Kingdom Hearts II

[Duke Otterland]

Given the surprise success of Square and Disney's joint RPG Kingdom Hearts, it was only natural for them to begin work on a sequel, with an intermediary between the first and second games, Chain of Memories, thrown into the mix as well. In 2006 came the North American release of the long anticipated sequel, Kingdom Hearts II, continuing the story of its predecessors and building upon the first installment's gameplay. But are these changes for the better?

KH2 generally features the same action-based battle system as the first game, where enemies randomly pop up in battlefields and Sora and his AI-controlled allies can proceed to smack them with attacks, magic, and so forth. As with before, a menu in the lower-left area of the screen shows what moves Sora can perform, with the player typically dependent upon physical attacks, which Sora can chain into long combos. Sora can also use magic and items, both of which the player can assign to four shortcuts for easier access, although players can still navigate the menus in the heat of battle to access both, which typically isn't a good idea, though.

As for magic, this time around, instead of giving players a measly amount of MP that they can slowly recharge by having Sora and his allies constantly attack, KH2 instead gives each character a more generous amount of MP, which, when completely depleted, gradually recharges to its maximum amount before they can use magic again. Each character also has a number of combat skills that they can use AP to equip outside of battle, and which have various effects such as increased effectiveness of certain magic, longer combo strings, and so forth.

A major addition to combat is Reaction Commands, which occasionally show up in the middle of battle and require timed pressing of the triangle button to activate. Reaction Commands have certain effects depending upon the type of enemy you're fighting, such as latching a bat onto Sora's keyblade for better damage, instantly zooming behind enemies, avoiding damage, and so forth. Sora and his allies also have a number of special attacks that players can have show up as Reaction Commands with certain AP skills.

Various special skills consume part of another addition to the battle system, the Drive Gauge, which players can build up to a maximum level through constantly attacking the enemy and, with help from an AP skill, taking damage. One such move is for Sora to fuse with Donald, Goofy, or both in a Drive Form, which gives him enhanced power and abilities until the Drive Gauge for a particular form expires. Drive Forms also have their own levels, which, when increased, further empowers that Form and can even give Sora's normal form more abilities.

Summon spells from the first game return as well, also requiring Drive Gauge levels to use and having their own abilities. Sora also has a Summon Level that he can increase through repeated use of summons, and which can enable him to keep summons longer in combat until the Drive Gauge expires. Each character, furthermore, has powerful Limit abilities that consume all MP. Finally, various AP skills can allow for easier access of Limits, Summons, and Drives, via the triangle button, though since they can interfere with normal Reaction Commands, it is in some instances a better idea to just quickly navigate through the battle menu to access these moves.

Moreover, there are many battles throughout the game that have objectives other than endlessly attacking the enemy, and most boss fights are a lot more strategic this time around, with Reaction Commands in some instances being the difference between victory and defeat. There's even one boss fight that requires a particular world-exclusive character, and thankfully, players can change allies in the middle of battle when a world-exclusive character is available.

The additions to the battle system really help break the monotony at times, though the camera, as with the first game, can still jerk around needlessly when players are close to walls or fighting flying enemies. Players can, however, somewhat zoom the camera out to get a better view of the playing field, and that most dungeons aren't nearly as platform-laden as those in the first game makes for better battlefields. Overall, the changes and additions to combat make a significant amount of difference in the battle system, which consequently has enough features to prevent players from getting bored.

The menus are fairly clean for the most part, though it seems like every time you enter them, there's a "NEW" icon flashing at you, mostly with regards to Jiminy Cricket's Journal, which tracks all story events, characters, and so forth, though it is certainly a feature most RPGs should have. The worlds are also a bit smaller and more linear than their counterparts from the first game, which isn't a bad thing, as they do make for better battlefields.

As with before, moreover, travel between worlds requires use of the Gummi Ship, though this mini-game, thankfully, is more entertaining this time and far more optional, to boot. There are some other mini-games as well, mainly in the 100-Acre Wood and Atlantica (mercifully devoid of combat this time around), which are certainly playable. There are only a few small issues with the camera outside of battle and shopping for better equipment for your characters, but otherwise, there aren't many complaints here.

KH2, of course, features a number of changes and improvements to help it feel fresh, although elements such as recurring characters and various Disney-themed worlds, which in many instances rehash the movies, can make it feel like a retread at times.

It's very difficult to judge the merits of a franchise-laden story such as KH2's, and crossovers, frankly, rarely make for great storytelling, especially when they expect their audiences to take them seriously. The prologue, moreover, is far too long and doesn't contribute much to the overall story, and though Organization XIII serves as the game's main antagonists, players spend most of the game hopping from Disney-themed world to Disney-themed world, encountering inane mini-stories that are fairly distracting and themselves contribute little to the overall plot.

The members of the Organization are also mostly unmemorable and interchangeable, basically being generic villains for players to battle at times during the game, and the endless dei ex machinis and apparent epidemic of amnesia don't help, either. Though one could argue that the story is deep, deeper doesn't always mean better, with the story putting quantity well above quality and hardly being a reason to play the game.

KH2's music is decent, with certain tracks such as those in Space Paranoids standing out in particular, although many tracks are forgettable, as well; perhaps it's because the battle voices and sound effects have a tendency to drown out the music and perhaps make it go unnoticed at times, although players certainly won't feel compelled to go out and buy the soundtrack. The voice acting, though, is certainly above average in spite of some minor characters having weak voicework, and overall, KH2 is plentifully noisy, though the aurals certainly aren't a selling point.

The visuals are a slightly touched-up version of those from the original game, not that this is a bad thing, as the graphics are easily one of the game's high points. The worlds, the characters, and so forth, are decently colored and proportioned, though there is some slightly-bland texturing and small jaggies at times. Still, certain worlds show much creativity, such as the Timeless River and Space Paranoids, and the graphics in Port Royal are probably the most realistic I've seen on the Playstation 2. Overall, a superb-looking game.

Finally, playing time ranges from thirty to forty-five hours, and three modes of difficulty are available, the hardest of which is certainly playable though it does have its tough moments. Overall, Kingdom Hearts II is a fairly decent sequel that makes many decent improvements and proves to be more enjoyable than the first game and especially Chain of Memories. The story might repel older gamers more than draw them to the game, though younger players and Disney fans in particular will likely find plenty of room for celebration.

[Dracos]

Fairly spoken, though it omits something I think is worthy of note.


KH2 had an amazingly polished game interface system which made keeping track of things incredibly easy.  With the exception of the over-aggressive new bit, it was a superb addition and far bettered the game to have it.

Dracos
Sleepy