Kingdom Hearts Re:coded Log I

I'm back from my trip! Where this trip was to you shall not know until I write a blog post about it, but just know that after much waiting, I finally have Kingdom Hearts Re:coded!

The last game in the Kingdom Hearts series that I played was easily one of my favorite games ever, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. Due to the sheer massiveness of the game, I only finished it completely under a month ago. Great game, and the ending effectively got me back into the series. However, Square Enix, know this: if you make me buy another spin-off before Kingdom Hearts III that is some sequel of that game, our relationship may go into a state of violence and instability as of yet unbeknown to this world.

And so now, here we are. After playing as Roxas in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days and then three entirely new protagonists in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, I'm finally playing with Sora as the main protagonist again, for the first time since Kingdom Hearts II! Let the nostalgia begin! Except for nostalgia of the Summons. Those never happened and they shall never be spoken of again. If they ever are to appear in a later installment, here is what I have to say: THEN WHO WAS SUMMON

And so, our story begins. Jiminy Cricket, giving us cryptic messages summarizing Sora's previous adventures, stumbles upon the, formerly, only note in his journal of Kingdom Hearts: "Thank Naminé", a line that the rest of us have known about for over six years. However, due to Jiminy's incredibly small size, it took him a long time to get everything set it up in his unknown dark chamber where he had these two journals. Jiminy then finds a second message so cryptic that BEN may have wrote it:

"We must return to free them from their torment."

Well, when in doubt, go to the mouse with the oversized key. Next up, Sora awakens in yet another Awakening, and we must once again select a Disney-based sword, shield, or staff. Just like he has in every other adventure of his, Sora is going for the staff. Now Sora must give something up. After a higher existence recounts how cruel the universe is with low defense, it compels Sora to sacrifice his strength instead of his defense.

But oh, what's this? It actually seems that Sora is actually a coded emulation of our favorite spiky haired Keyblade wielder in this adventure, due to the workings of two supposedly intelligent squirrels. However, due to the fact that freaking squirrels are pioneering the technology Sora's adventure and existence is dependent on, stuff breaks. The squirrels' solution is to leave the room with the malfunctioning computer and then wait for it to stop.

NOTE: Wow, the cutscenes SUCK.

Then, this "Mickey" character reveals to us that a message appeared in Jiminy's journal. Rather than use the obscene amount of magic or technology present in every single adventure of his, Mickey instead thinks it's a better idea to take the entire journal and go back through everything that already happened in a past adventure of Sora's. Sora, in the data journal, is facepalming right now. Then, oh no, a man in a black cloak! If there's anything that the very laws of adventuring and heroism have taught Sora, it's that people wearing black cloaks are bad news. Then Sora is told to go catch the guy; being a completely dependent being, our malleable little "Sora" goes right along.

NOTE: Load times are thousands of times better than in BBS. Thank GOD.

Alas, Heartless appear, in the form of what I initially called "nutty black ants." Time for Sora to do what he does best--no, not be confused--hit stuff with a giant key! Yay! But uh oh--mid-battle, Sora finds himself vastly confused by a new system of Overclock Abilities and Finish Commands. Sora realizes that the universe has obviously changed in some way, and he's going to have to kick logic to the curb and learn the impossible to survive this time. So, Sora decides to fool around his "Stat Matrix". He finds a little dial that has something to do with difficulty. Assuming he should definitely mess with it, he turns the device toward "CRITICAL." Whee~

Oh boy, a giant door, fit for a giant key! Sora opens the door with the Keyblade, and now we're in the lovely world of Destiny Islands. "Sora", though, thinks he's really Sora, and Mickey just can't bear to tell him the truth. Sora is confused by this, as expected. Suddenly, BLOX. BLOX EVERYWHERE. Sora finds that black cubes with red patterns have swarmed over his beloved tropical home. For Wakka and Selphie, Sora begins to crush these much accursed blox. Then, Sora had to go find Tidus, unaware that he was actually busy fighting for the forces of evil and discord shirtlessly against his crazy papa in a completely 'nother dimension. But that's another story. Anyway, while looking for totally not evil Tidus, Sora happens upon a portal with a color scheme similar to the blox. Unable to recount his past memories that prove not once, but twice that going into mysterious or dark places in Destiny Islands is going to be a bad idea, Sora enters.

Hey, the world didn't explode this time? Yay! Sora ends up in a reddish cylindrical room, called a "system sector." System sectors are where the codes that run Sora's ability to live in the data worlds and let the data worlds exist are housed. The mysterious force informs Sora that destroying stuff inside this realm that allows him to live and not crash/break at any given time will help his friends. Mr. Malleable goes right along, attacking enemies inside the coded room. Sora learns that by bashing nutty black ants' heads in with his Keyblade, they will explode, releasing little pies called "System Pies". Since Sora cannot read very well, he cannot deduce the fact that "SP" means "System Points", but rather goes off what the icons look like. Which is pie.

Sora then returns to Destiny Islands, and a new bridge appears. "Whoa! Hello, bridge." It is now that Sora realizes the bridge he is speaking to is a result of debugging the system sector. Basically, Sora risked damaging the very fragile computer that allows him to exist for a bridge. Meh, he should just have the King of Cornelia make his bridges instead. Finally Sora finds totally-not-evil-or-shirtless Tidus. Tidus, thinking he's Kamina or something, thought he could show up Sora, but Sora quickly impaled him with the Keyblade to prove him wrong. But remember, kids, Kamina himself is never wrong.

Next, Tidus suggests that Sora go and play in the mysterious, dark, dangerous cave. Hmm, is this familiar at all Sora? Not after the other time? Oh right, you're data Sora. Anyway, Sora goes to find the black cloak-wearing man, when an earthquake starts. This time, though, a Darkside doesn't appear to destroy the world. Instead, we just seal a Keyhole and all is we--oh, spoke too soon. World's breaking apart again. Really, Sora, you don't remember any of this? A giant, midnight blue monstrosity appears before Sora. After a harrowing battle, Sora stalled the Darkside--only to realize it had entered its EX Mode! In Darkside's EX Mode, it gains a yellow blox shield around it, as well as more health. Darkside also gains the new attack "Blox Explosion", releasing random blox everywhere.

After his second form, Sora realizes this was more than your average Heartless boss, as the third form appeared--a blox monster. Sora quickly brought an end to the code monster, and subsequently, a black core in the sky sucked in Sora, the Darkside, and parts of the decaying world. Then, though, Jiminy and the other non-data guys discover something happening in the data world that was not written down in the journal--Riku's meeting with a mysterious figure, not wearing a black cloak for once!

And so, Sora continues his adventures in the data world, but something isn't quite right in either world's air. The journal is producing images that were never recorded, and the mysterious man wearing a black cloak is yet to be discovered. Can Sora finish debugging the journal? Will the identity of the black cloaked man ever be revealed? How long until we're forced to play Ice Cream Beat again? All this and more will be revealed, next time....