S4E5 - Kingdom Hearts 3 - “I like him less now because he’s not an owl!”

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In This Episode:

Void is still missing! Austin joins Beej again to talk about a
series that means a lot to both of them: Kingdom Hearts. KH3 has
finally released. After thirteen years of waiting, and nearly 18
since the series' debut, we have our grubby little hands on the
final installment of the mainline Kingdom Hearts games.


The real question, though, isn't necessarily whether it's good or
not. That's almost beyond the point. The real question we have to
ask ourselves as fans of the series is...
Was KH3 Worth the Wait?

Even that, however, is a hard question to answer because it
hasn't been 13 years since the release of any Kingdom Hearts
game. Only the numbered, mainline ones. We've had a slew of
releases like Birth by Sleep (which might as well have been
renamed Kingdom Hearts Zero), Dream Drop Distance, re:Coded,
Chain of Memories, and so on. 


We haven't necessarily missed them, but there hasn't been a
primary console release since KH2. The others were all handhelds,
except for remasters/re-releases.


In general, we think that yes it was worth it. But the
better answer is kinda because it can't be talked about
without a few caveats.
What You Should Know Before Playing Kingdom Hearts 3

Before diving in, let us give you a few points that we've noticed
people talk about so that you're not surprised.
1. Cutscenes

First, the cutscenes are long. Like...Xenoblade Chronicles 2
long. So make sure that you're ready for that.


Second...the cutscenes don't make as much sense as you think they
should. If you've played all the games, you'll be frustrated
because you know this stuff. And if you've just played KH1 and
KH2, then you're going to be frustrated because even the
clarification of what happened in the other games is nonsense.


That said, it's easy to bounce off Kingdom Hearts 3
early. Please don't. If you try it and aren't sold,
get to the end of the Toy Story world (the first of the
real worlds) before deciding to bounce. The game opens
up a lot at that point. (Kind of like Persona 5 opening up
after the first Palace.)
2. Combat is Chaos...At First

When you start out, the combat feels like fast actiony, Kingdom
Hearts combat. It's frenetic and wild. It's also (mostly)
controlled chaos.


That's because they have included nearly every combat mechanic
from all the other Kingdom Hearts games into this one. All at
once. (No cards from Chain of Memories, though, thankfully.)


You get Attractions, Shotlock, Flowmotion, Summons, Grand Magic,
Weapon Transformations, Team Attacks, and...probably something
we're forgetting, too.


At first, it's easy to get overwhelmed. But as you play, you both
grow used to it and see the logic behind it all. Plus, you learn
which pieces and mechanics work best for you, so you can ignore
the ones that don't.


Just be aware, it's not all button mashing with a few reaction
commands. We promise.
3. The Boys Are Back

You get to keep Goofy and Donald in your party at all times now.
No more swapping in and out. The Disney characters just add on
and follow you around and fight. It's awesome.
4. The Pirates World is Garbage

The Pirates of the Caribbean world is garbage. It’s a garbage
world with a garbage story with garbage gameplay mechanics and
garbage characters. 


It is, however, very pretty. Very, very pretty. The graphics are
incredibly well-done. Other than that...garbage.


You have been warned. So power through it, get to the end, and
then you can go back and explore later. We promise that it's a
lot more enjoyable as an open world rather than a narrative
experience.
5. The Minigames and Sidequests are Awesome

Austin an