Thanks for clicking on my video. I appreciate all the support my channel has gotten over the past few months and I plan to keep working hard on more content so that my channel may continue to grow. I have a ton of different things I'm working on and I look forward to sharing it with you guys! Clearly I love KH3 and I hope you all are able to get the same level of enjoyment out of it that I am! Edit: Regarding the ending of this vid, I never said people who dislike this game/were dissapointed by it are wrong or stupid. I mention multiple times how those feelings are of course valid. However, I do say that those who expected KH3 to be EXACTLY what they had imagined for 13 years are indeed idiots.
My heart sunk when I went to RUclips to see others discuss their love of kingdom hearts 3 only to be hit with the most unfortunate opinions I've seen about games. I do believe a lot of the issue was people forgetting a lot of the prior kh games since one of the biggest complaints I've seen was the ending and xehanorts "out of no where flip from hardcore dark to light from nothing" but it's also been hinted at in previous games that things weren't as simple as light and dark, good and evil even things xehanort said made it pretty clear he wanted people to be able to live without the fear of darkness which sounds more like fighting to help people rather then hurt. Desperation is rough and when you believe it's your only option but suddenly you see physically right in front of you a person who has proven that there is another way of course he is going to be go towards light he no longer needed the darkness as it wasn't the only option. Everytime I see that ending discussion between eraquis, xehanort, and sora it gives me chills. Love it completely 100 out of 10 scene.
I agree with the fact that the Final Fantasy gang wasn't required for the plot of kingdom hearts 3, however with Sora being [REDACTED FOR SPOILERS] it makes sense to have them work with the scientists of Ansem the wise to look for sora
@@johnpantag472 When most people's complaints have to do with expectations people had for the game and a lot of story complaints just don't make sense I'd say the game isn't bad. One of the complaints I see most often is how it's just running through trying to get to the end well that's typically how a conclusion works we have had several several games of set up why do we need even more we had a lot of the info we needed. Another xehanort switched sides out of no where wasn't out of no where when there's things layered throughout the games that it's not as simple as light good dark bad xehanort says he wants a world where people live without fear out darkness obviously not a word for word quote but it very much shows that he's not doing this for the sake of being evil. There's hints of this pre kh3 and makes xehanort go from an evil villain to a person who believes they are in the right which is a very big difference. Even if you don't want to believe it's been hinted that xehanort isn't exactly fighting to let darkness take over everything just to be controlled by people then you can go towards the later games when they start talking about how too much light is just as bad as too much darkness and that's not just some lie which highly doubtful then xehanort was trying to balance things out the entire time which doesn't make him evil for the sake of being evil. If it's gameplay that you believe is bad that's just wrong other then the keyblade transformations but that's about it. Yes he bashed some other kh games mainly kh2 which I don't exactly agree with the bashing but it also isn't fully wrong kh2 has issues just like each of the games does. If we want to be completely honest as kh fans then the worst kh game story wise would be kh1 ebecause of basically nothing of importance to the actual story recoded bringing up the book of prophecies is more important then most of what happens kh1 yet no one is saying kh1 is a bad game. You may dislike kh3 that's fine everyone is entitled to there opinion but it doesn't make it correct objectively kh3 is a great game people just didn't want a conclusion or don't know how a conclusion to a story works.
@@tbenigma4817 It's best to not to interact with him. He's known to go on KH3 videos, regardless if the topic is about praising or bashing on the game, and spout out his hate and attack anyone who likes KH3. He also spews misinformation by saying stuff like this. He said this video gave him the vibe of bashing on other games to make KH3 look superior when the guy said he's not doing that and defended the game and brought up the points without doing that. He's just plain salty just because others like KH3.
Between this and KingK’s video, it’s nice to see some genuine defenses for this game pop up more frequently. Obviously, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but it gets so annoying when people just have to say you’re wrong for liking this game, or they have to say “KH3 could never” whenever something positive is said about another KH game, usually KH2. I know the people who love KH3 can be equally annoying sometimes, but it’s seemingly never even close to the same frequency. I just wish everyone would get over themselves. As for the video itself, I only really have two major bits of criticism. The first one is that I do think you should have brought up the gummi ship. It’s easily the most fleshed out it’s ever been. Heck, we even have super-bosses and an Einhander reference. My other criticism relates to Xehanort. While I do agree that they could have fleshed him out more in KH3 itself, it was established in BbS that he thought he was in the right. He talks about a “precious light to be found” while talking with Eraqus, and his journal entries go into more details on his thoughts. He’s never really been a two-dimensional villain, even if he can sometimes come across that way. Otherwise, the video was really great and you said many things I’ve been thinking for years. It was a pleasure to watch.
Tbh i watched a friend playing it and seeing the spammable attraction moves come back from DDD was enough to turn me off the game and the series as a whole
That means more ppl don’t like the game then do and it’s not for no reason. What’s do u want those who didn’t like the game to not voice our opinion if u love the game you are in the minority. Kh3 got all warranted hate it’s not for no reason
49:12 The reason why they have memories of the future and then not is simply because they come from the future into their old bodies. They merge and because you can't change the past (normally) they get the same memories as their old bodies they get into. Basically everything they know from the future gets overwritten in a few minutes or seconds. Really good video though. You are doing the exact right stuff. You criticize what is to criticize and I think you are right at the most points there and you praise was there is to praise. Thank you for this. You speak out of my soul^^
That makes sense, I always figured it was kind of like one of those deams you'll almost immediately forget if you're not actively focusing on it, and obviously seeing terra and whatnot would definitely take away my focus
@@jib-o-jub4643 I'm not sure exactly where it was mentioned but it must be in DDD. I guess it was in the context that Young Xehanort will just live his normal life without knowing about the future after DDD.
I think that the only real issue that I had with this game was the amount of times that characters would bodyblock attacks in cutscenes while having a perfectly good keyblade already in their hand
I feel like the Ultima was so much cooler looking in kh1. I mean I prefer kh2 in terms of gameplay but even the one in 2 was worse. Though kh3 ultima is atrocious. Edit: (RUclips autocorrected it to ultimate lol)@@Fiiilll3
I was a Kingdom Hearts 3 hater until I saw the error of my ways and have seen the light. This game does not deserve all the hate that it gets from the fandom.
This community is just a big echo chamber of casual people that like to repeat the same shit regardless of how wrong they are. All the memes about Donald not healing make me cringe because he actually heals and if he's not healing you then he's got no magic or you're not low enough and if you care that much you can set him to only prioritize healing you. Anyway kh3 is the best kh game 2 is second best (lol)
agreed. personally i'm not a KH3 "hater" perse, when i played it i thought it was..... fine. it was absolutely incredibly overhyped and is not getting a second playthrough from me, and the story, which is the only reason this game is worth playing in the first place, was lackluster at best. the ending was a little disappointing that it left on a fucking cliffhanger which is very frustratingly unsatisfying. but kh3 is a different game compared to KH1 and KH2. it was created by the same people that made BBS, which is a completely different team with a completely different combat style. i think it's a little unfair to compare KH3 to its predecessors. KH3 is a better BBS in my opinion, with a lot more movement options and abilities to customize your playstyle. i think the only thing that personally pissed me off was it's piss-poor launch, however i can look past that because they've fixed a lot of the community's initial gripes with the game. lack of critical mode, enormous amount of bugs, an absolute garbage pile of the fucking disney attractions that were so incredibly annoying and free to spam at will.
@@mac_sour Bugs? What are you talking about? The game didn't have any Bugs when it first released. What kind of bugs are you even talking about? Bug Bloxs?
You do not understand how much I've waited for someone else to not only have these thoughts, but explain them perfectly in a medium that even the most fervent hater can understand. I waited 13 years for Kingdom Hearts 3 and when I finally got to play it, I genuinely cried at the title screen. It was the most beautiful and fun gaming experience I have to date and somehow the world hates its because "it's too disney" and "Not true to the kingdom hearts formula." Thank you so much for this video essay, I've never been happier seeing another fan fight tooth and nail for this game❤
Tbh I get the "it's too disney" complaint. I would never want Disney worlds removed, but I did find the lack of FF disappointing. That being said KH3 is still my favorite in the series after playing all of them back to back, so I do think it's overhated. Disney worlds are at their absolute best in this game though, and I hope they continue it going forward.
Absolutely. The feeling of first putting in the KH3 disc and saying to myself "damn, this is real, it finally happened" was honestly like a dream come through. But the entire first experience was had through a pair of pretty rosy glasses. I wanted the game to be good, but I just couldn't hang. It's not a bad game. It's just a bad Kingdom Hearts game. They lost the plot over the past 13 years because they've been building a different plot that isn't Kingdom Hearts. If you look at KH3 from the standpoint of purely technical experience and child-like wonder, it's fine. But that's not what makes a series into a series. It's the overarching plot that actually reminds us that this game is part of the same IP it gets its name from. In that department, Kingdom Hearts 3 absolutely falls flat on its face.
@hadouradiance3566 Not only that, but the Disney Worlds had *NOTHING* to do with the plot. Throughout the journey, Sora is trying to find the power of waking. When he makes into Ventus' heart, Sora asks Ventus how he should obtain said power of waking to which Ventus responds, "You just gotta believe." If that was really all Sora had to do, then there should not have been anything stopping us from saving Ventus.
I mean, the whole reason why every Org member that appears fits in a certain world is because Nomura personally chose what world he wants to be included that fits the theme of KH3. So it makes sense, and I want to see what other worlds he would choose as a theme for the 4th installment :D Also, I agree with you when it came to feeling "disappointed" to a game YOU yourself built up over the years. I came to KH3 not really expecting anything and I genuinely had so much fun playing it, and I will continue doing so in the future.
I’m happy to see a recently wave of positivity towards KH3 after having to deal with so many biased slander videos towards the game for not being this “specific game” for people for a few years. It more than earns its place to stand alongside KH1 and KH2!
Great video, although I'd like to point out regarding Xehanort's final speech there's a mistranslation in the English version, he doesn't want to make a world of light, but rather a world without either light or dark to end the cycle which is closer to his stated goal in BBS of balance. Or as Nomura put it in an interview "His motivation [dissatisfaction with the world] remains the same, but his method [from forcing a balance to total reset] has changed between games"
I feel horrible about KH3. I didn't have a PS4/Xbox1 when it launched so I watched the cutscenes and loved the story, I thought it was exactly what I'd wanted out of a conclusion to the KH series. Then I went onto the internet and was somehow immediately pulled into "KH3 is trash" mentality. Zoom forward to the PC release and I play KH3 for the very first time and loved it. It's now my most replayed title beating out KH1 and it's 13 rereleases. It became my first platinum trophy when I got a PS5 and the all-in-one collection. I find KH3 to be the best in the series and wish the hate for it would stop much like you. Also the leveling system and stealth missions are amazing in days and I will die on that hill
7:42 Another very useful feature to Dual Arrowguns is that you get access to the Dual-Casting Style which lets you cast multiple spells in one. At base Fire it's only two but when you're at Firaga it's now six and when you do Firaza it's eight Firazas coming at them. So damn good.
Thank you for this. For the longest time I've felt like I was one of the very few people who unironically loved this game the moment I was finally able to play it, so to say that this video makes me feel vindicated is an understatement.
You have made my day. Thank you so much for making this video. I agree with everything you said. Hell, you even made me change my mind about the "floaty" combat. Of course its floaty! Most of the enemies are larger or in the air. It makes sense for you to be able to stay in the air after a combo finisher.
I'm one of those people who waited a long time for this game and also thought about what could happen in this game for years. But it honestly not only met my expectations, but exceeded them as well. This is honestly my favorite entry in the series. So many satisfying payoffs, such incredibly fun combat, tons of memorable scenes, an amazing OST across the board, and as a massive Disney fan I've never been more blown away by the worlds in the series than in this game. I felt like I was having an religious experience lol. And I'm so glad that I'm seeing more and more people actually showing their love for the game and understanding what it is rather than what it's not. Small correction on one thing though. Nomura actually was the one who included Let It Go in the game ( which honestly I want more musical numbers to be recreated after watching that ) and how the story in the world was told, not Disney. He's actually the one who ultimately gets to decide what happens in the Disney worlds. The only thing Disney Animation had a hand in was the visuals of the world, and that's basically it ( to my knowledge at least ). It's unfortunately a too common misconception that Nomura has no control over the Disney stuff. But that's just wrong. I mean he literally said that KH3 won't happen if he can't use Toy Story. The man knows what he's doing.
Hey great job with this video man! I’ve been a big fan of KH3 since launch day. I never understood the hate. The main thing I wanted ever since I’ve played KH2 was an amazing keyblade war and KH3 did an awesome job. The only thing I didn’t like was the time travel stuff and that Sora wasn’t able to fully enjoy the beach party. Also yeah I really wanted the Final Fantasy characters to be part of the story(wanted a rematch against Sephiroth 😡) but I do understand why they had to cut them out. It would’ve been too much. Anyway KH3 is a solid 9/10 for me. Wait back up, you forgot to talk about the cool Gummi ship content!! “How dare you!” Lol 😂
I played kh3 before watching any critic viedeos and it felt MAGICAL to play it. I literally felt like a kid playing kh1 again. No game made me feel this passionate about it in a long while. Then i did watch the long critic essays to see what they mean. Honestly it's just really about what someone values most in a game. For me artistic value is the most important. And it fulfilled me to the max. Most bad opinions come from people that need a specific type of combat to even consider a game playable.
I want to thank you for making this video. I honestly love kh3 despite its flaw and it's honestly one of my favorite kingdom hearts games (heck it's one of my favorite games of all time). This game was just so much fun and I absolutely love the story. This game in my opinion didn't deserve that much hate that it had gotten. Kh3 is amazing and I'm excited for kh4.
Honestly you’ve gotta watch that waste of effort video if you havent(I haven’t seen your video yet but I am looking forward to your arguments!). It has a hyperbolic title to attract attention but the video is FULL of valid critiques.
53:23 So glad u brought up this point. Dark Road expands on this a lot more, but the whole point is that Xehanort is blinded by his pride and self-righteousness since he quite literally believes that he's the chosen one who will bring light to the world, not realising, or perhaps being wilfully ignorant of the fact, that he's causing the darkness to take hold far more than it had due to his obsession. I honestly view it as much better than having him be a moustache-twirling villain who was just excited by old stories. It helps contextualise the non-chalant attitude he possesses throughout the series, he genuinely believes he's right, using the ends to justify the means. KH3 doesn't deserve anywhere near the hate it gets. It is not perfect by any means but calling it a waste of effort really reflects how spoiled I think some members of the fandom are. It's fine if its not your cup of tea but acting like the game has no redeeming qualities and is just a lazy effort that doesn't try is just rude considering the literal years of passion and creativity that were poured by so many people into the game.
I just have one thing to say, thank you for being a voice on the internet that defends this game too, because i love it, for different reasons that you do, but i get so annoy at seeing so many people declare it bad because they feel disappointed it's not whatever it's they imagine.
Loved this vid and i had a thought involving the FF cast. Imagine if there were hidden side quest involving an aspect that relates to a character in each world. (Clouds coming to terms with who he is, Squall stepping forward as a reluctant leader, or even more fitting Cecil forsaking his darkness to save those he loves and cares for.) All of which ends with you getting to summon them to fight with you (like Simba) with the finisher being a team up between that character and Sora doing a sudo version of that characters most popular move.
Although I didn't agree with all your points here, I acknowledge how well crafted and genuine this video is, which earned my like. Though I will say that the AskYourUncle video was genuinely a pretty good video. Yes it's a clickbait thumbnail and title and yes it's 5hrs long. He even acknowledges a few times in the video how stupid long it is lol (although not exactly weird that someone would put that much time into a video essay about a game they found disappointing since they love the series just saying). But he said that if the game seems good or even perfect in your eyes then that's perfectly fine. He wasn't trying to get other people to hate the game or anything. It's just him the game is not all that good. He made valid points in the video and unlike what most people may think, he didn't spend the entire video shit talking the game. He gave the game genuine praises at points, even during the base game. He even talks about KH2 and the flaws that game has despite being one of his favorite games, but most people wouldn't know that. I didn't even agree with him on every point he made, but most were legitimate points talking about the story's pacing, the story itself, the combat and the game's writing. All that good stuff. My opinion on 3... Finna just keep it "short". I liked it at first but the more I played it the more I started disliking how the game feels in terms of combat flow but that's just me. The main story I feel was not well written and the bad voice direction does not help it at all. Long awkward pauses, very slow talking, and terrible delivery on certain lines. All that good stuff. It also feels like the actual plot of the game starts when you've finished all the Disney worlds. Xehanort not using the 7 princesses as his main plan was something I always thought was stupid. The data battles and yozora are the highlights of 3 for me gameplay wise. Though I did enjoy some elements of the base game. Shit this getting a bit too long. "Finna just keep it short" btw lol Tldr: you can enjoy the game all you want. If you like it then I'm happy for you. I on the other hand have grown a slight disliking towards it as time went on. I don't think it's bad.... (anymore) I think the game's okay at best. But very mid for the most part. Both sides are in the wrong when it comes to the debates defending and slandering the game. We'll just have to agree to disagree. KH4 looking pretty cool though Thanks for listening to my Talk Ted
AskYourUncle’s video being used as an example of how not to review something (from the video man here) is ironic, seeing how in the same opening for this video, he claims that people calling the game “bad” and leaving it at that are making reductionist claims. Strange.. so it’s reductionist to say that a game is bad without extensive elaboration, but then someone actually elaborating because they have a lot of thoughts to say is somehow voicing their opinion “wrong?” Very strange.
I hope you get everything you want in life, I really didn’t understand why it had so much hate. They did have to restart with the Engine they probably had so many other Ideas. Thank you for speaking on this.
Thing is you can hate on something you absolutely love. It’s because I have such a love for this franchise that I am passionate about it. It’s great in a lot of ways but bad in many. To be fair this game had impossible expectations
The only issues I have had is:No final Fantasy characters at all(especially since they had a good amount of story in 1&2, no colosseum at all) and that’s it nothing else bothers me solid 8.5.
I honestly prefer kh3 to most other games in the series. Now I am biased since it was my introduction to it, but it’s mostly just cause of the movement. Kh2 had an amazing story and I loved playing it, but it hurt my soul when I couldn’t do any of the movement options presenting in kh3 and made the game so much more difficult since I had gotten accustomed to the high mobility and the fun of it while in the early kh games you get handed a stick and some rollerblades lol
I know that people like graphics to be better but I firmly believe that KH III should have continued to use the same engine that they had used for the vast majority of its titles. I think The Disney characters looked great in it, and I think that it would have blended more seemlessly when they did flashbacks to the old games, which really take you out of it. Plus, because of the new graphics, they only included newer disney movies, and I feel like the graphics change was one of the big reasons we missed out of some other titles that might have been a better that were from the hand drawn era.
@@MrAjking808 I disagree. I think that’s not how capitalism and pop culture and trends work. There are plenty of games that have stuck with the same style over years of different engines and different graphic styles that have been popular and have been successful. Kh has been (for the most part) developed with the same art direction. And I think that might be where I misspoke and you saw my comment and differed. I know I said that it should be kept in the same engine, but what I meant was that the art style and the artistic design should’ve stayed the same throughout the games regardless of what engine they were in. They could have stayed true to the original art direction and art style of the engine of the games that they originally created the games in, even after changing engines.
Good video. As someone who had a lukewarm reaction to it on release I find KH3 is a game that I've grown to appreciate more over the years and am now content with it's place among the mainline games. Though I've only seen three of the critiques that you showed in this video those that I saw never seemed to justify general sentiment. You touched on it several times but the thing in particular that really put KH3 above the other games was how each of the worlds made themselves relevant to the larger story. KH3 really put in the work for every world, every movie, to seem like they all taking place in the same living universe. The worlds themselves had plots that were more involved and detailed than that of it's predecessors, so much so that some key components of these worlds were of interest to the villains (Princess of Hearts, Scream etc). Not only that but the Disney characters are also fantastic in asserting themselves in the OC plot organically (Hades being done with Maleficent and heartless in general, Calypso totally knowing SDG are from another world, basically every interaction between the organisation and the Disney characters). It would be so easy to treat the worlds as set pieces/levels - and it would be consistent with the rest of the series. Instead they're woven together in a way that hasn't been done since KH1. Not only did each world have it's own story to tell but each world provided ample build up, foreshadowing and adherence to theme for the larger story as well. It could be argued that the Disney plots are irrelevant or not as important as that of OC but considering they are 75%+ of the game I sincerely hope Nomura and co are going to allow for this kind of attention to the worlds for future games. I honestly believe that with some small revisions and reshuffling of the OC plot this could have been regarded as the best game in terms of story, midpoint or no. All the ingredients are there. There are just some parts that trip people up (including myself) from having that opinion.
Bought KH3 when it was initially released, beat it and never touched it since feeling unsatisfied. This video makes me want to play it again! Thank you!
Be warned, he isn't mentioning a LOT of the problems that caused the dissatisfaction. The constant pestering of npc both during fights (use this technique! Almost as bad as get up on the hydra's back) the fact that the game is unplayable in any difficulty that isn't critical due to the inability to turn off attractions... he only mentioned the floaty problem once by passing, while praising stuff that worsen the feeling of floatiness like the air block that stops you in place or the air dodge that doesn't carry momentum when it ends. "This looks like a good place to find some ingredients" The story absolutely forgetting that riku is as strong as sora (if not more considering ddd), he PRAISES the "crucial setup" (read sequel bait) of the black box. He doesn't mention how unexpressive the characters are in the new style compared to even kh1. He doesn't mention how simba summon basically makes his whole point about the mechanics of fighting moot. I really wanna see this guy try discuss the game with hyve minds (another reviewer that isn't so blind to the problems of the game)
Those “dark moments.” Are exactly what made KH Special and non-cheesy feeling. Those thunderstorms of complete darkness and grief made the lightness of sora and the concept of “light” in general more prophetic and profound. Xion’s death, Roxas’s sacrifice, and BBS’s endings added a coat of darkness that complimented the light so well. Don’t get me wrong I’m glad the BBS crew is back because they never really died (just had tragic cliffhangers) but Xion and Roxas coming back in such a lazy way is so bad it hurts. I cried during the 358 ending and I wanted KH to get that deep again but it never did. Even if the disney worlds were meh in the other games, the story (when focused) was always amazing.
I agree. Ventus waking up to finish his arc makes sense but the sea salt trio shouldn’t have come back. Their Story arc was that they wanted to be together as friends, they could have achieved that in a different way, Perhaps as ghosts in the afterlife? But I will say it was cute how they finally went to the beach together, even though the story didn’t bring much that to attention that
Thanks to you im going the buy the 1.5+2.5 collection for pc and KH 3 Re:mind, what a way to reignite my love for Kingdom Hearts.... Thanks man, cant wait for kingdom hearts 4, no matter how much time passes i will eagerly await for one of my favorite game series
Oh you touched on things that are so relevant when it comes to Xehanort. Check out Dark Road and his character will make even more sense. I used to think the same too, that he is a 2 dimensional character. But when it all connects, it's just.. AHH. This can be said to Kingdom Hearts in general tbh. The satisfaction and enjoyment is when all of the things connect and things are recontextualized
54:48 i think poor execution is a big problem in KH3. They had lots of good ideas, but just couldnt put it all together. Saving aqua should have been the mid point of the game, it could go down the same way, it just needed to be moved. You spoke a lot about the threat of the organization taking the new princesses of light hostage, but I never felt that threat. If they were more explicit in their plans to Sora, I think I could have gotten behind that idea. But i always took their statements more as a taunt or excuse to exist there and antagonize Sora, not a genuine threat. and that weird Terranort killing, demontide, time travel, saving hearts thing? probably the most poorly executed scenes in the entire series. Did anyone have any idea what was going on the first time they played that section?
I genuinely felt that rant at the end, and I agree with it, KH3 isn't my favorite but I still loved it, and I do get sick of seeing the disingenuous trash talking I see online
Not even 10 minutes in and I'm already agreeing so much. People like saying "floaty" as a flaw, but it isn't in KH3. It was a design choice. It's okay if you prefer being on the ground, but let's not ignore how well designed the combat is, with airstep, the air slide, being able to block and use items, and even using magic while moving and slowly descending. (Also in 9:10, small correction: KH DDD has New Game+ too) Edit: 41:18 this is comedy gold 👏
You last few sentences just perfectly sum it up. I love KH3 and the KH series as a whole and by god, I will not let anyone tell me to love it less because they personally didn't like it.
My personal opinion on this game summarized: As far as gameplay goes, I'd rate it at about the same level as KH1... Which for me, isn't really much of a compliment. BUT, I beat this game and I've beaten KH1 a few times. So while I definitely don't think it's the best, it's not bad enough for me to just stop playing. I will admit that when it comes to combat, I love the way KH2 has been structured, giving distinct advantages to ground based vs air based combat, and making the transitions between them more smooth. KH1 tried to do this, but it was a bit unpolished, and KH3 leaned hard into keeping combat aerial. But I admit that there are distinct advantages to aerial based combat, especially the movement options. My main issue with KH3 is the central story. (Which I don't even think is entirely KH3's problem, but that's a different rant) Most KH games that I consider worth playing will take the central story and make it so that moments that matter will happen during the Disney World stories. Riku seeing you in Monstro an helping to fight the boss, as well as kidnapping Kairi on Hook's ship. PLUS all the Disney World villains WERE the main villains for the first game. In CoM, you'd slowly see Sora's memories of all his friends he made in the first game fade away. By the end, he didn't even recognize his childhood friends from Destiny Island, all in the pursuit of the one person he's going through these worlds to help. In KH2, the bad guys actually try to antagonize Sora every now and then, because they want to get him to kill heartless for their master plan. And SOMETIMES they show how much of a threat they can actually be instead of just laughing at us from a distance, before the climax because we decided to get in their way in the case of Xaldin and Demyx. BBS has these moments by having the paths of all the characters intertwine, giving you moments of "AHAH!", while also showing off why things are the way they are in the games that you've grown to love already. I'll admit I haven't played enough of Days to make a solid opinion, but the story of how Roxas came to be and the existence wipe of Xion that I saw online back when the game came out got me choked up. KH3, on the other hand... The villains actively refuse to fight, due to reasons you stated in the video. So we always just get a "oh, fight this thing please" instead of a fight against one of the members. We don't get to feel a sense of how threatening they can be. We hear whispers about what they're doing behind closed doors, and that's about it. Oooo, I'm so scared of the vague threats~ And while the size of the Disney Worlds is grand... To use the quote of the Cat in the Hat that you used earlier: "Sure, they can talk, but are they saying anything?" So much of the KH3 story in the Disney Worlds are just kinda copy pastes of the original Disney movies. A welcome change for Olympus, given that we've NEVER been able to explore outside of Hades and the Colosseum, but... It's basically just the plot of the original movie copy pasted over and over again, which is apparent BECAUSE they don't want to give the baddies anything to do until the end of the game. AND SURE, other KH games have basically done that. But for every one world in previous KH games that did that, they would have one that didn't. In KH3, the only world I can think of that didn't just copy paste the Disney story was Big Hero 6, and that world is just... Flat and uninspired. So much of just "Run here. Run there." I find it funny that you don't have a section on San Fransokyo, tbh. And then the kicker to it all... When we finally get to some central story content. What happens? Deus Ex Machina. Which, you know... Kinda fits in with themes of KH that they've been building up since the beginning of the series, but really? They all get their butts handed to them. Barely even a fight. And THAT'S when the Deus Ex Machina happens? Let me fight them first, and give it MY all, like in KH1 when you fight Ansem and he's about to open the door. Like in KH2 when we've defeated Xemnas and don't have a way to get back home anymore when suddenly a light shows us the way. Like with Terra when his body is stolen, but his spirit lives on in his armor. Let me, the player, give it an honest to goodness shot before pulling out the DEM. And what happens after the DEM? A boss gauntlet where we get to hear the background of these characters explained in a few sentences of dialogue (including the re-existing of Xion which OH MY GOD the impact of Xion's sacrifice is just gone for me now) and Kairi dies. After again, not doing anything. And when Sora goes and gets her back, guess what? Now he's dead for whatever reason. The story of this game is why I haven't gone back to it. I tolerated 3D's story because in the end it was basically just a filler story as long as you understood that Sora tried to get a thing he needed and failed. Re:Coded was a mess, but it is in the same boat as 3D's if you can understand that the org members came back as regular people after they were defeated as Nobodies. KH3 has the gall to have bad writing AND so much plot development in it to understand other KH games going forward without having played through it. But as I stated earlier, I don't think this is entirely the fault of KH3, as other games in the series were building up to something this whole time, I just don't think Nomura knew what until he was forced to make KH3.
Phenomenal video. I fully watched Kingk's and this video in its entirety, only thing missing was the gummi ship but its whatever. You said everything that needed to be said. This game was effort put to good use and now paves the road to kh4!
57:30 I like to think Cloud and Sephiroth after disappearing into the light ended up in the world of smash brothers only for Sora to join up with them after disappearing at the end of 3, only to wake up in Quadratum after the world of light stuff ended. lol
your angry rant at the very end said it pretty well, Kingdom hearts can be silly and weirdly paced, and not always the best; But it's got Heart (Pun intended), and I love it for that.
Man was fuckin SPITTIN at the end lmao I stopped playing KH3 at the frozen area cos I just wasn’t in the right mindset to play it. This video makes me want to try it again though, KH2 is one of my favorite games from my childhood, and hearing someone speak passionately about KH3 makes me wanna try it again. Though I will be playing in critical so I can get rid of the attractions 🫠
I loved your take on this game!! I first played Kh3 when it originally came out and was too excited to actually play the game to see any issues at the time. I was just having too much fun! Now that I’ve had time to calm down (only a lil tho) I do have small issues with certain things in the game but those are personal and get overshadowed real quick whenever I’m having fun with it! Your rant at the end was AMAZING btw, I was practically bouncing in my seat while cheering as you went off!
I loved kh3 too. The only issue I had was story related. I didn't play all the side games since they were spread across systems I never owned. RUclips was very helpful there. I also think the story suffered somewhat for having to tie up so many loose ends. Otherwise the gameplay was awesome. And my 4 year old loves watching me play, which is a lot of fun!
My main problem with Kingdom Hearts III is the lack of resolution in the game. The only resolutions we got was finally getting an end to the Darkseeker Saga and the Birth By Sleep characters and Roxas getting a come back, other than that everything else was a massive sequel bait. Also I know this is clichè as this point to say but, Arendelle was pointless and contributed nothing. The way how they also did Kari dirty in this game has bothered me as well. Understandable that she (and also Lea/Axel) weren't Keyblade masters but they were just treated as plot items to say "look we have our seven lights".
That’s the serial storytelling formula that exists since the first game. Some answers are revealed and it also sets up new plot points. The whole series is guilty of this. Not just kh3. At least kh3 had multiple plot resolutions that concluded multiple character arcs. As far as Kairi and lea, how do you feel about the REMIND DLC, that gives them both multiple chances to shine and addresses the very things you’re talking about, like seeing Lea fight with all the guardians, seeing Kairi and Lea fight Xemnas and Xion, and playing as Kairi with Sora against Xehanort. At least in the DLC, they do address those criticisms.
Tbh, my only complaint was the story before getting to Aqua, there was no reason we couldn’t start in another mission or as Riku and Mickey to give Sora time to recover
@@you-mustenter-a-name1467I do agree they are very poorly balanced in the way of balancing and world design (although I will admit I appreciate DDD’s focus on verticality in some places). That said, I think it’s the command deck that makes them stand out in terms of raw gameplay. It’s extremely unbalanced gameplay even on harder difficulties, but it’s the creativity of the system that makes them work for me personally.
I’m so glad you made this video. I love this series so much and loved KH3 since it launched. It’s only gotten better with patches and Re: Mind. I really think all the “hate” this game got was from people who could either never be satisfied no matter what game it was, or were giving hot takes for internet attention. The devs really deserved this video and as a fan who never wants this series to end IM grateful. Thanks man :)
Or it could be that this game is boring as fuck for 80 percent of its run(liek seriously, the Disney worlds are at their worst here, particularly Frozen world, holy shit) and the rest of the game doesn’t make a lot of sense because of course time travel and power of waking shit is stupid. So no, let’s not do the “people had high expectations” bullshit argument, there are a shit ton of legitimate criticisms of this mediocre game. Soda’s combat and organization fights/yozora are its best parts. The rest is ass.
@@MajinLordVegetaplease go back to the other games, because all of them have the exact same problems you listed. There isn’t a single KH game that doesn’t have 90% of its plot happen. At the end. The Disney worlds were better designed than 90% of the ones in the rest of the series, the only argument I can see is maybe KH1, but the KH2 worlds sucked ass in terms of exploration, combat hallway simulators basically. BBS and DDD worlds were either too small or too big. KH3 was a good balance, almost as good as KH1 if not better because they cut out the boring shitty platforming and just make it easier and bigger to explore. The time travel/power of waking shit doesn’t bother me. It’s not any harder to understand than any other shit that happens in these games. Basically, some characters came back because of time travel, some because Sora helped them wake up. It’s really not that convoluted. The whole series has nonsensical magical elements so I don’t get how that’s a dealbreaker. Like it never was running on the most logical plot to begin with
Overall the game is really good i just wish they were a bit more creative with the overarching narritive. I feel Xehanort took a huge backseat in this game despite being extremely centered around him. I was definitely hoping for more exposition and backstory. Furthermore i feel as though they also couldve but a bit more effort into completing all the character arcs that were supposed to come to fruition in this game. Other than that i loved the gameplay and the worlds were a lot of fun. PotC and Toy Box are some of the best KH worlds ever made.
No. This game is horrifying, no matter what anyone says. Good ideas, I understand where they were going (especially with my man Sora), but the execution was SO poor, I completely deny this game's existance and seek fanfiction to fill the void. It's even worse that no world played any role in the final battle. And the lack of "FF"... That one hurt. Although I must confess, the perspective of the trauma "ReMind" presents... If only Nomura had remembered that perspective on the main game. That is how it should have been.
thank you for helping me re-invigorate my love for this series. No cap after 3 I came pretty close to being done with this series. I got my fix for the dark seekers saga and I was ready to be done. but I found myself re-using KH as my comfort place whenever I feel down, and boy is that apparent in this day and age. I do love KH and 3 is not perfect. but you made me realize this game is the definition of Kingdom Hearts, CONVOLUTED DISNEY ANIME TRASH MASH UP THAT MAKES LOVEABLE PERFECT NO SENSE...time to go replay KH3
I respect your take, and reason as to why you loved KH3. I can't entirely agree. I think it’s a matter of taste, but you made a lot of valid points as to thematic relevance for the characters, setting, and events that took place. I would have liked the game to feel more in the tone of KH1 Hollow Bastion for 2 acts of the story where things are a bit direr. KH is a series of several games with multiple protagonists, and I feel KH3 should have embodied that more. Similar to an Avengers team-up. The stakes going into the game lend themselves to that. The 3rd act felt very disjointed. It would have played better if we had multiple perspectives and groups trying to stop Xehanort. (Sora, Donald, Goofy/ Axel, Kairi and Aqua/ Riku, and Mickey.) in the process, maybe they don’t stop the Organization's plans, but they awaken all of the thoughts to be sealed Keyblade wielders. You can still have the Keyblade Graveyard be the big battle, but it has to feel like the heroes are struggling.
one thing about formchange vs drive forms is that "drives use resources" is viewed as a positive aspect for drives, but personally, i always thought it undercut most encounters that you have these 2 free full heals (limit form with 8-9 drive gauges) available at any point in an encounter, especially since anti form is not enough of a downside and refilling the drive gauge while MP recharge is on is ridiculously simple. i'd argue having to actually use a given keyblade in the encounter to unlock its formchange makes for much more engaging gameplay.
So to use DMC as a comparison (even though these games aren't as similar as people think they are), Drive Forms were more of a Devil Trigger. They were a temporary boost of power when you had the meter for it. Form Changes are more akin to just switching weapons. You get them a lot more becuase the game encourages you to use them a lot more as well. They're more like an inbetween of just swapping weapons and a Devil Trigger, but the point still stands. Form Changes never really needed a meter tied to it becuase that was never the point.
@@blastortoiseLiterally not, Sora's new clothes enable him to access keyblade transformations in the first place, they state that (vaguely) right when he gets them, each keyblade is tied to a drive form type, Sora's colors change and he gains temporary access to a movement ability he can gain later. You have, Strike Form, Guardian Form, Element Form, and Blitz Form. The ONLY keyblade that Sora can use the transformation of normally is his Kingdom Key, which isn't even really a keyblade transformation, it's a command style like in BBS, just like Aqua's Spellweaver.
It is veiwed as "positive" because it adds a depth of challenge to the game and actually requires some thought. Unlike in kh3 where everything is way too Spamy and easy by comparison. And is essentially free. Just no where near as engaging game design, I disagree.
I personally enjoyed KH3. I was just let down that we weren't able to select different keyblade wielders for data battles. They already let us play as them in ReMind. Sure, they weren't as fleshed out as Sora, but it still would have been a fun challenge to try and take on all Org members with Axel or Roxas.
Kingdom hearts 3 didn’t hit the nail on the head for me and clearly others. I’m glad you were able to connect with it. The game does some things great. Overall combat is super fun but the game was way to easy on proud mode. I’ll have to give critical a try sometime. I also liked most of the Disney worlds but I do wish they had more of a synthesis in design between KH1 and 2. What I mean by that is have the improved movement or KH2 but include platforming to compliment the movement which KH1 had some platforming. It’s hard to say in a RUclips comment but I think a metroidvania approach of unlocking abilities that allow you to backtrack and progress to new areas with new movement that you unlocked ie glide, or double jump/air dash or even the trinity symbols from KH1. Last few points why kingdom hearts 3 doesn’t work. The final fantasy characters are absent and they always added a little extra charm to the ridiculous cross over that the series is based on. I really would have liked a final fantasy world although from what I understand the reason the final fantasy cast is spread amongst the other worlds is because the heartless destroyed theirs in the first game either way I wish they returned in this game. Lastly for me and others the story doesn’t land on its feet by the end. I understand that’s a hard task to start since KH2 tried to tie everything up and for the most part did so acceptably. It’s not like the spin off games had bad stories though I personally think 358/2 days has a very emotionally. Dense story and birth by sleep does a great job of connecting 3 different stories together with unique perspectives for each character. I’ll just wrap up by saying kingdom hearts 3 isn’t bad but it is missed potential for me and many other fans. I’ll give critical mode a shot though and maybe I’ll appreciate it more.
I’m not a big fan of Kingdom Hearts 3. But I still love watching videos like these because sometimes they make me see things I hadn’t considered before. They also make me feel jealous. I really wish I liked KH3.
Thank you chief. Thank you for reminding me that I wasn't the only one of the VERY few who actually played this game, and payed attention to its developments in characters, theming, emotional upbringings, and gameplay complexities. I felt like a crazy person when this game first released because I was absolutely enTHRALLED by what Numora and the team brought to the table. This game is not perfect, far from it, but calling it "bad" is just asinine and ignorant. I've played a lot of games in my time, and I know what a bad game looks and feels like, Kh3 isnt even remotely close, and I can only feel sorry for all of the people that never truly let this game show what its got. I also cant help but believe that a lot of the problem stems from the fact that a lot of people hopped on after not playing MOST of the series because they were believed to be "side-games," so they were just left confused, but thats their own fault, and I hope this series going forward doesn't suffer for that. Well done video, keep going holmes.
There’s worse,I saw one review that complained that the game didn’t made any sense and when pushed a little, the reviewer said that he skipped all cutscenes. Granted, it’s a game, I’m the first one to say that gameplay is the most important element of a game (and KH3 rocks in that regard too) but come on, KH is mostly a story based game, an RPG y’know…
@@islandboy9381 if they were newer fans they had access to the story so far and all in one collection that put yknow the entire story all onto the ps4 minus extra bits in khux that didnt make it into back cover. So the scattered console release really shouldn't have been a problem for newer fans, older ones yes but thats a different situation
Yozora to this day is still my favorite Bossfight of all time and KH3 has one of my favorite Combat and movement systems of any game Also I don't like adding mod support as a positive point for games but like the modding community of this game is so Huge and so good to the point you can give sora So many custom movesets and forms making it the KH game I replay the most I know this is a PC only thing and something that the community did but Like Its insane how many mods KH3 has its so much fun I thought it was worth noting
The fact is that Kh3 is middling and does deserve the hate it gets. It was over hyped and relatively short and lackluster for that decade+ wait. Graphics were amazing, the voice acting was done right, the sounds weren't off and the gameplay was fun for what it was. But things that held it back and caused it to get negative reviews is the story being a mess and not worth the decade+ wait for that finale, the game play wasn't as fun as kh2 and 3ds, and the length of the game was hella short for what was supposed to end an almost 20 year long story. The game was such a mess story and length wise that they had to make a dlc that was basically a patch to try and pad game time and fill in the story gaps but it wasn't enough and was overpriced for the experience we got from it. The mods basically make the experience now and is what people will remember it for now.
Im going through and replaying the kh series. I only played 3 and launch so no updates or dlc and i remember liking it but not feeling very "WOW"ed by it..... with that being said, thank you for hyping me up for replaying it. You've revitalized my interest in it.
"Never felt so out of touch with public opinion" Man... I've been struggling with how to articulate this exact sentiment, but you summed it up so well. This is EXACTLY how I feel about KH3. It wasn't my favorite game in the franchise, maybe Top 3. But I have felt like it didn't remotely deserve the hate it got because at the end of the day, it's STILL Kingdom Hearts, it STILL offers us that unique gameplay you can only find in this series. It's STILL convoluted and intricate and presents more questions than answers by the end. I think people just let their expectations grow to heights that no game could ever live up to, as a result of some of us waiting literally since KH2 for the next numbered release.
If you are going to wax philosophical about why people didn't like this game, which rarely includes "it wasn't exactly what I pictured in my head" Then you should have no problem accepting getting brushed off as a fan boy.
Writing this before watching. I played the game the week it came out. I took off work and played nonstop to the end, as I'd been waiting for it since I finished 2 around the time it came out. I'm thinking about giving it a second shot, because my main complaint was the fucking attractions; they legitimately ruined my experience single handedly. Knowing that I can turn them off now, I'm hoping you can give me that spark to jump back in.
I don't know man. I was promised a second keyblade war and all I got was 7 people vs 13. Not quite the war I pictured so yes I'm a little disappointed.
Hell I have LOVED KH3 from the beginning. The only world I was kinda disappointed with was Frozen's and even then I enjoyed the look of the winterscape. Even enjoyed exploring the maze Larxene made. Yes it followed Frozen's story a bit too close but whatever. Tangled did the same thing story wise but the whole point of that world was to marvel at everything like Rapunzel who'd just left her tower for the first time in her life. So that never bothered me like so many complain about. And the rest of the world's world's just plain enjoyed. Heck I was ecstatic we actually got to captain a pirate ship this time and not just have them as fast travel dressed up. And all the little detail! I Love the fact they made Sora tech illiterate lol! So I'm So happy someone isn't dragging it for a change. Yes it has flaws but nothing is ever perfect.
Really goes to show how confident this video creator is with himself and his work when he has to throw shade at others to make himself look better, huh?
as regular pat has mentioned before regarding the wall sheen, there’s an alternate universe where the devs didn’t include it and everyone was confused & pissed about not knowing which walls are walkable, and for once im glad to be in this universe where they included a wall sheen… the man convinced me
I haven't played KH1 in quite awhile so I might be wrong here when I say that Sora had another low point. That was when he had his Keyblade taken away from him & his friends left. The only thing that was keeping him going was Kairi. Heck he even had turned into a heartless. I think there was another point where he was fighting Ansem Seeker of Darkness wherre he had almost lost until Riku gave him a boost. Again, it has been awhile so I forgot how significant these moments were but damn, were they necessary.
I wish I could like this video a thousand times. I play this game Proud Level 1, it's so brutal. Critical is great, but it's just as easy to win as it is to die. I like doing chip damage until I pull out big moves, and having the ability to survive an attack and exist in a critical state for a while before I'm annihilated for depleting my resources. Long grueling battles, pulling out all the stops. KH1 will forever be my favorite because it's the only action RPG in the series, every other game is just an action game. But KH3 is one of the best action games I've ever played. The decision making is entirely in the mechanics and encounter design, no meter forcing you into a repetitive loop, no endless stun locking combos. The story of KH3 was good, but the presentation slightly lacking in finesse. The framing, the animation, and the music scoring is all kinda lackluster in general. There's good music, but I think Yoko really brought the impactful pathos that was the key ingredient to selling and transcending the anime cheese of the first two games, and that was missing in key places for KH3. THANK YOU for explaining the Aqua thing. I'm glad I'm not the only one on the planet who didn't need that explained when I first saw it. It's like when you spend 9 hours on a boss fight and you restart and immediately miss a window at the beginning - you know you'll survive if you try, but you give up anyway because they broke your spirit.
I think the biggest point against KH3 is that it starts in the middle of a story. It’s the Endgame to Dream Drop Distance’s Infinity War. While the first two games could stand alone as relatively self-contained stories, KH3’s relies heavily on the games that come before it. For people who haven’t played 3D in advance or had to wait so many years for this narrative like they did in real life, I could see how they’d be disappointed. That being said, this type of story isn’t automatically bad. Just look at “Return of the King” or the aforementioned Endgame. Final act surprise can still be really great and satisfying.
If players were disappointed because they foolishly skipped Dream Drop that's on them. They should have learned their lesson after skipping CoM before 2 like a good chunk people did back in the day.
Dude only the first game works as a standalone story, if you play KH2 as your first game or even without playing CoM, you won't understand why Sora is sleeping or how did he end up on a chamber and why the Organization XIII didn't have 13 members at that time or how Riku and Mickey got out the realm of darkness I think even BBS expects you to know the basics of what a Keyblade is
Been a KH fan since I was 10 and I love all the games so when I got KH3 and I experienced that beautiful version of dearly beloved for the first time I literally shed tears, this game holds a special place in my heart that can't be replaced.
With all the negative thoughts we get on games and movies and how easy it is to jump immediately onto saying something is "bad" because it's the majority opinion, I love seeing videos talking about how you can still love something even against all that negativity. Props to you my man for sharing your side!
There's also the fact that even if you consider something bad, or underwhelming, or broken beyond belief, you can still enjoy that thing. My go to example is always Sonic 06. It was the first console videogame I ever played, and I loved it to death. Years later I can see that it's a rushed, buggy, convoluted mess of a game, but I still love it.
Yes, 100% agree! As an OG fan, there were parts that were a little disappointing with KH3 but overall I loved the game! This video perfectly sums up some of the best things about the game. The bit at the end was almost like a rap. Breath control was very impressive!
THANK YOU❤ Another defense for a game that was actually good, an improvement on the games that came before it. Sure it wasn't the end or the way people wanted it to be, it was still a VERY good game. The story was even boosted in Re:Mind as well as additional boss battles that added to the difficulty! But even without them, I can't believe people would disregard the conclusion to certain characters and their arcs. Team Days being the MOST well known one of them all! Once again thank you for releasing this video to combat the blatant hate videos disguised as "Review", my very first proper dive into the franchise and while I hardly understood everything i loved it and years after becoming familiar with the series and playing the highly acclaimed KH2, I can still proudly call KH3 a far better game for me
Let’s be real for a second…even the people that don’t like KH3 are also some of the biggest stans. For every one person that dislikes KH3 and played it once, that same person has played KH2 10 times lol
TL:DR - game doesn't suck, but the ins-and-outs of the story irked me too much to ignore. Like many things, KH3 was indeed victim of internet hyperbole. To me, it was disappointing in areas that I can easily point out; down to voice lines and direction. In fact, I myself will die on the hill of my own opinion that everything from when the group first engages Terranort, straight up to where LW shows up the second time around, is like the worst part of the game's story. There are several things I hate about that part that are too numerous to go into. I am just big on story, writing and scene direction; the latter of which is often overlooked. Some of the more common things like Disney world issues or pacing I can somewhat agree with most people, but don't feel as strongly about. But even the videos I see that agree with the sentiment that the game is disappointing often go too far in areas. I mean I get that content's gotta be in-your-face and extreme hot-take material, but people love to exaggerate. For the record, I haven't even been a Kairi fan since after KH2. Since then, I've just been observing to see how they either butcher or improve the likes of her, or Riku or any of the original characters. And it's the feeling that hits upon seeing Kairi kidnapped again, that overshadows any other experience of negativity in the writing that I've had in past games of the series. Which wasn't even helped when they tried to do something with her in the DLC. Honestly I can't even say that my disappointment for KH3 was based on me thinking they would do something specific and them not doing it. Even if I went into KH3 without having played any of the other games, there's still a lot I'd have ripped on it for. It's a disappointment based solely on the expectation that what they chose to give us would be executed as well as it could possibly be. I can praise the SDG interactions, I can praise the organization's more charismatic members, I can praise certain payoffs, I can praise combat, soundtrack, level design etc. I'm even fine with how things wrapped up with Xehanort as it was consistent with lines from BBS which people often overlook. But as a total package I can only say I had a more net enjoyable time with previous main entries (not DDD), cause their writing didn't ever appall me *as much* as KH3 or MoM did. And yes, FF characters do have a part to play in that net enjoyment. Cause for better or worse, the hype levels when new FF characters show up just provide more serotonin than listening to Xehanort explain time travel, or playing minigames with Pooh, or even hearing Aqua tell Ven good morning. Anyway, -KH fans- Square fans forgive a shit-ton of writing and direction quirks. Quirks which I also notice in other recent Square games nowadays. But I just can't. --- And since I've been called out as an "idiot" in the video (I forgive, but do not forget), I'll have to give my 10 cents on the Aqua PTSD debacle. Aqua giving up wasn't originally a big problem in of itself, but coming off the previous events of the awful Terranort fight, it just compounded to make the whole cast feel inept and in some ways inconsistent. It's the snowball effect. For Aqua in that following moment, the script delivered her character's feelings poorly and probably hurt more than helped. For one, the line "it can't be" is too obtuse without the DLC context, cause everyone else there can most certainly believe that "it CAN be" a huge wave of heartless growing in front of them, as the demon hordes that were already there are merging with more. And so focus is taken away from her feelings of PTSD with that line, and instead we're now wondering what she thinks is so impossible about heartless reinforcements. Could it be yet another Nomura secret being hinted at? At that point, everyone should still try to escape as suggested. The sheer whiplash of her being the most confident and telling everyone to stay and fight, to then giving up is too abrupt if they're not going to show what she sees in her mind. For the scene to be interpreted naturally, she should have started exhibiting PTSD symptoms on sight of the initial wave, and *not* be the one giving out confident orders. In that way, I'd easily believe that she would be giving up in the face of even the smaller wave of heartless. Although they'd still really have to sell it, cause she fought hard against depression when she was alone in darkness, so failing when supported by the light of her friends really needs to stick the landing. The fact that they had to later explain her mental state by showing visions of her own shadows (something that was not there originally) means that, even to the developers, the original scene as is would *not* make total sense if it was just PTSD due to the heartless wave. Otherwise they could have just slapped an inner monologue over Aqua in that scene, maybe linger on her expressions more, and generally just point out how she feels without having to insert extra models into the tornado. Models which entirely change the perceived threat level because a horde of shit-talking Anti-Aqua's is GG for real. On top of that, it wasn't an impactful trauma response from Aqua, which would have also helped to actually sell how she felt way better. Could have even done the classic "girl puts hands over her heart and begins trembling" thing. But Square has never been that great with having characters express their more negative emotions in their animations. Sora's yell was one of the better expressions of grief, but even that was carried by voice acting and then quickly plateaued into having the tears on his face do most of the work. His face was hidden for most of the exchange with Riku, and opted for a calm and resigned display of sorrow rather than keep up the desperate painstaking grief that the yell initially set up. Essentially, nobody ever ugly-cries in square games. But just cause that's a standard expectation, doesn't mean that it doesn't end up being noticeable. Also, I'd have preferred if Sora's sorrow was more locked into the fact that he'd never see his friends again, rather than how he's useless without them. But I guess that better explains why his sadness wasn't *as* intense as I'd have liked. Great review. I'm not convinced, as my qualms still stand, but I respect the defense of the truly good parts, as it's something I also have to do for various other disliked games. You got heart.
Finally some praise for this game. It's been on my radar for ages but never got to play KH1 or KH2. Granted this puts me on the backfoot but I like everything about this and wanted to dip my toe in. Glad to have picked this up in the Epic sale and am looking forward to playing it (theres a lot of hate out there for this game and I was starting to worry). Great video, I'm in a much better position now, thanks.
I was initially disappointed by kh3 because of my expectations but I gave the game another chance and decided to judge it for what it was not what I wanted it to be now my second favorite game in the series right behind kh2 And I realized how silly most of my criticisms were because how easily they can be applied to kh 2
Funny how how a game made and released 14 years later failed to improve upon the flaws of a 14 year old game. It's almost as if the only reason people were criticizing the game for those things is because they expected those flaws to be fixed.
@@Cri_Jackal I can understand your argument but I would rather judge games for what they are rather than what they could/should have done Plus I would argue 3 does improve on certain things from 2 like worlds And the fact party members aren't useless out of Thier limits
@@Jetstreamsamdidnothingwrong Those two things are absolutely true, yeah, having party members do actual damage is SO NICE. And most of the worlds are really fun to explore. The combat is just what ends up being far more focused in KH2, none of the enemies in KH3 really demand you pay attention aside from those minotaur dudes, and that's just because they're hard to make flinch, along with those new fire and water guys special moves that make them invincible unless you hit them with the opposite element. With 2 that may be just as bad as a problem, only a few enemies demanding any real skill or effort, but the far more grounded combat and actual attack variety (instead of there being a bunch of interchangeable moves that do the exact same thing) creates room for the simple fun akin to full on DMC level action games. The only part of KH3 that scratches the same itch as 1 and 2 for me is the Data Org and Yozora, and Dark Inferno too, where it feels like the game suddenly shifts into that kind of experience, instead of the superbosses feeling like a natural step up from the base game.
Glad to see you still making Kingdom Hearts vids! You are my favorite Kingdom Hearts channel I know of! I especially like the President tier lists you have made, I’ve watched them like 6 times each lmao, they never get old. I watch other president tier lists but they don’t do it for me like yours do. If you were willing to make more I have some suggestions free to use! They include Keyblade Tier lists - (usefulness, coolness, power) Disney Worlds Tier lists - (music, secrets, fun, homage to the movies) Heartless Bosses Tier list Party member tier list
Hey thanks so much! I definitely plan on doing more AI President vids in the future, just in due time because I've got all sorts of different vids I want to make!
Thanks for clicking on my video. I appreciate all the support my channel has gotten over the past few months and I plan to keep working hard on more content so that my channel may continue to grow. I have a ton of different things I'm working on and I look forward to sharing it with you guys!
Clearly I love KH3 and I hope you all are able to get the same level of enjoyment out of it that I am!
Edit: Regarding the ending of this vid, I never said people who dislike this game/were dissapointed by it are wrong or stupid. I mention multiple times how those feelings are of course valid. However, I do say that those who expected KH3 to be EXACTLY what they had imagined for 13 years are indeed idiots.
My heart sunk when I went to RUclips to see others discuss their love of kingdom hearts 3 only to be hit with the most unfortunate opinions I've seen about games. I do believe a lot of the issue was people forgetting a lot of the prior kh games since one of the biggest complaints I've seen was the ending and xehanorts "out of no where flip from hardcore dark to light from nothing" but it's also been hinted at in previous games that things weren't as simple as light and dark, good and evil even things xehanort said made it pretty clear he wanted people to be able to live without the fear of darkness which sounds more like fighting to help people rather then hurt. Desperation is rough and when you believe it's your only option but suddenly you see physically right in front of you a person who has proven that there is another way of course he is going to be go towards light he no longer needed the darkness as it wasn't the only option. Everytime I see that ending discussion between eraquis, xehanort, and sora it gives me chills. Love it completely 100 out of 10 scene.
its a really good game with even greater potential 🙏
I agree with the fact that the Final Fantasy gang wasn't required for the plot of kingdom hearts 3, however with Sora being [REDACTED FOR SPOILERS] it makes sense to have them work with the scientists of Ansem the wise to look for sora
@@johnpantag472 When most people's complaints have to do with expectations people had for the game and a lot of story complaints just don't make sense I'd say the game isn't bad. One of the complaints I see most often is how it's just running through trying to get to the end well that's typically how a conclusion works we have had several several games of set up why do we need even more we had a lot of the info we needed. Another xehanort switched sides out of no where wasn't out of no where when there's things layered throughout the games that it's not as simple as light good dark bad xehanort says he wants a world where people live without fear out darkness obviously not a word for word quote but it very much shows that he's not doing this for the sake of being evil. There's hints of this pre kh3 and makes xehanort go from an evil villain to a person who believes they are in the right which is a very big difference. Even if you don't want to believe it's been hinted that xehanort isn't exactly fighting to let darkness take over everything just to be controlled by people then you can go towards the later games when they start talking about how too much light is just as bad as too much darkness and that's not just some lie which highly doubtful then xehanort was trying to balance things out the entire time which doesn't make him evil for the sake of being evil. If it's gameplay that you believe is bad that's just wrong other then the keyblade transformations but that's about it. Yes he bashed some other kh games mainly kh2 which I don't exactly agree with the bashing but it also isn't fully wrong kh2 has issues just like each of the games does. If we want to be completely honest as kh fans then the worst kh game story wise would be kh1 ebecause of basically nothing of importance to the actual story recoded bringing up the book of prophecies is more important then most of what happens kh1 yet no one is saying kh1 is a bad game. You may dislike kh3 that's fine everyone is entitled to there opinion but it doesn't make it correct objectively kh3 is a great game people just didn't want a conclusion or don't know how a conclusion to a story works.
@@tbenigma4817 It's best to not to interact with him. He's known to go on KH3 videos, regardless if the topic is about praising or bashing on the game, and spout out his hate and attack anyone who likes KH3. He also spews misinformation by saying stuff like this. He said this video gave him the vibe of bashing on other games to make KH3 look superior when the guy said he's not doing that and defended the game and brought up the points without doing that. He's just plain salty just because others like KH3.
The amount of energy you put into Flags of Fury after calmly talking about the music fucking threw me for a loop.
bruh it was hilarious
He's not wrong either
@@ReinhartLivefacts lmao
Between this and KingK’s video, it’s nice to see some genuine defenses for this game pop up more frequently. Obviously, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but it gets so annoying when people just have to say you’re wrong for liking this game, or they have to say “KH3 could never” whenever something positive is said about another KH game, usually KH2. I know the people who love KH3 can be equally annoying sometimes, but it’s seemingly never even close to the same frequency. I just wish everyone would get over themselves.
As for the video itself, I only really have two major bits of criticism. The first one is that I do think you should have brought up the gummi ship. It’s easily the most fleshed out it’s ever been. Heck, we even have super-bosses and an Einhander reference. My other criticism relates to Xehanort. While I do agree that they could have fleshed him out more in KH3 itself, it was established in BbS that he thought he was in the right. He talks about a “precious light to be found” while talking with Eraqus, and his journal entries go into more details on his thoughts. He’s never really been a two-dimensional villain, even if he can sometimes come across that way. Otherwise, the video was really great and you said many things I’ve been thinking for years. It was a pleasure to watch.
Tbh i watched a friend playing it and seeing the spammable attraction moves come back from DDD was enough to turn me off the game and the series as a whole
@@WittyCorvian omg those annoying attraction moves. Couldn’t even turn them off in the base game.
@@defaultthedudeno you actually can
@@defaultthedudeyou can
That means more ppl don’t like the game then do and it’s not for no reason. What’s do u want those who didn’t like the game to not voice our opinion if u love the game you are in the minority. Kh3 got all warranted hate it’s not for no reason
49:12 The reason why they have memories of the future and then not is simply because they come from the future into their old bodies. They merge and because you can't change the past (normally) they get the same memories as their old bodies they get into. Basically everything they know from the future gets overwritten in a few minutes or seconds.
Really good video though. You are doing the exact right stuff. You criticize what is to criticize and I think you are right at the most points there and you praise was there is to praise. Thank you for this. You speak out of my soul^^
That makes sense, I always figured it was kind of like one of those deams you'll almost immediately forget if you're not actively focusing on it, and obviously seeing terra and whatnot would definitely take away my focus
@@jib-o-jub4643 I'm not sure exactly where it was mentioned but it must be in DDD. I guess it was in the context that Young Xehanort will just live his normal life without knowing about the future after DDD.
I think that the only real issue that I had with this game was the amount of times that characters would bodyblock attacks in cutscenes while having a perfectly good keyblade already in their hand
the keyblades looking wack and too gay i barely felt cool equipping any of them
@@Fiiilll3 yeah i don't like any of the disney keyblade designs in this game. it's why i used a fully upgraded kingdom key in the keyblade graveyard
@@Fiiilll3oh come on the nano gear was cool
I feel like the Ultima was so much cooler looking in kh1. I mean I prefer kh2 in terms of gameplay but even the one in 2 was worse. Though kh3 ultima is atrocious.
Edit: (RUclips autocorrected it to ultimate lol)@@Fiiilll3
@@Fiiilll3you can still get Oath Keeper & Oblivion :)
I was a Kingdom Hearts 3 hater until I saw the error of my ways and have seen the light. This game does not deserve all the hate that it gets from the fandom.
More people need to be like you.
This community is just a big echo chamber of casual people that like to repeat the same shit regardless of how wrong they are. All the memes about Donald not healing make me cringe because he actually heals and if he's not healing you then he's got no magic or you're not low enough and if you care that much you can set him to only prioritize healing you. Anyway kh3 is the best kh game 2 is second best (lol)
agreed. personally i'm not a KH3 "hater" perse, when i played it i thought it was..... fine. it was absolutely incredibly overhyped and is not getting a second playthrough from me, and the story, which is the only reason this game is worth playing in the first place, was lackluster at best. the ending was a little disappointing that it left on a fucking cliffhanger which is very frustratingly unsatisfying.
but kh3 is a different game compared to KH1 and KH2. it was created by the same people that made BBS, which is a completely different team with a completely different combat style. i think it's a little unfair to compare KH3 to its predecessors. KH3 is a better BBS in my opinion, with a lot more movement options and abilities to customize your playstyle.
i think the only thing that personally pissed me off was it's piss-poor launch, however i can look past that because they've fixed a lot of the community's initial gripes with the game. lack of critical mode, enormous amount of bugs, an absolute garbage pile of the fucking disney attractions that were so incredibly annoying and free to spam at will.
@@mac_sour Bugs? What are you talking about? The game didn't have any Bugs when it first released. What kind of bugs are you even talking about? Bug Bloxs?
@@Redxan600 did we play the same game? there were a bunch of day 1 patches. you're just grasping at straws.
You do not understand how much I've waited for someone else to not only have these thoughts, but explain them perfectly in a medium that even the most fervent hater can understand. I waited 13 years for Kingdom Hearts 3 and when I finally got to play it, I genuinely cried at the title screen. It was the most beautiful and fun gaming experience I have to date and somehow the world hates its because "it's too disney" and "Not true to the kingdom hearts formula." Thank you so much for this video essay, I've never been happier seeing another fan fight tooth and nail for this game❤
Tbh I get the "it's too disney" complaint. I would never want Disney worlds removed, but I did find the lack of FF disappointing. That being said KH3 is still my favorite in the series after playing all of them back to back, so I do think it's overhated. Disney worlds are at their absolute best in this game though, and I hope they continue it going forward.
@@hadouradiance3566 YES. Only problem I have is frozen world. Disney needs to chill on the overprotective mom shit
@@SGalaxyify Disney needs to chill in general
Absolutely. The feeling of first putting in the KH3 disc and saying to myself "damn, this is real, it finally happened" was honestly like a dream come through.
But the entire first experience was had through a pair of pretty rosy glasses. I wanted the game to be good, but I just couldn't hang.
It's not a bad game. It's just a bad Kingdom Hearts game. They lost the plot over the past 13 years because they've been building a different plot that isn't Kingdom Hearts.
If you look at KH3 from the standpoint of purely technical experience and child-like wonder, it's fine. But that's not what makes a series into a series.
It's the overarching plot that actually reminds us that this game is part of the same IP it gets its name from. In that department, Kingdom Hearts 3 absolutely falls flat on its face.
@hadouradiance3566 Not only that, but the Disney Worlds had *NOTHING* to do with the plot. Throughout the journey, Sora is trying to find the power of waking. When he makes into Ventus' heart, Sora asks Ventus how he should obtain said power of waking to which Ventus responds, "You just gotta believe." If that was really all Sora had to do, then there should not have been anything stopping us from saving Ventus.
Having clips of Korra S2 in the intro when you talked about “enjoying something despite its flaws” felt like a personal attack lmao 😂
I mean, the whole reason why every Org member that appears fits in a certain world is because Nomura personally chose what world he wants to be included that fits the theme of KH3. So it makes sense, and I want to see what other worlds he would choose as a theme for the 4th installment :D
Also, I agree with you when it came to feeling "disappointed" to a game YOU yourself built up over the years. I came to KH3 not really expecting anything and I genuinely had so much fun playing it, and I will continue doing so in the future.
I’m happy to see a recently wave of positivity towards KH3 after having to deal with so many biased slander videos towards the game for not being this “specific game” for people for a few years.
It more than earns its place to stand alongside KH1 and KH2!
Truly
It’s not even in the same realm as those two are y crazy
Great video, although I'd like to point out regarding Xehanort's final speech there's a mistranslation in the English version, he doesn't want to make a world of light, but rather a world without either light or dark to end the cycle which is closer to his stated goal in BBS of balance. Or as Nomura put it in an interview "His motivation [dissatisfaction with the world] remains the same, but his method [from forcing a balance to total reset] has changed between games"
I feel horrible about KH3. I didn't have a PS4/Xbox1 when it launched so I watched the cutscenes and loved the story, I thought it was exactly what I'd wanted out of a conclusion to the KH series. Then I went onto the internet and was somehow immediately pulled into "KH3 is trash" mentality.
Zoom forward to the PC release and I play KH3 for the very first time and loved it. It's now my most replayed title beating out KH1 and it's 13 rereleases. It became my first platinum trophy when I got a PS5 and the all-in-one collection. I find KH3 to be the best in the series and wish the hate for it would stop much like you.
Also the leveling system and stealth missions are amazing in days and I will die on that hill
7:42 Another very useful feature to Dual Arrowguns is that you get access to the Dual-Casting Style which lets you cast multiple spells in one. At base Fire it's only two but when you're at Firaga it's now six and when you do Firaza it's eight Firazas coming at them. So damn good.
Thank you for this. For the longest time I've felt like I was one of the very few people who unironically loved this game the moment I was finally able to play it, so to say that this video makes me feel vindicated is an understatement.
bro so aggressive on that ending
Me watching this video is the street fighter animated series meme where Byson keeps shouting "YES!"
You have made my day. Thank you so much for making this video. I agree with everything you said. Hell, you even made me change my mind about the "floaty" combat. Of course its floaty! Most of the enemies are larger or in the air. It makes sense for you to be able to stay in the air after a combo finisher.
I remember hearing that the entire opening dive to the heart/final world sequence takes place after KH3, which makes a lot of sense now
I'm one of those people who waited a long time for this game and also thought about what could happen in this game for years. But it honestly not only met my expectations, but exceeded them as well. This is honestly my favorite entry in the series. So many satisfying payoffs, such incredibly fun combat, tons of memorable scenes, an amazing OST across the board, and as a massive Disney fan I've never been more blown away by the worlds in the series than in this game. I felt like I was having an religious experience lol. And I'm so glad that I'm seeing more and more people actually showing their love for the game and understanding what it is rather than what it's not. Small correction on one thing though. Nomura actually was the one who included Let It Go in the game ( which honestly I want more musical numbers to be recreated after watching that ) and how the story in the world was told, not Disney. He's actually the one who ultimately gets to decide what happens in the Disney worlds. The only thing Disney Animation had a hand in was the visuals of the world, and that's basically it ( to my knowledge at least ). It's unfortunately a too common misconception that Nomura has no control over the Disney stuff. But that's just wrong. I mean he literally said that KH3 won't happen if he can't use Toy Story. The man knows what he's doing.
Disney also forced Nomura to change his initial plan for Arendelle. Antagonist Elsa would have been epic
Hey great job with this video man! I’ve been a big fan of KH3 since launch day. I never understood the hate. The main thing I wanted ever since I’ve played KH2 was an amazing keyblade war and KH3 did an awesome job. The only thing I didn’t like was the time travel stuff and that Sora wasn’t able to fully enjoy the beach party. Also yeah I really wanted the Final Fantasy characters to be part of the story(wanted a rematch against Sephiroth 😡) but I do understand why they had to cut them out. It would’ve been too much. Anyway KH3 is a solid 9/10 for me. Wait back up, you forgot to talk about the cool Gummi ship content!! “How dare you!” Lol 😂
Thank you!! As someone who played Kingdom Hearts 2 in my childhood, I absolutely loved Kingdom Hearts 3, and I will die on that hill!
I played kh3 before watching any critic viedeos and it felt MAGICAL to play it. I literally felt like a kid playing kh1 again. No game made me feel this passionate about it in a long while. Then i did watch the long critic essays to see what they mean. Honestly it's just really about what someone values most in a game. For me artistic value is the most important. And it fulfilled me to the max. Most bad opinions come from people that need a specific type of combat to even consider a game playable.
I 100% feel the same way. No game has made me feel the way kh3 did.
I want to thank you for making this video. I honestly love kh3 despite its flaw and it's honestly one of my favorite kingdom hearts games (heck it's one of my favorite games of all time). This game was just so much fun and I absolutely love the story. This game in my opinion didn't deserve that much hate that it had gotten. Kh3 is amazing and I'm excited for kh4.
Honestly you’ve gotta watch that waste of effort video if you havent(I haven’t seen your video yet but I am looking forward to your arguments!). It has a hyperbolic title to attract attention but the video is FULL of valid critiques.
It's by far, my favourite look at KH3.
53:23 So glad u brought up this point. Dark Road expands on this a lot more, but the whole point is that Xehanort is blinded by his pride and self-righteousness since he quite literally believes that he's the chosen one who will bring light to the world, not realising, or perhaps being wilfully ignorant of the fact, that he's causing the darkness to take hold far more than it had due to his obsession. I honestly view it as much better than having him be a moustache-twirling villain who was just excited by old stories. It helps contextualise the non-chalant attitude he possesses throughout the series, he genuinely believes he's right, using the ends to justify the means.
KH3 doesn't deserve anywhere near the hate it gets. It is not perfect by any means but calling it a waste of effort really reflects how spoiled I think some members of the fandom are. It's fine if its not your cup of tea but acting like the game has no redeeming qualities and is just a lazy effort that doesn't try is just rude considering the literal years of passion and creativity that were poured by so many people into the game.
41:39 I Love how most of the video he is calm and collected and then he’s like SCREAMING I turned my headphones wayyyyyy down
I just have one thing to say, thank you for being a voice on the internet that defends this game too, because i love it, for different reasons that you do, but i get so annoy at seeing so many people declare it bad because they feel disappointed it's not whatever it's they imagine.
Loved this vid and i had a thought involving the FF cast. Imagine if there were hidden side quest involving an aspect that relates to a character in each world. (Clouds coming to terms with who he is, Squall stepping forward as a reluctant leader, or even more fitting Cecil forsaking his darkness to save those he loves and cares for.) All of which ends with you getting to summon them to fight with you (like Simba) with the finisher being a team up between that character and Sora doing a sudo version of that characters most popular move.
Although I didn't agree with all your points here, I acknowledge how well crafted and genuine this video is, which earned my like. Though I will say that the AskYourUncle video was genuinely a pretty good video. Yes it's a clickbait thumbnail and title and yes it's 5hrs long. He even acknowledges a few times in the video how stupid long it is lol (although not exactly weird that someone would put that much time into a video essay about a game they found disappointing since they love the series just saying). But he said that if the game seems good or even perfect in your eyes then that's perfectly fine. He wasn't trying to get other people to hate the game or anything. It's just him the game is not all that good. He made valid points in the video and unlike what most people may think, he didn't spend the entire video shit talking the game. He gave the game genuine praises at points, even during the base game. He even talks about KH2 and the flaws that game has despite being one of his favorite games, but most people wouldn't know that. I didn't even agree with him on every point he made, but most were legitimate points talking about the story's pacing, the story itself, the combat and the game's writing. All that good stuff. My opinion on 3... Finna just keep it "short". I liked it at first but the more I played it the more I started disliking how the game feels in terms of combat flow but that's just me. The main story I feel was not well written and the bad voice direction does not help it at all. Long awkward pauses, very slow talking, and terrible delivery on certain lines. All that good stuff. It also feels like the actual plot of the game starts when you've finished all the Disney worlds. Xehanort not using the 7 princesses as his main plan was something I always thought was stupid. The data battles and yozora are the highlights of 3 for me gameplay wise. Though I did enjoy some elements of the base game. Shit this getting a bit too long. "Finna just keep it short" btw lol
Tldr: you can enjoy the game all you want. If you like it then I'm happy for you. I on the other hand have grown a slight disliking towards it as time went on. I don't think it's bad.... (anymore) I think the game's okay at best. But very mid for the most part. Both sides are in the wrong when it comes to the debates defending and slandering the game. We'll just have to agree to disagree. KH4 looking pretty cool though
Thanks for listening to my Talk Ted
Man look at this very short comment 💀
AskYourUncle’s video being used as an example of how not to review something (from the video man here) is ironic, seeing how in the same opening for this video, he claims that people calling the game “bad” and leaving it at that are making reductionist claims. Strange.. so it’s reductionist to say that a game is bad without extensive elaboration, but then someone actually elaborating because they have a lot of thoughts to say is somehow voicing their opinion “wrong?” Very strange.
Okay, you went so hard at the end there, and I'm gonna give you a standing ovation for that. (I mean, you can't see it, but pretend you can XD)
I may not have seen it, but I felt it ❤️
top 10 rapper eminem was afraid to diss.
I hope you get everything you want in life, I really didn’t understand why it had so much hate. They did have to restart with the Engine they probably had so many other Ideas. Thank you for speaking on this.
Thing is you can hate on something you absolutely love. It’s because I have such a love for this franchise that I am passionate about it. It’s great in a lot of ways but bad in many. To be fair this game had impossible expectations
The only issues I have had is:No final Fantasy characters at all(especially since they had a good amount of story in 1&2, no colosseum at all) and that’s it nothing else bothers me solid 8.5.
I honestly prefer kh3 to most other games in the series. Now I am biased since it was my introduction to it, but it’s mostly just cause of the movement. Kh2 had an amazing story and I loved playing it, but it hurt my soul when I couldn’t do any of the movement options presenting in kh3 and made the game so much more difficult since I had gotten accustomed to the high mobility and the fun of it while in the early kh games you get handed a stick and some rollerblades lol
I know that people like graphics to be better but I firmly believe that KH III should have continued to use the same engine that they had used for the vast majority of its titles. I think The Disney characters looked great in it, and I think that it would have blended more seemlessly when they did flashbacks to the old games, which really take you out of it. Plus, because of the new graphics, they only included newer disney movies, and I feel like the graphics change was one of the big reasons we missed out of some other titles that might have been a better that were from the hand drawn era.
That’s not how game development works
@@MrAjking808 I disagree. I think that’s not how capitalism and pop culture and trends work. There are plenty of games that have stuck with the same style over years of different engines and different graphic styles that have been popular and have been successful. Kh has been (for the most part) developed with the same art direction. And I think that might be where I misspoke and you saw my comment and differed. I know I said that it should be kept in the same engine, but what I meant was that the art style and the artistic design should’ve stayed the same throughout the games regardless of what engine they were in. They could have stayed true to the original art direction and art style of the engine of the games that they originally created the games in, even after changing engines.
@@EliJakobableall these people are like capitalism but like I don’t want a fucking ps2 looking game in 20178
Good video. As someone who had a lukewarm reaction to it on release I find KH3 is a game that I've grown to appreciate more over the years and am now content with it's place among the mainline games. Though I've only seen three of the critiques that you showed in this video those that I saw never seemed to justify general sentiment.
You touched on it several times but the thing in particular that really put KH3 above the other games was how each of the worlds made themselves relevant to the larger story. KH3 really put in the work for every world, every movie, to seem like they all taking place in the same living universe. The worlds themselves had plots that were more involved and detailed than that of it's predecessors, so much so that some key components of these worlds were of interest to the villains (Princess of Hearts, Scream etc). Not only that but the Disney characters are also fantastic in asserting themselves in the OC plot organically (Hades being done with Maleficent and heartless in general, Calypso totally knowing SDG are from another world, basically every interaction between the organisation and the Disney characters).
It would be so easy to treat the worlds as set pieces/levels - and it would be consistent with the rest of the series. Instead they're woven together in a way that hasn't been done since KH1. Not only did each world have it's own story to tell but each world provided ample build up, foreshadowing and adherence to theme for the larger story as well. It could be argued that the Disney plots are irrelevant or not as important as that of OC but considering they are 75%+ of the game I sincerely hope Nomura and co are going to allow for this kind of attention to the worlds for future games.
I honestly believe that with some small revisions and reshuffling of the OC plot this could have been regarded as the best game in terms of story, midpoint or no. All the ingredients are there. There are just some parts that trip people up (including myself) from having that opinion.
You worded this perfectly.
I saw ingredients and immediately Donalds voice was in my head
Bought KH3 when it was initially released, beat it and never touched it since feeling unsatisfied. This video makes me want to play it again! Thank you!
Be warned, he isn't mentioning a LOT of the problems that caused the dissatisfaction. The constant pestering of npc both during fights (use this technique! Almost as bad as get up on the hydra's back) the fact that the game is unplayable in any difficulty that isn't critical due to the inability to turn off attractions... he only mentioned the floaty problem once by passing, while praising stuff that worsen the feeling of floatiness like the air block that stops you in place or the air dodge that doesn't carry momentum when it ends.
"This looks like a good place to find some ingredients"
The story absolutely forgetting that riku is as strong as sora (if not more considering ddd), he PRAISES the "crucial setup" (read sequel bait) of the black box.
He doesn't mention how unexpressive the characters are in the new style compared to even kh1.
He doesn't mention how simba summon basically makes his whole point about the mechanics of fighting moot.
I really wanna see this guy try discuss the game with hyve minds (another reviewer that isn't so blind to the problems of the game)
@@yoster39Alright bro enjoy the copium
@@decayedphoenix8865 writing "cope" under a video about someone trying to make KH3 look good. but then you don't say that to the video maker. lol
I've never heard the Ishimoto complaints before but as a twewy fan, I feel personally attacked and will go to war for this man.
29:12 that was him though. He literally wanted to recreate frozen in game engine
I don't understand why its so hated, its way too fun man, i also loved going through it.
I wish it was longer :c
Those “dark moments.” Are exactly what made KH Special and non-cheesy feeling. Those thunderstorms of complete darkness and grief made the lightness of sora and the concept of “light” in general more prophetic and profound. Xion’s death, Roxas’s sacrifice, and BBS’s endings added a coat of darkness that complimented the light so well. Don’t get me wrong I’m glad the BBS crew is back because they never really died (just had tragic cliffhangers) but Xion and Roxas coming back in such a lazy way is so bad it hurts. I cried during the 358 ending and I wanted KH to get that deep again but it never did. Even if the disney worlds were meh in the other games, the story (when focused) was always amazing.
I agree. Ventus waking up to finish his arc makes sense but the sea salt trio shouldn’t have come back. Their Story arc was that they wanted to be together as friends, they could have achieved that in a different way, Perhaps as ghosts in the afterlife? But I will say it was cute how they finally went to the beach together, even though the story didn’t bring much that to attention that
Thanks to you im going the buy the 1.5+2.5 collection for pc and KH 3 Re:mind, what a way to reignite my love for Kingdom Hearts.... Thanks man, cant wait for kingdom hearts 4, no matter how much time passes i will eagerly await for one of my favorite game series
Oh you touched on things that are so relevant when it comes to Xehanort. Check out Dark Road and his character will make even more sense. I used to think the same too, that he is a 2 dimensional character. But when it all connects, it's just.. AHH. This can be said to Kingdom Hearts in general tbh. The satisfaction and enjoyment is when all of the things connect and things are recontextualized
54:48 i think poor execution is a big problem in KH3. They had lots of good ideas, but just couldnt put it all together. Saving aqua should have been the mid point of the game, it could go down the same way, it just needed to be moved.
You spoke a lot about the threat of the organization taking the new princesses of light hostage, but I never felt that threat. If they were more explicit in their plans to Sora, I think I could have gotten behind that idea. But i always took their statements more as a taunt or excuse to exist there and antagonize Sora, not a genuine threat.
and that weird Terranort killing, demontide, time travel, saving hearts thing? probably the most poorly executed scenes in the entire series. Did anyone have any idea what was going on the first time they played that section?
Hey someone who is not blind! Glad you exist, unlike everyone who played kh3.
@@shadowlessgrandcross2165 Go home. Just go home.
I am home.
I genuinely felt that rant at the end, and I agree with it, KH3 isn't my favorite but I still loved it, and I do get sick of seeing the disingenuous trash talking I see online
Not even 10 minutes in and I'm already agreeing so much.
People like saying "floaty" as a flaw, but it isn't in KH3. It was a design choice. It's okay if you prefer being on the ground, but let's not ignore how well designed the combat is, with airstep, the air slide, being able to block and use items, and even using magic while moving and slowly descending.
(Also in 9:10, small correction: KH DDD has New Game+ too)
Edit: 41:18 this is comedy gold 👏
I forgot about the DDD NG+!
Thanks for the correction!
It's good to see KH3 becoming a star wars prequel
You last few sentences just perfectly sum it up.
I love KH3 and the KH series as a whole and by god, I will not let anyone tell me to love it less because they personally didn't like it.
My personal opinion on this game summarized:
As far as gameplay goes, I'd rate it at about the same level as KH1... Which for me, isn't really much of a compliment. BUT, I beat this game and I've beaten KH1 a few times. So while I definitely don't think it's the best, it's not bad enough for me to just stop playing. I will admit that when it comes to combat, I love the way KH2 has been structured, giving distinct advantages to ground based vs air based combat, and making the transitions between them more smooth. KH1 tried to do this, but it was a bit unpolished, and KH3 leaned hard into keeping combat aerial. But I admit that there are distinct advantages to aerial based combat, especially the movement options.
My main issue with KH3 is the central story. (Which I don't even think is entirely KH3's problem, but that's a different rant) Most KH games that I consider worth playing will take the central story and make it so that moments that matter will happen during the Disney World stories. Riku seeing you in Monstro an helping to fight the boss, as well as kidnapping Kairi on Hook's ship. PLUS all the Disney World villains WERE the main villains for the first game. In CoM, you'd slowly see Sora's memories of all his friends he made in the first game fade away. By the end, he didn't even recognize his childhood friends from Destiny Island, all in the pursuit of the one person he's going through these worlds to help. In KH2, the bad guys actually try to antagonize Sora every now and then, because they want to get him to kill heartless for their master plan. And SOMETIMES they show how much of a threat they can actually be instead of just laughing at us from a distance, before the climax because we decided to get in their way in the case of Xaldin and Demyx. BBS has these moments by having the paths of all the characters intertwine, giving you moments of "AHAH!", while also showing off why things are the way they are in the games that you've grown to love already. I'll admit I haven't played enough of Days to make a solid opinion, but the story of how Roxas came to be and the existence wipe of Xion that I saw online back when the game came out got me choked up.
KH3, on the other hand... The villains actively refuse to fight, due to reasons you stated in the video. So we always just get a "oh, fight this thing please" instead of a fight against one of the members. We don't get to feel a sense of how threatening they can be. We hear whispers about what they're doing behind closed doors, and that's about it. Oooo, I'm so scared of the vague threats~ And while the size of the Disney Worlds is grand... To use the quote of the Cat in the Hat that you used earlier: "Sure, they can talk, but are they saying anything?" So much of the KH3 story in the Disney Worlds are just kinda copy pastes of the original Disney movies. A welcome change for Olympus, given that we've NEVER been able to explore outside of Hades and the Colosseum, but... It's basically just the plot of the original movie copy pasted over and over again, which is apparent BECAUSE they don't want to give the baddies anything to do until the end of the game. AND SURE, other KH games have basically done that. But for every one world in previous KH games that did that, they would have one that didn't. In KH3, the only world I can think of that didn't just copy paste the Disney story was Big Hero 6, and that world is just... Flat and uninspired. So much of just "Run here. Run there." I find it funny that you don't have a section on San Fransokyo, tbh.
And then the kicker to it all... When we finally get to some central story content. What happens? Deus Ex Machina. Which, you know... Kinda fits in with themes of KH that they've been building up since the beginning of the series, but really? They all get their butts handed to them. Barely even a fight. And THAT'S when the Deus Ex Machina happens? Let me fight them first, and give it MY all, like in KH1 when you fight Ansem and he's about to open the door. Like in KH2 when we've defeated Xemnas and don't have a way to get back home anymore when suddenly a light shows us the way. Like with Terra when his body is stolen, but his spirit lives on in his armor. Let me, the player, give it an honest to goodness shot before pulling out the DEM. And what happens after the DEM? A boss gauntlet where we get to hear the background of these characters explained in a few sentences of dialogue (including the re-existing of Xion which OH MY GOD the impact of Xion's sacrifice is just gone for me now) and Kairi dies. After again, not doing anything. And when Sora goes and gets her back, guess what? Now he's dead for whatever reason.
The story of this game is why I haven't gone back to it. I tolerated 3D's story because in the end it was basically just a filler story as long as you understood that Sora tried to get a thing he needed and failed. Re:Coded was a mess, but it is in the same boat as 3D's if you can understand that the org members came back as regular people after they were defeated as Nobodies. KH3 has the gall to have bad writing AND so much plot development in it to understand other KH games going forward without having played through it. But as I stated earlier, I don't think this is entirely the fault of KH3, as other games in the series were building up to something this whole time, I just don't think Nomura knew what until he was forced to make KH3.
Phenomenal video. I fully watched Kingk's and this video in its entirety, only thing missing was the gummi ship but its whatever. You said everything that needed to be said. This game was effort put to good use and now paves the road to kh4!
57:30 I like to think Cloud and Sephiroth after disappearing into the light ended up in the world of smash brothers only for Sora to join up with them after disappearing at the end of 3, only to wake up in Quadratum after the world of light stuff ended. lol
your angry rant at the very end said it pretty well, Kingdom hearts can be silly and weirdly paced, and not always the best; But it's got Heart (Pun intended), and I love it for that.
Man was fuckin SPITTIN at the end lmao
I stopped playing KH3 at the frozen area cos I just wasn’t in the right mindset to play it.
This video makes me want to try it again though, KH2 is one of my favorite games from my childhood, and hearing someone speak passionately about KH3 makes me wanna try it again.
Though I will be playing in critical so I can get rid of the attractions 🫠
Brilliant! Thanks for sharing this J. I particularly appreciate the deluge of heart at the end.
I loved your take on this game!! I first played Kh3 when it originally came out and was too excited to actually play the game to see any issues at the time. I was just having too much fun! Now that I’ve had time to calm down (only a lil tho) I do have small issues with certain things in the game but those are personal and get overshadowed real quick whenever I’m having fun with it! Your rant at the end was AMAZING btw, I was practically bouncing in my seat while cheering as you went off!
I loved kh3 too. The only issue I had was story related. I didn't play all the side games since they were spread across systems I never owned. RUclips was very helpful there. I also think the story suffered somewhat for having to tie up so many loose ends. Otherwise the gameplay was awesome. And my 4 year old loves watching me play, which is a lot of fun!
My main problem with Kingdom Hearts III is the lack of resolution in the game. The only resolutions we got was finally getting an end to the Darkseeker Saga and the Birth By Sleep characters and Roxas getting a come back, other than that everything else was a massive sequel bait.
Also I know this is clichè as this point to say but, Arendelle was pointless and contributed nothing.
The way how they also did Kari dirty in this game has bothered me as well. Understandable that she (and also Lea/Axel) weren't Keyblade masters but they were just treated as plot items to say "look we have our seven lights".
That’s the serial storytelling formula that exists since the first game. Some answers are revealed and it also sets up new plot points. The whole series is guilty of this. Not just kh3. At least kh3 had multiple plot resolutions that concluded multiple character arcs. As far as Kairi and lea, how do you feel about the REMIND DLC, that gives them both multiple chances to shine and addresses the very things you’re talking about, like seeing Lea fight with all the guardians, seeing Kairi and Lea fight Xemnas and Xion, and playing as Kairi with Sora against Xehanort. At least in the DLC, they do address those criticisms.
Tbh, my only complaint was the story before getting to Aqua, there was no reason we couldn’t start in another mission or as Riku and Mickey to give Sora time to recover
I don't think there's a single bad "mainline" KH game, and KH3 is no exception.
BBS and DDD are objectively poorly made games, and they're both mainline entries with story critical information.
@@you-mustenter-a-name1467I do agree they are very poorly balanced in the way of balancing and world design (although I will admit I appreciate DDD’s focus on verticality in some places).
That said, I think it’s the command deck that makes them stand out in terms of raw gameplay. It’s extremely unbalanced gameplay even on harder difficulties, but it’s the creativity of the system that makes them work for me personally.
I’m so glad you made this video. I love this series so much and loved KH3 since it launched. It’s only gotten better with patches and Re: Mind.
I really think all the “hate” this game got was from people who could either never be satisfied no matter what game it was, or were giving hot takes for internet attention.
The devs really deserved this video and as a fan who never wants this series to end IM grateful.
Thanks man :)
Or it could be that this game is boring as fuck for 80 percent of its run(liek seriously, the Disney worlds are at their worst here, particularly Frozen world, holy shit) and the rest of the game doesn’t make a lot of sense because of course time travel and power of waking shit is stupid. So no, let’s not do the “people had high expectations” bullshit argument, there are a shit ton of legitimate criticisms of this mediocre game.
Soda’s combat and organization fights/yozora are its best parts. The rest is ass.
@@MajinLordVegetaplease go back to the other games, because all of them have the exact same problems you listed. There isn’t a single KH game that doesn’t have 90% of its plot happen. At the end. The Disney worlds were better designed than 90% of the ones in the rest of the series, the only argument I can see is maybe KH1, but the KH2 worlds sucked ass in terms of exploration, combat hallway simulators basically. BBS and DDD worlds were either too small or too big. KH3 was a good balance, almost as good as KH1 if not better because they cut out the boring shitty platforming and just make it easier and bigger to explore. The time travel/power of waking shit doesn’t bother me. It’s not any harder to understand than any other shit that happens in these games. Basically, some characters came back because of time travel, some because Sora helped them wake up. It’s really not that convoluted. The whole series has nonsensical magical elements so I don’t get how that’s a dealbreaker. Like it never was running on the most logical plot to begin with
“Everyone who doesn’t agree with me is crazy and wrong!” What a great line of thinking.
@@Erikthedood I like how you brought up other games like that changes anything lol. This game is still ass. But nice try
Overall the game is really good i just wish they were a bit more creative with the overarching narritive. I feel Xehanort took a huge backseat in this game despite being extremely centered around him. I was definitely hoping for more exposition and backstory.
Furthermore i feel as though they also couldve but a bit more effort into completing all the character arcs that were supposed to come to fruition in this game.
Other than that i loved the gameplay and the worlds were a lot of fun. PotC and Toy Box are some of the best KH worlds ever made.
When someone catches a stray from Cat in the Hat within the first 5 minutes, color me hooked
No. This game is horrifying, no matter what anyone says.
Good ideas, I understand where they were going (especially with my man Sora), but the execution was SO poor, I completely deny this game's existance and seek fanfiction to fill the void. It's even worse that no world played any role in the final battle. And the lack of "FF"... That one hurt.
Although I must confess, the perspective of the trauma "ReMind" presents... If only Nomura had remembered that perspective on the main game. That is how it should have been.
thank you for helping me re-invigorate my love for this series. No cap after 3 I came pretty close to being done with this series. I got my fix for the dark seekers saga and I was ready to be done. but I found myself re-using KH as my comfort place whenever I feel down, and boy is that apparent in this day and age. I do love KH and 3 is not perfect. but you made me realize this game is the definition of Kingdom Hearts, CONVOLUTED DISNEY ANIME TRASH MASH UP THAT MAKES LOVEABLE PERFECT NO SENSE...time to go replay KH3
I adored KH3 after I finished it the first time. It was an incredible experience, and it's now one of my favorite KH games outside of KH2 and BBS.
I respect your take, and reason as to why you loved KH3. I can't entirely agree. I think it’s a matter of taste, but you made a lot of valid points as to thematic relevance for the characters, setting, and events that took place. I would have liked the game to feel more in the tone of KH1 Hollow Bastion for 2 acts of the story where things are a bit direr.
KH is a series of several games with multiple protagonists, and I feel KH3 should have embodied that more. Similar to an Avengers team-up. The stakes going into the game lend themselves to that.
The 3rd act felt very disjointed. It would have played better if we had multiple perspectives and groups trying to stop Xehanort. (Sora, Donald, Goofy/ Axel, Kairi and Aqua/ Riku, and Mickey.) in the process, maybe they don’t stop the Organization's plans, but they awaken all of the thoughts to be sealed Keyblade wielders. You can still have the Keyblade Graveyard be the big battle, but it has to feel like the heroes are struggling.
one thing about formchange vs drive forms is that "drives use resources" is viewed as a positive aspect for drives, but personally, i always thought it undercut most encounters that you have these 2 free full heals (limit form with 8-9 drive gauges) available at any point in an encounter, especially since anti form is not enough of a downside and refilling the drive gauge while MP recharge is on is ridiculously simple. i'd argue having to actually use a given keyblade in the encounter to unlock its formchange makes for much more engaging gameplay.
So to use DMC as a comparison (even though these games aren't as similar as people think they are), Drive Forms were more of a Devil Trigger. They were a temporary boost of power when you had the meter for it. Form Changes are more akin to just switching weapons. You get them a lot more becuase the game encourages you to use them a lot more as well. They're more like an inbetween of just swapping weapons and a Devil Trigger, but the point still stands. Form Changes never really needed a meter tied to it becuase that was never the point.
Also it makes sense why drives don't return, drives are from Sora's clothes, whereas formchange is the keyblade itself.
@@blastortoiseLiterally not, Sora's new clothes enable him to access keyblade transformations in the first place, they state that (vaguely) right when he gets them, each keyblade is tied to a drive form type, Sora's colors change and he gains temporary access to a movement ability he can gain later. You have, Strike Form, Guardian Form, Element Form, and Blitz Form.
The ONLY keyblade that Sora can use the transformation of normally is his Kingdom Key, which isn't even really a keyblade transformation, it's a command style like in BBS, just like Aqua's Spellweaver.
It is veiwed as "positive" because it adds a depth of challenge to the game and actually requires some thought. Unlike in kh3 where everything is way too Spamy and easy by comparison. And is essentially free. Just no where near as engaging game design, I disagree.
I personally enjoyed KH3. I was just let down that we weren't able to select different keyblade wielders for data battles. They already let us play as them in ReMind. Sure, they weren't as fleshed out as Sora, but it still would have been a fun challenge to try and take on all Org members with Axel or Roxas.
Kingdom hearts 3 didn’t hit the nail on the head for me and clearly others. I’m glad you were able to connect with it. The game does some things great. Overall combat is super fun but the game was way to easy on proud mode. I’ll have to give critical a try sometime. I also liked most of the Disney worlds but I do wish they had more of a synthesis in design between KH1 and 2. What I mean by that is have the improved movement or KH2 but include platforming to compliment the movement which KH1 had some platforming. It’s hard to say in a RUclips comment but I think a metroidvania approach of unlocking abilities that allow you to backtrack and progress to new areas with new movement that you unlocked ie glide, or double jump/air dash or even the trinity symbols from KH1. Last few points why kingdom hearts 3 doesn’t work. The final fantasy characters are absent and they always added a little extra charm to the ridiculous cross over that the series is based on. I really would have liked a final fantasy world although from what I understand the reason the final fantasy cast is spread amongst the other worlds is because the heartless destroyed theirs in the first game either way I wish they returned in this game. Lastly for me and others the story doesn’t land on its feet by the end. I understand that’s a hard task to start since KH2 tried to tie everything up and for the most part did so acceptably. It’s not like the spin off games had bad stories though I personally think 358/2 days has a very emotionally. Dense story and birth by sleep does a great job of connecting 3 different stories together with unique perspectives for each character. I’ll just wrap up by saying kingdom hearts 3 isn’t bad but it is missed potential for me and many other fans. I’ll give critical mode a shot though and maybe I’ll appreciate it more.
I wanted to add that I also enjoy that you can have Disney members in your party on top of Donald and goofy in kh3. Good change there
I’m not a big fan of Kingdom Hearts 3. But I still love watching videos like these because sometimes they make me see things I hadn’t considered before.
They also make me feel jealous. I really wish I liked KH3.
Thank you chief.
Thank you for reminding me that I wasn't the only one of the VERY few who actually played this game, and payed attention to its developments in characters, theming, emotional upbringings, and gameplay complexities. I felt like a crazy person when this game first released because I was absolutely enTHRALLED by what Numora and the team brought to the table. This game is not perfect, far from it, but calling it "bad" is just asinine and ignorant. I've played a lot of games in my time, and I know what a bad game looks and feels like, Kh3 isnt even remotely close, and I can only feel sorry for all of the people that never truly let this game show what its got.
I also cant help but believe that a lot of the problem stems from the fact that a lot of people hopped on after not playing MOST of the series because they were believed to be "side-games," so they were just left confused, but thats their own fault, and I hope this series going forward doesn't suffer for that.
Well done video, keep going holmes.
their own fault for not owning a million different consoles to grasp the story?
There’s worse,I saw one review that complained that the game didn’t made any sense and when pushed a little, the reviewer said that he skipped all cutscenes. Granted, it’s a game, I’m the first one to say that gameplay is the most important element of a game (and KH3 rocks in that regard too) but come on, KH is mostly a story based game, an RPG y’know…
@@islandboy9381 if they were newer fans they had access to the story so far and all in one collection that put yknow the entire story all onto the ps4 minus extra bits in khux that didnt make it into back cover. So the scattered console release really shouldn't have been a problem for newer fans, older ones yes but thats a different situation
@@islandboy9381Only needed a PS4 in the few years leading up to KH3’s release due to the 1.5+2.5 collection and 2.8.
Yozora to this day is still my favorite Bossfight of all time and KH3 has one of my favorite Combat and movement systems of any game
Also I don't like adding mod support as a positive point for games but like the modding community of this game is so Huge and so good to the point you can give sora So many custom movesets and forms making it the KH game I replay the most I know this is a PC only thing and something that the community did but Like Its insane how many mods KH3 has its so much fun I thought it was worth noting
The fact is that Kh3 is middling and does deserve the hate it gets. It was over hyped and relatively short and lackluster for that decade+ wait. Graphics were amazing, the voice acting was done right, the sounds weren't off and the gameplay was fun for what it was. But things that held it back and caused it to get negative reviews is the story being a mess and not worth the decade+ wait for that finale, the game play wasn't as fun as kh2 and 3ds, and the length of the game was hella short for what was supposed to end an almost 20 year long story. The game was such a mess story and length wise that they had to make a dlc that was basically a patch to try and pad game time and fill in the story gaps but it wasn't enough and was overpriced for the experience we got from it. The mods basically make the experience now and is what people will remember it for now.
I wasn't sure if the end was a bit or something, but no, that was some genuine passion there. Okay! I hear you dude 👍
I’ve seen defense videos for KH3… BUT this is the very FIRST TIME that someone has had the exact same energy as me when defending it. Amazing video.
Same cause he's recognizing the flaws and not just acting like every complaint is a whiny nitpick
Im going through and replaying the kh series. I only played 3 and launch so no updates or dlc and i remember liking it but not feeling very "WOW"ed by it..... with that being said, thank you for hyping me up for replaying it. You've revitalized my interest in it.
"Never felt so out of touch with public opinion"
Man... I've been struggling with how to articulate this exact sentiment, but you summed it up so well. This is EXACTLY how I feel about KH3. It wasn't my favorite game in the franchise, maybe Top 3. But I have felt like it didn't remotely deserve the hate it got because at the end of the day, it's STILL Kingdom Hearts, it STILL offers us that unique gameplay you can only find in this series. It's STILL convoluted and intricate and presents more questions than answers by the end. I think people just let their expectations grow to heights that no game could ever live up to, as a result of some of us waiting literally since KH2 for the next numbered release.
If you are going to wax philosophical about why people didn't like this game, which rarely includes "it wasn't exactly what I pictured in my head" Then you should have no problem accepting getting brushed off as a fan boy.
Writing this before watching.
I played the game the week it came out. I took off work and played nonstop to the end, as I'd been waiting for it since I finished 2 around the time it came out.
I'm thinking about giving it a second shot, because my main complaint was the fucking attractions; they legitimately ruined my experience single handedly. Knowing that I can turn them off now, I'm hoping you can give me that spark to jump back in.
I don't know man. I was promised a second keyblade war and all I got was 7 people vs 13. Not quite the war I pictured so yes I'm a little disappointed.
That’s your fault
Dropping absolute Bars at the end.
Hell I have LOVED KH3 from the beginning. The only world I was kinda disappointed with was Frozen's and even then I enjoyed the look of the winterscape. Even enjoyed exploring the maze Larxene made. Yes it followed Frozen's story a bit too close but whatever. Tangled did the same thing story wise but the whole point of that world was to marvel at everything like Rapunzel who'd just left her tower for the first time in her life. So that never bothered me like so many complain about. And the rest of the world's world's just plain enjoyed. Heck I was ecstatic we actually got to captain a pirate ship this time and not just have them as fast travel dressed up. And all the little detail! I Love the fact they made Sora tech illiterate lol! So I'm So happy someone isn't dragging it for a change. Yes it has flaws but nothing is ever perfect.
Bro you literally spoke from my soul in the last 2 minutes of this video
I couldn't relate more😭😭😭😭
Yo, casting shade at the AskYourUncle video is pretty low. He's quite reasonable about the pros and cons of the game.
No he really isn’t. The video is bad faith and dog shit. People are allowed to criticize his video.
Really goes to show how confident this video creator is with himself and his work when he has to throw shade at others to make himself look better, huh?
as regular pat has mentioned before regarding the wall sheen, there’s an alternate universe where the devs didn’t include it and everyone was confused & pissed about not knowing which walls are walkable, and for once im glad to be in this universe where they included a wall sheen… the man convinced me
KH3 is like Xenoblade 2, Goated sequels that sadly divided an entire fanbase.
Edit: I still haven't played xc3
@@jairekambui7738 bruh 💀💀💀
Indeed
I haven't played KH1 in quite awhile so I might be wrong here when I say that Sora had another low point. That was when he had his Keyblade taken away from him & his friends left. The only thing that was keeping him going was Kairi. Heck he even had turned into a heartless. I think there was another point where he was fighting Ansem Seeker of Darkness wherre he had almost lost until Riku gave him a boost. Again, it has been awhile so I forgot how significant these moments were but damn, were they necessary.
I wish I could like this video a thousand times. I play this game Proud Level 1, it's so brutal. Critical is great, but it's just as easy to win as it is to die. I like doing chip damage until I pull out big moves, and having the ability to survive an attack and exist in a critical state for a while before I'm annihilated for depleting my resources. Long grueling battles, pulling out all the stops.
KH1 will forever be my favorite because it's the only action RPG in the series, every other game is just an action game. But KH3 is one of the best action games I've ever played. The decision making is entirely in the mechanics and encounter design, no meter forcing you into a repetitive loop, no endless stun locking combos.
The story of KH3 was good, but the presentation slightly lacking in finesse. The framing, the animation, and the music scoring is all kinda lackluster in general. There's good music, but I think Yoko really brought the impactful pathos that was the key ingredient to selling and transcending the anime cheese of the first two games, and that was missing in key places for KH3.
THANK YOU for explaining the Aqua thing. I'm glad I'm not the only one on the planet who didn't need that explained when I first saw it. It's like when you spend 9 hours on a boss fight and you restart and immediately miss a window at the beginning - you know you'll survive if you try, but you give up anyway because they broke your spirit.
Going through it on critical mode with the remind DLC for the first time and I'm loving every second of it
I think the biggest point against KH3 is that it starts in the middle of a story. It’s the Endgame to Dream Drop Distance’s Infinity War. While the first two games could stand alone as relatively self-contained stories, KH3’s relies heavily on the games that come before it. For people who haven’t played 3D in advance or had to wait so many years for this narrative like they did in real life, I could see how they’d be disappointed. That being said, this type of story isn’t automatically bad. Just look at “Return of the King” or the aforementioned Endgame. Final act surprise can still be really great and satisfying.
True
3D's ending should have been the midway point of KH3
would have made it a lot better
If players were disappointed because they foolishly skipped Dream Drop that's on them. They should have learned their lesson after skipping CoM before 2 like a good chunk people did back in the day.
Dude only the first game works as a standalone story, if you play KH2 as your first game or even without playing CoM, you won't understand why Sora is sleeping or how did he end up on a chamber and why the Organization XIII didn't have 13 members at that time or how Riku and Mickey got out the realm of darkness
I think even BBS expects you to know the basics of what a Keyblade is
Been a KH fan since I was 10 and I love all the games so when I got KH3 and I experienced that beautiful version of dearly beloved for the first time I literally shed tears, this game holds a special place in my heart that can't be replaced.
With all the negative thoughts we get on games and movies and how easy it is to jump immediately onto saying something is "bad" because it's the majority opinion, I love seeing videos talking about how you can still love something even against all that negativity. Props to you my man for sharing your side!
There's also the fact that even if you consider something bad, or underwhelming, or broken beyond belief, you can still enjoy that thing. My go to example is always Sonic 06. It was the first console videogame I ever played, and I loved it to death. Years later I can see that it's a rushed, buggy, convoluted mess of a game, but I still love it.
Yes, 100% agree! As an OG fan, there were parts that were a little disappointing with KH3 but overall I loved the game! This video perfectly sums up some of the best things about the game. The bit at the end was almost like a rap. Breath control was very impressive!
THANK YOU❤
Another defense for a game that was actually good, an improvement on the games that came before it. Sure it wasn't the end or the way people wanted it to be, it was still a VERY good game. The story was even boosted in Re:Mind as well as additional boss battles that added to the difficulty!
But even without them, I can't believe people would disregard the conclusion to certain characters and their arcs. Team Days being the MOST well known one of them all!
Once again thank you for releasing this video to combat the blatant hate videos disguised as "Review", my very first proper dive into the franchise and while I hardly understood everything i loved it and years after becoming familiar with the series and playing the highly acclaimed KH2, I can still proudly call KH3 a far better game for me
I hate it when people say every difficulty is too easy because I struggle on Standard every game
Bro sounding like kingdom hearts biggest stan lol
He might be but the gameplay analysis stuff is facts
Let’s be real for a second…even the people that don’t like KH3 are also some of the biggest stans. For every one person that dislikes KH3 and played it once, that same person has played KH2 10 times lol
@@garrettwilliams3816 ehhh I disagree I always loved KH but 3 kinda separated me from the franchise a lil. I hope 4 is 🔥
@@bigjhayooh fair enough. Here’s hoping 4 is a straight banger
I always hear about woody roasting Xehanort.
But.
The no bitches line is the greatest one yet
TL:DR - game doesn't suck, but the ins-and-outs of the story irked me too much to ignore.
Like many things, KH3 was indeed victim of internet hyperbole. To me, it was disappointing in areas that I can easily point out; down to voice lines and direction. In fact, I myself will die on the hill of my own opinion that everything from when the group first engages Terranort, straight up to where LW shows up the second time around, is like the worst part of the game's story. There are several things I hate about that part that are too numerous to go into. I am just big on story, writing and scene direction; the latter of which is often overlooked. Some of the more common things like Disney world issues or pacing I can somewhat agree with most people, but don't feel as strongly about. But even the videos I see that agree with the sentiment that the game is disappointing often go too far in areas. I mean I get that content's gotta be in-your-face and extreme hot-take material, but people love to exaggerate.
For the record, I haven't even been a Kairi fan since after KH2. Since then, I've just been observing to see how they either butcher or improve the likes of her, or Riku or any of the original characters. And it's the feeling that hits upon seeing Kairi kidnapped again, that overshadows any other experience of negativity in the writing that I've had in past games of the series. Which wasn't even helped when they tried to do something with her in the DLC.
Honestly I can't even say that my disappointment for KH3 was based on me thinking they would do something specific and them not doing it. Even if I went into KH3 without having played any of the other games, there's still a lot I'd have ripped on it for. It's a disappointment based solely on the expectation that what they chose to give us would be executed as well as it could possibly be.
I can praise the SDG interactions, I can praise the organization's more charismatic members, I can praise certain payoffs, I can praise combat, soundtrack, level design etc. I'm even fine with how things wrapped up with Xehanort as it was consistent with lines from BBS which people often overlook. But as a total package I can only say I had a more net enjoyable time with previous main entries (not DDD), cause their writing didn't ever appall me *as much* as KH3 or MoM did. And yes, FF characters do have a part to play in that net enjoyment. Cause for better or worse, the hype levels when new FF characters show up just provide more serotonin than listening to Xehanort explain time travel, or playing minigames with Pooh, or even hearing Aqua tell Ven good morning.
Anyway, -KH fans- Square fans forgive a shit-ton of writing and direction quirks. Quirks which I also notice in other recent Square games nowadays. But I just can't.
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And since I've been called out as an "idiot" in the video (I forgive, but do not forget), I'll have to give my 10 cents on the Aqua PTSD debacle. Aqua giving up wasn't originally a big problem in of itself, but coming off the previous events of the awful Terranort fight, it just compounded to make the whole cast feel inept and in some ways inconsistent. It's the snowball effect. For Aqua in that following moment, the script delivered her character's feelings poorly and probably hurt more than helped. For one, the line "it can't be" is too obtuse without the DLC context, cause everyone else there can most certainly believe that "it CAN be" a huge wave of heartless growing in front of them, as the demon hordes that were already there are merging with more. And so focus is taken away from her feelings of PTSD with that line, and instead we're now wondering what she thinks is so impossible about heartless reinforcements. Could it be yet another Nomura secret being hinted at?
At that point, everyone should still try to escape as suggested. The sheer whiplash of her being the most confident and telling everyone to stay and fight, to then giving up is too abrupt if they're not going to show what she sees in her mind. For the scene to be interpreted naturally, she should have started exhibiting PTSD symptoms on sight of the initial wave, and *not* be the one giving out confident orders. In that way, I'd easily believe that she would be giving up in the face of even the smaller wave of heartless. Although they'd still really have to sell it, cause she fought hard against depression when she was alone in darkness, so failing when supported by the light of her friends really needs to stick the landing.
The fact that they had to later explain her mental state by showing visions of her own shadows (something that was not there originally) means that, even to the developers, the original scene as is would *not* make total sense if it was just PTSD due to the heartless wave. Otherwise they could have just slapped an inner monologue over Aqua in that scene, maybe linger on her expressions more, and generally just point out how she feels without having to insert extra models into the tornado. Models which entirely change the perceived threat level because a horde of shit-talking Anti-Aqua's is GG for real.
On top of that, it wasn't an impactful trauma response from Aqua, which would have also helped to actually sell how she felt way better. Could have even done the classic "girl puts hands over her heart and begins trembling" thing. But Square has never been that great with having characters express their more negative emotions in their animations. Sora's yell was one of the better expressions of grief, but even that was carried by voice acting and then quickly plateaued into having the tears on his face do most of the work. His face was hidden for most of the exchange with Riku, and opted for a calm and resigned display of sorrow rather than keep up the desperate painstaking grief that the yell initially set up. Essentially, nobody ever ugly-cries in square games. But just cause that's a standard expectation, doesn't mean that it doesn't end up being noticeable.
Also, I'd have preferred if Sora's sorrow was more locked into the fact that he'd never see his friends again, rather than how he's useless without them. But I guess that better explains why his sadness wasn't *as* intense as I'd have liked.
Great review. I'm not convinced, as my qualms still stand, but I respect the defense of the truly good parts, as it's something I also have to do for various other disliked games. You got heart.
Finally some praise for this game. It's been on my radar for ages but never got to play KH1 or KH2. Granted this puts me on the backfoot but I like everything about this and wanted to dip my toe in. Glad to have picked this up in the Epic sale and am looking forward to playing it (theres a lot of hate out there for this game and I was starting to worry). Great video, I'm in a much better position now, thanks.
I was initially disappointed by kh3 because of my expectations but I gave the game another chance and decided to judge it for what it was not what I wanted it to be now my second favorite game in the series right behind kh2
And I realized how silly most of my criticisms were because how easily they can be applied to kh 2
Funny how how a game made and released 14 years later failed to improve upon the flaws of a 14 year old game.
It's almost as if the only reason people were criticizing the game for those things is because they expected those flaws to be fixed.
@@Cri_Jackal I can understand your argument but I would rather judge games for what they are rather than what they could/should have done
Plus I would argue 3 does improve on certain things from 2 like worlds
And the fact party members aren't useless out of Thier limits
@@Jetstreamsamdidnothingwrong Those two things are absolutely true, yeah, having party members do actual damage is SO NICE. And most of the worlds are really fun to explore.
The combat is just what ends up being far more focused in KH2, none of the enemies in KH3 really demand you pay attention aside from those minotaur dudes, and that's just because they're hard to make flinch, along with those new fire and water guys special moves that make them invincible unless you hit them with the opposite element.
With 2 that may be just as bad as a problem, only a few enemies demanding any real skill or effort, but the far more grounded combat and actual attack variety (instead of there being a bunch of interchangeable moves that do the exact same thing) creates room for the simple fun akin to full on DMC level action games.
The only part of KH3 that scratches the same itch as 1 and 2 for me is the Data Org and Yozora, and Dark Inferno too, where it feels like the game suddenly shifts into that kind of experience, instead of the superbosses feeling like a natural step up from the base game.
@@Cri_Jackal I can respect that
You've done a great service for the world, thank you
Glad to see you still making Kingdom Hearts vids! You are my favorite Kingdom Hearts channel I know of! I especially like the President tier lists you have made, I’ve watched them like 6 times each lmao, they never get old. I watch other president tier lists but they don’t do it for me like yours do. If you were willing to make more I have some suggestions free to use! They include
Keyblade Tier lists - (usefulness, coolness, power)
Disney Worlds Tier lists - (music, secrets, fun, homage to the movies)
Heartless Bosses Tier list
Party member tier list
Oh a summons tier list could be cool too maybe!
Hey thanks so much! I definitely plan on doing more AI President vids in the future, just in due time because I've got all sorts of different vids I want to make!
@@Jheff99 Woohoo 😁😁😁