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KH3: second reaction shot
We've made a bit more progress, three new worlds since I last posted, including what I presume are all the worlds in the second world map area. I'll put it all behind the cut for spoilers.
A personal note about that, since there are many new folks here since the last time I gameblogged anything: for myself, I am very anti-spoiler, and tend not to even seek out lots of promotional material for a game I've been anticipating, so I ask that you avoid saying anything in comments that alludes to events past the point I've reached in game. I feel like that's a courtesy not just to me, but to anyone else who wants to click through to comments but might also not be finished. That includes spoilery icons as well as commentary, and also any informed answers to any speculative questions I might pose. Thanks so much!
First, the worlds and their stories. We finished the Frozen world, which managed to basically retell the movie while giving Sora and friends something sensible to do and not leaving too many gaps in the storytelling. I can't say the same for The Caribbean: it's basically large chunks of At World's End, and although the first part, through Sora leaving Port Royal, is relatively well-told, once they rejoin the crew of the Black Pearl it all falls apart -- too much of the movie's plot is taken as read, and until Tangled, which I know fairly well, I've only seen At World's End once, in theaters, and T has never seen it (or any of the other PotC movies). So there were huge gaps in our understanding of what was going on. Where is Tia Dalma, what happened when she became Calypso, what was even the deal with the Flying Dutchman, why is Will's story such a tragedy, etc. Kind of a mess. I am happy to say that San Francisokyo was a much better story experience. It's essentially a direct sequel to Big Hero 6, and everything you need to know from the movie is explained, clearly and with efficiency. I also love the aesthetics of San Francisokyo, so it was fun to spend a little time there, and I'm curious as to what's left.
I will say I find it a little strange how linear all the worlds are, and how self-contained their stories. There's no overarching objective for all the worlds, as there was in both KH and KH2, and actually in Chain of Memories and Re:Coded, too, now that I think of it. Instead, each world is its own little mission, played from beginning to end; no getting stuck, leaving to explore another world level up, and then coming back when you get whatever skill you need to advance the story. The only overarching goal is for Sora to gain "the power of waking", a charge so vague that it could mean almost anything.
The Organization XIII plot continues to be opaque, but in interesting ways. The whole thing with Hayner, Pence, and Olette taking on the two Ansems by themselves was actually pretty awesome, although I'm a little unclear on why Vexen/Even (if it was Vexen/Even?) rescused them. The implication is that he's a double agent, but his persona there seemed so different from the hard and cold Vexen we'd literally just seen in The Caribbean moments before. I'm also unclear on what is happening in Twilight Town, because I thought that Pence was working with Ienzo on getting the virtual world working, but we've heard literally nothing about it since then.
I find myself completely unable to trust anyone who wears a black robe, which right now includes both Axel and Ansem the Wise. I don't know whether Kairi commenting on Axel not yet changing into his protective gear for the Realm of Darkness was just snarky commentary on video game characters always wearing the same outfits, or if it is supposed to Mean Something. I am very worried for Aqua, Riku, and Mickey, and I hope we get another glimpse into the Realm of Darkness soon.
That's about it for now. But I find myself very unsure of what's going to happen next, and that's kind of exciting.
A personal note about that, since there are many new folks here since the last time I gameblogged anything: for myself, I am very anti-spoiler, and tend not to even seek out lots of promotional material for a game I've been anticipating, so I ask that you avoid saying anything in comments that alludes to events past the point I've reached in game. I feel like that's a courtesy not just to me, but to anyone else who wants to click through to comments but might also not be finished. That includes spoilery icons as well as commentary, and also any informed answers to any speculative questions I might pose. Thanks so much!
First, the worlds and their stories. We finished the Frozen world, which managed to basically retell the movie while giving Sora and friends something sensible to do and not leaving too many gaps in the storytelling. I can't say the same for The Caribbean: it's basically large chunks of At World's End, and although the first part, through Sora leaving Port Royal, is relatively well-told, once they rejoin the crew of the Black Pearl it all falls apart -- too much of the movie's plot is taken as read, and until Tangled, which I know fairly well, I've only seen At World's End once, in theaters, and T has never seen it (or any of the other PotC movies). So there were huge gaps in our understanding of what was going on. Where is Tia Dalma, what happened when she became Calypso, what was even the deal with the Flying Dutchman, why is Will's story such a tragedy, etc. Kind of a mess. I am happy to say that San Francisokyo was a much better story experience. It's essentially a direct sequel to Big Hero 6, and everything you need to know from the movie is explained, clearly and with efficiency. I also love the aesthetics of San Francisokyo, so it was fun to spend a little time there, and I'm curious as to what's left.
I will say I find it a little strange how linear all the worlds are, and how self-contained their stories. There's no overarching objective for all the worlds, as there was in both KH and KH2, and actually in Chain of Memories and Re:Coded, too, now that I think of it. Instead, each world is its own little mission, played from beginning to end; no getting stuck, leaving to explore another world level up, and then coming back when you get whatever skill you need to advance the story. The only overarching goal is for Sora to gain "the power of waking", a charge so vague that it could mean almost anything.
The Organization XIII plot continues to be opaque, but in interesting ways. The whole thing with Hayner, Pence, and Olette taking on the two Ansems by themselves was actually pretty awesome, although I'm a little unclear on why Vexen/Even (if it was Vexen/Even?) rescused them. The implication is that he's a double agent, but his persona there seemed so different from the hard and cold Vexen we'd literally just seen in The Caribbean moments before. I'm also unclear on what is happening in Twilight Town, because I thought that Pence was working with Ienzo on getting the virtual world working, but we've heard literally nothing about it since then.
I find myself completely unable to trust anyone who wears a black robe, which right now includes both Axel and Ansem the Wise. I don't know whether Kairi commenting on Axel not yet changing into his protective gear for the Realm of Darkness was just snarky commentary on video game characters always wearing the same outfits, or if it is supposed to Mean Something. I am very worried for Aqua, Riku, and Mickey, and I hope we get another glimpse into the Realm of Darkness soon.
That's about it for now. But I find myself very unsure of what's going to happen next, and that's kind of exciting.