So, KH 3 is here and with it we get not the end of Kingdom Hearts as a series, but "merely" the end of the Xehanort saga, spanning a whopping 9 entries across various systems and 17 years of releases. In some respects, it really is like the Avengers: Infinity War of video games - plot threads from every single previous entry reappear and tie together in this game's narrative, several of which I thought were complete throwaways or retconned earlier in the franchise, and overall bring about a satisfying and grand conclusion to this story while setting up a few things to explore later, as well as giving us one hell of a twist epilogue and an interesting secret movie after the credits.
Gameplay-wise, KH 3 is something of a "best of" regarding mechanics of previous games - we've got Flowmotion from DDD, Links and Shotlocks from BBS (as well as an adaptation of Style Changes specific to the Keyblade/magic you're using), and of course, Reaction Commands and the general floaty combat from KH 2, though here they're significantly toned down to avoid the "press triangle to win" strategy that would let you plow through the game. It's great overall.
But it would be remiss of me to not mention my one huge issue with this game: the world Arendelle, aka Frozen. Now, I have no strong feelings on the movie, having never seen it, so that's not why I hate this world - I hate it because of all worlds in all KH games, this feels most like a theme park attraction of a setting and storyline. Unlike every other world where they get involved in the events going on and have meaningful interactions with the protagonists and antagonists of the story, Sora and co. literally more or less just watch as the plot of the movie unfolds on its own without their involvement. Sure, they MEET Elsa, Anna, Sven, and Olaf, but that's as far as their interactions go. The three most standout examples of this crap are 1. the entirety of "Let It Go" being present in the game as a cutscene that adds NOTHING to the "story" with Sora (who even comments afterwards "I don't know what we just saw"), 2. Hans showing up all of two times and NEVER TALKING (so an uneducated viewer has no idea why he's the bad guy), and 3. Sora, Donald and Goofy getting knocked off the peak of the mountain and having to climb back up TWICE, all while the plot goes on without them. I don't know what prompted this creative decision, it really doesn't seem like Nomura's style, but I can't think of a valid reason to insult the fanbase like this.
That being said, that's 1 world of 11 done wrong - everything else I had no problems with, and as is the case with most KH games, playing this game brought me back to my childhood and reminded me of better and simpler times, though it not being afraid to get dramatic and sad also elevated the quality. Would gladly recommend to anyone who's played the previous games - if you haven't, this won't be anywhere near as enjoyable.
Everything I Wanted and Expected, with One Glaring Flaw
So, KH 3 is here and with it we get not the end of Kingdom Hearts as a series, but "merely" the end of the Xehanort saga, spanning a whopping 9 entries across various systems and 17 years of releases. In some respects, it really is like the Avengers: Infinity War of video games - plot threads from every single previous entry reappear and tie together in this game's narrative, several of which I thought were complete throwaways or retconned earlier in the franchise, and overall bring about a satisfying and grand conclusion to this story while setting up a few things to explore later, as well as giving us one hell of a twist epilogue and an interesting secret movie after the credits.
Gameplay-wise, KH 3 is something of a "best of" regarding mechanics of previous games - we've got Flowmotion from DDD, Links and Shotlocks from BBS (as well as an adaptation of Style Changes specific to the Keyblade/magic you're using), and of course, Reaction Commands and the general floaty combat from KH 2, though here they're significantly toned down to avoid the "press triangle to win" strategy that would let you plow through the game. It's great overall.
But it would be remiss of me to not mention my one huge issue with this game: the world Arendelle, aka Frozen. Now, I have no strong feelings on the movie, having never seen it, so that's not why I hate this world - I hate it because of all worlds in all KH games, this feels most like a theme park attraction of a setting and storyline. Unlike every other world where they get involved in the events going on and have meaningful interactions with the protagonists and antagonists of the story, Sora and co. literally more or less just watch as the plot of the movie unfolds on its own without their involvement. Sure, they MEET Elsa, Anna, Sven, and Olaf, but that's as far as their interactions go. The three most standout examples of this crap are 1. the entirety of "Let It Go" being present in the game as a cutscene that adds NOTHING to the "story" with Sora (who even comments afterwards "I don't know what we just saw"), 2. Hans showing up all of two times and NEVER TALKING (so an uneducated viewer has no idea why he's the bad guy), and 3. Sora, Donald and Goofy getting knocked off the peak of the mountain and having to climb back up TWICE, all while the plot goes on without them. I don't know what prompted this creative decision, it really doesn't seem like Nomura's style, but I can't think of a valid reason to insult the fanbase like this.
That being said, that's 1 world of 11 done wrong - everything else I had no problems with, and as is the case with most KH games, playing this game brought me back to my childhood and reminded me of better and simpler times, though it not being afraid to get dramatic and sad also elevated the quality. Would gladly recommend to anyone who's played the previous games - if you haven't, this won't be anywhere near as enjoyable.