Kingdom Hearts 3: The Long Awaited Conclusion!

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I finished Kingdom Hearts 3 on the PlayStation 4 recently and wanted to do a full review of the game! I mostly really enjoyed the game, but I did wish there was more content. Spoilers are here so don’t read if you haven’t finished the game!

Plot

The full plot was engaging and kept me hooked up until the end! I was excited to finally beat Xenahort! The plot mainly did tie up loose ends except for anything to do with the Master of Masters. I’m assuming this means that this will either be covered in the next saga of Kingdom Hearts.

I liked that the plot was filled with emotional moments and there felt like there was so much at stake for the characters especially in the Keyblade Graveyard!

Disney Worlds

These felt different this time around. They were fully developed stories, but they were also short. Usually the worlds would be visited at least twice so I wanted to explore the Disney worlds more, but the plot is told in one sitting.  I feel like this was done because the emphasis of the plot was on Xenahort and not Disney this time around. But, I still miss spending more time in the Disney worlds.

Where this really showed was in The Caribbean world. They attempted to put a fairly complicated plot in a short trip. This could really confuse those who haven’t seen Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. Please let me know in the comments if you understood the plot of this story without having seen this film! I saw this film years ago in theaters with my mom!

Bosses

Disney

I enjoyed the Disney bosses. My favorite was the Ice Wolf boss in Arendelle. I loved the design of the boss! My least favorite was the Kraken boss fight because it was just fighting tentacles until the health drained. Honorable mention goes to the Doll boss in Toy Box for freaking me out and making me want to beat it the fastest because the flying doll really creeped me out!

End Game

These boss fights were really interesting. Fighting Ansem, Xemnas, and Young Xenahort all at once was really difficult! I had to really watch my health! That was probably the most challenging boss fight for me!

As for Xenahort, I enjoyed fighting him the final time when he was in his human form! His magic was powerful and it felt so good to finally defeat him! I also loved the ending where Donald and Goofy’s voices come in through the PlayStation 4 controller!

Ending

The ending was not what I had expected. I was expecting all loose threads to be tied up, but there still are mysteries surrounding the Master of Masters, the black box, and what will happen to Sora.

The story also ended with tragedy because Sora sacrifices himself to save Kairi so they never do end up together after finally figuring out their true feelings. I am anxious to find out if Sora can be saved in another game! I am hoping that it does not end there!

Things I Missed From Previous Games

1. Multiple secret bosses

Usually there are multiple bosses to fight before seeing the final boss. From what I understand there is only one secret boss so no fighting Sephiroth.

2. The Colosseum

I loved the challenges and bosses you faced in this section! There are little battlegates you can do and I did do one of them, but I miss fighting Hades and Final Fantasy characters at the Colosseum in Kingdom Hearts 1.5 and Kingdom Hearts 2.5!

Final Thoughts

Overall this was a really great game and a good way to finish off Xenahort. I liked that it ended peacefully with Xenahort and Eraqus. I do wish the Colosseum was brought back and there were more bosses to fight, but I do still love the game! I am hoping that in a next game we will be able to save Sora!

What did you think of Kingdom Hearts 3! Let me know!

Kingdom Hearts 3: Lessons in Friendship

A major theme that was present in the Disney worlds in Kingdom Hearts 3 was love. In my case, I wanted to apply this concept to friendship since this series allowed me to get closer to one of my closest friends! There will be spoilers for some of the Disney world plots of Kingdom Hearts 3!

Tox Box

Buzz, Andy, and the toys have been separated from Andy and are trying to find him. Sora, Donald, and Goofy team up to help them.

The first point about friendship comes from when Buzz almost get turned to darkness by Young Xenahort. Woody’s strong bond to Buzz allows him to save Buzz from being consumed by darkness. This reminds me of how friends are there for you during hard times. Friends provide comfort when times are tough and the love of a friendship can keep your heart strong! When I get anxious , I talk to my friend and the comfort of having that friendship always makes me feel better!

The second point about friendship comes from the end of the plot. Buzz and Woody are still far away from Andy, but they point out that Andy is in their hearts. My friend and I live a few hours away from each other, but we still have that close connection that we had when we were in college together!

Arendelle

This world revolves around the plot of Frozen. Sora, Donald, and Goofy meet Elsa who has run away to isolate herself from others and they team up with Anna, Sven, Olaf, and Kristoff to help Elsa.

At the end of the story, Anna is turned to ice, but she is saved by Elsa’s love. This relates to the saying that love can heal a frozen heart. When I got to this scene, I loved that it was not romantic love that saved Anna, but the love of a sister. This scene made me think that all love is an amazing thing to have in your life. I have not experience romantic love either, but I have experienced the love of friends and family and that is a really great gift to have in my life!

Hundred Acre Woods

This was mainly comprised of helping Rabbit with his garden so he could give honey to Pooh. What struck me was the ending. Whinnie the Pooh says that at one point he felt separated from Sora and that he did not want to lose Sora again. He realizes that Sora will stay in his heart.

When I was about to leave college, I worried that my friend and I would lose how close we were over time. But we are still really close and my friend sometimes comes up to visit. We are still close in each other’s hearts no matter how far away we are!

What Kingdom Hearts 3 Teaches About Love and Friendship

• Bonds between close friends remain close no matter how far the distance
• A strong bond like friendship is comforting
• Love is a strong force that can be healing

What do you think of Kingdom Heart 3‘s themes? There will be one more post on Kingdom Hearts 3 coming up! I wanted to write a post on this because I kept talking about this with my friend when we were both playing through the game. Next up will be a full review highlighting the pros and cons of this game and then you can finally stop hearing me ranting about Kingdom Hearts 3! 

 

Favorite and Least Favorite Kingdom Hearts 3 Worlds

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I have played through all of the Disney and Pixar worlds in Kingdom Hearts 3 for the PlayStation 4! I finished the game last night! I wanted to talk about my favorite Kingdom Hearts 3 worlds! There will be spoilers in this post! 

Favorite World:

Kingdom of Corona

I loved the environments of this world! I also loved that Rapunzel played a role in the story and fought with a frying pan! I also really loved the festival of lights scene! The story was emotional and had me crying! The final boss was also pretty cool consisting of Mother Gothel turning into a tree-like heartless!

Least Favorite World:

The Caribbean

I was not a fan of the big empty world. Now this could be because I was spoiled by Assassin’s Creed Odyssey right before I started playing Kingdom Hearts 3. I also felt that the map could be confusing since there was no way to mark where you wanted to go on the map. I also found the race scene at the beginning to be frustrating and I was only playing on easy mode. I struggled with trying to keep up with Luxord’s ship, but I eventually figured it out.

Honorable Mentions:

Toy Box

I loved the original story! I also loved the environments like the toy store! I loved how the theme of friendship was explored in this series through the toys being separated from Andy. I originally did not like that the story ended with the toys not finding Andy, but that is resolved in the game’s credits.

Arendelle

I really enjoyed this world! I was impressed that they were able to incorporate the whole “Let it Go” song into the game! I also loved that the final boss was a really big ice wolf! I also loved the message about true love and friendship!

What were your favorite and least favorite world in Kingdom Hearts 3? 

Kingdom Hearts 3: A Fun Journey

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I started playing Kingdom Hearts 3 on the PlayStation 4 on Tuesday and I love it so far! It was definitely worth the wait! This post will mostly be spoiler-free except for the sections on the first world and the Gummi ship!

Story

Kingdom Hearts 3 has a complicated plot and many loose threads to tie up so I’ll just give a general story summary. Sora needs to get his powers back after Dream Drop Distance, find allies, and stop Xenahort.

Music

I loved the new “Dearly Beloved” title song. It is my favorite version of the song and I love the piano! I started crying when I heard it!

I also love “Face My Fears”! I loved it with the opening cinematic and I also love the message of the song! Utada Hikaru and Skrillex are a great team!

Combat

I love the combat so I wanted to give it it’s own section! It’s like they took everything I loved about the previous games I have played! There are special reactions from Kingdom Hearts 2.5 like Donald Duck’s Flare Force. The links are also fun to use! I loved using the Meow Wow as a summon! It’s so adorable! Magic is also a lot of fun in this game!

Using the keyblade is fun as well since Sora already has some of his powers from previous games like multiple combos and basic spells and the keyblade can transform and get it’s own unique moves.

The new system is called attractions and I love it because it involves fighting enemies with Disney rides!

First World: General Impressions

The first world was fun to explore! The plot followed the plot of the film! I loved seeing the characters with their new graphics! Everyone looks great!  It was a good introduction to the game and made me excited to play more!

First World Bosses: Spoilers

The bosses were so much fun! I loved that I got to fight four bosses in a row! My favorite boss to fight was the Rock Titan because I got to climb a mountain and also fight him with a roller coaster attraction! My least favorite was the Tornado Titan because I found the fight to be confusing since it was in the air and there were platforms, but I still enjoyed it! I am hoping that I might get to fight Hades later on in the game!

Gummi Ship

Minor spoiler section about gummi ship exploration!

I love the new gummi ship! I love that it is an open world and I get to explore space! The game also shows you where to go and you can explore and fight Heartless or get treasure on the way!

The Journey Continues

I stopped playing on Tuesday after going back to the first world to explore more of the environment after saving the world! I am currently on the Toy Box world!  I have had lots of fun so far and I am looking forward to how the plot will unfold! I also look forward to seeing more Disney worlds!

What do you think of Kingdom Hearts 3? Let me know!

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance – A Fun Game with Fun Memories!

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Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance was recommended to me by my friend who loves Kingdom Hearts! I fell in love with the game immediately as soon as I started it and the theme music played! I also love the 3D cutscene that starts before the main menu! The game was so much fun to play! I have fond memories taking this game everywhere with me! I would take it with me especially on Fridays when I would hang out waiting for my friend to be done with his undergrad classes after my classes were over!

Fun Beginning!

This game starts with a fun tutorial after the game’s beginning cutscene ends. The story revolves around Sora and Riku competing to become Keyblade Masters with a Mark of Mastery exam. This also involves a timed mechanic in the game because you play as Sora and Riku and switch between their characters when a timer runs out. This is done so you will play as both characters instead of only focusing one character at a time. The tutorial revolves around you defeating Ursula on a raft while learning the controls of the game! I love getting to fight Ursula because I loved her in The Little Mermaid. After the tutorial and a few more cutscenes, my first dive into another world began!

Dive Sequences

These could be hit or miss with me depending on how tough they were. Bosses could be really fun except for one big problem! You cannot heal during dive sequences so they could drop me down to no HP before I could finish the fight. This would be frustrating when I was stuck on a boss and could not get into the next world. The stars were easier to collect then the bosses for me. Mostly this section was fun and could be appealing to those who want a challenge.

Dream Eaters

I loved them as both enemies and allies! They were so cute and adorable and I love cute things! My absolute favorite that I always had in my party was Meow Wow. I loved that it was both a cat and a dog that had bouncy attack moves! I also loved that I could name them. Meow Wow was named “Cotton Candy” because of the bright colors. I also had the Tama Sheep which I named “Fluffy” because the sheep looked so soft. I enjoyed that I could pet them to upgrade their abilities because I love having virtual pets! I do not have pets so having virtual ones are amazing! I also enjoyed fighting the nightmare enemy forms because they were so bright and colorful!

La Cite des Cloches World

I loved this world because it reminded me of my friend! He loved The Hunchback of Notre Dame and would sing music from the movie frequently. This world was impressive looking because it looked just like the movie! I also loved the boss here! Sora and Riku both fight the Bullet Gargoyle although Riku fights him while the bell tower is on fire! It was an epic first boss fight because the boss is flying and I was trying to hit him!

Symphony of Sorcery World

I also loved this world because my friend and I had taken a music class together and this world featured classical music! I loved how bright and colorful the world was! The only frustrating feature that took me a while to get was the timing of the “Melody Catch” touch screen mini game. I remember struggling to grab the note in time and even asking my friend for advice until I finally figured it out.

Sora and Riku fight different bosses in this section. Sora fights Spellcan who I first had to chase on an ice sliding area until I reached the final boss area. I remember the boss being slightly frustrating because he flew around, but he was still a fun boss.

Riku fought Chernabog who was tough because the game switched to Dive rules. I had to dodge fire and reach him to hit him and try not to get hit and lose all my health. It was worth it to fight this boss especially with the orchestral soundtrack playing which made the boss fight so fun!

The World Ends That Never Was: Riku’s Hard Final Boss Moments

Riku has to save Sora by fighting a few bosses. Ansem was memorable because at one point he is protected by a black guardian with lots of health. I had to take down his health while keeping my health up. He had powerful attacks so that was really hard to do! The boss fight was challenging but was nothing compared to Young Xenahort

Young Xenahort was a hard boss. The fight was challenging , and I was barely keeping up when a clock appeared. I hate that clock! The mechanic is you have to destroy the clock really quickly with a Reality Shift using the touch screen or else Young Xenahort gets health back. If you succeed then you have to beat the clock while multiple Young Xenahorts try to stop you and quickly take out your health so he will again not regain health! I eventually beat him and the clock, but it was hard!

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(I felt like this cat trying to fight the Young Xenahort boss!)

Hype for Kingdom Hearts 3

I wanted to talk about this game after all the news for Kingdom Hearts 3. I was thinking about it because I have not talked about it yet on the blog. I beat it a couple years ago so this is not a recent review!  My friend and I are both excited for Kingdom Hearts 3. Any time a trailer comes out, we start talking about it. We are also both concerned for Aqua! I am excited for the Toy Story world because I loved that movie as a kid! Kingdom Hearts 3 is just months away and I am so excited!

What did you think of Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance? Are you also excited for Kingdom Hearts 3?

Kingdom Hearts 1.5 and 2.5 ReMIX and Friendship

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Kingdom Hearts was introduced to me by my best friend in college because he had Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts 2 on his PlayStation 2. It seemed like a game that I would like because I would get to experience Disney worlds with Disney characters. When I picked up the Kingdom Hearts 1.5 and 2.5 ReMIX for the PlayStation 4 on my final year at college, I managed to find a comforting game about friendship that I was able to bond with my friend over.

Kingdom Hearts 1.5 and 2.5

Friendship is an important part of the Kingdom Hearts series. The series begins with three friends: Sora, Kairi, and Riku. The friends become separated when their world is taken by darkness and then Sora becomes friends with Donald and Goofy to save his friends and the other worlds from darkness.

You also make friends with various Disney characters such as Winnie the Pooh and even help Pooh learn about how friends remain together even when they are far apart. The Winnie the Pooh goodbye scene in Kingdom Hearts 2.5 always makes me cry because when I graduated my college best friend moved to another state but we still remain close friends.

When I played Kingdom Heats 1.5 and 2.5 ReMIX, the friendship themes stuck with me since I would always tell my friend when I was playing and ask for hints. We would laugh over characters such as Donald Duck’s inability to heal Sora properly or how hard I thought the first game’s final boss was even on easy while he plays on the hardest difficulty. We would discuss our favorite worlds and our least favorite worlds in the games. I loved The Nightmare Before Christmas world in both games and we both didn’t like the swimming mechanics in The Little Mermaid world in Kingdom Hearts 1.5.

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

On the day of my college graduation, my friend told me to watch the Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days movie included in the PS4 version when I asked what that game was about. The three friends becoming so close and bonding together over ice cream reminded me of how my friendship formed with my friend over eating at a restaurant and how we would visit that restaurant pretty much every week together. As I watched the three hour movie, I cried remembering my friendship and how close we had become over four years.

How Kingdom Hearts Still Keeps Us Close

Whenever I play Kingdom Hearts 1.5 and 2.5 ReMIX I talk to my friend when I am playing it and I cry over all the friendship scenes. The scenes remind me of how much my friend and I bonded over the games and also about the story of our friendship.

When my friend got a PS4, I bought him this game telling him that he had introduced me to the series and I wanted him to have the game on the PS4 because it was a symbol of friendship to us. I think that this game is a great game to experience with a friend and it is a fun game to play if you have ever wanted to explore Disney worlds.

Now that I have made myself cry while writing this I want to know, what video games helped you bond with your friends?