturally, you're allowed to pilot these mechs
to turn the tables. I love making an emergency escape, desperately
searching for a new mech to climb into. It's a cool shakeup to the core gameplay,
though you're given the option to brave that challenge outside of the mech if you really
want to. The Kingdom of Corona is a more standard re-telling
of the film. You help Rapunzel escape her tower with Eugene,
making your way to the castle. Along the way, there are optional mini-games
you can do with Rapunzel to teach her more about the world. Using Aero on the dandelions, splashing her
with water, slowly gathering up the birds. It's small stuff like this that goes a long
way in making Sora and company feel like meaningful inclusions to the stories they inhabit, while
also giving each world a distinct flavor. Sora, especially, knows how exciting it is
to set out from your home and explore the outside world. Who better than him to help ease her into
it? San Fransokyo has a pseudo-open world to explore. We're at the point now where we can recreate
Another Side, Another Story, battling heartless on the sides of skyscrapers. As someone who loves the more explorative
side of Kingdom Hearts, this is some of the most satisfying level design in the series,
with secret chests and lucky emblems hidden everywhere. That explorative urge is heightened in The
Caribbean, which may as well be its own sub-game. You're given a ship you can use to explore
the seas, dropping anchor on several islands that feel like their own mini-dungeons. Along the way, you do battle with other ships,
and board them like a true pirate. I've spent hours in this world sailing around,
fighting ships, exploring underwater for chests and ingredients. Practically every Disney World has something
that sets it apart from the rest; It's probably the most diverse set of worlds we've ever
had. Many of them have even been given original
stories to follow, like Toybox, Monstropolis, and San Fransokyo. The Toy Story Trilogy is one of my favorites,
so it's a bit surreal to be running around with Buzz and Woody, taking orders from Sarge,
and geeking out with Rex about Final Fantasy. This toy store is huge with secrets hidden
everywhere, truly a joy to explore. Makes it feel like the gang is on a field
trip; I could genuinely see a story like this taking place in between the movies. Gives off "direct to DVD" energy. The KH stuff even makes for a fascinating
premise, turning Buzz into the actual Space Ranger he thought he was in the original film. It puts him on edge: he knows how unnatural
and dangerous this is. He's afraid of being possessed; pitted against
his friends. Woody serves as the voice of hope and optimism. It's fitting that he's the one to save Buzz
from Darkness, delivering the most raw verbal beatdown to a KH villain I've ever seen. I do kinda wish they chose to retell Toy Story
2 so I could have gotten an HD Remake of one of my favorite games. The scale of the world makes it feel like
the Toy Story 2 game anyway, so I suppose I should count my blessings. I swear to you, I'll make a video on it one
day. I don't have anything against rehashing the
movie plots, I think that approach is still perfectly valid. It all depends on how Nomura and his team
want to connect that story with the overarching themes of Kingdom Hearts. Seeing as worlds like Tangled already have
a story tailor-made for the themes of Kingdom Hearts, there wasn't much reason to change
it up. For Monsters Inc. I think it was vital to pick up after the
end of the film, where Mike and Sully will be using the Laughter of children instead
of Screams. This has the effect of making Vanitas and
the Unversed fit in seamlessly as the antagonistic force. In fact, it's the very essence of this world
which resurrects him for the final battle. A common complaint with the Disney stuff is
that it feels too disconnected from the larger KH plot, which I suppose has always been true
for Kingdom Hearts to a certain extent. Most of the major story developments happen
outside of the Disney Worlds like they always have, but in this case people take issue with
the Power of Waking. The reason why Sora is exploring Disney Worlds
this time around is to regain his lost Power of Waking after failing his Mark of Mastery. He does this by turning his heart into his
"guiding key" and using it to light the way forward. The Heart in this universe is a bit like a
Wayfinder. We've seen concepts like destinies becoming
intertwined, friends suddenly and conveniently reuniting. It's as if Hearts are drawn to one another;
the Heart always knows what it wants, deep down. Sora trusting in his own heart to guide him
to worlds which will teach him what he needs to become a true hero feels pretty in-line
with what Kingdom Hearts is all about, no more or less effective than sealing keyholes
or searching aimlessly for friends. Sora encounters much on this journey, but
a lot of that is him rediscovering things his heart already knows. His interaction with Pete and Maleficent reinforces
the idea that he's feeling quite down on himself after failing the Mark of Mastery; he doesn't
think he's powerful enough to be of use to his friends. His heart chose Olympus to remind him of his
inner strength. Hercules tells him that he can accomplish
anything if he gives it his all, something he's proven time and time again. I've already mentioned how Tangled mirrors
Sora's initial journey, leaving Destiny Islands, but it ends with Eugene sacrificing his life
to save Rapunzel; just as Sora sacrificed his to save Kairi. And just as Kairi was able to bring him back
with her pure heart, Rapunzel was able to bring back Eugene with hers. Sora's nature is to sacrifice himself for
those he loves. That heart of hers is what draws Marluxia
to the world, on orders from Xehanort to safeguard her Light in case the Guardians fail to save
their friends. Marluxia's presence here even reflects his
introduction in Chain of Memories, since he's siding with Mother Gothel, keeping a young
girl shut away from the rest of the world in order to take advantage of their power. In Toy Story, toys have a sentience that is
unknown to their human owners. In a sense, these otherwise soulless pieces
of plastic house their own Hearts borne from the love of their owners. Inanimate concepts being given hearts, now
where have I heard that one before? Young Xehanort is here to study how to place
Hearts within any vessel of his choosing, knowledge he would eventually use to help
complete the New Organization. By separating Buzz from the people he cares
about, he's able to exploit his insecurities and turn him to the Darkness, concluding that
it is the heart's true nature. Sora and Woody conclude, however, that once
you forge that bond, no amount of separation will ever be enough to extinguish that connection. Whether you're stuck in the realm of Darkness,
lulled into an eternal slumber, or maybe you were never meant to exist at all: reunion
is inevitable. Don't lose yourself in the sorrow of separation:
be thankful your bond is strong enough to create that sadness. The closer you look at every world, the more meaning
you can mine from them. Vanitas melds exceedingly well with Monstropolis'
past, introducing Unversed as the main threat. Mike and Sully help Sora battle those negative
emotions, cementing their resolve to keep the lights on using positive emotions. Though they were once on a darker path, they
found the strength within themselves to do things differently. No one is ever truly lost, and anyone can
choose to be better, even a true being of Darkness like Vanitas. Faced with beings of negative emotion for
the first time, Sora never loses heart. He's always making his goofy faces, trying
to make a kid laugh despite it all. His blindingly bright, childlike optimism
has always been one of his greatest strengths. Arendelle centers around the bond between
Anna and Elsa. Anna never gives up on her sister, even when
she tries to keep everyone at a distance in order to protect them. This relationship is reminiscent of Sora and
Riku's relationship. It took a long time, and a lot of effort,
but Sora was eventually able to find Riku and pull him out of that darkness. Riku never needed to feel ashamed or afraid
of meeting Sora in KH2. Sora doesn't let anyone's past define them. By the time you reach The Caribbean and San
Fransokyo, Sora is noticeably more confident. He's regained so much of his power that he's
now taking the helm of his own pirate ship and teaching the members of Big Hero 6 more
ways to use their powers. His journey across the Disney Worlds taught
him that his Heart had always been strong. It's his drive to help people with all his
heart, his confidence that everything will be okay no matter what happens, his adventurous
spirit, stubborn refusal to give up, and his willingness to sacrifice himself to save those
he cares about: that's what makes Sora truly powerful. The Disney Worlds were able to make him realize
that the Power of Waking, in both a literal and metaphorical sense, had been there all
along. In the same way that the worlds in the first
game facilitated a hero's journey, and the worlds in the second game fit a unified theme
of identity, the worlds in the third game are meant to show Sora that he's a true hero,
ready to save his friends and take on Xehanort. This will upset a great deal of people, but
I think KH3 handles its Disney side the best. I truly believe that. All of them are not only thematically relevant
to Kingdom Hearts, but are reflective of Sora's growth as a person. By its nature, KH3 is a contemplative game,
looking back and celebrating what got us here. Most of its music consists of remixes, all
of its character stories were set-up by previous installments, and it's the climax to twenty
years of storytelling. It's a stroke of genius to make Sora's adventure
through the worlds a much more personal journey, and I think they went to great lengths to
make each and every world feel like a worthwhile inclusion. With all the talk of people wanting the next
game to cut out Disney entirely, I can't help but wonder if a lot of people are simply sick
of seeing them. I simply couldn't imagine Kingdom Hearts without
Disney. - Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix has been lauded
as one of the best action RPGs out there, including by yours truly. And it is! It completely deserves to be considered as
such. It's a wonderful game, but often it feels
like it has grown into a monolith of discourse about what's "right or wrong" to do in a KH
game, in my opinion severely limiting what a new game is allowed to pursue. Just as I think the original Kingdom Hearts
stands tall alongside its sequel, I also believe the same is true for KH3, even if all three
of them seem to have different goals. When I was a kid, dreaming of an eventual
Kingdom Hearts 3, my mind always went back to the Lingering Will, and by extension, the
idea of transforming your keyblade. I read a fanfic called KH3: Brotherhood of
Dark which used it quite well from what I remember. Did anyone else read that one, was it just
me? Anyway, KH3 having keyblade transformations
is like a dream come true. The keyblade system was pretty straightforward
in previous games. You get a neat little upgrade after each story
event or unlockable boss fight, with a visual overhaul and some stat increases. With a few exceptions, you essentially never
had any reason to use an earlier keyblade, as they're almost always weaker. In KH3, you're encouraged to use any keyblade
you want, since they're all more or less acquired on equal footing, and offer substantial gameplay
changes akin to drive forms or command styles. In fact, they're an intelligent fusion of
those two mechanics, providing the ultimate form change system. Every Keyblade has a transformation path you
can enter by performing combos with it. The Kingdom Key will eventually prompt you
to enter Second Form by pressing the triangle button, which you can do at any time. Doing so will alter your base combos similar
to a command form. From there, you can either perform a finisher
or continue down the path for another form change. Since you can switch between three equipped
keyblades during battle and it will store your current form change, battles feel more
fluid than ever. One minute you're using Happy Gear, drilling
through the floor or whipping around your little yo-yos. Then, mid-combo, you can swap over to a form
change you stored earlier for Favorite Deputy, smashing your hammer into the ground. The visual effects for these transformations
are feasts for the eyes, it has never felt better to decimate heartless. In terms of game flow and function, I prefer
the form changes to the Drive Forms. They're themed to each Disney World, giving
you a tangible memento of your time spent there, and have a variety of effects on your
base moves that you can chain together. Double Arrowguns allows you to shoot from
a distance, but you can also weave in your magic to shoot all of them out as projectiles
which hit more often. If you pull out the Drill, your magic will
come out in a circle around you much quicker, like Fire did in KH2. Dodging with Ever After will create afterimages
which provide extra ranged attacks. The Counter Shield is not especially useful
in traditional combat, but if you counter a few attacks, with a critical counter thrown
in for good measure, you can fire back with devastating damage. It's very satisfying to pick a set of three
keyblades and make the most of their form changes. Given that you also have a bunch of magic,
summons, shotlocks, and flowmotion returning, this is the most variety a Kingdom Hearts
game has ever offered, and it makes repeat playthroughs on Critical Mode really fun. I thought it was great even on launch day,
so obviously the relatively low difficulty never bothered me too much. You have so many ways to fight that it rarely
feels boring. I've seen almost everyone complain about Attraction
Flow and I don't think I'll ever get it. They're cute little mini-games based on DisneyLand
rides, asking you to time your button presses, juggle enemies in the air, or even something
as simple as rock your boat back and forth. My favorite is the raft attraction, where
you have to create a water trail that will trap heartless, letting you ram into them
with your raft on a return trip. I think it's cool that the DisneyLand rides
were turned into a core mechanic, it makes it feel more "Disney '' than ever. As someone who's primarily into the KH gameplay
for the satisfaction of blowing away heartless, these mini-games are perfect. I also find that they do show up when it makes
sense, like riding the raft to put out fires in Monsters Inc. or riding the TeaCups in
tighter, enclosed spaces with walls to bounce off. I love that every keyblade has a unique shot
lock attack, some that can even be used to restore HP. I love that Water can be used both offensively
and defensively, like a stricter version of Reflect. I love that Flowmotion is still fun to use,
but feels less like a crutch now that it's much more limited. There are so many little things about KH3
that make it feel like a proper return as a numbered title. The handheld games were pretty alright for
what they were, but none of them felt this fun. None of them allowed you to do quite this
much, and it's refreshing for the series to leap back onto the console scene feeling this
good to play with so many options at your disposal. Every world you visit, you're constantly unlocking
more. A new keyblade, a new summon, more magic,
and by the end you've built an outstanding arsenal of wacky attacks. To pair well with the gorgeous new graphical
leap, and to fit the climax of a decades long story arc, we're now taking on bigger threats
than ever before. You tango with a huge tree monster while you
climb the iconic tower from Tangled. You fight a giant UFO in a playplace, with
blocks shooting across the arena. The spectacle here is insane, and makes the
Heartless feel even more terrifying. As the Keyblade War draws near, it would make
sense that the darkness is stirring ever greater. Yet, it also doesn't skimp on the more down-to-earth
fights. You get to battle Davy Jones and the Kraken
in a multi-phase fight during the climax of At World's End. You get to fight a Dark version of the original
Baymax from the first film on the back of the new Baymax. By the time you reach The Graveyard, you're
bombarded with cool fight after cool fight, leading to this amazing six hour long climax
to years worth of buildup. All of this is enhanced when playing on the
free Critical Mode update, but I still felt the epic impact of these boss fights on my
first playthrough. It feels so right to stroll up to all these
brooding losers and whip out a giant hammer from Toy Story to flatten them with. It's not as focused as KH2, where everything
felt like it had a distinct purpose, and boss fights were more like controlled duels that
could get you sweating a little more often. KH3 is a little more free form, a little less
technical, and a little more flashy. But Kingdom Hearts has never been the pinnacle
of action combat anyway. An important point about these games is that
they're Action RPGs, built to merge the action genre with the turn-based feel of Final Fantasy. In basically all of them, you can grind to
max level if you really want to and break them in half. It makes sense to me that throwing out a big
Magic Spell or a Summon would do ridiculous amounts of damage, it feels just as good as
it would in a Final Fantasy, with the benefit of that visceral action feel. KH3 manages that balance pretty well, even
if it doesn't feel as demanding as KH2 often did. I suppose I go to these two games for different
reasons, and one approach doesn't outweigh the other entirely. KH2 was so focused on its combat, that other
areas suffered a bit. I don't think it handles its Disney Worlds
particularly well compared to the first game, and it isn't nearly as fun to explore or platform. It also relies on a few too many gimmicks
that feel like slogs on repeat playthroughs. I'm not trying to bring down one game to praise
another, I'm simply trying to illustrate that these three numbered titles all have their
strengths and weaknesses. I rate them all fairly equally. I'd even say, overall, that I still prefer
KH2 as a game. What I'm trying to say is that combat depth
and balance isn't the end all be all of Kingdom Hearts, and I know that to be the case because
I adore playing around with three's systems despite it being quite a bit more unbalanced. It has the same building blocks that made
KH2 feel great to play. Enemies have a consistent revenge value again,
most of your moves have a cost associated with them, and your freedom to choose, with
a traditional command menu, makes it so outside of your situation commands, which basically
emulate reaction commands anyway, everything that matters to you is under your control
at all times. This includes the difficulty, which now includes
Critical Mode, the No Experience toggle, and the Pro Codes which let you toggle various
settings to tweak your experience to your liking. It's the same with EZ codes, which feel like
modern day cheat codes, it's actually kinda awesome to see such a modular difficulty selection. You can have your HP and MP drain at a constant
rate during battle. You can set your defense value to 0, you can
turn off Attractions, form changes, shotlocks, summons. On the flipside, EZ codes let you auto-block
attacks, one shot weaker enemies, regen your resources automatically, equip abilities without
the need for AP, etc. What I love about this dichotomy is that I
can genuinely see myself using options from both sides of the aisle here. Obviously, it's kinda cool to have an option
to turn off summons or shotlocks, forcing me into a particular playstyle that I'd have
to create for myself in previous games. However, I think it's actually even cooler
that the EZ codes have options like making Excellents easier to get when cooking, or
having Team Commands show up more often. By the way, did I mention that there's an
entire side mode dedicated to Remy Ratatouille over here, where you gather ingredients and
play a set of cooking mini-games to give yourself stat boosts? Or that, in the same world, you unlock little
Game and Watch games on your Gummi Phone that each represent a black and white Disney short
film? This game is so rad, people don't like this? There's so much to do in KH3. You get to fly the Gummi Ship through a big
3D space now, collecting materials, participating in shorter, more controlled KH2 dogfights
here and there. This is probably blasphemous for some, but
this is absolutely my favorite incarnation of the Gummi Ship, it really fits well in
a game asking you to explore huge areas for helpful items. What it sometimes lacks in visual variety
and highly controlled setpieces, it more than makes up for in its freedom to explore for
Gummi blocks, keyblade upgrade materials, EXP, and even secret boss fights. It gives you more of a reason to invest your
time into building your Gummi ship. You'll be making progress toward unlocking
the Ultima Keyblade, upgrading your other keyblades, and eventually fighting the Swarzgheist
from Einhander, fit with a banger remix of Thermosphere by Kenichiro Fukui. Since each world is bigger than usual, with
more stuff to collect, it takes even longer to fill out Jiminy's Journal. It is true that KH3 lacks post-game content
at its core, but I think it more than makes up for that by creating an incredibly solid
main campaign, with Disney Worlds twice the size. And if I had to choose between the main game
feeling rich with content, or the post game, I think you'd know which one I'd pick. Especially since, per the tradition of Final
Mix updates, they can spruce up the post-game however they like. And spruce up they did. The data organization is likely the hardest
set of bosses the series has ever had. Well, the hardest set of fair bosses, anyway. The Lingering Will might outclass some of
them individually, but I think when you compare this set of bosses to the data org in KH2,
they come out on top in terms of overall challenge. These fights are excellent tests of your reaction
speed, with some truly insane attacks. I remember when I first fought Dark Riku,
got to his DM, and thought to myself "oh no." This is truly the pinnacle of what KH3 combat
can achieve when it wants to. Young Xehanort has his best fight here, teleporting
across the screen, whipping his keyblade at you, using his time manipulation in a way
that doesn't annoy me, and fits with the fast pacing of the fight. A well-timed critical counter can actually
knock him straight out of his time stop, and since he always ends the fight with one, that
final hit is always a nail-biter. Luxord is a little easier than the rest, but
it's certainly a far more interesting fight than his KH2 battle. Figuring the game out involves breaking his
cards to make his hide and seek easier, allowing you to fit in more punishes before your time
gauge runs out. To do this, you have to use the correct type
of magic and block them with the right timing. He likes to fake you out too, with varying
speeds and card formations. What's cool, though, is that this only makes
his mini-game easier to complete. There will be less cards on the ground while
you're trying to keep track of him, but even if there are more cards on the ground, technically
nothing is stopping you from braving that challenge. It truly feels like a game you two are playing,
and it always ends with a frantic round of hide and seek at the very end. Xigbar changes the shape of the arena to better
suit his long range capabilities. His fight is focused on blocking his shots
back at him to leave him open for a counterattack. I haven't talked much about it, but airstep
is very useful here, a new move in Sora's arsenal which lets him warp straight to bosses
for a faster punish. You tend to use it most in these data battles,
where the window to attack is much shorter. For the most part, Xigbar dictates the pace
of the battle, with a return of his tiny platform dance party, and even a cute face-off minigame. I could go on for hours, I love every single
fight. Saix and Dark Riku veer a little bit into
bs territory sometimes, but they're all so well designed that it hardly matters. Marluxia has a sick Doom counter phase where
he summons a giant skull. Xemnas forces you to contend with his laser
dome through actual gameplay, weaving together your blocks and dodges. Xion can reduce your max HP by hitting you. They're awesome, every fight is awesome, they
might be mentally draining on Critical, but they're so coooooool! And they all have really, really good remixes,
especially the Luxord 13th Struggle by Yuki Komiyama. Oh my god that one is good. It ends with a battle against Cole Sprouse,
the best secret boss in Kingdom Hearts, set to one of Yoko Shimomura's most legendary
pieces, Nachtflügel. This is everything that made The Lingering
Will fantastic cranked to the max. It will test your resolve as a human being,
and I am so interested to learn more about this character. Kingdom Hearts 3 may not feel exactly like
KH1 or KH2, but neither does 2 feel entirely like 1 to begin with. 3 did exactly what I wanted as a sequel mechanically,
and crafted an experience I can only get by playing it. That's all I could ever ask. - Kingdom Hearts 3 is the conclusive chapter
to the Dark Seeker Saga. We're here to save the Guardians of Light,
fight in the Keyblade War, and take down Xehanort once and for all. Other threads run in the background; table
setting for future entries as per usual. For the most part, though, I would describe
this tale as cathartic. Predictable, but cathartic. If you were a fan of Kingdom Hearts during
the lead-up to 3, you basically knew everything that was going to happen in advance. I saw the phrase "Re:connect Kingdom Hearts"
enough times to give me an ulcer. The question wasn't what was going to happen,
it was how. I suppose the how of it all didn't resonate
with very many people. Well, it resonated with me, you heartless
wretches. Though it was removed from KH3 to serve as
a demo of sorts, I think 0.2 Birth By Sleep ~ a fragmentary passage does a good job setting
the tone moving into KH3 proper, following Aqua as she attempts to survive in the Realm
of Darkness, the Demon Tide chasing after her, representing the Darkness itself, a consistent
force that can never truly be defeated. As you'd imagine, the Realm of Darkness is
a bleak place, playing tricks on the mind, creating false hope. That Aqua hasn't broken under its influence,
being alone for a length of time that she can't even place anymore, is a testament to
her strength. It's another reminder of what the stakes are
and why these characters are in desperate need of saving. There's quite a lot this story needed to accomplish. It needed to tie together the stories of Roxas,
Xion, Axel, Namine, Aqua, Terra, Ventus, Kairi, Riku, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Sora; plus,
Xehanort and the members of the New Organization. On top of that, it needed to introduce a ton
of new Disney Worlds, wrap up the plot of the Radiant Garden researchers, and continue
the running threads in the background which would continue the story after the Keyblade
War was said and done. Given how much there was to wrap up, I think
the team did a commendable job. Everything you do in 3 has something to do
with one of the missing lights. Revisiting Twilight Town is mostly for Roxas. You meet up with Hayner, Pence, and Olette
again to figure out how to restore him. It's a bittersweet, nostalgic trip. As Sora says, it feels like it's been forever
since we've stepped foot in Twilight Town, even if it hasn't actually been that long
in universe. It shows how much Roxas has been longing to
come back, something Sora feels for him. It's familiar, the trams are running, the
shops are open. But now there's a film festival, a bistro
run by a rat, and the hole in the wall has been repaired. You have to run through the sewers to get
to the Mansion, but once you're there, it's like nothing's changed. Ansem and Xemnas are a perfect fit to antagonize
Sora, taunting him about the lengths he'll have to go to sustain the life of a Nobody,
wondering if he'll once again fall to darkness. This is a pattern the story falls into. At each leg of the journey, a new idea or
problem will be tackled. Riku and Mickey are on a mission to save Aqua
from the Realm of Darkness; Ienzo helps to build a vessel for Roxas; all the while, Ventus
attempts to claw his way out of Sora's heart when Aqua is brought up or when he's confronted
by Vanitas. Despite what many might say, there's actually
a good amount of progress made both during and in between Disney Worlds towards this
end game conflict. One of the reasons they're able to recruit
Xion into the New Organization is thanks to Young Xehanort and Dark Riku, whose efforts
combined with Vexen's replica research is able to recreate Xion to become one of the
thirteen darknesses, no strings attached. Vanitas' resurrection occurs in Monstropolis
thanks to the surplus of negative energy present in the world, and he's able to alert Sora
to Ventus' heart residing within him. Xehanort's shown to have a fallback plan in
case the Guardians fail, sending Marluxia and Larxene to find and safeguard the new
Seven Hearts. There's a whole side plot with Vexen, who
betrays the Organization and seeks to atone alongside Ansem the Wise, ultimately making
it thanks to him that we're able to create vessels for Xion and Namine. We cut to Kairi and Axel bonding together
during their training with Merlin, and though it isn't much, their scenes together are really
cute. Their relationship has come a long way since
KH2, and the scenes where Axel is reminded of someone who never existed are… tough
to watch. It makes their fights at the Keyblade Graveyard
marginally less disappointing. What I'm trying to outline here is that there's
a buildup to KH3 that's meant to burst once you save Aqua, the crescendo of a chess match
Xehanort and Eraqus have been playing since they were young lads. Perhaps some of the early narrative pacing
is sacrificed in order to make the end game more satisfying, which is a bit disappointing
considering how revelatory and climactic the midpoint of 2 was. But that also means that the end game of 3,
in my opinion, is the strongest in the series. Sora, having regained his confidence, journeys
into the Realm of Darkness to fight Aqua, alone, and what a fight that is. Anti-Aqua by Yoshinori Nakamura is a harrowing
theme. She's lost the battle against her insecurities,
all of her negative emotions have bubbled to the surface, her loneliness, her fear,
her anger. She's become one with the mirror images she
once fought against, fully embracing the Darkness after an eternity spent with it being her
only companion. It's heartbreaking to see Aqua like this,
but it's also humbling. Not even the strongest of souls can brave
the world's darkness on their own. Without the warmth of others, we'd lose ourselves. Our power is limited, and sometimes, we need
help. Sora, the blinding beacon of hope that he
is, cuts through that despair and, with a little help from Riku, saves her from that
abyss. Her reaction waking up on the Destiny Islands
is still hard to watch. It says a lot that, upon waking up, she still
believes she's in the Realm of Darkness. That's how long she's been trapped, it's become
her new reality. So when Sora and Riku assure her that she's
finally in the Realm of Light, that she's home, the tears that fall down her face are
gut-wrenching. The relief flowing into her is palpable, you
can feel the muscles in her body release all of their tension. This is the payoff to a tragedy set-up back
on the PSP, one that we had been patiently awaiting for nearly a decade. Since everything is so backloaded, this event
serves as the first domino, which sets off a chain reaction of payoffs. As soon as Aqua's safe, the next course of
action is for her to go wake up Ventus, where we get to play as her in a short battle against
Vanitas. Unfortunately, Vanitas gets the upper hand,
showing even early on that Aqua still hasn't fully recovered from her experiences in the
Realm of Darkness. When all hope seems lost, Sora is able to
use the Power of Waking for the first time to summon Ventus. Watching him crash in to save Aqua was another
fantastic moment, and it gives me chills watching them finally talking to each other after all
this; not through dreams or apparitions, they're both actually here. I'm trying my best not to rattle off a bunch
of plot points, but I want you to understand where I'm coming from here. The climax of KH3 is so good, it's one of
the best parts of the game, and it basically had to be. This is the ending of the Dark Seeker Saga. I'll say once again that we all knew who was
going to be saved, but it was about finally seeing them back in action, smiling and safe
again, that made the long wait for this game more than worth it. I revel in the smaller moments, like the Guardians
assembling at Yen Sid's Tower before journeying to the Keyblade Graveyard. Ven remembering Axel after their brief bonding
moment back in Radiant Garden. Aqua's swelling pride in how far Sora, Riku,
and Kairi have all come since she first met them as children. Even Ven and Aqua's quiet moment together
on the steps of the tower, where they vow to save Terra together, warms my heart. These characters all mean the world to me. I've been following their stories for most
of my life, watching them suffer through unimaginable nightmares. They've been killed, trapped, possessed, sent
to sleep. We waited years to finally see them happy
again, and this was the first major step toward seeing that goal realized. It's not without its dramatic turns, though,
and their first steps into the Keyblade Graveyard was something I could never have expected. At this moment, you're on top of the world. You've regained the Power of Waking, you've
assembled the Guardians of Light, and you've just completed a battle against a horde of
Heartless, Nobodies, and Unversed. Surely, we're ready to take on the Organization,
right? Terra appears, catching the Guardians by surprise. As his hair turns white, and he rushes them,
the situation turns dire faster than you can blink. One by one, the Guardians are taken out, while
a hurricane of Heartless form to defeat them. This is what the Guardians are up against:
darkness itself. They're outnumbered in this clash. It's seven lights against thirteen darknesses,
an uphill battle. As Sora loses everyone, he doubts himself. All of the growth he had throughout the Disney
Worlds was all for nought if he couldn't save a single one of his friends. As he says, without them, he's worthless. And this is where Riku shines brighter than
he ever has. He knows the situation is hopeless, he has
every reason to doubt. It's him and Sora up against a force of nature,
Darkness itself. Instead of giving into that fear, that despair… Riku clenches his fist, and raises his Keyblade
to protect Sora. He's been through so much. He's brushed with Darkness many times, it's
taken him the entire Saga to come to terms with that and become a Guardian of Light. He's battled his inner demons, gotten over
his insecurities, and knows that he's a strong person. Which is what makes this line all the more
powerful. Sora
was part of the reason Riku even made it this far. It was his unwavering belief in his best friend
that got him through the darkest period of his entire life. The fact that Sora was never willing to give
up on his friend, no matter what Riku did, is the reason Riku's still standing today. He knows better than anyone that what Sora's
saying here is wrong. Sora's more powerful than anyone here. It may be true that part of his strength comes
from others, but he's only able to draw upon that strength thanks to the kindness he extends
to them. He is the reason he has so many friends, that
he's able to so naturally share his heart with others. With the help of Riku's words, and Kairi's
light holding his soul together, he embarks on a journey to piece himself back together
and prove his worth by bending reality itself to save his friends. And here's where I want to let everyone in
on a little secret. A lot of people clown on this aspect of Kingdom
Hearts. Oh, none of it makes any sense, where's the
logical consistency, KH jumped the shark, why can't we return to the simple days of
KH1? And you know, there's a part of my brain that's
inclined to agree with that. A lot of KH dialogue is pretty clumsy, and
it certainly does pretty much whatever it wants to with little to no consideration for
what consequences it will have. It's a rocky road, one that probably wasn't
fully thought out from the beginning. That is… true… but… I THINK THIS SHIT IS FUCKING AWESOME! YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS ARE KILLED BY LOREAL-NORT
AND SENT TO THE AFTERLIFE? HERE'S A SOLUTION: PIECE YOUR SHATTERED FORM
BACK TOGETHER, CHASE DOWN THE LICH FERRYING YOUR FRIENDS HEARTS TO THE UNDERWORLD, FUCKING
BEND REALITY TO YOUR WILL TO MAKE IT SO, ACTUALLY, NO, WE NEVER LOST THAT FIGHT LIKE YOU HAVE
A FUCKING JOJO STAND, AND TRY AGAIN. THIS SHIT IS SO COOL, I DON'T EVEN CARE ANYMORE! THIS IS WHAT KINGDOM HEARTS IS ALL ABOUT BABY! *ahem* Yeah, so I like this part of the game quite
a bit. The Final World is as picturesque and dreamlike
as the Stations of Awakening, which as it turns out are one and the same. This do-over launches us into the next best
part of the game, where you get to ride the keyblades of the fallen wielders from Union
Cross, spamming the triangle button to attack with their displayed usernames, using the
power of the most dedicated players who have now been immortalized in KH canon. These players became the weights that tipped
the scales in favor of Light: they're the reason the keyblade war was able to happen. Moments like this are what make video games
so damn cool! Yen Sid finally gets up out of his chair and
parts the red sea, you get battles with every member of the Organization, teaming up with
a friend or two to take on multiple at once, a true battle royale. Whenever you defeat an organization member,
they get a dedicated cutscene with their final moments. The first couple battles are nothing groundbreaking. Sora makes peace with Marluxia and Larxene,
happy that they'll be made whole again! Dark Riku, who is revealed to be a past version
of Riku Replica, is sent out of his vessel by the current Riku Replica, who by the way
is also inside Riku, which means yes: Riku flew out of Riku into Riku in order to defeat
Riku. I love Kingdom Hearts. I don't think anything will ever match the
emotional weight of the battles against Terra Xehanort, Vanitas, Saix, and Xion. The BBS trio reuniting again, confirming a
long held fan theory that Terra was the Guardian all along. Watching these goofs finally reunite, tears
streaming down their face, I can't help but get choked up every time I see it. These three have been through hell. Finally, they're together again. Safe. Happy. Great as this was, though, nothing could have
possibly prepared me for what came next. The Sea Salt trio, as per usual, broke me. I was in shambles during this whole segment. I was angry watching Xemnas beat on Axel,
I wanted to kick his teeth in more than anything. But when Xion goes for the swing, and Sora
blocks it, tears in his eyes, Roxas calling her name. Finally, they remember her, finally she has
her memories, finally Roxas flies in to save the day, and you BEAT THE LIVING MOONLIGHT
OUT OF THIS RAGING FREAK WHO CAUSED THIS TRIO SO. MUCH. PAIN. TO THE TUNE OF HEARTS AS ONE, BY SHOTARO SHIMA,
BLENDING ROXAS, XION, AND A LITTLE BIT OF SORA TOGETHER TO CRAFT ONE OF THE MOST EMOTIONALLY
SATISFYING SONGS IN VIDEO GAME HISTORY. Roxas absolutely shreds through Saix, which
says to me that the fight was meant to be easy. They wanted Roxas to let it all out, and I
don't blame them. Tears were flowing down my face once Xion
started crying. Like them, I couldn't hold it in anymore. I don't think I realized just how special
the Sea Salt Trio were to me until this moment. This was everything I wanted to see, my beautiful
anime boys and girls happy again! It just doesn't stop, either. No room to breathe, this is the keyblade war,
we aren't letting off the gas. So you're thrown straight into the fan dubbed
Nort Court, where you battle against Ansem, Xemnas, Young Xehanort, and Master Xehanort
with Riku and Mickey. Master Xehanort watches from on high, throwing
keyblades around, while the other three gang up on you. On Critical Mode, this fight is pure madness,
it is terrifying fighting three previous final bosses all at the same time. Their endings are so perfect. Young Xehanort flips his middle finger at
Sora, hinting towards his inevitable demise. True to his nature, he goes out like the gremlin
he always was. Xemnas, in his final moments, seems to genuinely
regret what he did. He took his life for granted, took those around
him for granted. His first emotion at the end of everything:
heartache. Ansem's parting words might be the most satisfying
of all, telling the party, and the player by proxy, to move on from him. He may have started everything, but this is
where he finally bows out. Forza Finale, by Yasunori Nishiki, is a banger,
incorporating all three of their themes into one beautiful rendition. I've been highlighting who made these tracks
because I want to stress just how many people were involved in the making of this game. Instead of Yoko handling most of the soundtrack
like she usually does, they had so many other composers from all walks remixing her works,
which I think fits really well as a culmination of the series' past. Unfortunately, Kairi gets fridged again, and
the key blade is forged at last. In one last ditch attempt to stop him, Xehanort
is trapped inside his own past, transporting him back to Scala ad Caelum, where he trained
with Eraqus to become a master. We're ending his story where it all began,
and we're doing it with Donald and Goofy by our side. Couldn't have it any other way. The replicas that confront you are really
freaky. Each of them resemble a member of the New
Organization, fully transformed into a Xehanort clone. Finally, he has achieved the ultimate power,
he not only wields the keyblade, he has an army of clones at his beck and call. He continues to serve as Sora's antithesis,
manipulating his underlings, bending reality to his whim, warping the ground beneath them. It is the perfect end game spectacle I was
expecting, buildings are breaking, flying all over the place, Xehanort can choke slam
you, they even throw in an underwater segment, the absolute madmen. It ends in the skies above, Kingdom Hearts
towering over the destroyed city. Destati plays one last time; chills run down
my spine. Xehanort wields the key blade, warping through
keyholes, draining the light from Sora, forcing him to take it back while trapped in Rage
Form. It's everything I ever could have expected
from the final battle, and with Donald and Goofy at your side, you deliver the final
reaction command… Trinity. Dare I say it? Kino. True Kino. I'll be the first to admit that, as much as
I love this ending, as much as I love this game: it is still Kingdom Hearts, which means
that I have my issues with it. Dark Domination is an alright song, but it's
definitely the weakest final boss theme. Takeharu Ishimoto put in some fantastic work
here. He gave most of the bosses a sense of spectacle,
and I love his work on The Caribbean. But he really shouldn't have been tasked with
the final boss, that honor really should have gone to Yoko. It was completely unnecessary to shaft Kairi
in the way that they did, I really, REALLY hate that they did that. She gets a great playable segment in Re Mind,
but it's always gonna suck that she got shafted in the main game. I think it's criminal that Edge of Existence
only gets to play for a few seconds in Scala ad Caelum, considering it's one of the few
new tracks Yoko made for the game and is probably one of her best area themes ever. The "platforming puzzles" they have in the
Keyblade Graveyard are really… weird? And imply they probably wanted to do more
here? It sucks we didn't get to see more of the
Hollow Bastion gang until dlc, it really bites that we didn't get a final Sephiroth battle. There are a lot of little things I wish were
done differently or absences that bothered me. But when I look at what KH3 delivers on, this
explosive finale I could have dreamed up when I was eight years old, all of those thoughts
fade away. It might not have been literally everything
I could have ever possibly imagined… but it was enough. More than enough. -- My favorite scene, the one that represents
everything I’ve been waiting for, is a scene near the end. When every character is on Destiny Islands. They're tossing Donald's shield around, making
sand sculptures, laughing away like old friends. This might sound odd… but this scene made
me cry the most. They were tears of joy, but I still cried
them. This scene represents the culmination of twenty
years of buildup, and also effectively marks the end of my childhood. I was 21 years old when I first saw this. Only a month into the legal drinking age,
and it was the first time I felt like I was an actual adult. I had just moved out of my dad's house, I
was paying my own bills, driving my own car, running my own life. It was… a bit terrifying, one of the biggest
paradigm shifts of my life. KH3, like the entries before it, felt like
it came along at the perfect time. After all, it's a game about leaving your
childhood behind. Sora has come a long way, defeated many a
foe, but even he can't help but doubt himself in the face of an unknown future. Everyone around him is telling him that he
needs the power of waking, but no one can tell him how to get it. He has to figure that out on his own. It's a lot of pressure to put on a young boy,
but luckily he has Donald and Goofy to help him figure out the answer. Given how vague the explanation is for the
Power of Waking, I can't help but read it as a metaphor for the anxiety of growing up. The older you get, the more people expect
of you, the more you're meant to handle problems on your own, and come to your own conclusions
about what you want to do with your life. It can be hard not to break under all that
weight. Xehanort plays the antagonistic role quite
well, a dark mirror of Sora. Once upon a time, he was in a similar position. Poised to become a Keyblade Master, blessed
with natural gifts, departing from the Destiny Islands. How was he going to defeat the Darkness and
save the world? He was confronted by many of the same questions,
but he decided to tackle them on his own. He abandoned Eraqus, poured over the ancient
texts, learned all he could about the world, and through his isolation, he came to the
conclusion that the world was rotten to the core. Only he could fix it, by enacting the Keyblade
War and resetting the world. Their conversation at the end of the game
is one that will forever stick with me. Xehanort has lost all faith. He's scorched the earth in pursuit of his
goal, with the fervent belief that it is beyond saving. He truly does believe that Darkness is the
heart's true essence, and that only he is capable of setting things straight. Sora comes to a different conclusion. Maybe the world is broken, maybe Darkness
does have a hold on the hearts of many. But, even if that's the case, Sora knows that
one person shouldn't decide the fate of the entire world. No person deserves to hold that much power. And besides: no one is ever truly lost. It's here where Xehanort, having been bested
both physically and mentally, bequeaths the keyblade to Sora, entrusting the future of
the world to his optimistic spirit. In this moment, Sora's ready to strike out
on his own, and brave an uncertain future. Despite the warnings from everyone around
him, he abuses the Power of Waking to save the girl he loves, losing himself in the process. No one knows what the future will hold for
him, no one knows where he is, or what he's doing, perhaps not even himself… but even
so, the future comes for everyone. This was a formative moment for me. Playing this game was… tough, sometimes. I got to visit my childhood again, hang out
with Sora and the gang, watch them beat up heartless with Buzz and Woody. But with each hour I sunk, each world completed,
I grew one step closer to leaving that childhood behind once and for all. At that point, I'd need to have my own answers. But hey, if Sora was able to do it, why can't
I? Yeah, that's dumb, that's really cheesy, but
that's the experience I've consistently had with Kingdom Hearts. Stupid as it sounds, the series practically
changed my life. It was inevitable that reaching the end of
the Saga was going to destroy me like this. I think maybe it's possible that my connection
to this game, to this series, is too personal to properly express. It's taken me so long to write this script,
and I don't even know if I'm fully satisfied with how it turned out. It is difficult to describe what the heart
feels. I've discussed many of the reasons why I'm
drawn to Kingdom Hearts. It's insane, colorful, funny, whimsical, nostalgic,
sad, heartwarming. It's… everything, really, but there's one
thing that keeps me coming back; one aspect that I think it nails more than anything else. It's simple, really: Kingdom Hearts is fun. I mean that in every sense of the word. It's a fun memento of your childhood. It's fun to piece together the crazy lore. It's fun to run around on the back of Wreck
it Ralph. This series is fun incarnate, I almost always
have a smile on my face, and KH3 might have been the most fun I've ever had playing any
of these games. It brought me back to a simpler time. I'm living out a new chapter of my life now. Twenty five years old, still paying my bills,
paving my own path through life. It's been a struggle, especially recently,
but I know I can always go back to Kingdom Hearts to make me smile again. No matter the game, Tetsuya Nomura and his
team are dedicated to making magical games which transport you back to your childhood. I don't know where I'd be without this stupid
series. I hope it keeps going. I hope it eventually shows us what's in that
black box. I hope I can theorize about it for the rest
of my life. I hope it keeps going with this absurd unreality
stuff it's setting up. I'll be on the ride until my dying breath. Kingdom Hearts has changed alongside all of
us. It had growing pains, shifted its approach,
adapted its philosophies. But no matter how much it's evolved, no matter
how old it gets, no matter how old I get… It's comforting to know that it hasn't lost
its heart.
