When I first heard that Kingdom Hearts was coming to DS, I wondered how Nintendo and Square Enix would approach it. Would it be another card based game (a la Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories on the Game Boy Advance)? Or would they go for a turn based RPG like Final Fantasy Tactics Advance? I never would have guessed they’d create a game on par with its PlayStation 2 equivalents and go fully 3D, as chances were it probably wouldn’t turn out too well. But you know what? I couldn’t have been any more wrong, as it looks and plays brilliantly.
For the unacquainted, Kingdom Hearts is a series that began on the PS2 and is the lovechild of the Disney and Square Enix universes. It is an action RPG that has become rather prominent in the gaming sphere over the past few years, currently containing Kingdom Hearts & Kingdom Hearts 2 for the PS2, and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, a spin-off on the GBA. 358/2 Days is another spin-off title, this time following the story of Roxas and his days spent within the ranks of Organization XIII (days which occur between the stories of Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts 2). You may remember Roxas from the tutorial in Kingdom Hearts 2, and his story was quite rudely cut short and left incomplete due to Sora stealing the game’s main focus. This game aims to flesh out his story, and explain why Roxas is the only one that can create Kingdom Hearts because of the infamous Keyblade he wields. To delve any further into the story would spoil it completely, but rest assured a lot of answers that went unanswered in KH2 will be revealed.
And when I said earlier that the game is pretty much on par with the PS2, we all know that a DS cartridge simply can’t hold enough information to create the free roaming worlds that the PS2 delivers, and because of that, the game is mission based. After every mission you ‘Return to Castle’ (RTC) to talk to the boss to receive the details of your next mission. This works rather well as you can play the game in shorter bursts, which suits the handheld format perfectly. Missions range from killing x amount of enemies, reconnaissance (walking around a new world and finding all points of interest) and destroying bosses. The graphics do however get a little jaggy at times, but overall the presentation is extremely polished.
Even plants are enemies in KH 358/2 Days.
The controls handle mostly like the PS2 equivalents, but not having a joystick can lead to cramps in some of the more long-winded battles. It also makes running around in a less-rigid way near impossible, due to the d-pad only having four directions. This of course isn’t Kingdom Hearts’ fault, rather the technical limitations of the DS. The controls also perfectly navigate through the part-menu, part-action command scheme, which has made a welcome comeback.
Something that is a first for the series so far is the ability to play multiplayer with up to 3 other people (Multi-card Play). It’s awesome that you can choose any Organisation XIII member to play as, but unfortunately you can’t actually progress with the members in the main story.
Always trying to be the funny one...
I think the main thing that exists right throughout this game is nostalgia, and it’s what makes it so great. That’s why I think non-Kingdom Hearts fans are going to find it hard to really get into this one, as it’s impossible for nostalgia to exist if you’re totally new to a series. I recommend starting at the beginning with Kingdom Hearts, or somehow filling in the story gaps, otherwise you’ll more than likely find the game’s story unbearable due to its relatively slow pace.
It’s not particularly suited to newcomers to the series, but if you’re a Kingdom Hearts fan it’s a given purchase (no doubt you’ve probably gone out and bought it already). For people new to the KH universe, go back and fill in what you’ve missed while you still can, and I can guarantee you’ll be glad you did. Probably won’t be for everyone, but a brilliant DS game nonetheless.
By Matthew Williams
Graphics: A-
A few jaggies here and there, but an extremely polished display on the whole.
Sound: A
The Kingdom Hearts soundtrack we all know and love, almost identical to past games. Sound effects are all the same too (menu sounds, etc).
Gameplay: A
Seamless execution, hard to fault.
Overall: A
A welcome addition to the KH story and franchise that does the series proud. Bring on Kingdom Hearts 3!
I think this review is a little bias.
And I think it’s a valid argument that all reviews are, or at least contain some elements of bias?
Being a fan of the series when reviewing the game makes it impossible not to give it praise. It does however happen to be a very good and quality game, regardless of whether you like the Kingdom Hearts series or not.
“That’s why I think non-Kingdom Hearts fans are going to find it hard to really get into this one, as it’s impossible for nostalgia to exist if you’re totally new to a series. I recommend starting at the beginning with Kingdom Hearts, or somehow filling in the story gaps, otherwise you’ll find this game unbearable due to its relatively slow pace.”
?
Admittedly, you have found a mistake in the review, the comment was aimed at the game’s slow story, rather than the entire game itself. The review has been altered to reflect this. All other mentions made in the review remain stood by.
How does the camera control?
What’s the difference between the two screen’s functionalities?
“After every mission you ‘Return to Castle’ (RTC)” – Ye Gods, do you play as B.J. Blazkowicz perchance?
Camera is controlled by L & R buttons, or the touchscreen (two options). The touch screen only acts as an area map. You can see an example of it here: http://bit.ly/26ZoS1 For future, you can always assume that DS reviews with only ‘one screen’ screenshots (not dual-screen) don’t utilise the bottom touch screen in enough of a significant way to be included in the screenshot. The publisher themselves have recognised this when they release their screenshots, so as readers we can assume that too.
And your last comment is a reference to Wolfenstein I think?
Yes it was. Return to Castle Wolfenstein stands as one of my favourite shooters of all time.
There’s actually no such thing as a turn-based RTS.
RTS = Real Time Strategy, which is a fancy way of saying that it’s not turn-based.
Duly noted.