Dream Drop Distance After the Xehanort Saga, Kingdom Hearts should mature.

Discussion in 'Kingdom Hearts HD II.8: Final Chapter Prologue' started by Vientiesis, Nov 16, 2011.

  1. Meilin Lee RPG (Red Panda Girl)

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    God, here we go again with the button mashing crap. Honestly, I didn't really care about gameplay since KH1. All I care is plot and characters. The only time I actually cared was in CoM, where I hated the gameplay.

    Also, since when was this thread about gameplay? It was asking whether characters should mature and should the plot be darker.
     
  2. fire mage Hollow Bastion Committee

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    The plot seems to be darker in each game they have made so far. Disney has dark themes and death in their movies so I don't think Square -Enix wouldn't be afraid to do the same. I don't use Cure and Second Chance at all. I prefer not cheating or having the advantage and rather strength up my skill then rely on a crutch like that. It wouldn't hurt to have an older Sora and Riku as well. It would be a nice step and see how the fan base would diverse with this. Then is nothing with mature characters. Take the organization alot of them are adults and they are adored by many fans.
     
  3. flowergothic Twilight Town Denizen

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    I dunno what to say. I think the series is OK. But I think a few minor changes should happen by Kingdom Hearts III.
    A few changes are:
    1.Sora should grow more mature and stop bing a 9-year old.
    2.Xehnahort should hold a surprise at the final battle, something REALLY evil.
    3.NO MORE YOUNG IMMATURE PEOPLE!
     
  4. Misty gimme kiss

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    I think that Kingdom Hearts's greatest asset still lies in the mixture of the Disney storytelling and the Square storytelling. As we all know, Disney stories tend to be the more "childish" ones, yes they have some questionable parts (Bambi's mother getting shot, Mufasa dying, basically all of Sleeping Beauty), but overall, directed at the younger crowd. Square, on the other hand, is mostly renowned for the Final Fantasy series, which is much darker. They're more inclined to explore something other than an absolute light (King Mickey) and an absolute darkness (Xehanort's Heartless).

    I think the two can blend beautifully together, which is what we see in Kingdom Hearts. By all means, delve into uncrossed territory that will cater more to those fans who have grown up with the series, but I would still want them to retain the child-like, almost (dare I say) campy aspects.

    For me--and I'm sure others feel the same--that much of the emotional response to Kingdom Hearts came from the eventual triumph of good. Despite all the darkness that Sora & co. faced, all the baddies, the challenges, etc., at the end of the day, we believe that everything will have a happily ever after. And therein lies the blending of Square and Disney.

    Have the games not been dark already, though?

    Kingdom Hearts 1, for example. Riku is the most obvious example: in desperation, and out of love, he turned to the darkness, and was corrupted by it. And at a great cost to himself, allowed Sora to carry on (closing himself behind the door). Even Sora has some dilemmas, though it is heavier in CoM and KH2; I find the most convincing at the end of the game. First of all, he stabs himself to save Kairi. Later on, Sora truly does have the option to simply return to Destiny Islands with Kairi and, presumably, be happy. But again, there is self-sacrifice: he chooses to fight for the good of the world.

    Moving on. Chain of Memories: we are introduced to the Nobodies, which Sforzato already touched adequately on. Repliku, for another. We even had a sadist. And in Reverse/Rebirth we stop seeing the light and darkness stop being absolutes; we learn and accept that someone can utilize both and still be a "hero." Basically Riku's entire plot is about self-loathing and insecurity, though not as melodramatic as I make it sound.

    Kingdom Hearts II, when still in development, was lauded by Nomura as being much "darker" than earlier installments. Whether this is true is arguable, but it had its fair share of dark concepts. Again, the Nobodies. Again, though I was a bit let-down by this, the refusal to see dark and light as black and white; yes we still had Riku, but Xemnas entreated Sora & co. to see things from his viewpoint--what choice did he have? He was a mere shell of a real person--how can you blame him for pursuing a "whole" existence? This was pretty quickly rebuffed by Sora, hence my disappointment, but it was there nonetheless.
    Arcs previously mentioned continued, specifically in Riku--the guy sacrificed his appearance just to help his friends. And at the end, Sora acknowledges that he's been touched by the darkness too.

    I saw a few suggestions that Sora's character changes from the happy-go-lucky, and while I do agree his character could use some development, we don't want a million Rikus floating about, do we? I think Vexen already learned that lesson dohohohoho
    Characters can grow and change without losing what makes them them. That's all.

    Perhaps these dark concepts have been diluted by the relatively minor and, generally, disappointing, spin-off games we've had (Coded), but the trend continues in BBS, which people have already brought up. I don't see why the games won't continue this, regardless of Xehanort's presence. I have to agree with Sforzato:
    People don't have to be covered in cloaks wielding sharp swords and hacking things to death for something to be "dark." A great deal of darkness exists in the human heart alone, and that is something entirely explored by Kingdom Hearts.

    ... oh god I feel like Repliku. I did not intend for this to be so long ;; I just really like Kingdom Hearts ok
     
  5. Skygazelily Merlin's Housekeeper

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    I think I'll agree here. A story doesn't need to be dark to be mature, but at the same time I would love to see a game where Sora is more mature and perhaps a little more rough around the edges, but still maintaining that happy and forgiving attitude of his. Perhaps a game that alternates between his POV and that of a new apprentice of his? *shrugs*

    "I saw a few suggestions that Sora's character changes from the happy-go-lucky, and while I do agree his character could use some development, we don't want a million Rikus floating about, do we? I think Vexen already learned that lesson dohohohoho" - Misty

    Oh gawd, that cracked me up. xD
     
  6. Meilin Lee RPG (Red Panda Girl)

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    Couldn't agree more