Ask anyone who knows me, and they’ll tell you that I’m obsessed with all things Square Enix. Or they’ll tell you I’m nuts and shouldn’t be allowed around sharp objects. Either way.
That in mind, if you’re imagining that I had the latest foray into the Kingdom Hearts universe pre-ordered months ago, you’d be correct.
Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days (the correct pronunciation of which somehow works out to “Three Five Eight Days Over Two”) fills in the missing information concerning Sora’s Nobody, Roxas, during Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and leads into the beginning of Kingdom Hearts 2. While Sora sleeps, Namine rebuilding his memory bit by bit after his adventures in Castle Oblivion, Roxas is off on his own adventures with the other members of Organization XIII.
The story begins as Roxas awakens as a Nobody and is recruited by Organization XIII. He soon meets and becomes friends with Axel, as well as another mysterious Nobody by the name of Xion. He shortly learns that he and Xion are “special” Nobodies, though it doesn’t become fully clear to them just what, beyond their ability to use the Keyblade, it is that makes them special until much later.
As usual, Square Enix is in fine form, storywise, bringing back old characters and introducing new ones, toying with the the player’s emotions, and ultimately delivering a fine tale that raises as many questions as it answers.
The gameplay of 358/2 Days is more similar to it’s console-based siblings than to the GBA’s Chain of Memories. Mostly forgoing the DS’s touchpad (though it is used for repositioning the camera), most of the action is the usual button-mashing Kingdom Hearts fans are already familiar with. I will say that I found a lot more use for magic this time around… in previous games, I just wailed on whatever was attacking me with my keyblade, rather than bothering with a magic attack. Magic is a bit more effective in this installment, and occasionally even necessary.
Roxas’ abilities can be customized by earning panels and slots to put panels in. Panels equip just about everything: skills, magic, items, weapons, accessories… there are even level panels, which puts an interesting (though occasionally frustrating) twist on outfitting the character before battle.
In terms of the game as a whole, the one thing I missed most was the lack of exploration. Early in the game, access is limited to only a few areas of the various worlds Roxas must visit… other avenues are blocked of by barriers until later quests. 358/2 Days looses a lot of the sandbox feel Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2 offered. Additionally, there are only a scant few worlds even available. I have to say that I was a little disappointed not to see Atlantica, Hollow Bastion, or the Deep Jungle from the first game, or China, the Pridelands, and Port Royale from the second. But then, Roxas’ time is limited, so I suppose that it only makes sense that he can’t go everywhere Sora could and meet everyone that Sora met.
So how does it stack up overall?
Gameplay: 6/10 - I was glad to see the return to the KH1/2-style hack and slashing, but it felt awkward on the DS. I missed my analog sticks, and trying to simultaneously control the camera and my attacks with one hand resulted in an untimely death on more than on occasion before I finally got the hang of it. Sort of.
Characters: 10/10 - Kingdom Hearts has some of my favorite characters, hands down. I was thrilled to get a glimpse into the Organization members we saw so little of in the other games.
Story: 9/10 - While you kind of have to wonder how Axel, Roxas, and Xion don’t weigh half a ton given all the sea salt ice cream they eat on a daily basis, the story is well-paced and entertaining from beginning to end. Bonus points for managing to make me cry at one point.
Overall: 8/10 - There are some flaws, and the feeling that it could have been more… but as with many Square Enix games, most fans are in it primarily for the story, and on that level it delivers.
