Current Events > Kingdom Hearts 2 playthrough attempt (Spoilers)

(+) Yeah! (+)

Context: I bought this game over a decade ago for a joke. I beat it once in a very slow playthrough that had multiple long breaks. I have never played KH1. I did not understand anything. I remember that this is THE darkness game though, you wanna hear some people talk about DARKNESS you run straight here. Sometimes I hear people talk up the gameplay in this game though and that makes it worth a second look to me. I've been through most of the other games on my shelf and I'm out of easy choices. This is the only game I own that I'd be embarrassed to be seen playing so (Looks left, then looks right) don't tell anyone!

The intro has done a great job informing me that there's a beach, there's DARKNESS, there's Disney characters. Now I am playing as what I believe was Sora's evil timeclone, Roxas and his very memorable friends.
Roxas is busy falling over and hallucinating and being subjected to tutorials.

Legit one of my favorite games ever.

So. damn. fun.

It really bothered me how you couldn't kill a boss unless you hit them with the final string of a combo. I think that was the only KH game that did that.

DTD SDG

caps

For the record this is default KH2. None of the re-releases with whatever they added.
Any sin default KH2 committed, it will have to take ownership of in this playthrough.

Sins like asking me to melee a cart up a hill for 30 bucks at a time. A cart that gets invuln frames in its land animation.

ViewtifulJoe posted...

For the record this is default KH2. None of the re-releases with whatever they added.

RIP playthrough.

BurmesePenguin posted...

RIP playthrough.

Well that's ominous.

The three people and two birds have received the masses of duplicate letters they ordered. A few duplicate trash cubes have been destroyed.
I'm not sure what AP+2 means in this game but numbers slowly going up is always good.

Roxas is right back to hallucinating shadow guys.

Ah, I seem to live in a made up computer simulation town.
Normally I really don't like when things turn out to be simulations in stories. I'd actually take it being a dream over a simulation. See with a simulation you can bring it back, with a dream it ends just like that and it's gone.

But also, if this is some kind of weird fake town, why are there Final Fantasy 8 characters here?

rexcrk posted...

Legit one of my favorite games ever.

So. damn. fun.

This. One of the best ARPG'S to ever do it

ViewtifulJoe posted...

But also, if this is some kind of weird fake town, why are there Final Fantasy 8 characters here?

To present undeniable proof they totally owned you lamers.

Should definitely be playing KH2 Final Mix if you're replaying after all these years.

I've beaten up some kind of big Digimon looking grey thing in the big stained glass dimension.
I've also noticed my player character has light brown hair but his portrait in the bottom right has blonde hair.

Raijin is in this game and that makes my day, ya know?

I haven't played FF9 but it sucks how they had that dude beat Seifer. I wanna hear Seifer trash talk another FF game.

This Axel fellow is obviously voiced by Raiden from MGS. And both games beat you over the head with cutscenes. What could it mean?

Tiddus and Wakka are in this game?

I think Selphie mentions them but they only appear in the first one.

ViewtifulJoe posted...

I've also noticed my player character has light brown hair but his portrait in the bottom right has blonde hair.

yeah seems like they REALLY can't decide whether he's supposed to be blond or have light brown hair

Found an inaccuracy. You can fight Seifer and he doesn't spam his beloved Fira spell.

(Three characters hold up their colored orbs)
(Roxas fumbles around looking for his but can't find it)
(Ominous shot of three characters holding up orbs in silence, leaving Roxas to wallow in his dejectedness)

That was funny.

A guy just yelled KINGDOM HEARTS in the middle of a speech about DARKNESS
Very sure this is the final boss of the first game who I was reliably told turns into a boat for his final form.

BREAKING: We have signs of a video game! There's a big mansion where I can walk around, open chests, melee enemies and get EXP!
I've equipped my scan and guard abilities.
These are some weird choices for first enemies, very erratic movements.

I've gracelessly button mashed through a fight with Axel.
I pressed the triangle twice to extinguish the floor.
I have a jump button that lets me regain control in the air but do I have a dodge button in this game? Or do I have to time the square button guards for everything?

ViewtifulJoe posted...

Very sure this is the final boss of the first game who I was reliably told turns into a boat for his final form.

it's not too far off from what actually happens

It's begun.The crossovers.

This castle might be from a movie and the Steamboat Willie guy's here. I haven't seen a lot of the movies in this game. I'm ready to gradually understand less and less.

Experience Boost. "Increases the amount of experience gained when defeating an enemy in a tight situation."
So I have to get beat up before this does anything? Because I was pretty excited for a moment there. I'd love an EXP boost.

"Got it memorized?"

They've renamed Squall.
There's some FF7 characters in this Hollow Bastion town too, but whatever, I haven't played that game.
This town is probably meant to be really fanservicey but it's lost on me.

I picked the Beast's Castle level.
I haven't seen the movie but I think it's something like: The guy and his castle turn into monsters. They undo the curse if he gets married within a certain time frame. There's Gaston who keeps singing about eggs.

I'm a little below the recommended level but I guess I could fight everything I see and get enough EXP to catch up.

Running around the castle fighting things with the beast as a party member is actually pretty fun. I went back through the underground tunnel and am checking every spawn point for enemies.
I should swap Donald out for Goofy so the EXP doesn't get too lopsided.
Edit: Oh, unless inactive characters also get EXP like in KOTOR?

ViewtifulJoe posted...

Edit: Oh, unless inactive characters also get EXP like in KOTOR?

Yes. This is true even for characters on other worlds, so if you level to max in Hollow Bastion and go back to this world, Beast will also be max level. Or put more simply, the other characters more-or-less scale from Sora's level.

But my god, you should really be playing the FM version.

pegusus123456 posted...

Yes. This is true even for characters on other worlds, so if you level to max in Hollow Bastion and go back to this world, Beast will also be max level. Or put more simply, the other characters more-or-less scale from Sora's level.

But my god, you should really be playing the FM version.

I don't even know how the rereleases change the game. I am a total stranger to this series.

That's good about the EXP though, I'm happy to grind for levels but having to constantly switch and re-do things would be pushing it.

ViewtifulJoe posted...

I don't even know how the rereleases change the game. I am a total stranger to this series.

Well, for one thing, Final Mix has a dodge roll.

pegusus123456 posted...

Well, for one thing, Final Mix has a dodge roll.

Oh wow, that'd change things.
I assumed it was gonna be maybe a new area and some cutscenes establishing links to games I won't play.

ViewtifulJoe posted...

Oh wow, that'd change things.
I assumed it was gonna be maybe a new area and some cutscenes establishing links to games I won't play.

Later on you unlock something called Drive Forms which are transformations specializing in a certain combat style. Like one for physical attacks, one for magic,... Each of these Forms has a movement ability you can unlock for base form when levelling them. They basically replace Dodge Roll. So there are alternatives later on. But each of these forms gains EXP in a different manner and can be a bitch to grind though.

Final Mix adds quite a bit to the game

• Lots of new cutscenes that flesh out the story and expand on some characters.
• 14 new optional post-game boss fights. One of the optional boss fight plays into the next entry in the series.
• A new story related boss.
• 5 new optional bosses in some worlds. These are weaker versions of the post-game ones.
• A new post-game dungeon to explore.
• New abilities.
• New enemies.
• A new drive form.
• New collectibles in the form of puzzle pieces.
• Updated character models for some characters.
• New Keyblades, weapons, equipment, and accessories.
• Mushroom XIII enemies that act is minigame-type challenges to overcome.
• Various tweaking to the gameplay.
• A fourth harder difficulty. Critical Mode.
• A theatre mode to rewatch any cutscene you've seen.
• A second Secret Ending.
• Bronze, Silver, and Golden crowns that Sora wears. Defeating the 14 new optional bosses and the Mushroom XIII unlocks them.
• New gummi ship missions.

I beat the Mulan level. It was pretty straight forward. Go up a mountain, fight some guys, back down the mountain, fight more guys.
Never seen the movie.
The recommended level was lower than the beast level and it was a branching path, but I did it anyway for the EXP. No idea what's mandatory in this game.

ViewtifulJoe posted...

No idea what's mandatory in this game.

IIRC you need to beat every world in order to unlock the next set of worlds

Level design is the one downgrade in the sequel. KH1 is really the only game in the series where the levels felt like worlds and not just hallways.

I think KH3's worlds feel rather worldly.

In a very annoying way that makes me not want to explore them, but there.

You know, that is true. I seem to remember it varying world from world though.

Winnie the Pooh seems to have no memories of his previous Disney adventures. This must be one of those public domain Winnie the Poohs.
Or maybe he's just trying to lay low considering his level is really close to the China level.

And I got an item called the Baseball Charm right after beating his level. Maybe Pooh's trying to distance himself from Christopher Robin after receiving the baseball thrashing of his life.
It's all very mysterious.

Most of 3's worlds are still series of hallways. They're just longer hallways. Like two of the worlds are very open though.

TheSavageDragon posted...

Later on you unlock something called Drive Forms which are transformations specializing in a certain combat style. Like one for physical attacks, one for magic,... Each of these Forms has a movement ability you can unlock for base form when levelling them. They basically replace Dodge Roll. So there are alternatives later on. But each of these forms gains EXP in a different manner and can be a bitch to grind though.

Final Mix adds quite a bit to the game

* Lots of new cutscenes that flesh out the story and expand on some characters.
* 14 new optional post-game boss fights. One of the optional boss fight plays into the next entry in the series.
* A new story related boss.
* 5 new optional bosses in some worlds. These are weaker versions of the post-game ones.
* A new post-game dungeon to explore.
* New abilities.
* New enemies.
* A new drive form.
* New collectibles in the form of puzzle pieces.
* Updated character models for some characters.
* New Keyblades, weapons, equipment, and accessories.
* Mushroom XIII enemies that act is minigame-type challenges to overcome.
* Various tweaking to the gameplay.
* A fourth harder difficulty. Critical Mode.
* A theatre mode to rewatch any cutscene you've seen.
* A second Secret Ending.
* Bronze, Silver, and Golden crowns that Sora wears. Defeating the 14 new optional bosses and the Mushroom XIII unlocks them.
* New gummi ship missions.

It also has a few balance changes and tweaks, as well as a bit of a reshuffle of abilities.

ViewtifulJoe posted...

No idea what's mandatory in this game.

Off the top of my head, Atlantica, and Pride Lands are completely optional, as well as Olympus 2, Space Paranoids 2 and one of Agrabah/Halloween Town is optional. 100 Acre Wood also forces you to do the beginning bits of it during the story but the majority of it is optional.

Dont spoil the worlds for him >_>

Hercules world. I actually did watch this movie once. I found it really distracting how fast he ditched the people who raised him. Hades was neat.

Feels weird seeing Auron do anything after FFX's ending though.
That scene where Hades randomly pulled him out of an underworld dungeon and tried to negotiate with him was pretty surreal too.

I... Am the lord of the dead!!!

Auron: *burns everything to the ground*

"Dance water dance!"

Oh fuck, it's this guy.
I remember this guy all right.

Oh, that's where "Get up on the hydra's back" comes from.
I used to see people cite that as a really annoying repetitive line a bunch.

Timeless River was kinda cool.
More importantly though, my drive levelled up. I didn't realise that could happen. I guess I should have been spamming it instead of using it as a heal.

ViewtifulJoe posted...

Timeless River was kinda cool.
More importantly though, my drive levelled up. I didn't realise that could happen. I guess I should have been spamming it instead of using it as a heal.

Yeah. Every drive levels up differently.

I picked Atlantica because the shoot em up level's unlockable implied this one comes before the pirate one.
Another movie I've never seen. (One rhythm game later) And let's keep it that way.
Okay Port Royal, what have you got for me?