You know, it may seem like I'm dogging on the original a little bit in this video, but that's only because the sequel is just that great. I still really like the original, and consider them both to be amazing. Just wanted to put this here in case anyone happens to get the wrong impression.
Personally, I wasn't too much of a fan of the original mostly because that the story was WAY too simple. I may be the only one in the KH fandom thats like this but honestly, I prefer the confusing story that KH2 and future games had.
Funny enough I think KH2 is a bit of a downgrade. The magic system is worse, the combat system is more fun but less interesting, the maps are mostly all corridors and no exploration like the first game, and the plot is not concise enough for me to care like I did for the first game. I still like KH2 a ton, I love TRON more than any world in the first, and overall the combat is probably more *fun* than the first. But otherwise I think KH2 does literally everything worse than KH1.
KingK been waiting for this video while I remember when I first played this game rented it from the local movie gallery at first I thought it was a kids game so I thought it was going to be stupid then I put it in my PS2 then I played it I couldn't stop playing it until it was finished three days later I had to skip all the cutscenes because it was a rental and that I had three days to turn it back in. I bought it three years later and now I still play it and I bought Kingdom Hearts 2 3 times one for the PS2 one for the PS3 one for the PS4 that included all the games
DetectiveSpiritOfBobbyFulbrightGamer Yea, they’re all tragic, but by the time you get to BBS, you know what’s in store anyways. They may have been played along by Master Xehanort, but at least they got to choose their own decisions. Roxas has an inescapable fate.
I think Xion is more tragic than Roxas. The fourteenth member of Organization 13, erased from existence so thoroughly that not even her best friends can mourn her...
I think I'm one of the few people who went into KH2 blind and didn't mind any bit of Roxas' storyline. I mean, we all knew Sora, Donald, and Goofy would jump into the mix at some point, and it was clear that whatever was going on with this strange unfamiliar kid was connected to Sora in some way. Even as a young fourth grader playing this game for the first time, I could immediately tell that they were building up some mystery for a big reveal. Not to mention that the prologue was really nice from a storytelling standpoint, as it was easily the most human and down-to-earth section of the series. I really don't understand why so many people had so little patience with this part of the game.
I started off in the Kingdom Hearts series with KH2 too. I didn't really know the main cast, so I didn't know what to expect. I really think it's too... Slow? Tranquil? I don't feel like there are any stakes being had. For starters, the music in Twilight Town is really weird for starting a game. It's not the upbeat energy of Sora, Riku and Kairi trying to get their raft to sail. It's this mellow tune that keeps repeating its motif and want to sleep. What you end up doing is also inconsequential. The munny you gather from the minigames always goes missing. Nobody really cares about the truth behind the myths. The amount of cutscenes is good for setting up the player with past KH events but, at the same time, is a lot of exposition in the early game.
All I knew was there was some kid with a key sword and disney was involved and I was hyped to play a kingdom hearts game since I was an ad for chain of memories
Very upset that you didn't mention the scene where Riku furiously grabs Mickey in a fit of sexual passion, professing his love for his majesty. Other than that, I guess this was a fantastic retrospective.
Sora is a fun character because he genuinely feels like he'd be your friend if you met him for real. He already feels like a real friend. That, I think is a lot more fun to write a character like that than a blank slate character who you want to imagine yourself as in the role.
He really does feel like a friend, its weird. With KH lore becoming "mixed with the real world" I love that even the creator of these games knows that his fans have real love and memories with Sora. I hope he uses that to create something that shocks everyone. Kingdom Heart's story is not just complex, but potentially so huge, and better than most movies or video games out today in 2023. KHDR, the story, shocked the hell out of me in such a good way. The cutscenes from the remaster explain it, but if you can find a summary or a fan (damo279 is the GOAT.. Literally) - like the Master of Master's for KH Lore :)
I agree and the whole adventure is so fun and amazing going to the diffrent disney worlds with ur best friends/pals Donald and goofy its a amazing game and homage to ur childhood😭♥️
I'm sad because this characterization really ends with KH2. KH3 Sora would be like dragging around a bag of bricks with a poorly drawn smiley face on the front.
Yoko Shimomura is a true goddess. Every piece enhances the Kingdom Hearts games, and the same can be said in Final Fantasy XV. She is just absolutely amazing.
@@Trupera I feel like people who don’t like KH are the same people who don’t like Kool-Aid because it’s too sweet lol like der x3 dude there’s a shit ton of sugar in kool-aid
Story is garbage after 2. Actually, it's garbage at the end of 2, starting from Lingering Will imo. People say KH 2 starts to get confusing, but I like the story, and it would've been great if the Organization XIII arc had ended in 2.. Still not confusing yet imo. Gameplay is amazing. Hard to beat. This is one of those games that you revisit every period of time and never get bored of.
"GOOFY!!" "Come on Goofy! You have to get up! I'm sorry I ate the Ice Cream..." "This isn't happening...this CAN'T be happening..." "Oooohhh...Goofy..." ... "They'll pay for this..!" *throws coat off like a boss and pulls out keyblade*
Robin - The - Joker that scene still gives me chills So many scenes in kh give me chills Mainly 2 and 358 though "Go on you just keep running *but ill always be there to bring you back!*
Really? I mean if it happened to Donald, maybe, but Goofy? The character whose entire premise is taking beatings at a level that would land normal people in the ICU, if it didn't kill them.
Kingdom Hearts 2 was the first in the series I played. I was mad at Sora for taking Roxas, the character I had spent two hours bonding with, away from me.
I was on the opposite side, going "who is this loser" at the start, then when Sora woke up, I shed a single manly tear for a character I thought I didn't even like this and 1 had fucking nuance
TheBlackCloakedMan Same! I knew nothing about first KH game except for the flashbacks Roxas gets, and genuinely thought I'd be playing as him for the entirety of KHII. I felt sooo sad when he disappeared and I got to use Sora, who was a complete stranger to me. Of course, then I fell in love with him too, but the bitterness about Roxas remained.
"Looks like my summer vacation... is over." Man, that hurts. Sends chills down my body thinking about Roxas as a whole. Being this what I assume to be high schooler who, out of nowhere, is being blamed for some supernatural crime, seeing things others aren't, remembering details differently, seeing time stop, start back up, reflections coming from water, illusions popping everywhere. It's like we're watching this kid slowly lose his grip on reality, only to be told, "You have to die, so that he can live." Like, can he even be sure that what he's seeing is real?? I know I'd be questioning everything I saw, not trust anything for what it appears to be.
I would say Agrabah was more about Iago's search for a new identity and forgiveness rather than Aladdin. Aladdin's journey was pretty much over, it was about the group coming to accept Iago as a new friend.
100% agree. I'm currently doing a story dive through the whole series, going through the games in release order in run up to KH3 (literally gonna cry playing it after 13 years of waiting since 2). As I type this I'm paused right next to the Data Roxas fight on critical, and I equipped No Exp upon getting Second Chance. I had never really cared much for the Disney characters' stories in most of the games as a kid (I'm 20), but upon replaying, some of them are much deeper than I had remembered, and they fit thematically as well. Iago's story in particular caught my eye. He just wanted a new chance at a reformed life and was deeply committed to trying to patch things up with Sora and the gang. He tried so hard in the first half to be helpful to everyone (trying too hard at times a la Aladdin's "secret girlfriend") so as to make up for his past self, himself being the one who solves the treasure issue that Donald placed the group in. In part 2 he originally intended to not betray the group. He was attempting to stop the peddler from unsealing Jafar in the opening cutscene and he wasn't going to tell them what Jafar wanted. Only upon being pressed by Al and Sora with their friendship on the line for Jafar's location did a desperate and fearful for his life Iago begrudgingly tell them the desert ruins. Upon seeing the sandstorm he is relieved because he thinks this would reverse his decision but Genie fucked that up and Iago was genuinely upset. If you talk to him before departing for the desert he attempts to stop the group anyways, telling them they should turn back and to forget about going there. And he has his ultimate redemption by attempting to sacrifice himself for Aladdin. Agrabah's story in 2 is almost entirely centered around Iago's reformation from enemy to trusted friend, which is why he is in the opening cutscenes for both visits while the rest of the characters from Agrabah were not (minus the peddler and genie jafar, but neither of them speak besides laughter whereas Iago does in both cutscenes). It might actually be the deepest non-original character story arc in any of the Kingdom Hearts games.
@@chrislopez5301 Riku looks infinitely better in 3. I dont see many people complaining about the character designs in 3. Theyre not necessarily better than 2 but I dont think ive seen anyone else who thinks they got far worse.
G. Mech when you hit riku (3x I believe) his revenge value maxes, out making him counterattack. Each enemy has a revenge value, each hit adds 1 to its value, and I believe a finisher adds more than 1 to the value
glad to see someone actually know how the combat works when making a review of this game. It's extremely frustrating seeing people who played on standard mode call this game a button masher without knowing what they're talking about. Kh2fm has some of the best and most underrated combat in gaming IMO. Great Video!
Now let's just hope KH3 is not as bad as it seems to be. It would be such a shame if all the options at your disposal are for nothing because floaty combos get you hit and i.frame-less summons get you killed. I don't want to spam Magnet and Surges like you did in BBS or Balloon in DDD. It's my worst fear for the game.
WillJV2 critical mode was especially difficult in Kh2fm. I recently got the platinum trophy for it in kh2.5 remix and the Data Org on critical took me a ridiculous amount of time to beat even with stupidly overpowered setups
Atlantica being a series of rhythm games was sorta weird, but I have to be honest: Hearing Sora sing Under The Sea with Ariel makes me unreasonably happy and I can't quite explain why.
I just beat this game today on PS4 for the first time. I absolutely loved it. My only complaints are how empty some worlds can feel, like Agrabah for example is huge but really empty, which makes it feel dull(couldn’t you spare a few npcs square?). Other than that, I don’t have any problems. This game is a masterpiece and I loved it.
@josh Nope, not by a long shot. Better Disney worlds, better voice acting, better graphics, LOTS of things were improved in KH3. I will agree that it doesn’t top KH2 though, despite my love for the game.
I think my favorite scene in the game is Sora's first departure from Twilight Town. Roxas' summer vacation line always gives me chills and tears me up every now and then, but the first time I played through KH2 since playing it as a kid, when the tear falls before he gets on the train, I had the same sudden tear, same eye and all. Idunno what made it resonate with me so hard, maybe because I've also left the place where I grew up with all my friends, and that tear is definitely Roxas' pain at leaving his friends behind. And man, when Sora says "You know............ I'm sad." UGH. WHY IS THIS GAME SO PERFECT HOW DOES A FREAKING DISNEY ANIME GAME HAVE THE SAME EMOTIONAL RESONANCE AS THE FREAKING LAST OF US I NEED AN ADULT AND I'M AN ADULT
When I was 10, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door had come out. I remember playing that day in and day out, discovering stuff like superguard timing, recipes for various items, ideal badge set-ups. I would report these to my friends, and for about a three month period of time, I was a hero. I even got a girlfriend (or as much as you could call a girlfriend at age 10) out of my massive knowledge of Paper Mario 2, and I explored every inch of that game. And even when everyone left it for the new hotness, I stayed on and replayed it again and again. I say this because your preamble reminded me of that time, something I haven't thought about in... well, I'm old enough now to say in over a decade, which is kinda scary but still! The joy of getting absolutely everything out of a game, about knowing it has flaws but defending them, Hell, enjoying them and seeing why they're in there... that's indescribable. That's something I'd forgotten. Thank you, so much, for reminding me of it. I've always had my issues with Kingdom Hearts 2 - always hated the Port Royale coin boss, thought Cub Sora controlled like trash, thought Space Paranoids was boring, found the story to be ultimately contrived, way too long for its own good, and to be a rehash of what Metal Gear Solid 2 did four years earlier with the Roxas bit, but a bit worse. I spent my later teen years hating, decrying this game, calling it a button masher where you hit triangle in time with prompts and everything will turn out okay... but I still had feelings toward it. I cried when I heard Shimomura's arrangement of the Hundred Acre Wood theme - it made me feel like I was home, like I was four and returning to my friends from Pooh's adventures, like restoring Pooh's memories was what mattered because dammit, I wanted him to be happy. I still smile every time I see Timeless River, even if the game occasionally crashed when Pete went TIME FOR A CHANGE OF PACE. I accentuated every negative emotion I had for this game, because it was fun being contrarian, because I felt it helpful to lobby criticism at something so popular... and there was still something in me that made me respect it. This video did something that I didn't think could happen for me: it made me want to dust off the old PS2 and play Kingdom Hearts 2 again. It made me want to fix the mindless way that I mashed through easy as a kid, to really understand those deeper mechanics, to appreciate Kingdom Hearts for Kingdom Hearts and not for it being a Disney tour with mixed results. (and I dunno, maybe USE summons sometime? Could be helpful). And from something I've decried for so long... this is a really special, humbling feeling I've gotten. I can't say I'll love the game, that I'll be able to enjoy Riku's arc in full (as I still find him a BIT too edgy at times when compared to Sora's unbridled optimism), that I won't be able to laugh at Mickey wanting revenge for the death of Goofy as he's just so clearly cartoon-based in other physical interactions compared to a lot of the more "solid" cast, that I'll be able to forgive TEN MINUTES OF UNSKIPPABLE WATCHING THE LITTLE MERMAID ABRIDGED WHILE SORA GOES "NOPE COULDN'T FIGURE THIS OUT SO HOW'S THE MOVIE GOING?". But I think I'll be able to like it. This kid that loves Paper Mario 2 to death beyond a doubt owes it to that kid who loves Kingdom Hearts 2 to death beyond a doubt.
TTYD is still one of my favorite games of all time. My favorite chapters have changed since I was a kid, but I still love the game as a whole. TTYD is the only reason I even keep my Wii.
The first two Paper Marios almost match the years of the KH releases. Paper Mario 1 was 2001 and KH1 was 2002. Paper Mario TTYD was 2005 and KH2 was early 2006. They even both feature an area called Twilight Town, and a certain boss in that Chapter taunts Mario by calling him a "nobody". I consider the games to be pretty much equal footing in terms of quality as well and absolutely love to replay them. I can definitely relate, less the girlfriend!
In my opinion, Kingdom Hearts 2 has THE best combat in video game history. It’s so in depth and just perfect in every single way. This game will always be my #1 favorite video game Edit - after 2 years and since ReMind came out, I can't decide which game has better combat
For your edit: I still think KH2 excellent in ground combat, combo finisher and limit attack with Donald and Goofy. (Not trinity ofc) KH3+ReMind ability modifier excel in aerial combat imo
I've never gotten mad at the tutorial, nor Roxas. In fact it is one of my favorite parts of Kingdom Hearts 2. I can see how people get mad because of the tutorial being nearly three hours of minigames and needless story filler that ultimately doesn't matter. I guess its because of 358/2 Days -the game, not the cutscene collection- that I enjoyed the tutorial through and through. I remember crying a little when Roxas returned to Sora, crying happily when Roxas accepted that Sora was a good other and smiled on end when Roxas talked to Namine near the end of the game. I guess to sum up these needless statements, I enjoyed Roxas' section through and through because I loved Roxas as a character already.
For me i hated roxas when i was younger becuase i guess it remined me to much of Myself, i got the first game kh 1 when My dad died when i was 9 so to me kh 1 helped me alot with that period, kh 2 must have Come out when i was 12-13 years old, so what im getting at is if you think about it roxas was Confused about what was happening he wanted to have everything as it was and wasnt Willing to accept the change, and when he reunites with sora he accepts it. And as a young teen i still couldnt accept that how My life was someone i need to talk to and ask for advise wasnt there and yet roxas could accept the change, as an adult and older teen i learn to appreciate roxas and ofc Come to terms with My own loss, its probably also why i hold the kh series so close since it have helped me with the loss since day one and roxas became one of My favorite because of it
I always tear up at that title drop after Roxas ends his sentence knowing he's going away. He may not have been perfect to play as but you quickly grow attached.
This may come across as weird but just the first 4 minutes alone to this video gave me an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. Thanks for reminding me why I love this game so much!
Chris Anderson not weird at all Think KH is one of the few series that can give you that type of sensation no matter how many times you go back to it Go watch some reaction mash up vids of the trailers and I csn guarantee you'll get overwhelming feels
I grew up playing Nintendo games and never owned a PlayStation. Finished KH2 and out of the millions of things I could find to say for this game… that final boss fight was by far the greatest payoff I’ve ever experienced in a video game. My mind was beyond blown the entire time and I can only imagine how I would’ve reacted as a kid.
I've found your story with Kingdom Hearts very similar to mine and it's so much fun to watch your videos. Great job man. And this line... "Tetsuya Nomura has a stranglehold on my heart and he won't let go. Strangely, I don't mind." That hit me so hard. You rock man.
A game that made me a better person, a game that helped me battle my anxiety and depression, a game that helped me to overcome the abuse I suffered from for 11 years from my father. A game that is like no other. Kh2 is my favorite game of all time its helped me through so much in my life and everything about the series and this game itself is phenomenal. The music gameplay and characters are what make it amazing even the story I think is very good though can be confusing. Kh2 will always be my #1 game and I will cherish this game till the day I die. Thank you Tetsuya Nomura for this game and thank you Yoko for the amazing music I listen to everyday. I also have over 500 hours of gameplay in this game. Yes I've counted the Ps2, 3 and 4 profiles and combined the time together.
I feel you man. This game helped me cope with all that too. My own parent's never understood why I played video games so much, and it's just a testament to how much they don't understand me. KH2 helped me so much
You know my favorite part? The end of the prologue where you fight Axel. It's mainly cinematic, but Axel getting pissed and making a battlefield of fire is so cool.
I always say, KH2 is a near perfect sequel for how it expands on the previous game. It certainly has it's faults (Atlantic being a glaring one) but it expands the combat and gameplay in so many ways, all without sacrificing what the core gameplay felt like in KH1. That's perfect execution to me.
Know I'm 2 years late but Atlantica is way better designed in 2 I always got lost in 1s version also I rather a easy rhythm game than underwater combat
Yeah Antlantica is not that great but I dont find it that bad on subsequent playthroughs. If I skip the cutscenes its over fast and playing those songs is not that bad. Its a flaws but I would not call it a glearing one fore how short it is.
I played KH2 first and it made me empathise with Roxas because I didn’t know what was going on and was getting flashbacks to Sora who I didn’t know yet. Playing it that way probably made more of an impact on me and it’s still my favourite to this day
I’ll be honest. If this was the “end” of the series and all the rest of the games were never made I would’ve been happy with it. It’s just that perfect
Until 3's release day was actually announced, I had accepted it as the end of sora's story. I thought of DDD as more an epilogue that wanted to continue a story that was finished. The only thing I wanted closure on was Roxas becoming his own individual being, so I definitely bawled when he came back at the end of 3
22:50 This is definitely one of my favorite cutscenes in all of Kingdom Hearts, But it also sends shivers down my spine. This scene, in my opinion, shows that even King Mickey, the epitome of Light and Good, can fall to darkness, and much quicker, and far easier, than many of us would have ever imagined "they will pay for this". One of my favorite lines, but also one of the most terrifying lines in the entire series. All the Nobodies in this series so far have been Final Fantasy characters; I wonder what Mickey's Nobody would be like, what the consequences would be if someone like Mickey fell to the darkness, as he almost did here 22:50 .
KingK, I am so glad you agree with me that the KH2 prologue with Roxas was amazing. You bring up really good points, but I think it's fun to exercise another reason to love it, or at least the reason that impacts me the most. See, when I first played KH2, it was on my 13th birthday. Turning into a teenager is a momentous occasion because it's like a transition from the innocence of childhood, into the harsh realities one must accept as they turn into an adult. When I think about that opening, I also think about how innocent it was: me and my friends were just eating pizza, eating cake, and passing the controller around to take turns playing the Twilight Town minigames. We also took turns riding the skateboard and we all had so much to say about everything that was going on. The whole experience felt so whimsical. It almost felt like a final "farewell" to my childhood, and it felt enhanced because I was with the friends who gave me those feelings. What I felt is reflected so much in that intro. Up until that point in KH1 and COM, a lot of serious events occured. The KH2 prologue was a beautifully crafted departure from all of the convoluted terminology and lore of the previous games, and it did so by being simple, yet effective. Instead of worrying about heartless and such, it drew a parallel to childhood problems that are relatable, such as winning the tournament against some rival friends. Or solving mysteries like the number of stairs on the staircase. Or having enough money to buy food for a beach trip. And most importantly, the end of summer. I feel this prologue captures the essence of childhood so well. When it all ends, it feels like Roxas' childhood ended, too. Now, he has to deal with all of the actual problems.
I watched this video awhile back and it inspired me to get into Kingdom Hearts. Recently, I finally caved and bought the 1.5 and 2.5 remix for ps4 and started playing. I already beat Kingdom Hearts 1 and am 20 hours into Kingdom Hearts 2. I can say with full confidence that KH2 might be one of my favorite games of all time now. So thank you for that.
This is the best KH2FM review I've ever watched. So in-depth and detailed! You also helped me to re-evaluate my outlook on the KH story as a whole. I never thought that the story was too confusing or that the Disney worlds were pointless, but I appreciate hearing your perspective. Looking forward very much so to your next review!!
I want nothing more in my life right now than to see the rest of the KH games in this touching, well-written, well-explored and inspiring retrospective series, because this (and every other KH Retrospective video) were an absolute joy to watch.
can you beat kingdom hearts 2 with out swinging your keyblade? uh maybe like after the roxas tutorial when you get your party memebers so they can do all the fighting?
I cant even hear the music to this game without getting chills. The story the gameplay its not just a nostalga thing its an excellence thing. Yo gotta like and subscribe cause you videos are also excellent
Relatively newer viewer so I've been watching the old stuff, and man I love this video too. I've been banging the "KH2 is a timeless classic" drum for years. So glad to see someone else appreciate it on that level.
i know its barely related to the video, but, waking up the the closing scene of the video late on a saturday morning, faintly hearing roxas' theme, it definitely brought out a near indescribable feeling
Until Sora wakes up. Then it becomes over the top anime shite that gets boring after half an hour. The fight against the massive nobody as Rosas is the pinnacle of the franchise gameplay-wise. It was just a better version of the first games combat which was all they had to do.
@@NuclearHaggis So you're saying that the pinnacle of the game was the first 2 hours of the game and with a character you had no idea who he is. I having played the first game before the second one was like "Come on already who cares about this guy? Where's Sora?" When Sora woke up I was not disappointed in the least.
Jason Gunn-Davis ou have no idea what you are talking about, roxas was just kh 1 gameplay that was refined a little bit, the rest of the game is kh 1 gameplay improves on and made way better faster, ore satisfying and way more badass, i have no idea what game you played
Felt like I was reliving the game through this retrospect and in short highlighted why I love creating things. This was amazing and I resonate with your thoughts on the game so much. I can just remember 8 year old me when my Uncle had actually visited with his PS2, Samurai Champloo DVD's and this... Kingdom Hearts 2. 😭 Never realized how much of an impact it would have.
Watching this was a delight. KH2 is one of my favourite games of all time and everything about it makes me so so happy. It's my special interest and hearing someone talk about it with just as much adoration as I have for it fills me with such an amazing feeling of happiness. It also has me tempted to finally play KH2 on critical after 15 years of owning the damn game.
First video I've watched from you and I really like it, literally the only problem I have is at 45:56 when you talk about Critical Mode but you have a Normal/Hard Mode run on the screen. Sorry! Intro made my cry btw. keep up the great work!~
Kingdom Hearts 2 is fantastic. I played through it as a kid without any knowledge whatsoever about the sheer amount of stuff you can do (Cure was the only spell I used in the entire playthrough outside of Port Royal, and only because the game had a cutscene that said that the pirates were weak to magic), and I still had enough variety of options to feel unstoppable. I don't have a PS2 anymore (broken disc drive), but seeing what skilled players are capable of now only gives me a brand new appreciation for the game. If KH3 can build on this system (and it looks like it will, along with taking inspiration from Birth By Sleep and Dream Drop Distance), we're in for a hell of a good time.
I knew you knew your speedruns the minute I saw the good ol donut ship. Not too long after I beat all the KH games out (3 wasnt out yet) I tried to 100% KH2 and I still have fond memories of doing gummi missions.
The retrospectives videos for Kingdom Hearts have been amazing, but this one trully shines the most. Can't wait to see the rest of the games under your fantastic retrospectives series. Keep the good work KingK.
Hiya, a watcher of this golden video a good few years later... First of all, amazing video essay of one of my favorite video games that introduced into the joyous lifestyle of video games, anime, cosplay, fandoms and fanfictions alike by the bizzare adventure of Sora and finding himself through the magic and extreme emotions of friendship and Disney. I thoroughly enjoyed listening from a technical perspective of the game by the play set, the characters, and the story, while also pointing out their flaws without sounding like you're overly biased for the game. From the video essays I typically find for the Kingdom Hearts series, I can always look forward to watch and listen to yours without feeling like I'm being tugged onto just one side of the fence. (Also, I appreciate the subtitles, as again, not many video essays I could find specifically for in-depth essays for the KH series rarely have them.) As Kingdom Hearts 2 being my first KH game (and my very first video game at all), being able to go through the last 7 days of summer vacation as Roxas and being "a normal kid" and doing typical kid stuff in a small town related to me a lot, and seeing how his connection of Sora is progressed until the final day to play a completely new guy with the so-called mysterious weapon, the Keyblade, and fight these monsters called Heartless and Nobodies with Donald Duck and Goofy while traveling through various Disney worlds from arguebly some of my favorite Disney films... was absolutely wild for 11-year-old me. I thought Nomura was a goddamn genius and a mad lad to start a game with one character, get you confused and curious as the events affect your character and the story, then to have it be so complex and leave you even more confused as you progress the story with a completely new character, trying to tie the story together until the supposedly "final battle" and ending the story for both characters you played and everyone else you encountered. It drove me to do more research about the series (2 years after KH2's release, mind you, because my dense skull back then couldn't put two-and-two together that the lines through the heart symbol was the number two in Roman numerals) and find KH 1 and KH: CoM and finally piece more of Sora's story arc that way. Don't even get me started with the unique character designs, the alluring experiences between Disney and Square Enix moments, and the soundtrack rocked my very core to appreciate OSTs in my favorite fandoms from now on in my future. Never in my life have I ever not thought about such a convulated story and fall in love with it so deeply such as Kingdom Hearts. The fact that this game is a sequeal and was made well enough to appear a stand-alone game for someone to start getting into Sora's adventure and wanting to know more is just astounding to me, even til this very day. Such a stunning game... It's crazy what the power of Disney, anime, and friendship in a video game can do to a person.
I've just binged a bunch of your Kingdom Hearts videos and you've got some of the BEST takes on the series I've heard. Even before watching this video I wanted to replay the PS2 games again; this just made me want to do it even more 😌
Almost 4 years too late, but thank you for acknowledging that you can still follow the story (and maybe even get more "immersed" in it, as you discover it at the same time as Sora does) if you go directly from KH1 to KH2. I played the games back to back in 2007 or something, when I was 12, and while I was confused on some stuff, I pretty much figured out what happened in CoM. It took me a few more years to realize that the internet existed, so I could just check google to find that I had missed a game, but that's another story...
The production was stellar. Keep up ramping up your video design. The introduction was really grabbing. Hooked me up to watch it in one sitting. Good job, mate.
This is honestly the most relatable video to ever be made. You said every word I could possibly think of when thinking of Kingdom Hearts 2. My favorite game ever made. Thank you for this bro, great video!
Thank you, KingK, for this amazing video. KH2 is my favorite game of all time as well and I've always held it in the highest regard no matter how much everyone in my life always bashes it. It's been in my life so long and I've always wanted to find a way to appreciate it to the greatest of my ability and maybe even connect with someone who's appreciation for this amazing achievement in gaming is as deep and wide as mine. You've done that. This video has taken me on a ride and has hit every note of what makes Kingdom Hearts 2 so near and dear to me. You praised every part of the game that deserves it in ways I could never even think of expressing it. I was so invested in every word and topic that these 51 minutes flew by in what felt like 5. I could listen to you talk about this game for hours and genuinely wish this video was another hour long just so I could relish in not only the game but how masterfully crafted this video was. I'll definitely watch this video time and time again just to feel the raw passion and respect behind everything in it. Thank you.
As soon as I finished KH2 and unlocked Proud Mode, I played it again immediately. And then again. And then a total of 7 times. I replayed it an 8th time last year as Final Mix. It holds up
Great video bro! You really do a good job of telling people why KH2 is just so great. I only disagree a bit about what you said about the story in comparison to kh1 and also what you said about revisits. I will never stop defending revisits. Really both KH1 and KH2 had revisits. Like with Traverse Town you often found your self back there after a big event in the story. Revisits in kh2 felt satisfying af because it wasn't just hub worlds where this happened. It helped KH2 to not feel linear in a way by forcing to return to worlds you previously visited and getting more experiences in places you were already familiar with. In KH1 with Disney worlds, when you would complete a world, there was barely any other content besides secret bosses and maybe exploration using later abilities to get to chests (aside from revists of Olympus Coliseum). The fact that there were multiple visits in KH2 helped you gain a sense of connection with the worlds that truly helped them feel alive. The best example of this is Hollow Bastion/Radiant Garden. Your first visit of that is relatively short but it presents a reunion with Leon, Yuffie, and the rest of the gang. You are presented with what problems they are facing with the heartless and it ISN'T resolved with the first visit (unlike most of the Disney world first visits). After that first visit you explore more of the world each revisit and crucial plot developments happens in it. And later you have to go to HB/RG to get to other worlds like Space Paranoids that have plot intertwined with it. Then you finally complete the world and it is revealed to be Radiant Garden and every visit to this world led up to that. The fact that there were so many experiences in Radiant Garden truly helps you gain a connection to the world, your revisits built progression toward its eventual "revival" in a way. This was how revisits should have been tackled for pretty much every world. Now look at this in comparison to a world that almost does a similar thing but has no revisits. In Disney Castle, you don't revisit this world in the story and there is nothing to get if you go back (at least in the original kh2). However you still have another world access from Timeless River, but that world ALSO doesn't have a revisit. The consequence of that is Disney Castle and Timeless River both feel like after thoughts in comparison to the rest of the game. Imagine if there was an ongoing plot like in Hollow Bastion where you had a problem at Disney Castle that took more than 2 visits and only the final revisit concluded it? The world would feel way more necessary and you would have more experiences that would make the area stand out for you. But as it is, the area is mostly forgotten after the first mandatory playthrough. Like wise the other Disney worlds revisits aren't as effective as HB because not only were the plots of the 2nd visits usually not as good as the first, but they also were stories that build up something completely different from the first. If their revisits were tackled more in the lines of Hollow Bastion where each revisit you uncover more and make progress in an ongoing problem, I think we'd think differently. But yeah that's my only gripe with kh2 revisits in disney worlds, the 2nd visits were usually lackluster in comparison to the first visit. However I still fundamentally enjoy the concept of revisits for the game. But I also strangely as I am defending KH2's revisits I have to admit I prefer the story elements of KH1 and would hardly call it a generic hero's journey. However though the combat in KH2 is simply one of the best action rpg system ever made. lol random to end on this short note but you get the point fam! Nice discussion.
Man I was nervous about this retrospective. I was worried that you would miss all the nuance of the game and just focus on button mashing and call it to easy like many people. Glad to see that you did such a great job on this retrospective. LOVE your content. Nice job.
I always like hearing people talk about their favorite games ever, because just like any other entertainment medium, I think a video game can mean much more to someone than just being "fun." I recently replayed KH2 myself (partially to see how my opinions of the game line up with yours, and partially because I haven't played it in a very long time), and I feel like the game is still incredible, especially since I decided to really learn the game, instead of mashing X on easy. Even as someone who really has no attachment to Disney or its characters, I think its core as an action game has stood the test of time. I think for me, Majora's Mask was that special game for me as a kid. Everything about it just resonated with me, and it's still a contender for my favorite game ever. Termina was such a magical place for me that I could keep playing MM over and over again and not get tired of it. I don't think MM is objectively perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but I think it was a perfect fit for the lonely kid who grew up with it. I don't want to ramble too much, so I'll just say keep up the excellent work. I love the way you 'review' games, so seeing you consistently improving makes me even more excited to see your next video.
Very well done good sir, the criticism and analysis was enjoyable as usual. Digesting all this kingdom hearts content is great when we know 3 is coming up in 6 months - keep up the good work!
KH2 might be among my top 3 favorite games of all times. I was 17 years old when I played it first time. This game helped me go through my high school days. There are hardly that many games for me where I actually had genuine fun and honestly put a smile on my face the same way as KH2. I actually love the Roxas part. It was a pretty damn clever bait and switch that leads to the actual best part when you finally get to control Sora. And the build-up to it was pretty genius. And serves as a good tragic story. It's both satisfying and sad at the same time. I also loved the game because I never felt bored with it. The game packs you with tons of variety every time. Even the gummi ship is tons of fun. I love it.
man when you were describing how it felt when the game came out in 2006...i just had so many flashbacks. I still remember getting home from school the day it came out wanting to buy it. My friend called me on my landline phone. I still remember saying "Hello?" and the first thing I heard I heard was "I GOT KINGDOM HEARTS 2" I got to go to blockbuster that weekend and tore into the game. I got to the final boss, Xemnas in the white area. Then I had to return it. 3 weeks later, family came into town and got me the game. I dont even know how many hours I sunk into the game as a kid. Beating Sephy in 2 was one of the proudest days of my middle school life.
I bounced off Kingdom Hearts 2 around the Pirates of Caribbean world and never went back to it. Your passion for this game makes me want to seriously give it another chance. Who knows, I still might feel whatever about it but props to you for selling your love for this game hard.
And man, you're so right about the soundtracks for these games. If I were ever to do a youtube series or a podcast or something, it would be about video game music and this series... Yoko Shimomura does brilliant work. I could listen to "Lazy Afternoons" all day; "Roxas" sets an amazing tone for the title card, followed almost immediately by the upbeat cheer of "Sora" to reintroduce the BEST BOY, and practically every boss fight in the series is a stunner. "Rage Awakened" is a definite standout--so glad you gave it a moment to shine in your video. Not to mention KH2 has the best iteration of "Dearly Beloved" so far. Simple, yet elegant, taking the base melody and adding in the melancholy "Always On My Mind" tune... ugh. She's amazing.
I remember being 9 years old watching my best friend play this game, and really wanted to try it. I begged my mom (who was raising me and my baby sister with a minimum wage job) to get me a PlayStation 2 with Kingdom Hearts II. She told me she would try, but couldn’t get it for my birthday. So, being the determined child i was, i saved all my birthday and christmas money to buy my own PS2 with one game, Kingdom Hearts II. I played it for 30+ hours straight. i’ve been playing on repeat for years and it had opened the door to my love for the franchise as a whole. I am 19 years old, and i still play Kingdom Hearts II a LOT. This game has shaped me to be the gamer and person i am today, and i can honestly say this game has the most emotional value to me and will forever be my favorite game of all time. Happy to see that somebody Enjoys this ALMOST as much as I do (; love the video!
Twilight Town will forever be my favorite KH world. Lazy Afternoon will forever be my favorite KH song. It's superb, it's emotional, it's the first thing I think of when I think of KH. I cherish it.
This video took the words out of my mouth, perfect video for a perfect game, my favorite retrospective/critique on this game, love your channel KingK! Thought I’d left a comment on this before but I guess I haven’t. Rectifying that now. Fantastic video!
You know kh2 is a special game, cuz even though I'm reletively new to the series, only getting into it just in time for 3, just speeding through the stories of all the games to be caught up at the last second only an hour before the midnight release of 3, kh2 has somehow become nostalgic to me as if i played it as a kid. It's too good.
When I was kid, remembering when Kh2 was announced through trailers right after beating kh1. It was insane, I really enjoyed Kingdom Hearts and was proud that it was the first game I ever beaten. Now kh2 is on the horizon?! I remember my mom giving each of us kids $50 a few weeks later and my dad took us to Walmart, I instantly bought the game. I can't remember the exact price it was a long time ago but I'm sure my dad covered the rest. Getting to play kh2 for the first time after was an insane experience for me. All of it was great, prologues was great, the story is great, combat was amazing, and even the Gummi ship zones were amazing as well. All in all I played this game so many times I know it like the back of my hand... i remember hearing about Lingering Will and the additional content as well from my friends at one point and none of us knew it was from the Japanese FM version of the game. I would check my save file as if it operated on some sort of time table that it would allow me to do the extra content. Boy was I a fool! Anyways, this was like taking a trip down memory lane. I'm right there with you, this game is a strong contender for me in terms of best game ever.
Just beat the game for the first time last night and it was really affecting me even as someone who is no longer a kid. There is so much heart and even if they use the word heart a hundred million times, for me it never lost its meaning. Great video as always KingK.
This game has ment so much to me. I have cried, laughed, and simply been entertained by this game. You, sir have elevated this game above and beyond. So thank you. I couldnt do it but you did
Subscribed. Not only because your opening showed me how aligned our sensibilities must be, as KHII is definitely one of my all-time favorites if not most favorite and absolutely one of the greatest games period; but after watching I just think your interpretation is the correct perspective to see the game through. I'm gonna sound super pretentious but I think the problem with fan backlash in the film and game community especially in regards to the creation of sequels is that these fans don't truly understand how to engage with all this media on a critical level. So very often they allow their anticipation and expectation to completely dilute the intention behind the choices. It always seem to me that they paradoxically desire something that is the same exact thing as the original and yet, somehow, totally different. I think this is what we refer to also as the "hype machine". So, I personally NEVER saw the intro of KHII as some strange and non-sequitur intro. And I never experienced any frustrations with Roxas, (because how could you, he was so sympathetic) the deign of the story was always clear. I bought the story because it's the story we were all waiting for??? It drives me mad. How do they not understand that if you like something and you decided to commit to it, YOU do not get to decide to what right and wrong choices are (non-technically speaking of course). You have committed to the storytelling choices of a particular artist. Not to look at and be ask simply "Why this? Why not that?" but rather "To what end?" Woof. Okay. Hope that makes sense. Great vid, man. Thanks!!
i have recently beaten Kingdom Hearts 2 and man its such a fantastic game, its my favourate game in thge entire KH series and one of my favourate games of all time, its in my top 5 next to fate stay night, xenoblade chronicles, final fantasy 7 and chrono trigger.
"Looks like my summer vacation is.... over" Me: God Damn it, I need these emotions for later, I cant have this game ripping them out of my chest this early!!!
KingK, you've been one of my favorite youtubers for a while, but I think you have cemented yourself a large chunk of my respect for this video. You gave the game a fair and entertaining analysis despite your admitted biases, and coincidentally, this is also a game very close to my heart. I've already watched this almost hour long video multiple times. Your essays are always well written, researched, and spoken. Always looking forward to videos from you!
There's definitely something about Kingdom Hearts 2. The moment I saw the words "Thinking of you, wherever you are" pop up on the screen I was immediately that kid picking up a copy from the blockbuster and extending my rental until they made me pay for it. It's such a special game, and I really enjoyed watching this "love letter."
God a video has never so perfectly described how I've felt about this game. I genuinely don't think I'd be the me I am today without this amazing game and hearing you describe in detail how much you love the game just takes the thoughts in my head I could never put into words and well puts them into words.
I've waited half my life for KH 3 and I'm not sure my body is ready, I watch the final battle trailer and it makes me giddy and sad at the same time. The end of an age, the beginning of another, the cruelty of reality coming down hard on this one.
I always found it interesting that everyone wanted to get past the Roxas part and play as Sora again in KH2, and you pointed that out in your retrospective. I was the opposite. As dumb as it might have seemed, I liked the refreshing change from playing as Sora to playing as Roxas. It had a different feel to it somehow, probably because Roxas's story is completely different. Sure, you aren't going to new worlds and destroying Heartless with Donald and Goofy, but you're exploring something new anyway, and as you begin to discover it's all fabricated, you begin feeling disturbed just like Roxas. With that culminating in the battle against Twilight Thorn (which is introduced with exactly the same cutscene as Darkside in KH1-which actually makes it all the more disturbing and perfect, given the context), my favorite battle in all of KH personally between the music and the tone, really makes for a darker, more dramatic experience from Roxas's perspective than Sora's. Going back to Sora after that made me feel like I'd lost something special. A lot of Sora's time in the game revolves around adventures and discovery, and that's good too, but you get that from most games of this type, so I suppose I appreciated the approach of Roxas's story and the way it was introduced. Then again, some of my favorite parts of the original KH were the surreal parts from the beginning of the game in Sora's dreams and the destruction of Destiny Islands, so I suppose I like that sort of thing, because it isn't a necessary part of this type of story.
The Roxas part was ok because it was small even though I disliked it but if you want to play as someone else there are a BILLION spin off games. Ever single main kh game MUST have sora as the main playable character.
KH2 was the first game I played in the series, so 11 y/o me was actually really sad to see him go. I eventually liked Sora, but there was a surprising degree of sadness for me when the character I had spent the most time with had to go. Maybe it’s not a perfect intro, but it was definitely an effective and emotional experience for a newbie like me.
The way you talked about the story made me SO emotional. While I stuck more to KH1 when I was very young due to it being easier to play (I had troubles with the Tron racing game in KH2), when I was around 10 I played the shit out of KH2. I still do to this day. BbS, DDD, 358/2; all KH games. I just love this series too damn much. My all time favourite. I cry every time thinking about KH3. Thank you for making this.
While KH2 is now my 3rd favourite KH game, after KH3 and MoM as 1 & 2 respectively, this still means a whole lot to me and I still think it’s as you said, one of the BEST games ever made.
Thank you so much for this. With all the people being snarky and condescending at KH this days, it feels refreshing to hear someone gushing about a game that gave many great moments as a teen.
I find it so fun and special that we, as fans of Kingdom Hearts, are mostly the same in a few aspects. As the majority, I played it when I was very young and (on top of being in english when my language was spanish) I didn't understand too much. Either way the game meant a lot to me, is the only series that I've played over and over as I got older, always understanding a bit more and seeing how everything is a metaphor for so many aspects of life. It made me who I am today: a 22 year old guy who deep down believes that there are hearts everywhere around us. In a way, I get to see the light and darkness inside so many people and myself, and it's something I remember every day. As dumb as it might sound for so many people, it's very important to me to remember and always be there for my friends and those who made me who I am today, and that doing your best and truly listening to your heart, even in the darkest moments, can make things better and shine some sort of light that guides you to new places and growth. Seeing things from this perspective has helped me a lot with real issues like losing someone important, feeling different or seriously depressed and everytime I go through new and scary experiences. All of this from just a bunch of code and anime characters combined to make a great gameplay, beautiful music and an amazing experience that I wish everyone had. Sure it has some flaws, but I'm still very grateful that it exists and for all it did for me. But not just that, because one of the most important things is that I'm not the only one. So many fans share the same experience as me and it's something I've never seen with anything else. Because of it, there's talented people like you who take the time to create stuff like this video, or music, or drawings or just writing a really long UA-cam comment at 1am: because we all know how important is to put our hearts into something and we probably learned it (in part) thanks to Kingdom Hearts I'm so grateful that something like this exists and created this kind of feeling for so many people. I'm grateful that after all this years, it's still inspiring for all of us and I get to see videos like this, feel like crying when I listen to The Other Promise at 3am or feel shocked for the 483738th time when I see Goofy get hit by that rock. I'm grateful that sometimes stuff like this makes me feel less alone. And I'm grateful for you, for taking the time to create a great restrospective and making me want to say all this. May your heart be your guiding key, friends.
God. That moment where you fight along side final fantasy characters is so amazing. I can’t describe to you how cool it was to see cloud yuffie and Leon pop in say a one liner and be badass with you.
Kingdom Hearts II is for me, the greatest game of all time. I don't know why I love it this much, I wasn't even born when it came out. I just remember that my brother received it for its birthday even though he never played the first game. We talked about it for hours and hours and it was mostly "I heard at school that Sora suicided itself in the first game" which was true, but not exactly. When I played it, I was shocked by how a Disney game can make you feel so much emotions, I remember being stuck on the second Demyx fight because of his clones, I remember thinking that there was a way to play Sora in the Destiny Islands after the KH II events (I let my PS2 run for an entire night on the credits to see what will happen), and still now, I cry by hearing Hikari or Dearly Beloved. Next year will be the 20th anniversary of Kingdom Hearts, and I hope Nomura is preparing us something amazing
You know, it may seem like I'm dogging on the original a little bit in this video, but that's only because the sequel is just that great. I still really like the original, and consider them both to be amazing. Just wanted to put this here in case anyone happens to get the wrong impression.
Personally, I wasn't too much of a fan of the original mostly because that the story was WAY too simple. I may be the only one in the KH fandom thats like this but honestly, I prefer the confusing story that KH2 and future games had.
DevilKaz I happen to like that clusterfuck plot lol.
Same. A story in my eyes is honestly boring if its too straightforward. This is why Xchi, BBS, and DDD are among my favorites in this series.
Funny enough I think KH2 is a bit of a downgrade. The magic system is worse, the combat system is more fun but less interesting, the maps are mostly all corridors and no exploration like the first game, and the plot is not concise enough for me to care like I did for the first game.
I still like KH2 a ton, I love TRON more than any world in the first, and overall the combat is probably more *fun* than the first. But otherwise I think KH2 does literally everything worse than KH1.
KingK been waiting for this video while I remember when I first played this game rented it from the local movie gallery at first I thought it was a kids game so I thought it was going to be stupid then I put it in my PS2 then I played it I couldn't stop playing it until it was finished three days later I had to skip all the cutscenes because it was a rental and that I had three days to turn it back in. I bought it three years later and now I still play it and I bought Kingdom Hearts 2 3 times one for the PS2 one for the PS3 one for the PS4 that included all the games
“Looks like my summer vacation is... over”.
Still brings me to tears.
Aqua, Xion, the Riku Replica, and Terra have all had sad stories but I will say that Roxas is the most tragic. ;(
DetectiveSpiritOfBobbyFulbrightGamer Yea, they’re all tragic, but by the time you get to BBS, you know what’s in store anyways. They may have been played along by Master Xehanort, but at least they got to choose their own decisions. Roxas has an inescapable fate.
I think Xion is more tragic than Roxas. The fourteenth member of Organization 13, erased from existence so thoroughly that not even her best friends can mourn her...
It's a reverse MGS2 opening.
i cry evar tim
I think I'm one of the few people who went into KH2 blind and didn't mind any bit of Roxas' storyline. I mean, we all knew Sora, Donald, and Goofy would jump into the mix at some point, and it was clear that whatever was going on with this strange unfamiliar kid was connected to Sora in some way. Even as a young fourth grader playing this game for the first time, I could immediately tell that they were building up some mystery for a big reveal. Not to mention that the prologue was really nice from a storytelling standpoint, as it was easily the most human and down-to-earth section of the series. I really don't understand why so many people had so little patience with this part of the game.
Kira1Lawliet the people that complained about it also complained about Metal Gear Solid 2 iykyk
I started off in the Kingdom Hearts series with KH2 too. I didn't really know the main cast, so I didn't know what to expect. I really think it's too... Slow? Tranquil? I don't feel like there are any stakes being had.
For starters, the music in Twilight Town is really weird for starting a game. It's not the upbeat energy of Sora, Riku and Kairi trying to get their raft to sail. It's this mellow tune that keeps repeating its motif and want to sleep.
What you end up doing is also inconsequential. The munny you gather from the minigames always goes missing. Nobody really cares about the truth behind the myths.
The amount of cutscenes is good for setting up the player with past KH events but, at the same time, is a lot of exposition in the early game.
Mostly because it takes so long to finish.
All I knew was there was some kid with a key sword and disney was involved and I was hyped to play a kingdom hearts game since I was an ad for chain of memories
@@Magmagan bruh you just described why i love the opening section
Very upset that you didn't mention the scene where Riku furiously grabs Mickey in a fit of sexual passion, professing his love for his majesty. Other than that, I guess this was a fantastic retrospective.
Cool to see you here!
"You won't be laughing when I'm inside of you." Mickey, Kingdom Hearts II
Mickey: "Oh boy! HARDER RIKU!!! HARDER!!!!!!!!!"
so would the ship be called micku or rickey?
Nooooooooooo stop this evilness now xD
Sora is a fun character because he genuinely feels like he'd be your friend if you met him for real. He already feels like a real friend. That, I think is a lot more fun to write a character like that than a blank slate character who you want to imagine yourself as in the role.
He really does feel like a friend, its weird. With KH lore becoming "mixed with the real world" I love that even the creator of these games knows that his fans have real love and memories with Sora. I hope he uses that to create something that shocks everyone. Kingdom Heart's story is not just complex, but potentially so huge, and better than most movies or video games out today in 2023. KHDR, the story, shocked the hell out of me in such a good way. The cutscenes from the remaster explain it, but if you can find a summary or a fan (damo279 is the GOAT.. Literally) - like the Master of Master's for KH Lore :)
I agree and the whole adventure is so fun and amazing going to the diffrent disney worlds with ur best friends/pals Donald and goofy its a amazing game and homage to ur childhood😭♥️
I'm sad because this characterization really ends with KH2. KH3 Sora would be like dragging around a bag of bricks with a poorly drawn smiley face on the front.
Yoko Shimomura is a true goddess. Every piece enhances the Kingdom Hearts games, and the same can be said in Final Fantasy XV. She is just absolutely amazing.
"It's still a mess, but it"'s a beautiful mess".
That is the absolutely perfect way to describe Kingdom Hearts
@Kel Rowland Ok that was funny
@@Trupera I feel like people who don’t like KH are the same people who don’t like Kool-Aid because it’s too sweet lol like der x3 dude there’s a shit ton of sugar in kool-aid
@Kel Rowland bro exactly. The story is garbage. Its a trite parody
@@kyleprocaccino4794 what
Story is garbage after 2. Actually, it's garbage at the end of 2, starting from Lingering Will imo. People say KH 2 starts to get confusing, but I like the story, and it would've been great if the Organization XIII arc had ended in 2.. Still not confusing yet imo.
Gameplay is amazing. Hard to beat. This is one of those games that you revisit every period of time and never get bored of.
"GOOFY!!"
"Come on Goofy! You have to get up! I'm sorry I ate the Ice Cream..."
"This isn't happening...this CAN'T be happening..."
"Oooohhh...Goofy..."
...
"They'll pay for this..!"
*throws coat off like a boss and pulls out keyblade*
Robin - The - Joker that scene still gives me chills
So many scenes in kh give me chills
Mainly 2 and 358 though
"Go on you just keep running *but ill always be there to bring you back!*
Really? I mean if it happened to Donald, maybe, but Goofy? The character whose entire premise is taking beatings at a level that would land normal people in the ICU, if it didn't kill them.
Donald's scream chasing after King Mickey is my warcry
@@ruxis8179: AKA the one really good moment in 358/2
Shit just got real
Kairi: This is my boyfriend Sora, and this is his boyfriend Riku.
😂😂😂😂
That's basically how frame this trio
Wtf 😂😂😂😂
This reminds me of Naruto. "SASUKEEEE", oh hey Hinata 😂
a complete summary of kingdom hearts
Kingdom Hearts 2 was the first in the series I played. I was mad at Sora for taking Roxas, the character I had spent two hours bonding with, away from me.
It must be an interesting perspective, having the main character of a series be the 2nd one you grow attached to.
I was on the opposite side, going "who is this loser" at the start, then when Sora woke up, I shed a single manly tear for a character I thought I didn't even like
this and 1 had fucking nuance
TheBlackCloakedMan Same! I knew nothing about first KH game except for the flashbacks Roxas gets, and genuinely thought I'd be playing as him for the entirety of KHII. I felt sooo sad when he disappeared and I got to use Sora, who was a complete stranger to me. Of course, then I fell in love with him too, but the bitterness about Roxas remained.
@@aryyuna89 likewise probably the reason he's my favourite character to this day
SAME HERE!
"Looks like my summer vacation... is over." Man, that hurts. Sends chills down my body thinking about Roxas as a whole. Being this what I assume to be high schooler who, out of nowhere, is being blamed for some supernatural crime, seeing things others aren't, remembering details differently, seeing time stop, start back up, reflections coming from water, illusions popping everywhere. It's like we're watching this kid slowly lose his grip on reality, only to be told, "You have to die, so that he can live." Like, can he even be sure that what he's seeing is real?? I know I'd be questioning everything I saw, not trust anything for what it appears to be.
I would say Agrabah was more about Iago's search for a new identity and forgiveness rather than Aladdin. Aladdin's journey was pretty much over, it was about the group coming to accept Iago as a new friend.
100% agree. I'm currently doing a story dive through the whole series, going through the games in release order in run up to KH3 (literally gonna cry playing it after 13 years of waiting since 2). As I type this I'm paused right next to the Data Roxas fight on critical, and I equipped No Exp upon getting Second Chance. I had never really cared much for the Disney characters' stories in most of the games as a kid (I'm 20), but upon replaying, some of them are much deeper than I had remembered, and they fit thematically as well. Iago's story in particular caught my eye. He just wanted a new chance at a reformed life and was deeply committed to trying to patch things up with Sora and the gang. He tried so hard in the first half to be helpful to everyone (trying too hard at times a la Aladdin's "secret girlfriend") so as to make up for his past self, himself being the one who solves the treasure issue that Donald placed the group in. In part 2 he originally intended to not betray the group. He was attempting to stop the peddler from unsealing Jafar in the opening cutscene and he wasn't going to tell them what Jafar wanted. Only upon being pressed by Al and Sora with their friendship on the line for Jafar's location did a desperate and fearful for his life Iago begrudgingly tell them the desert ruins. Upon seeing the sandstorm he is relieved because he thinks this would reverse his decision but Genie fucked that up and Iago was genuinely upset. If you talk to him before departing for the desert he attempts to stop the group anyways, telling them they should turn back and to forget about going there. And he has his ultimate redemption by attempting to sacrifice himself for Aladdin. Agrabah's story in 2 is almost entirely centered around Iago's reformation from enemy to trusted friend, which is why he is in the opening cutscenes for both visits while the rest of the characters from Agrabah were not (minus the peddler and genie jafar, but neither of them speak besides laughter whereas Iago does in both cutscenes). It might actually be the deepest non-original character story arc in any of the Kingdom Hearts games.
Agreed but;;; It was still unnecessarily difficult for as much as it provided to the game overall.
3 years late but yeah that's exactly why Iago is the first one they meet when visiting Agrabah
Pretty much they continued where the movies went to after the first one.
Forgot about that.
Can we just take a moment and salute Long Haired Riku? Dude looked dope with the long locks
Looooool.
He's gorgeous :)
Rip to when riku and soras designs looked good until whatever tf they in kh3 😂
@@chrislopez5301 Riku looks infinitely better in 3. I dont see many people complaining about the character designs in 3. Theyre not necessarily better than 2 but I dont think ive seen anyone else who thinks they got far worse.
Bro my boi Riku is fab af
Long hair Riku best riku
That was hands down the best way to describe the Roxas fight prior to the last chapter. An uneasy victory and an uneasy loss.
A difficult battle with a bittersweet aftertaste
->actually beat roxas on crit first try-
-data roxas tho-
@@dmas7749 no way bruh roxas Is impossible with out the orb that protects you I forgot the name
@@momdad4932 orb? i don't recall that at all
@@dmas7749 the one magic move
@@momdad4932 can you find what you're talking about please? i don't think anyone knows what you're talking about
I wish I could play this game for the first time again. Learning Roxas’ tragedy organically the way the intro in 2 does is amazing.
True facts, Riku on Destiny Islands was your tutorial on revenge value in Kingdom hearts games.
That fucking kick...
EXPLAIN!! NOW!!!
G. Mech when you hit riku (3x I believe) his revenge value maxes, out making him counterattack. Each enemy has a revenge value, each hit adds 1 to its value, and I believe a finisher adds more than 1 to the value
@@NoBrakes219 each combo (not hit) is 1 point each finisher is 3 i believe
Joseph Kyle oh you know what i think you’re right, i figured i messed up the numbers a little haha
"You can't necessarily place yourself in his shoes"
Well, of course not! They're fucking huge!
glad to see someone actually know how the combat works when making a review of this game. It's extremely frustrating seeing people who played on standard mode call this game a button masher without knowing what they're talking about. Kh2fm has some of the best and most underrated combat in gaming IMO. Great Video!
WillJV2 "It's extremely frustrating seeing people who played on standard mode call this game a button masher" all GOW fans
Now let's just hope KH3 is not as bad as it seems to be. It would be such a shame if all the options at your disposal are for nothing because floaty combos get you hit and i.frame-less summons get you killed. I don't want to spam Magnet and Surges like you did in BBS or Balloon in DDD. It's my worst fear for the game.
WillJV2 critical mode was especially difficult in Kh2fm. I recently got the platinum trophy for it in kh2.5 remix and the Data Org on critical took me a ridiculous amount of time to beat even with stupidly overpowered setups
Tbh the only people who say/think that are not kingdom hearts fans
WillJV2 button masher my ass
17:00 Agrabah's story in this game isn't supposed to be about Aladdin's struggle with his identity. It'a about Iago's.
I hated the carpet system
@@kiddalmatiangawd8389 no one even asked
@@AhmedMorad340 no one asked you to reply to my question like you even said no one asked lol 😆 crybaby
true!
Atlantica being a series of rhythm games was sorta weird, but I have to be honest: Hearing Sora sing Under The Sea with Ariel makes me unreasonably happy and I can't quite explain why.
I just beat this game today on PS4 for the first time. I absolutely loved it. My only complaints are how empty some worlds can feel, like Agrabah for example is huge but really empty, which makes it feel dull(couldn’t you spare a few npcs square?). Other than that, I don’t have any problems. This game is a masterpiece and I loved it.
I gotta agree. Thank god KH3 is gonna fix that by putting NPCs around.
DetectiveSpiritOfBobbyFulbrightGamer Yeah, that’s one thing I’m really glad about.
This was my issue with how the worlds felt in comparison to the first
@@BobbyTheGamerOfJUSTICE Unfortinuately, the only real improvment KH3 made.
@josh Nope, not by a long shot. Better Disney worlds, better voice acting, better graphics, LOTS of things were improved in KH3. I will agree that it doesn’t top KH2 though, despite my love for the game.
I think my favorite scene in the game is Sora's first departure from Twilight Town.
Roxas' summer vacation line always gives me chills and tears me up every now and then, but the first time I played through KH2 since playing it as a kid, when the tear falls before he gets on the train, I had the same sudden tear, same eye and all.
Idunno what made it resonate with me so hard, maybe because I've also left the place where I grew up with all my friends, and that tear is definitely Roxas' pain at leaving his friends behind.
And man, when Sora says "You know............ I'm sad." UGH.
WHY IS THIS GAME SO PERFECT
HOW DOES A FREAKING DISNEY ANIME GAME HAVE THE SAME EMOTIONAL RESONANCE AS THE FREAKING LAST OF US
I NEED AN ADULT
AND I'M AN ADULT
When I was 10, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door had come out. I remember playing that day in and day out, discovering stuff like superguard timing, recipes for various items, ideal badge set-ups. I would report these to my friends, and for about a three month period of time, I was a hero. I even got a girlfriend (or as much as you could call a girlfriend at age 10) out of my massive knowledge of Paper Mario 2, and I explored every inch of that game. And even when everyone left it for the new hotness, I stayed on and replayed it again and again.
I say this because your preamble reminded me of that time, something I haven't thought about in... well, I'm old enough now to say in over a decade, which is kinda scary but still! The joy of getting absolutely everything out of a game, about knowing it has flaws but defending them, Hell, enjoying them and seeing why they're in there... that's indescribable. That's something I'd forgotten. Thank you, so much, for reminding me of it.
I've always had my issues with Kingdom Hearts 2 - always hated the Port Royale coin boss, thought Cub Sora controlled like trash, thought Space Paranoids was boring, found the story to be ultimately contrived, way too long for its own good, and to be a rehash of what Metal Gear Solid 2 did four years earlier with the Roxas bit, but a bit worse. I spent my later teen years hating, decrying this game, calling it a button masher where you hit triangle in time with prompts and everything will turn out okay... but I still had feelings toward it. I cried when I heard Shimomura's arrangement of the Hundred Acre Wood theme - it made me feel like I was home, like I was four and returning to my friends from Pooh's adventures, like restoring Pooh's memories was what mattered because dammit, I wanted him to be happy. I still smile every time I see Timeless River, even if the game occasionally crashed when Pete went TIME FOR A CHANGE OF PACE. I accentuated every negative emotion I had for this game, because it was fun being contrarian, because I felt it helpful to lobby criticism at something so popular... and there was still something in me that made me respect it.
This video did something that I didn't think could happen for me: it made me want to dust off the old PS2 and play Kingdom Hearts 2 again. It made me want to fix the mindless way that I mashed through easy as a kid, to really understand those deeper mechanics, to appreciate Kingdom Hearts for Kingdom Hearts and not for it being a Disney tour with mixed results. (and I dunno, maybe USE summons sometime? Could be helpful). And from something I've decried for so long... this is a really special, humbling feeling I've gotten. I can't say I'll love the game, that I'll be able to enjoy Riku's arc in full (as I still find him a BIT too edgy at times when compared to Sora's unbridled optimism), that I won't be able to laugh at Mickey wanting revenge for the death of Goofy as he's just so clearly cartoon-based in other physical interactions compared to a lot of the more "solid" cast, that I'll be able to forgive TEN MINUTES OF UNSKIPPABLE WATCHING THE LITTLE MERMAID ABRIDGED WHILE SORA GOES "NOPE COULDN'T FIGURE THIS OUT SO HOW'S THE MOVIE GOING?". But I think I'll be able to like it. This kid that loves Paper Mario 2 to death beyond a doubt owes it to that kid who loves Kingdom Hearts 2 to death beyond a doubt.
TTYD is still one of my favorite games of all time.
My favorite chapters have changed since I was a kid, but I still love the game as a whole.
TTYD is the only reason I even keep my Wii.
Nice essay
Grumpy Pig I liked it 👍
I’ve had ttyd since I was a kid and haven’t beaten it. I’m finally gonna finish it this summer.
The first two Paper Marios almost match the years of the KH releases. Paper Mario 1 was 2001 and KH1 was 2002. Paper Mario TTYD was 2005 and KH2 was early 2006. They even both feature an area called Twilight Town, and a certain boss in that Chapter taunts Mario by calling him a "nobody". I consider the games to be pretty much equal footing in terms of quality as well and absolutely love to replay them. I can definitely relate, less the girlfriend!
In my opinion, Kingdom Hearts 2 has THE best combat in video game history. It’s so in depth and just perfect in every single way. This game will always be my #1 favorite video game
Edit - after 2 years and since ReMind came out, I can't decide which game has better combat
Did you play ever game?
Yeah its also much better than 3, or atleast I prefer it so much more that, after beating 3, I went right back to play 2 lol
It's your opinion but I have to say 2 still holds the best combat by far
@@WolfRazor I agree
For your edit: I still think KH2 excellent in ground combat, combo finisher and limit attack with Donald and Goofy. (Not trinity ofc)
KH3+ReMind ability modifier excel in aerial combat imo
I've never gotten mad at the tutorial, nor Roxas. In fact it is one of my favorite parts of Kingdom Hearts 2. I can see how people get mad because of the tutorial being nearly three hours of minigames and needless story filler that ultimately doesn't matter. I guess its because of 358/2 Days -the game, not the cutscene collection- that I enjoyed the tutorial through and through. I remember crying a little when Roxas returned to Sora, crying happily when Roxas accepted that Sora was a good other and smiled on end when Roxas talked to Namine near the end of the game. I guess to sum up these needless statements, I enjoyed Roxas' section through and through because I loved Roxas as a character already.
For me i hated roxas when i was younger becuase i guess it remined me to much of Myself, i got the first game kh 1 when My dad died when i was 9 so to me kh 1 helped me alot with that period, kh 2 must have Come out when i was 12-13 years old, so what im getting at is if you think about it roxas was Confused about what was happening he wanted to have everything as it was and wasnt Willing to accept the change, and when he reunites with sora he accepts it. And as a young teen i still couldnt accept that how My life was someone i need to talk to and ask for advise wasnt there and yet roxas could accept the change, as an adult and older teen i learn to appreciate roxas and ofc Come to terms with My own loss, its probably also why i hold the kh series so close since it have helped me with the loss since day one and roxas became one of My favorite because of it
I always tear up at that title drop after Roxas ends his sentence knowing he's going away. He may not have been perfect to play as but you quickly grow attached.
This may come across as weird but just the first 4 minutes alone to this video gave me an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. Thanks for reminding me why I love this game so much!
Chris Anderson not weird at all
Think KH is one of the few series that can give you that type of sensation no matter how many times you go back to it
Go watch some reaction mash up vids of the trailers and I csn guarantee you'll get overwhelming feels
The single greatest intro to a video essay of all time, bar none.
When he started talking about the glitchy kh1 cutscenes in the beginning of kh2 I got hit with a wave of nostalgia
I grew up playing Nintendo games and never owned a PlayStation. Finished KH2 and out of the millions of things I could find to say for this game… that final boss fight was by far the greatest payoff I’ve ever experienced in a video game. My mind was beyond blown the entire time and I can only imagine how I would’ve reacted as a kid.
Such a great video talking about one of my fav games, love you man
I've found your story with Kingdom Hearts very similar to mine and it's so much fun to watch your videos. Great job man. And this line...
"Tetsuya Nomura has a stranglehold on my heart and he won't let go. Strangely, I don't mind."
That hit me so hard. You rock man.
A game that made me a better person, a game that helped me battle my anxiety and depression, a game that helped me to overcome the abuse I suffered from for 11 years from my father. A game that is like no other. Kh2 is my favorite game of all time its helped me through so much in my life and everything about the series and this game itself is phenomenal. The music gameplay and characters are what make it amazing even the story I think is very good though can be confusing. Kh2 will always be my #1 game and I will cherish this game till the day I die. Thank you Tetsuya Nomura for this game and thank you Yoko for the amazing music I listen to everyday. I also have over 500 hours of gameplay in this game. Yes I've counted the Ps2, 3 and 4 profiles and combined the time together.
That’s dope af man I love this game too 😭
@@TheGunFreak94 and you're nothing but a vile piece of shit for making such a callous statement.
@@AlxMar5 Just report them
I feel you man. This game helped me cope with all that too. My own parent's never understood why I played video games so much, and it's just a testament to how much they don't understand me. KH2 helped me so much
You know my favorite part? The end of the prologue where you fight Axel. It's mainly cinematic, but Axel getting pissed and making a battlefield of fire is so cool.
I always say, KH2 is a near perfect sequel for how it expands on the previous game. It certainly has it's faults (Atlantic being a glaring one) but it expands the combat and gameplay in so many ways, all without sacrificing what the core gameplay felt like in KH1. That's perfect execution to me.
Know I'm 2 years late but Atlantica is way better designed in 2 I always got lost in 1s version also I rather a easy rhythm game than underwater combat
Yeah Antlantica is not that great but I dont find it that bad on subsequent playthroughs. If I skip the cutscenes its over fast and playing those songs is not that bad. Its a flaws but I would not call it a glearing one fore how short it is.
@@fastasgaupthebargaining7174 I prefer the Under water combat it felt cool
@@destroyermcw626 not really it felt really clunky to me but that's fine if you find it cool.
@@fastasgaupthebargaining7174 Understandable I just enjoyed the exploration
I played KH2 first and it made me empathise with Roxas because I didn’t know what was going on and was getting flashbacks to Sora who I didn’t know yet. Playing it that way probably made more of an impact on me and it’s still my favourite to this day
I’ll be honest. If this was the “end” of the series and all the rest of the games were never made I would’ve been happy with it. It’s just that perfect
Until 3's release day was actually announced, I had accepted it as the end of sora's story. I thought of DDD as more an epilogue that wanted to continue a story that was finished. The only thing I wanted closure on was Roxas becoming his own individual being, so I definitely bawled when he came back at the end of 3
@@RickachuCXVI I need to play 3 now that it's on PC. I haven't played it yet since it literally came out on every console I didn't have.
The problem is the Nomura obsession with Xehanorth story... but I still like KH3 and Birth by Sleep
Yeah but the shadowy figure in the beginning of kh1 wouldnt have gotten an explanation
@@bananaonion8617 that could’ve been cool either way, not everything needs an explanation plus it would’ve kept some mystical mystery to it
22:50 This is definitely one of my favorite cutscenes in all of Kingdom Hearts, But it also sends shivers down my spine. This scene, in my opinion, shows that even King Mickey, the epitome of Light and Good, can fall to darkness, and much quicker, and far easier, than many of us would have ever imagined "they will pay for this". One of my favorite lines, but also one of the most terrifying lines in the entire series.
All the Nobodies in this series so far have been Final Fantasy characters; I wonder what Mickey's Nobody would be like, what the consequences would be if someone like Mickey fell to the darkness, as he almost did here 22:50 .
KingK, I am so glad you agree with me that the KH2 prologue with Roxas was amazing. You bring up really good points, but I think it's fun to exercise another reason to love it, or at least the reason that impacts me the most.
See, when I first played KH2, it was on my 13th birthday. Turning into a teenager is a momentous occasion because it's like a transition from the innocence of childhood, into the harsh realities one must accept as they turn into an adult. When I think about that opening, I also think about how innocent it was: me and my friends were just eating pizza, eating cake, and passing the controller around to take turns playing the Twilight Town minigames. We also took turns riding the skateboard and we all had so much to say about everything that was going on. The whole experience felt so whimsical. It almost felt like a final "farewell" to my childhood, and it felt enhanced because I was with the friends who gave me those feelings.
What I felt is reflected so much in that intro. Up until that point in KH1 and COM, a lot of serious events occured. The KH2 prologue was a beautifully crafted departure from all of the convoluted terminology and lore of the previous games, and it did so by being simple, yet effective. Instead of worrying about heartless and such, it drew a parallel to childhood problems that are relatable, such as winning the tournament against some rival friends. Or solving mysteries like the number of stairs on the staircase. Or having enough money to buy food for a beach trip. And most importantly, the end of summer.
I feel this prologue captures the essence of childhood so well. When it all ends, it feels like Roxas' childhood ended, too. Now, he has to deal with all of the actual problems.
I watched this video awhile back and it inspired me to get into Kingdom Hearts. Recently, I finally caved and bought the 1.5 and 2.5 remix for ps4 and started playing. I already beat Kingdom Hearts 1 and am 20 hours into Kingdom Hearts 2. I can say with full confidence that KH2 might be one of my favorite games of all time now. So thank you for that.
I applaud you
This is the best KH2FM review I've ever watched. So in-depth and detailed! You also helped me to re-evaluate my outlook on the KH story as a whole. I never thought that the story was too confusing or that the Disney worlds were pointless, but I appreciate hearing your perspective. Looking forward very much so to your next review!!
I want nothing more in my life right now than to see the rest of the KH games in this touching, well-written, well-explored and inspiring retrospective series, because this (and every other KH Retrospective video) were an absolute joy to watch.
Nailed it. B]
now beat this game without jumping
now watch every cutsene 999 times
can you beat kingdom hearts 2 with out swinging your keyblade? uh maybe like after the roxas tutorial when you get your party memebers so they can do all the fighting?
I cant even hear the music to this game without getting chills. The story the gameplay its not just a nostalga thing its an excellence thing.
Yo gotta like and subscribe cause you videos are also excellent
One of the rare person to call Sora "Best Boy". I see that you are a man of culture as well, KingK
Well here are two 😁✌️
How that's so basic 😂
@@AL-nv4gk howtobasic
Relatively newer viewer so I've been watching the old stuff, and man I love this video too. I've been banging the "KH2 is a timeless classic" drum for years. So glad to see someone else appreciate it on that level.
The intro just warms my heart ❤
I love seeing people share stories about the things they love.
i know its barely related to the video, but, waking up the the closing scene of the video late on a saturday morning, faintly hearing roxas' theme, it definitely brought out a near indescribable feeling
The Pinnacle of the series gameplay-wise right here
I couldn't agree more.
Until Sora wakes up. Then it becomes over the top anime shite that gets boring after half an hour.
The fight against the massive nobody as Rosas is the pinnacle of the franchise gameplay-wise.
It was just a better version of the first games combat which was all they had to do.
@@NuclearHaggis So you're saying that the pinnacle of the game was the first 2 hours of the game and with a character you had no idea who he is. I having played the first game before the second one was like "Come on already who cares about this guy? Where's Sora?" When Sora woke up I was not disappointed in the least.
Jason Gunn-Davis ou have no idea what you are talking about, roxas was just kh 1 gameplay that was refined a little bit, the rest of the game is kh 1 gameplay improves on and made way better faster,
ore satisfying and way more badass, i have no idea what game you played
@@NuclearHaggis Nice bait m8
0:55 Aqua (in the distance)- WAAAAAAIT! TAKE ME WITH YOU!
46:00 "kicks my royal ass"
*see's health bar*
*squinty eyes*
The Great Me-sama the other clips were on critical sorry
Felt like I was reliving the game through this retrospect and in short highlighted why I love creating things. This was amazing and I resonate with your thoughts on the game so much. I can just remember 8 year old me when my Uncle had actually visited with his PS2, Samurai Champloo DVD's and this... Kingdom Hearts 2. 😭 Never realized how much of an impact it would have.
Watching this was a delight. KH2 is one of my favourite games of all time and everything about it makes me so so happy. It's my special interest and hearing someone talk about it with just as much adoration as I have for it fills me with such an amazing feeling of happiness.
It also has me tempted to finally play KH2 on critical after 15 years of owning the damn game.
First video I've watched from you and I really like it, literally the only problem I have is at 45:56 when you talk about Critical Mode but you have a Normal/Hard Mode run on the screen. Sorry! Intro made my cry btw. keep up the great work!~
Kingdom Hearts 2 is fantastic. I played through it as a kid without any knowledge whatsoever about the sheer amount of stuff you can do (Cure was the only spell I used in the entire playthrough outside of Port Royal, and only because the game had a cutscene that said that the pirates were weak to magic), and I still had enough variety of options to feel unstoppable. I don't have a PS2 anymore (broken disc drive), but seeing what skilled players are capable of now only gives me a brand new appreciation for the game. If KH3 can build on this system (and it looks like it will, along with taking inspiration from Birth By Sleep and Dream Drop Distance), we're in for a hell of a good time.
EdgeyvonKarma inspiration from bbs and ddd is not a good thing unfortunately
I knew you knew your speedruns the minute I saw the good ol donut ship. Not too long after I beat all the KH games out (3 wasnt out yet) I tried to 100% KH2 and I still have fond memories of doing gummi missions.
The retrospectives videos for Kingdom Hearts have been amazing, but this one trully shines the most. Can't wait to see the rest of the games under your fantastic retrospectives series. Keep the good work KingK.
Hiya, a watcher of this golden video a good few years later...
First of all, amazing video essay of one of my favorite video games that introduced into the joyous lifestyle of video games, anime, cosplay, fandoms and fanfictions alike by the bizzare adventure of Sora and finding himself through the magic and extreme emotions of friendship and Disney. I thoroughly enjoyed listening from a technical perspective of the game by the play set, the characters, and the story, while also pointing out their flaws without sounding like you're overly biased for the game. From the video essays I typically find for the Kingdom Hearts series, I can always look forward to watch and listen to yours without feeling like I'm being tugged onto just one side of the fence. (Also, I appreciate the subtitles, as again, not many video essays I could find specifically for in-depth essays for the KH series rarely have them.)
As Kingdom Hearts 2 being my first KH game (and my very first video game at all), being able to go through the last 7 days of summer vacation as Roxas and being "a normal kid" and doing typical kid stuff in a small town related to me a lot, and seeing how his connection of Sora is progressed until the final day to play a completely new guy with the so-called mysterious weapon, the Keyblade, and fight these monsters called Heartless and Nobodies with Donald Duck and Goofy while traveling through various Disney worlds from arguebly some of my favorite Disney films... was absolutely wild for 11-year-old me. I thought Nomura was a goddamn genius and a mad lad to start a game with one character, get you confused and curious as the events affect your character and the story, then to have it be so complex and leave you even more confused as you progress the story with a completely new character, trying to tie the story together until the supposedly "final battle" and ending the story for both characters you played and everyone else you encountered. It drove me to do more research about the series (2 years after KH2's release, mind you, because my dense skull back then couldn't put two-and-two together that the lines through the heart symbol was the number two in Roman numerals) and find KH 1 and KH: CoM and finally piece more of Sora's story arc that way. Don't even get me started with the unique character designs, the alluring experiences between Disney and Square Enix moments, and the soundtrack rocked my very core to appreciate OSTs in my favorite fandoms from now on in my future. Never in my life have I ever not thought about such a convulated story and fall in love with it so deeply such as Kingdom Hearts. The fact that this game is a sequeal and was made well enough to appear a stand-alone game for someone to start getting into Sora's adventure and wanting to know more is just astounding to me, even til this very day. Such a stunning game... It's crazy what the power of Disney, anime, and friendship in a video game can do to a person.
I've just binged a bunch of your Kingdom Hearts videos and you've got some of the BEST takes on the series I've heard. Even before watching this video I wanted to replay the PS2 games again; this just made me want to do it even more 😌
Almost 4 years too late, but thank you for acknowledging that you can still follow the story (and maybe even get more "immersed" in it, as you discover it at the same time as Sora does) if you go directly from KH1 to KH2. I played the games back to back in 2007 or something, when I was 12, and while I was confused on some stuff, I pretty much figured out what happened in CoM. It took me a few more years to realize that the internet existed, so I could just check google to find that I had missed a game, but that's another story...
The production was stellar. Keep up ramping up your video design. The introduction was really grabbing. Hooked me up to watch it in one sitting. Good job, mate.
Dominique Gendron-Langlois he did an excellent job honestly. The ability to hold a viewers attention for nearly an hour is quiet impressive.
This is honestly the most relatable video to ever be made. You said every word I could possibly think of when thinking of Kingdom Hearts 2. My favorite game ever made. Thank you for this bro, great video!
Thank you, KingK, for this amazing video. KH2 is my favorite game of all time as well and I've always held it in the highest regard no matter how much everyone in my life always bashes it. It's been in my life so long and I've always wanted to find a way to appreciate it to the greatest of my ability and maybe even connect with someone who's appreciation for this amazing achievement in gaming is as deep and wide as mine. You've done that. This video has taken me on a ride and has hit every note of what makes Kingdom Hearts 2 so near and dear to me. You praised every part of the game that deserves it in ways I could never even think of expressing it. I was so invested in every word and topic that these 51 minutes flew by in what felt like 5. I could listen to you talk about this game for hours and genuinely wish this video was another hour long just so I could relish in not only the game but how masterfully crafted this video was. I'll definitely watch this video time and time again just to feel the raw passion and respect behind everything in it. Thank you.
As soon as I finished KH2 and unlocked Proud Mode, I played it again immediately. And then again. And then a total of 7 times. I replayed it an 8th time last year as Final Mix. It holds up
Great video bro! You really do a good job of telling people why KH2 is just so great. I only disagree a bit about what you said about the story in comparison to kh1 and also what you said about revisits.
I will never stop defending revisits. Really both KH1 and KH2 had revisits. Like with Traverse Town you often found your self back there after a big event in the story. Revisits in kh2 felt satisfying af because it wasn't just hub worlds where this happened. It helped KH2 to not feel linear in a way by forcing to return to worlds you previously visited and getting more experiences in places you were already familiar with. In KH1 with Disney worlds, when you would complete a world, there was barely any other content besides secret bosses and maybe exploration using later abilities to get to chests (aside from revists of Olympus Coliseum). The fact that there were multiple visits in KH2 helped you gain a sense of connection with the worlds that truly helped them feel alive.
The best example of this is Hollow Bastion/Radiant Garden. Your first visit of that is relatively short but it presents a reunion with Leon, Yuffie, and the rest of the gang. You are presented with what problems they are facing with the heartless and it ISN'T resolved with the first visit (unlike most of the Disney world first visits). After that first visit you explore more of the world each revisit and crucial plot developments happens in it. And later you have to go to HB/RG to get to other worlds like Space Paranoids that have plot intertwined with it. Then you finally complete the world and it is revealed to be Radiant Garden and every visit to this world led up to that. The fact that there were so many experiences in Radiant Garden truly helps you gain a connection to the world, your revisits built progression toward its eventual "revival" in a way. This was how revisits should have been tackled for pretty much every world. Now look at this in comparison to a world that almost does a similar thing but has no revisits. In Disney Castle, you don't revisit this world in the story and there is nothing to get if you go back (at least in the original kh2). However you still have another world access from Timeless River, but that world ALSO doesn't have a revisit. The consequence of that is Disney Castle and Timeless River both feel like after thoughts in comparison to the rest of the game. Imagine if there was an ongoing plot like in Hollow Bastion where you had a problem at Disney Castle that took more than 2 visits and only the final revisit concluded it? The world would feel way more necessary and you would have more experiences that would make the area stand out for you. But as it is, the area is mostly forgotten after the first mandatory playthrough. Like wise the other Disney worlds revisits aren't as effective as HB because not only were the plots of the 2nd visits usually not as good as the first, but they also were stories that build up something completely different from the first. If their revisits were tackled more in the lines of Hollow Bastion where each revisit you uncover more and make progress in an ongoing problem, I think we'd think differently. But yeah that's my only gripe with kh2 revisits in disney worlds, the 2nd visits were usually lackluster in comparison to the first visit. However I still fundamentally enjoy the concept of revisits for the game.
But I also strangely as I am defending KH2's revisits I have to admit I prefer the story elements of KH1 and would hardly call it a generic hero's journey. However though the combat in KH2 is simply one of the best action rpg system ever made. lol random to end on this short note but you get the point fam! Nice discussion.
Man I was nervous about this retrospective. I was worried that you would miss all the nuance of the game and just focus on button mashing and call it to easy like many people. Glad to see that you did such a great job on this retrospective. LOVE your content. Nice job.
You just had to upload this before I had to go to work, didn't you? Cheeky millennial!
The way you spoke about KH2 in the beginning really struck home. Its wild how much a game can affect us in our adolescents. Great video brother
I always like hearing people talk about their favorite games ever, because just like any other entertainment medium, I think a video game can mean much more to someone than just being "fun."
I recently replayed KH2 myself (partially to see how my opinions of the game line up with yours, and partially because I haven't played it in a very long time), and I feel like the game is still incredible, especially since I decided to really learn the game, instead of mashing X on easy. Even as someone who really has no attachment to Disney or its characters, I think its core as an action game has stood the test of time.
I think for me, Majora's Mask was that special game for me as a kid. Everything about it just resonated with me, and it's still a contender for my favorite game ever. Termina was such a magical place for me that I could keep playing MM over and over again and not get tired of it. I don't think MM is objectively perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but I think it was a perfect fit for the lonely kid who grew up with it.
I don't want to ramble too much, so I'll just say keep up the excellent work. I love the way you 'review' games, so seeing you consistently improving makes me even more excited to see your next video.
I got into Kingdom Hearts recently and I was actually fascinated by the mystery in the beginning. Everyone is different, but I honestly enjoyed it.
Very well done good sir, the criticism and analysis was enjoyable as usual. Digesting all this kingdom hearts content is great when we know 3 is coming up in 6 months - keep up the good work!
I'm majorly late to this video. But hearing you talk about your childhood with the game being so similar to mine made me tear up
KH2 might be among my top 3 favorite games of all times. I was 17 years old when I played it first time. This game helped me go through my high school days. There are hardly that many games for me where I actually had genuine fun and honestly put a smile on my face the same way as KH2. I actually love the Roxas part. It was a pretty damn clever bait and switch that leads to the actual best part when you finally get to control Sora. And the build-up to it was pretty genius. And serves as a good tragic story. It's both satisfying and sad at the same time. I also loved the game because I never felt bored with it. The game packs you with tons of variety every time. Even the gummi ship is tons of fun. I love it.
man when you were describing how it felt when the game came out in 2006...i just had so many flashbacks.
I still remember getting home from school the day it came out wanting to buy it. My friend called me on my landline phone. I still remember saying "Hello?" and the first thing I heard I heard was "I GOT KINGDOM HEARTS 2"
I got to go to blockbuster that weekend and tore into the game. I got to the final boss, Xemnas in the white area. Then I had to return it.
3 weeks later, family came into town and got me the game. I dont even know how many hours I sunk into the game as a kid. Beating Sephy in 2 was one of the proudest days of my middle school life.
I bounced off Kingdom Hearts 2 around the Pirates of Caribbean world and never went back to it. Your passion for this game makes me want to seriously give it another chance. Who knows, I still might feel whatever about it but props to you for selling your love for this game hard.
Jean-Luc Seipke You should, best game I’ve ever played.
And man, you're so right about the soundtracks for these games. If I were ever to do a youtube series or a podcast or something, it would be about video game music and this series... Yoko Shimomura does brilliant work. I could listen to "Lazy Afternoons" all day; "Roxas" sets an amazing tone for the title card, followed almost immediately by the upbeat cheer of "Sora" to reintroduce the BEST BOY, and practically every boss fight in the series is a stunner. "Rage Awakened" is a definite standout--so glad you gave it a moment to shine in your video. Not to mention KH2 has the best iteration of "Dearly Beloved" so far. Simple, yet elegant, taking the base melody and adding in the melancholy "Always On My Mind" tune... ugh. She's amazing.
I remember being 9 years old watching my best friend play this game, and really wanted to try it. I begged my mom (who was raising me and my baby sister with a minimum wage job) to get me a PlayStation 2 with Kingdom Hearts II. She told me she would try, but couldn’t get it for my birthday. So, being the determined child i was, i saved all my birthday and christmas money to buy my own PS2 with one game, Kingdom Hearts II. I played it for 30+ hours straight. i’ve been playing on repeat for years and it had opened the door to my love for the franchise as a whole. I am 19 years old, and i still play Kingdom Hearts II a LOT. This game has shaped me to be the gamer and person i am today, and i can honestly say this game has the most emotional value to me and will forever be my favorite game of all time. Happy to see that somebody Enjoys this ALMOST as much as I do (; love the video!
Twilight Town will forever be my favorite KH world. Lazy Afternoon will forever be my favorite KH song. It's superb, it's emotional, it's the first thing I think of when I think of KH. I cherish it.
100% twilight town is the greatest
This video took the words out of my mouth, perfect video for a perfect game, my favorite retrospective/critique on this game, love your channel KingK! Thought I’d left a comment on this before but I guess I haven’t. Rectifying that now. Fantastic video!
You know kh2 is a special game, cuz even though I'm reletively new to the series, only getting into it just in time for 3, just speeding through the stories of all the games to be caught up at the last second only an hour before the midnight release of 3, kh2 has somehow become nostalgic to me as if i played it as a kid. It's too good.
When I was kid, remembering when Kh2 was announced through trailers right after beating kh1. It was insane, I really enjoyed Kingdom Hearts and was proud that it was the first game I ever beaten. Now kh2 is on the horizon?! I remember my mom giving each of us kids $50 a few weeks later and my dad took us to Walmart, I instantly bought the game. I can't remember the exact price it was a long time ago but I'm sure my dad covered the rest.
Getting to play kh2 for the first time after was an insane experience for me. All of it was great, prologues was great, the story is great, combat was amazing, and even the Gummi ship zones were amazing as well. All in all I played this game so many times I know it like the back of my hand... i remember hearing about Lingering Will and the additional content as well from my friends at one point and none of us knew it was from the Japanese FM version of the game. I would check my save file as if it operated on some sort of time table that it would allow me to do the extra content. Boy was I a fool!
Anyways, this was like taking a trip down memory lane. I'm right there with you, this game is a strong contender for me in terms of best game ever.
Just beat the game for the first time last night and it was really affecting me even as someone who is no longer a kid. There is so much heart and even if they use the word heart a hundred million times, for me it never lost its meaning. Great video as always KingK.
This game has ment so much to me. I have cried, laughed, and simply been entertained by this game. You, sir have elevated this game above and beyond. So thank you. I couldnt do it but you did
Subscribed. Not only because your opening showed me how aligned our sensibilities must be, as KHII is definitely one of my all-time favorites if not most favorite and absolutely one of the greatest games period; but after watching I just think your interpretation is the correct perspective to see the game through. I'm gonna sound super pretentious but I think the problem with fan backlash in the film and game community especially in regards to the creation of sequels is that these fans don't truly understand how to engage with all this media on a critical level. So very often they allow their anticipation and expectation to completely dilute the intention behind the choices. It always seem to me that they paradoxically desire something that is the same exact thing as the original and yet, somehow, totally different. I think this is what we refer to also as the "hype machine".
So, I personally NEVER saw the intro of KHII as some strange and non-sequitur intro. And I never experienced any frustrations with Roxas, (because how could you, he was so sympathetic) the deign of the story was always clear. I bought the story because it's the story we were all waiting for??? It drives me mad. How do they not understand that if you like something and you decided to commit to it, YOU do not get to decide to what right and wrong choices are (non-technically speaking of course). You have committed to the storytelling choices of a particular artist. Not to look at and be ask simply "Why this? Why not that?" but rather "To what end?"
Woof. Okay. Hope that makes sense. Great vid, man. Thanks!!
i have recently beaten Kingdom Hearts 2 and man its such a fantastic game, its my favourate game in thge entire KH series and one of my favourate games of all time, its in my top 5 next to fate stay night, xenoblade chronicles, final fantasy 7 and chrono trigger.
"Looks like my summer vacation is.... over"
Me: God Damn it, I need these emotions for later, I cant have this game ripping them out of my chest this early!!!
KingK, you've been one of my favorite youtubers for a while, but I think you have cemented yourself a large chunk of my respect for this video. You gave the game a fair and entertaining analysis despite your admitted biases, and coincidentally, this is also a game very close to my heart. I've already watched this almost hour long video multiple times. Your essays are always well written, researched, and spoken. Always looking forward to videos from you!
There's definitely something about Kingdom Hearts 2. The moment I saw the words "Thinking of you, wherever you are" pop up on the screen I was immediately that kid picking up a copy from the blockbuster and extending my rental until they made me pay for it. It's such a special game, and I really enjoyed watching this "love letter."
God a video has never so perfectly described how I've felt about this game. I genuinely don't think I'd be the me I am today without this amazing game and hearing you describe in detail how much you love the game just takes the thoughts in my head I could never put into words and well puts them into words.
This game was my childhood. Can't wait for kingdom hearts 3! IN HYPE WE TRUST!!!!!
DetectiveSpiritOfBobbyFulbrightGamer After thousands of years, we have a release date
I've waited half my life for KH 3 and I'm not sure my body is ready, I watch the final battle trailer and it makes me giddy and sad at the same time. The end of an age, the beginning of another, the cruelty of reality coming down hard on this one.
Sorry friends, KH3 is a huge step down from this masterpiece
I just found your channel and have watched about 9 videos in the last 4 days, excellent content and analysis. Thank you
I always found it interesting that everyone wanted to get past the Roxas part and play as Sora again in KH2, and you pointed that out in your retrospective. I was the opposite. As dumb as it might have seemed, I liked the refreshing change from playing as Sora to playing as Roxas. It had a different feel to it somehow, probably because Roxas's story is completely different. Sure, you aren't going to new worlds and destroying Heartless with Donald and Goofy, but you're exploring something new anyway, and as you begin to discover it's all fabricated, you begin feeling disturbed just like Roxas. With that culminating in the battle against Twilight Thorn (which is introduced with exactly the same cutscene as Darkside in KH1-which actually makes it all the more disturbing and perfect, given the context), my favorite battle in all of KH personally between the music and the tone, really makes for a darker, more dramatic experience from Roxas's perspective than Sora's. Going back to Sora after that made me feel like I'd lost something special.
A lot of Sora's time in the game revolves around adventures and discovery, and that's good too, but you get that from most games of this type, so I suppose I appreciated the approach of Roxas's story and the way it was introduced. Then again, some of my favorite parts of the original KH were the surreal parts from the beginning of the game in Sora's dreams and the destruction of Destiny Islands, so I suppose I like that sort of thing, because it isn't a necessary part of this type of story.
Same, I actually didn't want the Roxas part to end lol
The Roxas part was ok because it was small even though I disliked it but if you want to play as someone else there are a BILLION spin off games. Ever single main kh game MUST have sora as the main playable character.
KH2 was the first game I played in the series, so 11 y/o me was actually really sad to see him go. I eventually liked Sora, but there was a surprising degree of sadness for me when the character I had spent the most time with had to go. Maybe it’s not a perfect intro, but it was definitely an effective and emotional experience for a newbie like me.
The way you talked about the story made me SO emotional. While I stuck more to KH1 when I was very young due to it being easier to play (I had troubles with the Tron racing game in KH2), when I was around 10 I played the shit out of KH2. I still do to this day. BbS, DDD, 358/2; all KH games. I just love this series too damn much. My all time favourite. I cry every time thinking about KH3. Thank you for making this.
I've never played kingdom hearts but this is a watch
Its an excellent series so i highly recommend playing it. 1.5 + 2.5 is the best deal as it has 6 of the games in 1 disc.
It’s a story that grips the soul of just about everyone who plays it. It is truly an unforgettable experience
I dare you to play KH3 without playing the other games XD Lol!
@TheLegendofSora73 Sadly, there will be people that will do exactly that. Cough cough *Angry Joe* cough cough.
It's ok though, he'll read the plot on wikipedia
What a beautiful video :). This game changed my life.
While KH2 is now my 3rd favourite KH game, after KH3 and MoM as 1 & 2 respectively, this still means a whole lot to me and I still think it’s as you said, one of the BEST games ever made.
'm addicted to your love letters to KH, haha!! Time to find another video I haven't seen yet---
Thank you so much for this. With all the people being snarky and condescending at KH this days, it feels refreshing to hear someone gushing about a game that gave many great moments as a teen.
Just found this vid and checked out the rest of your videos. Seems like all your favorite games that you played growing up are the same as mine.
I find it so fun and special that we, as fans of Kingdom Hearts, are mostly the same in a few aspects. As the majority, I played it when I was very young and (on top of being in english when my language was spanish) I didn't understand too much. Either way the game meant a lot to me, is the only series that I've played over and over as I got older, always understanding a bit more and seeing how everything is a metaphor for so many aspects of life. It made me who I am today: a 22 year old guy who deep down believes that there are hearts everywhere around us. In a way, I get to see the light and darkness inside so many people and myself, and it's something I remember every day. As dumb as it might sound for so many people, it's very important to me to remember and always be there for my friends and those who made me who I am today, and that doing your best and truly listening to your heart, even in the darkest moments, can make things better and shine some sort of light that guides you to new places and growth. Seeing things from this perspective has helped me a lot with real issues like losing someone important, feeling different or seriously depressed and everytime I go through new and scary experiences.
All of this from just a bunch of code and anime characters combined to make a great gameplay, beautiful music and an amazing experience that I wish everyone had. Sure it has some flaws, but I'm still very grateful that it exists and for all it did for me. But not just that, because one of the most important things is that I'm not the only one. So many fans share the same experience as me and it's something I've never seen with anything else. Because of it, there's talented people like you who take the time to create stuff like this video, or music, or drawings or just writing a really long UA-cam comment at 1am: because we all know how important is to put our hearts into something and we probably learned it (in part) thanks to Kingdom Hearts
I'm so grateful that something like this exists and created this kind of feeling for so many people. I'm grateful that after all this years, it's still inspiring for all of us and I get to see videos like this, feel like crying when I listen to The Other Promise at 3am or feel shocked for the 483738th time when I see Goofy get hit by that rock. I'm grateful that sometimes stuff like this makes me feel less alone. And I'm grateful for you, for taking the time to create a great restrospective and making me want to say all this.
May your heart be your guiding key, friends.
God. That moment where you fight along side final fantasy characters is so amazing. I can’t describe to you how cool it was to see cloud yuffie and Leon pop in say a one liner and be badass with you.
Kingdom Hearts II is for me, the greatest game of all time. I don't know why I love it this much, I wasn't even born when it came out. I just remember that my brother received it for its birthday even though he never played the first game. We talked about it for hours and hours and it was mostly "I heard at school that Sora suicided itself in the first game" which was true, but not exactly. When I played it, I was shocked by how a Disney game can make you feel so much emotions, I remember being stuck on the second Demyx fight because of his clones, I remember thinking that there was a way to play Sora in the Destiny Islands after the KH II events (I let my PS2 run for an entire night on the credits to see what will happen), and still now, I cry by hearing Hikari or Dearly Beloved.
Next year will be the 20th anniversary of Kingdom Hearts, and I hope Nomura is preparing us something amazing