This game has all the stuff I love about 1, particularly the comfort of the bad, embarrassing writing — now with an added, thick layer of teen angst — combined with a surprisingly fantastic combat system.
Square’s approach to real-time combat tends to be really unsatisfying imo, so I question how much of KHII’s combat is intentionally designed to be as good as it is, but everything clicks together so neatly that I’m inclined to believe it was intentional. It almost doesn’t feel like it was made by Square, as a result. The addition of Critical mode in this version of the game makes you realise how well thought out the combat is. It’s so good, I now feel that it’s the only way to play the game. The new optional content in the Final Mix version of this game is also amazing.
I’m not sure how I feel about the level design in this game compared to the first. On the one hand, KH1’s attempts at platforming and light puzzle solving are awful and not having to worry about that in 2 is nice. On the other hand, 2 doesn’t even try to be anything more than running through hallways. Progression in 2 is much more linear. Another case where 1 is maybe executed a little worse, but at least it was making an effort. Lastly, 2’s story is horribly paced. It starts off intriguing , meanders for a very long time, gets a bit more exciting in the middle, goes back to meandering, and then ends with one of my favourite climaxes in a video game. It almost rivals a Platinum games climax for me. It’s not enough to save the terrible pacing, though.
I do love this game, so.
Square’s approach to real-time combat tends to be really unsatisfying imo, so I question how much of KHII’s combat is intentionally designed to be as good as it is, but everything clicks together so neatly that I’m inclined to believe it was intentional. It almost doesn’t feel like it was made by Square, as a result. The addition of Critical mode in this version of the game makes you realise how well thought out the combat is. It’s so good, I now feel that it’s the only way to play the game. The new optional content in the Final Mix version of this game is also amazing.
I’m not sure how I feel about the level design in this game compared to the first. On the one hand, KH1’s attempts at platforming and light puzzle solving are awful and not having to worry about that in 2 is nice. On the other hand, 2 doesn’t even try to be anything more than running through hallways. Progression in 2 is much more linear. Another case where 1 is maybe executed a little worse, but at least it was making an effort. Lastly, 2’s story is horribly paced. It starts off intriguing , meanders for a very long time, gets a bit more exciting in the middle, goes back to meandering, and then ends with one of my favourite climaxes in a video game. It almost rivals a Platinum games climax for me. It’s not enough to save the terrible pacing, though.
I do love this game, so.