I can't possibly explain how much I missed Kingdom Hearts, because it wasn't even obvious to me until the newest game in the series was placed into my hands. This exceptionally creative and charming series has stolen hearts since 2002 when it premiered on the PlayStation 2 and brought two entertainment giants together: Square Enix and Disney. Now it wasn't always obvious that Final Fantasy would go so well with Disney movies, but the companies proved everyone wrong with this bestselling series. Kingdom Hearts is an intricate story about three friends and the things they would do to save one another. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days is the newest addition to the series, although it falls chronologically before Kingdom Hearts 2, and this time focuses on Sora's Nobody, Roxas.
Just as a quick note, people who have never played this series will be completely lost in this game, and at therefore at least partially in this review. The game is technically the fifth one and even though it occurs before the second, it may still prove confusing to play this without playing the others.
Believe me, it's worth it if you're interested in RPG's.
Many fans were confused by Roxas' appearance in Kingdom Hearts 2, although Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories sought to explain some of it. Essentially, when Sora gave up his heart to save Kairi in the first game, a body was left behind, a Nobody.
In Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days Roxas is taken in by Organization XIII, a group of Nobodies who have plans to claim hearts for themselves. Their leader, Xemnas, claims Roxas while Roxas is still aimlessly walking around, and immediately sends him out to collect hearts with the Keyblade he inherits from Sora. In the Organization, Roxas befriends fellow Nobody Axel, who has secrets of his own but seems to have genuine affection for Roxas. In time, Roxas and Axel also get close with a mysterious Nobody, Xion. The three of them meet up after every mission to talk and enjoy ice cream together.
As the story enfolds and Roxas is sent out on various missions all over the Disney/Square world, and other well known characters from the series appears, such as Namine, Riku, and Mickey Mouse. Xion's past is discovered, Roxas' fate is determined, and everything is set up neatly so that the plot of Kingdom Hearts 2 takes place immediately after this game finishes. This might be the saddest of the games, since you know some pieces of the puzzle and being on Roxas' side still means getting ready to lose him. Unlike the other games, this has no defined happy ending and one doesn't exactly feel any satisfaction from the end result. If one continues with the series, perhaps they can feel happy knowing how Xemnas ends and Sora's reunion with Kairi and Riku, but Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days is a tragic game.
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