kingdom hearts ii review
Chronicle of the disappearance, this is how we could name this sequel to the famous but perfectible Kingdom Hearts. Here everything changes, everything changes, everything takes another place. A constant that reveals itself on the one hand in the very scenario of the title, putting a climax to base his remarks on the theme of lack and the will to change his status and on the other hand within the gameplay. Because it is indeed a revolution that operated the software of Square-Enix, erasing most of its faults to replace it with beautiful and great qualities. We can therefore only bow to such a moult, leading to the flight of a game simply bright. But what could have happened in four years? Lots of things, be sure.
Started in 2002 in our campaigns, the Kingdom Hearts series has always suffered from its heterogeneous side on paper. Remained for many "the game where there is Donald and Goofy", the first installment of the saga had drawn the wrath of many people as much in the field of pure gameplay as in storytelling. If it is true that the latter had many faults, including a catastrophic camera management, the script extended much further than at first glance and seemed to shout loudly that it was necessary to wait, that these beginnings were only an opening towards something stronger, more stable. An impression which was then reinforced with the linking events of Chain Of Memories, introducing Organization XIII and some of its eminent members. Based on the loss of memories and the search for a kind of inner strength, this GBA episode could boast of benefiting from an accomplished plot and intelligently constructed characters, notably a certain Axel. This rise in power could therefore only find a breach from which to violently escape and explode in exceptional fireworks. Fortunately, this is the case in Kingdom Hearts 2, the true culmination of this script chain and play space dedicated to raw pleasure. However, like many RPGs, this is the story that takes precedence over basely playful considerations, becoming more dense over the hours until a final exultation far beyond the most imaginative forecasts. Kazushige Nojima, already a screenwriter on the mythical Final Fantasy 7, visibly plunged back into his files surrounded by mysteries to offer us a story, not as complex and lovingly depressive as that of FF7 but just as successful on the whole , more precisely at the level of work on emotion. Divided into two distinct parts, obviously linked in scriptwriting, the title plays on a number of fairly fascinating shots, even going so far as to become almost disturbing in the implementation of a real loss of bearings, more particularly during the fabulous prologue.
The latter will moreover no doubt be subject to controversy, proving to be relatively long and based essentially on more or less interesting speeches and mini-games. However, it poses a temporal realism, being divided into days, and a material necessity (to earn money) which are only present to shatter a few hours later in a total changeover which would never have had so many impact without this base anchored in the banal daily life of a teenager. A cataclysmic twist which ends with a scene of immense beauty, sublimated by its simplicity, definitive link to a new beginning. Haloed by relentless distress, this short passage from "conclusion" approaches the end of the film "In the Skin of John Malkovich" especially in its staging of a dull and invisible sadness. A management of emotion worthy of respect therefore stands out during these first steps and will not weaken throughout the software, sinking little by little into a real despair punctuated by epic moments. Each character expresses a tangible life, remaining consistent with himself and never overdoing it, thereby avoiding sinking the game in pathetic impulses misplaced. Everything turns out to be perfectly balanced, releasing a malleable, palpable universe and much more integrated into the bias of soft. Indeed, contrary to the first KH in which the Disney worlds seemed to fall from who knows where, they have here relationships between them, more or less important connections with the general framework and especially a more homogeneous dispersion. Indeed, your inspections in each environment will be interrupted towards the middle of the game by a return to the general history, preventing from feeling a possible weariness in the face of journeys between universes.
A saving break therefore, which also allows to expose one of the most fascinating passages of the game, inviting you to fight more than 1000 Heartless simultaneously and to fight alongside the most emblematic heroes of the seventh and eighth opus of Final Fantasy, in a quasi-crusade concentrating in a single point an emotional maelstrom perhaps overplayed, but with undeniable and astounding playful reach. A great video game moment that never ceases to haunt you until the last hours, concluding with majesty this almost childish feeling of excited admiration. We also find a reflection on childhood, even adolescence very interesting, giving substance to the dream and the hope that adults try in some ways to muzzle. Indeed, notions like courage, sacrifice or even kindness without artifice are here essentially preserved by young heroes, manipulated, struck by characters much more mature and calculating. A bridge is then built, not towards a glorification of naivety, but towards an emphasis on reverie and storytelling, building a properly childish imaginary world. This part of dreamlike acquired, the player can then get carried away by the many stories governing each of the Disney "planets", most of them original and of quality during your second visit, before moving on to a global scenario just as serious but in a different register. This backstory is a trap door in which each point leads to a different axis of understanding, before meeting towards a dramatic narrative line putting the player facing his own responsibility. Combining betrayal, injustice, and even unwanted cruelty in the name of Good, the scenario does not fall into an easy Manichaeism and exposes opponents far from aspiring to mass destruction or a simple desire for power.
Being beyond all good or all evil, they are driven by a jealous desire, focused on a very particular element which has been refused them without any understandable reason. Then reveals a deep reflection on a subject with ramifications that are both simple and terribly complex, but I will say no more. Sometimes overwhelming, sometimes epic, often written with intelligence and most of the time involved, the plot of Kingdom Hearts 2 is a small blessing, which could only be associated with a smooth gameplay. The bet is openly successful, even if a few small stones are grafted into its very well oiled cogs. Taking again the bases of the combat system of the preceding opus, that of KH 2 is still much more convincing, in particular thanks to the principle of the Drive (Flux in French version) and a small saving shortcut to reach the second part of the menu action, by pressing L2 and a slight movement of the left stick. In fact, the Flux is a power bar that fills up little by little yellow balls collected during your fights and which evolves according to the levels acquired. It actually allows you to trigger various skills, such as summons or even "mergers" once at a sufficiently high level. Recently landed in the Kingdom Hearts series, these are in fact directly linked to Sora's new outfit, which can be transformed under certain conditions. You just have to bond with Donald, or Goofy to benefit from their power and thus put on an improved version of your loose clothing, thus sacrificing one of your companions who will reappear once the Drive gauge is exhausted. In the first case you will float above the ground and excel in magic and in the second you will wear two keyblades simultaneously and have superhuman strength. An amazing find that immediately increases the pleasure of play, increasing the speed of execution and offering a real fun opening where you rush without asking questions.
The more so as two evolutions are possible, namely the Master Form, mixing the magic and physical capacities without increase in power and the Final Form, accentuating the latter two and adding a devastating attack at the end of combos. Of course, it is particularly enjoyable to nullify any resistance in this way. A final form, called Antiform, can be used when you come into contact with a Heartless for an extended period in Drive mode. You almost enter berserk mode, in the guise of a little wispy monster, and destroy everything around you in seconds. On the other hand, it is impossible for you to heal yourself, to use other commands than those relating to the attack and you find yourself alone on the battlefield. These transformations must therefore be managed sparingly, by adapting to the situation encountered. A point highlighted in the light of a much finer camera management, allowing a very rapid refocusing of the vision and less confusion during the confrontations. However, there are still some precision issues and the point of view always tends to remain a little on the sidelines of the actions of Sora, quite often masked by the numerous and magnificent light effects provided by the game. But all this becomes secondary, when, once taken in the title, you will be content to follow this call to adventure, this cry towards the dream and when you take this hand which carries you towards a flood of diverse and intense emotions. This unconscious abduction is the hallmark of exceptional games.
The notes
Graphics 17/20
Blending happily the Disney and Final Fantasy universes in an astonishing coherence, so much so that after a few moments you no longer make the difference between the graphic styles, Kingdom Hearts 2 sets up a colorful, open and truly credible. Even if the modeling sometimes suffers from small snags, the plastic of the software is of great finesse, at the level of artistic direction in general and design chara in particular, supported by the usual and gifted Nomura Tetsuya.
Gameplay 16/20
If the game still has some problems with the placement of the camera, due to an implementation not fast enough from the point of view in the action, huge progress has still been made, making the heavy gap of the first opus for a detail in this version. In addition, it is possible to partially refocus the vision by a small pressure on the left stick. Aside from that, the title is an ode to raw pleasure, providing a contextual action system specific to each type of enemy, making it possible to perform special moves brilliantly staged.
Lifespan 15/20
The A-RPG being never very long, Kingdom Hearts 2 takes this observation a little against the foot by proposing forty hours of play taking its time and a good ten more if you want to get the latest weapons from each character and face a Sephiroth in great shape with its 14 life bars. In addition, you will have the right to a most enigmatic secret end by finishing the software one hundred percent in normal mode, or by simply filling out Jiminy's diary in difficult mode. Anyway, it's very easy to get back into a game.
Soundtrack 16/20
Unfortunately taking up the synthetic sounds of the first opus, the soundtrack of the talented Shimomura, nevertheless includes terribly catchy passages. If we find certain Disney themes with more or less happiness depending on the case, the new songs are very good, sometimes dense and bright like "Lazy Afternoons" or even melancholic and dark like "Organization XIII" . The French dubbing is of high quality, especially in the case of Sora (Donald Reignoux) of Ansem (Bruno Duberna), or else of Diz (Bernard Metreau).
Scenario 17/20
Very well written, the scenario of Kingdom Hearts II reaches unexpected heights and is now focused much more on the characters and a real search for emotions. In addition, the revelations on the real role of Sora in the first opus, the poignant expectations of the Simili and especially the reflection on the notion of existence prove themselves could not be more interesting. Everything is done to take the player and make him feel a wide range of feelings in a fascinating frame.
After a debatable first opus and an extension on GBA giving the beginnings of an adventure much more fleshed out than one might think, Kingdom Hearts II literally explodes and reaches truly surprising heights. Original, with a level entirely in black and white sounded in mono, surprising with its passage musical, fascinating by its correctness of tone and its scenario, dreamlike by its imaginative treatment, the title of Square-Enix mixes qualifiers and impressions to achieve a homogeneous and simply fantastic whole. If problems persist despite everything and annoy a bit, they fail to fault the software. A major date in the history of A-RPG, quite simply. With Digital Devil Saga and Suikoden V in addition, this end of the year is a bit of an RPG festival.
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