STACK #147 Jan 2017

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GAMES FEATURE

continued Why Kingdom Hearts Works

your characters to fill roles as niche or rounded as you can think. Weapons, medals, attacks, stats – whatever has been in a JRPG and could have been in a JRPG can be found and configured to make a system that is truly yours and unlike anyone else's. This means the playthrough value is almost endless, giving players the excuse to fight alongside their favourite faces time and time again. As strange as Kingdom Hearts is, it’s undeniable that it comes together beautifully, like pork and apple, salt and caramel, hopeful youth and bewildered teen.

And that’s one of the secrets of KH – it understands epic on more than one level. For those not invested in KH, this is easily seen in the boss fights throughout the series. Stages are set, the cinematics are badass, and the combat intensifies significantly from the norm. There’s also some cases where you can perform special, boss-specific moves. It’s more than just the visual of the attack, or the damage output – it’s about significance in that moment. Change has occurred and you have to pay attention, because this isn’t like every other fight. Oh no, this is its own moment and it’s going to stick with you. However, for those in the KH fandom, their sense of the epic might’ve also been tickled by the characters, story and reveals. For those unaware, KH is one of the most convoluted

Square Enix games of all time, if not the most. This is the same developer who brought us FFXIII- XIII-2 and Lightning Returns , so that might give you an idea of the tangled web of bottom-of-the-bag headphones plot involved. Of course, that makes the reveals, and the rules of the universe, all the more impactful. Every new bit of information, every twist, every character, fundamentally changes how the game can be viewed. Hell, every KH forum is filled with theory and speculation. KH is not a franchise banking on Mickey’s good looks to make its buck – it has a level of gameplay, customisation and level progression behind it that would make your Europa Universalis player think that some people have too much time on their hands. You can get lost in levelling and progressing

• Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 is out Jan 24

Kingdom Hearts X Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories Kingdom Hearts II Kingdom Hearts Coded Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance Kingdom Hearts III

JANUARY 2017

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