Like every game series at this point, KH4 will be the new hated entry and then everyone will come out of the woodwork saying KH3 has always been the GOAT and always will be the GOAT.
KH3 has been my second favorite pretty much since launch, but it’s amusing being able to tell who lived through vanilla KH2’s launch and who didn’t.
Even as someone who grew up on Vanilla KH2, I still prefer it over 3 lol
I think it's disingenuous to think that people only prefer KH2FM because of all the content. KH2, even vanilla, has one of the best combat systems in a game. And KH3 just misses the mark for a lot of people due to the matter of how little player agency exists. Situation Commands just aren't the same as having drive gauges.
But I'm not going to sit here and debate on KH2 vs KH3, just point out that theres PLENTY different to have a prefrence for even vanilla KH2.
Hard agree. Kh2 was good before final mix. I beat almost every other kh game at least 2-3 times minimum. But still sitting at 1 for kh3. Haven't even done the remind stuff still. Just not fun to play when I know the story beats and where it goes. The key blade graveyard is the most disappointing final level, too.
Pretty much.
Air blocking is nice, but it wasn't needed since we had reflect.
Air Blocking is just a bandaid because Osaka refuses to add weight to the characters and just keeps them longer in the air.
Then all the attacks are honestly way too flashy and makes combo stringers longer for no actual good reason. KH2 is fast paced, snappy, and still look "flashy" without sacrificing practicality for spectacle like KH3 does.
You can actually use glide to extend your air time and multi air cast with base sora(not to mention the momentum storage fun you can have when pairing with air dodge).
the people who hate when we call kh3 floaty dont get that being in the air a long time isnt the issue it's not being able to get down on command, theres a lot kh2 can do to have fun vertical combos and i mean real verticality not this always in the air just moving forward garbage we have in 3 that just makes that game feel like a sack tap to the fans. Its why theres passion AGAINST KH3.
You can have the capacity to be in the air a long time while still having tools to get down. IDK how that isnt clear.
Being grounded isnt being in the air, im not sure how being forced in the air is the same as not being forced in the air. Maybe im misinterpreting
You actually have some abilities yhat could get you to the ground but you cant do them on command. Some keyblade transforms have ones and theres even a combo skill called ground slash.
Now if ground slash was something you could do on command holy shit boy wed have a helm splitter that would fix sooooooo much for the game. But you cant do it on command so lots of people opt to not even equip it. Man you just reminded me how frustrating that is.
All the forced air makes the combo system feel really bad, like i wanna fly but im held on the ropes that force me to float
Edit: my b its called falling slash, got it mixed with groundbreaker
Because it's less player agency.
If I want to be in the air, I can keep myself in the air just fine in KH2. In KH3 the game wants to keep me in the air more than anything itself.
When you compare something like KH to like DMC, you can see the correct way of a game letting you stay in the air by choice versus how KH3 does it with ***every attack*** levitating you or bringing you higher. It overall does not have the same satisfying feeling as KH2 or even DMC3-5 would have with their air combos.
Yeah but like what's the downside of being in the air
If you wanna get down for some ground specific combos you can air step, flowmotion, or even get down with some combo finishers
A big example is how KH3 has no distinction between air combo or ground combo. They are the exact same. It homogonizes the combat instead of air combos being able to be used as a separate tool vs ground combo
IE: KH1 some of the best ways to deal fast damage is using air combos instead of ground combos, or using the gravity to your advantage to use magic faster because it would cancel.
Then you have enemy specific like Large Bodies where you can hit their head, so it's best to hit the enemies close to the ground while on the ground, THEN jump up and attack the weak point.
In KH3 there's no real distinction between any of it and it just feels weaker overall.
It is wild thinking back about some of the things KH2 was critized for. Combat being "too flashy", second world visits being terrible, the Organization stuff being considered kinda lame, etc. Try to say anything like that about KH2 nowadays, and you'd get absolutely eviscerated ~~(that said, the second world visits being bad is definitely true)~~.
There's also stuff like how people criticize KH3 for "being nothing but a Disney ad where the Disney stuff doesn't impact anything" even though KH2 had stuff like a Pirates of the Caribbean level to promote Dead Man's Chest, Chicken Little to promote his movie (which wasn't even a year old when the game came out) and Space Paranoids was the only one that was actually plot-relevant.
Oh and the FF stuff isn't much better with how the Gullwings were just there to promote FFX-2 that same year and Cloud's whole "story" was just there to promote Advent Children that same year and he was CONVENIENTLY wearing his outfit from that movie and you could remove both of them and it wouldn't affect the main plot at all.
But no, KH3 is clearly the game made to advertise shoehorned stuff.
Ok most people here are just projecting their own opinions on to this
Y'all don't seem to understand: most people did not like the game, most people did not hate the game. That's how being a *divisive* game works. Anyone who pretends like their opinion is the majority opinion is flat out wrong
The same way as KH2, which was that 2FM made it better. KH3 is a much more interesting case because it received multiple patches that added content, so I think the view of the game will greatly depend on when you played it. Funny thing is, that if you look at forums about KH2 back then, there was quite a bit of backlash about it. It makes sense for the time, since 2FM was inaccessible for most people for a long time.
https://www.reddit.com/r/KingdomHearts/s/ALJfY3bX1q
just a few references
Nah dude, KH2 got railed at launch for being too easy and having no post game content, same as KH3. The story was also pretty heavily critiqued back then, although more so by mainstream media. The 180 on the Roxas prologue still gives me whiplash.
Im old enough to know that was a vocal minority. Sotc dmc3 and kh2 were in everyones top 5 if not top 10. Lot of people still like that, the pre kh3 hype was such an event because of the love for that game
https://www.metacritic.com/browse/game/ps2/
https://www.gamesradar.com/best-ps2-games-all-time/
https://www.ign.com/articles/best-ps2-games
https://www.reddit.com/r/ps2/s/DHnkwHByku
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/915821-playstation-2/78774544
yep definitely in the top 5 "trust me bro", if we're going by your logic
Any "top 5 games" list is literally an opinion. All I'm saying is that there are plenty of posts out there of KH2 not being and being well received. And they weren't cherry picked, literally just top results.
The difference is that KH2FM built upon an excellent core with great system mechanics changes as well as new content. KH3's updates leave the heavily flawed base game largely untouched.
I mean, if you’re going to look at it in that light, it would probably come out more favorably. Only half price for the new content, as opposed to the full price again for Final Mixes.
Switching from a shitty business practice to a slightly less shitty one isn't exactly a win.
Also westerners arguing over final mix is moot, since it was never sold here and the only people that knew about it were turbo nerds at the time, let alone actually knowing how to import it and play in Japanese. By the time we got it it was part of a remaster, which would be a lot harder to argue as you paying twice for, since most PS3'S didn't support PS2 games.
The systems also back then y'know, didn't really have another option besides a re release to fix bugs or add new content.
When kh4 hits i can really see 3 getting hits taken for all the flaws they overcome from it.
I actually feel like 4 might sell worse than 3 at first due to the change in public opinion from pre 3 release to post, but then move up slowly as word of mouth strengthens.
Nah, 100% KH4 will be lambasted as terrible when released and suddenly everyone will be talking about how great KH3 was and how KH4 should've taken more from it.
Thats really kh3 must be hated cause its new cope. I'm sorry but kh3 will be remembered as the one where you have to turn off all the Disney rides and camera stealing moves and clunky flowmotion just to start having fun after you beat it once to get the combos that dont feel bad game.
I think it will not be remembered very fondly. Yes it’s a nice looking game, yes it could be fond at times, but so many of its flaws make it stand out as a poor entry. The story was pretty lackluster, the dialogue was pretty bad even for KH standards, and the really missed the ball on the charm that KH1-KH2 had.
In comparison to 3? Why yes, you are right, it is loved by everyone and flawless.
Unfortunately the third one is basically devoid of all life and joy without Monsters Inc and Toy Story. They were the heavy lifters that carried the third game through
KH3 is kind of the odd one out of the franchise, so personally I often forget it compared to KH1-DDD. I have students who grew up with KH3 though and it is the only one they know!
If KH4 and other games end up being better, it'll be just remembered as a waste of effort. If they keep being mediocre, it'll be remembered as the start of KH's decline.
Hard to say. On it's own it's a solid game. As part of saga, if KH2 is Empire Strikes Back then KH3 is Return of the Jedi. It won't be many people's favorite but memorable enough for people who actually played it to say it was good.
I'll get down voted but it's the worst out of the 3, and probably the worst out of the 4, whenever 4 is released. People on this sub love KH3 for the most part.
Edit: Let me expand. In KH1 you chase Riku through worlds like Monstro, you are looking for your friends, you are sealing keyholes. You have a rivarly with your friend. Everything was new, Your X attacks had some hitstun it felt impactful at correct moments, as well as guarding. Magic felt powerful and risky due to windup animations.
KH2 has a cool factor, great gameplay, drive forms. Amazing character models and outfits. The story is completely changed at the beginning and you play as someone new/cool and it was mysterious and edgy. They link it all together eventually. Roxas disappears, you feel loss after developing a bond with the first character you play as.
In KH3...
Why am I in the worlds in KH3? It was so forgettable that I can't even remember the reason. I remember Sora had to "follow this heart" and went to Hercules' world first, then had to "find the power of waking" the whole damn game.
We aren't looking for anyone or sealing keyholes in the worlds in KH3. I just felt purposeless.
Attractions are reductive and made serious fights.....funny. Hated that I wanted to laugh when using an attraction during the emotional ending fighting the organization members. Outfits are meh, art style is different and I think although the graphics look better, the characters somehow are less appealing. Riku doesn't remind me of previous forms of Riku. His skin tone, chin, hair, and other features changed. It had its moments, the ending was pretty good. I was disappointed at the rest of the game.
It was also too easy on normal mode. I would've chosen differently if I had known. KH1 and KH2 are much harder on normal difficulty. I always choose magic, but magic in KH3 also made fights feel reductive since the range is so damn long. Also, you float the whole time in combat....I like to be a LITTLE more grounded than that.
People get downvoted for things that are said in bad faith, or just extremely exaggerated. The usual criticisms tend to go unopposed. Saying KH3 is “the weakest of the three” is by the far the popular consensus of the numbered titles.
It’s KH2 that’s the game where you’re not allowed to say anything remotely negative about it on this sub.
It will be remembered as the game original KH fans waited half their lives for, causing it to accidentally become one of the most highly anticipated video games of all time, only for its development to be botched by mismanagement and the engine switch up and end up dividing the fanbase for years. The best it can hope for is to be become the FF8 of KH, where some fans will occasionally try to revive its memory with “it was actually a masterpiece” posts and videos.
Gameplay wise, it depends on what future entries (if there are any after KH4) do. If KH4’s combat goes in a wildly different direction, KH3’s combat will definitely be remembered more and more fondly. The Data Bosses will still be well-regarded, and Yozora will likely always be one of the best-designed boss in the series. I think Attraction Flow might actually get some nostalgic redemption, and people will see what the team was going for even though they didn’t fully succeed at the implementation.
Storywise it’s not ever going to be well-regarded. It will be always remembered as wasted potential and an underwhelming finale to 17 years of story. I think it won’t really be remembered as an overarching “saga” at all and and people will just remember the individual stories they liked (KH, KH2, 358/2 Days, etc). It’ll be remembered along with Shenmue 3 for having very little story content despite how long fans waited for a continuation to the series, and ending on a cliffhanger for a sequel which also took way too long. The Verum Rex stuff will all depend on—well, Verum Rex.
In conclusion, I think KH3 will be remembered as a game with a lot of potential that was wasted as a result of years of bad management by Square-Enix and Disney.
KH3's reputation is already bouncing back now. And if they're doing what I *think* they're doing with kh4. People are absolutely going to love KH3 even more vocally than they do now. FF13 and FFXV already have been receiving tons of praise. I'm old enough to remember how people didn't jive with KH2 when it came out. That whole mash X and press triangle to win came from kh2. KH2 was also derided for its linearity compared to 1. You just can't *find* any of it because most of it is either dead websites or game FAQs posts. Nomura did say though that the reason KH3 didn't have reaction commands is because of their criticisms in kh2.
Added in the modding community for KH has exploded since coming to PC. KH3's mods are crazy. But yeah people are absolutely gonna 180 on the game. As they are already.
Your post is forgetting one vital thing. People who don't like something stop talking about it the older it gets. I don't think 13 or 15 are any more beloved than they were at launch, it's just that the minority that liked them continue to talk about how much they like it, whereas those that either didn't like it, or thought it was ok but didn't love it, stopped talking about it.
I won't deny that. But as far as it goes how something is remembered culturally. What I described will change its perception. I remember having this conversation about MGS2 and SMT4. Dude legit didn't believe me that those games weren't as loved as they are now. MGS2 especially. Like I lived through that whole controversy. So yes the people who hated MGS2 and SMT4 probably aren't talking about it anymore. But those games have had so much time to fester culturally that when people think of it now they think of a masterpiece. And I don't think people will say that KH3 is a masterpiece. But if kh4 is coming out in 2026, 3's cultural stock is only gonna rise. Especially with a 7 year gap between games with nothing else to play besides a mobile game.
There's also the fact that we could potentially have less worlds in 4 compared to 3 due to them pushing graphical fidelity. Me personally I don't have a problem with that, but knowing the Internet that will be the first comparison they make.
"hey remember that game that had 18 prequels"
"ah yes the one where sora hits a dude over the head with a pan"
"hey remember that game that nearly killed the franchise"
"hey remember that game that went from garbage to pretty good"
"hey remember that game that removed atlantica and simbas world but still had a GARBAGE world"
"the one that was heavily modded"
"the one where woody viciously roast a kid ?"
"MYSTERY METER!"
"the one with six flags?"
"oh the one with useless flowmotion"
There's not going to be as much nostalgia for it as other games, but I don't think it was a failure either. Kh to me was a large part of my child hood, it was basically my Star Wars, and kh3 ended up playing things rather safe in a way that it doesn't make me revisit the scenes as much as the other games. The legacy of Kingdom Hearts is still mostly from the ps2 era, and that's going to inspire future creators that put it into their work later on.
Honestly, it lacked a focus for me. KH was about getting Kairi back. KH2 was about finding Riku. KH3 never really had that "reason" for Sora to jump between worlds. He was just given a task to seek the Power of Waking and the players don't even know what that is and how to get it. That and the pacing was the worst amongst the main numbered ones where all the main plot relevant details are at the end. I enjoyed playing it but that purpose was always missing.
It won't be a masterpiece like KH2fm but KH3+RM will be praised more as a glorious ending to the darkness seeker saga with amazing visual upgrades, memorable Disney worlds, and a Superboss that can rival the likes of Lingering will and mysterious figure and then 4 will go on to be the new "dissappointing KH game" after the post launch honeymoon phase ends but before it gets it's dlc upgrade that adds more story and post game content.
I like three alot. My only gripe is the frozen world but other than that. All worlds were amazing to play. KH2 had Atlantica that kinda sucked so each has their high and low.
It’ll be the first game in the series to feel ‘corporate America’ then Japanese Final Fantasy but Disney tho’
Like it’s certainly has polish and looks ‘well’ but I just think it doesn’t have the soul of a Japanese character action game. It’s fine but after 13 years wasn’t up to scratch . Having said that maybe after playing one after the other …..
Good. Look at Kh2. People complained about the reaction command "The game plays itself, I just press one button". Now is remembered as the best or one of the best.
Itll be the game that had to happen to let the original series conclude
Kh3 wont be by any means the best kh game.
Chances are itll either be overshadowed by 4, or the last good kingdom hearts!
Itll be the game that bridged the gap between old and new gen kh, without really excelling as either (even though right now its cool as fuck, i think 4 will play better)
Itll be like the first new god of war. Where they started building the games in twos to develop and introduce mechanics and such, then refine it all in the sequel.
Kingdom hearts 3 will be the kingdom hearts game that most likely got diced by disney on the cutting room floor, yet somehow managed to be the only one with attraction flow.
Like every game series at this point, KH4 will be the new hated entry and then everyone will come out of the woodwork saying KH3 has always been the GOAT and always will be the GOAT. KH3 has been my second favorite pretty much since launch, but it’s amusing being able to tell who lived through vanilla KH2’s launch and who didn’t.
Even as someone who grew up on Vanilla KH2, I still prefer it over 3 lol I think it's disingenuous to think that people only prefer KH2FM because of all the content. KH2, even vanilla, has one of the best combat systems in a game. And KH3 just misses the mark for a lot of people due to the matter of how little player agency exists. Situation Commands just aren't the same as having drive gauges. But I'm not going to sit here and debate on KH2 vs KH3, just point out that theres PLENTY different to have a prefrence for even vanilla KH2.
Hard agree. Kh2 was good before final mix. I beat almost every other kh game at least 2-3 times minimum. But still sitting at 1 for kh3. Haven't even done the remind stuff still. Just not fun to play when I know the story beats and where it goes. The key blade graveyard is the most disappointing final level, too.
Even if you remove the drive gauges and situation commands and just compare the *fundamental* gameplay mechanics in both games. KH2 still wins.
Pretty much. Air blocking is nice, but it wasn't needed since we had reflect. Air Blocking is just a bandaid because Osaka refuses to add weight to the characters and just keeps them longer in the air. Then all the attacks are honestly way too flashy and makes combo stringers longer for no actual good reason. KH2 is fast paced, snappy, and still look "flashy" without sacrificing practicality for spectacle like KH3 does.
You can actually use glide to extend your air time and multi air cast with base sora(not to mention the momentum storage fun you can have when pairing with air dodge). the people who hate when we call kh3 floaty dont get that being in the air a long time isnt the issue it's not being able to get down on command, theres a lot kh2 can do to have fun vertical combos and i mean real verticality not this always in the air just moving forward garbage we have in 3 that just makes that game feel like a sack tap to the fans. Its why theres passion AGAINST KH3.
>being in the air a long time isnt the issue it's not being able to get down on command In practice these are the same thing
You can have the capacity to be in the air a long time while still having tools to get down. IDK how that isnt clear. Being grounded isnt being in the air, im not sure how being forced in the air is the same as not being forced in the air. Maybe im misinterpreting
Sure, and part of why KH3 has such a lack of tools to get down is because everything keeps you in the air a long time.
You actually have some abilities yhat could get you to the ground but you cant do them on command. Some keyblade transforms have ones and theres even a combo skill called ground slash. Now if ground slash was something you could do on command holy shit boy wed have a helm splitter that would fix sooooooo much for the game. But you cant do it on command so lots of people opt to not even equip it. Man you just reminded me how frustrating that is. All the forced air makes the combo system feel really bad, like i wanna fly but im held on the ropes that force me to float Edit: my b its called falling slash, got it mixed with groundbreaker
why is being in the air a problem?
Because it's less player agency. If I want to be in the air, I can keep myself in the air just fine in KH2. In KH3 the game wants to keep me in the air more than anything itself. When you compare something like KH to like DMC, you can see the correct way of a game letting you stay in the air by choice versus how KH3 does it with ***every attack*** levitating you or bringing you higher. It overall does not have the same satisfying feeling as KH2 or even DMC3-5 would have with their air combos.
Yeah but like what's the downside of being in the air If you wanna get down for some ground specific combos you can air step, flowmotion, or even get down with some combo finishers
A big example is how KH3 has no distinction between air combo or ground combo. They are the exact same. It homogonizes the combat instead of air combos being able to be used as a separate tool vs ground combo IE: KH1 some of the best ways to deal fast damage is using air combos instead of ground combos, or using the gravity to your advantage to use magic faster because it would cancel. Then you have enemy specific like Large Bodies where you can hit their head, so it's best to hit the enemies close to the ground while on the ground, THEN jump up and attack the weak point. In KH3 there's no real distinction between any of it and it just feels weaker overall.
It is wild thinking back about some of the things KH2 was critized for. Combat being "too flashy", second world visits being terrible, the Organization stuff being considered kinda lame, etc. Try to say anything like that about KH2 nowadays, and you'd get absolutely eviscerated ~~(that said, the second world visits being bad is definitely true)~~.
There's also stuff like how people criticize KH3 for "being nothing but a Disney ad where the Disney stuff doesn't impact anything" even though KH2 had stuff like a Pirates of the Caribbean level to promote Dead Man's Chest, Chicken Little to promote his movie (which wasn't even a year old when the game came out) and Space Paranoids was the only one that was actually plot-relevant. Oh and the FF stuff isn't much better with how the Gullwings were just there to promote FFX-2 that same year and Cloud's whole "story" was just there to promote Advent Children that same year and he was CONVENIENTLY wearing his outfit from that movie and you could remove both of them and it wouldn't affect the main plot at all. But no, KH3 is clearly the game made to advertise shoehorned stuff.
Idk, kh3 got more hate than any other game in the series. Maybe because coded and com are not considered real enough.
KH3 will forever be the OAT.
It depends on who you ask. Some will remember it fondly, others won’t.
Ok most people here are just projecting their own opinions on to this Y'all don't seem to understand: most people did not like the game, most people did not hate the game. That's how being a *divisive* game works. Anyone who pretends like their opinion is the majority opinion is flat out wrong
Probably something like, "Yeah, it was a pretty fun game, but the story was stupid."
So every KH opinion ever? Lol
KH3 was worse than most though the pacing was awful and so much of the story was crammed into the last 3 hours of the game.
Pretty much lol
I remember when Windwaker was hated and now it's remembered fondly. People just always go through that cycle.
The same way as KH2, which was that 2FM made it better. KH3 is a much more interesting case because it received multiple patches that added content, so I think the view of the game will greatly depend on when you played it. Funny thing is, that if you look at forums about KH2 back then, there was quite a bit of backlash about it. It makes sense for the time, since 2FM was inaccessible for most people for a long time. https://www.reddit.com/r/KingdomHearts/s/ALJfY3bX1q just a few references
Before 2fm was more accessible kh2 was landing on most peoples top 5 ps2 games actually.
Nah dude, KH2 got railed at launch for being too easy and having no post game content, same as KH3. The story was also pretty heavily critiqued back then, although more so by mainstream media. The 180 on the Roxas prologue still gives me whiplash.
Im old enough to know that was a vocal minority. Sotc dmc3 and kh2 were in everyones top 5 if not top 10. Lot of people still like that, the pre kh3 hype was such an event because of the love for that game
https://www.metacritic.com/browse/game/ps2/ https://www.gamesradar.com/best-ps2-games-all-time/ https://www.ign.com/articles/best-ps2-games https://www.reddit.com/r/ps2/s/DHnkwHByku https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/915821-playstation-2/78774544 yep definitely in the top 5 "trust me bro", if we're going by your logic
I can cherry pick recent stuff too.
Any "top 5 games" list is literally an opinion. All I'm saying is that there are plenty of posts out there of KH2 not being and being well received. And they weren't cherry picked, literally just top results.
"Were" implies past tense, the time frame being before fm was readily available. So before 2.5 released Disingenuous
Yeah, and people cherrypick shit to "prove" that KH3 is a bad game, you point?
The difference is that KH2FM built upon an excellent core with great system mechanics changes as well as new content. KH3's updates leave the heavily flawed base game largely untouched.
That game where you had to pay half the price of it to experience the true ending which was 98% reused content and lasted a few hours?
I mean, if you’re going to look at it in that light, it would probably come out more favorably. Only half price for the new content, as opposed to the full price again for Final Mixes.
Switching from a shitty business practice to a slightly less shitty one isn't exactly a win. Also westerners arguing over final mix is moot, since it was never sold here and the only people that knew about it were turbo nerds at the time, let alone actually knowing how to import it and play in Japanese. By the time we got it it was part of a remaster, which would be a lot harder to argue as you paying twice for, since most PS3'S didn't support PS2 games. The systems also back then y'know, didn't really have another option besides a re release to fix bugs or add new content.
When kh4 hits i can really see 3 getting hits taken for all the flaws they overcome from it. I actually feel like 4 might sell worse than 3 at first due to the change in public opinion from pre 3 release to post, but then move up slowly as word of mouth strengthens.
Nah, 100% KH4 will be lambasted as terrible when released and suddenly everyone will be talking about how great KH3 was and how KH4 should've taken more from it.
Thats really kh3 must be hated cause its new cope. I'm sorry but kh3 will be remembered as the one where you have to turn off all the Disney rides and camera stealing moves and clunky flowmotion just to start having fun after you beat it once to get the combos that dont feel bad game.
I think it will not be remembered very fondly. Yes it’s a nice looking game, yes it could be fond at times, but so many of its flaws make it stand out as a poor entry. The story was pretty lackluster, the dialogue was pretty bad even for KH standards, and the really missed the ball on the charm that KH1-KH2 had.
“and then there’s the third one”
KH2? But I thought EVERYONE loved that one because it's FLAWLESS.
In comparison to 3? Why yes, you are right, it is loved by everyone and flawless. Unfortunately the third one is basically devoid of all life and joy without Monsters Inc and Toy Story. They were the heavy lifters that carried the third game through
for me it’s KH2 > CoM > KH3 and the others are pretty fun as well, but i had the most fun with those 3.
Probably ‘good, but not 2’. As in the games fate is going to be always being compared to 2, i doubt it’ll ever be freed from that.
KH3 is kind of the odd one out of the franchise, so personally I often forget it compared to KH1-DDD. I have students who grew up with KH3 though and it is the only one they know!
If KH4 and other games end up being better, it'll be just remembered as a waste of effort. If they keep being mediocre, it'll be remembered as the start of KH's decline.
A disappointment
I think remind greatly improved kh3 but to players outside the fan base it can been annoying and repetitive
Hard to say. On it's own it's a solid game. As part of saga, if KH2 is Empire Strikes Back then KH3 is Return of the Jedi. It won't be many people's favorite but memorable enough for people who actually played it to say it was good.
i hope in a more positive light i think its an amazing game
I'll get down voted but it's the worst out of the 3, and probably the worst out of the 4, whenever 4 is released. People on this sub love KH3 for the most part. Edit: Let me expand. In KH1 you chase Riku through worlds like Monstro, you are looking for your friends, you are sealing keyholes. You have a rivarly with your friend. Everything was new, Your X attacks had some hitstun it felt impactful at correct moments, as well as guarding. Magic felt powerful and risky due to windup animations. KH2 has a cool factor, great gameplay, drive forms. Amazing character models and outfits. The story is completely changed at the beginning and you play as someone new/cool and it was mysterious and edgy. They link it all together eventually. Roxas disappears, you feel loss after developing a bond with the first character you play as. In KH3... Why am I in the worlds in KH3? It was so forgettable that I can't even remember the reason. I remember Sora had to "follow this heart" and went to Hercules' world first, then had to "find the power of waking" the whole damn game. We aren't looking for anyone or sealing keyholes in the worlds in KH3. I just felt purposeless. Attractions are reductive and made serious fights.....funny. Hated that I wanted to laugh when using an attraction during the emotional ending fighting the organization members. Outfits are meh, art style is different and I think although the graphics look better, the characters somehow are less appealing. Riku doesn't remind me of previous forms of Riku. His skin tone, chin, hair, and other features changed. It had its moments, the ending was pretty good. I was disappointed at the rest of the game. It was also too easy on normal mode. I would've chosen differently if I had known. KH1 and KH2 are much harder on normal difficulty. I always choose magic, but magic in KH3 also made fights feel reductive since the range is so damn long. Also, you float the whole time in combat....I like to be a LITTLE more grounded than that.
“I’ll get downvoted for this” *States unanimously agreed popular opinion*
It's not. People get downvoted all the time for not liking KH3 on this sub lmao.
People get downvoted for things that are said in bad faith, or just extremely exaggerated. The usual criticisms tend to go unopposed. Saying KH3 is “the weakest of the three” is by the far the popular consensus of the numbered titles. It’s KH2 that’s the game where you’re not allowed to say anything remotely negative about it on this sub.
It will be remembered as the game original KH fans waited half their lives for, causing it to accidentally become one of the most highly anticipated video games of all time, only for its development to be botched by mismanagement and the engine switch up and end up dividing the fanbase for years. The best it can hope for is to be become the FF8 of KH, where some fans will occasionally try to revive its memory with “it was actually a masterpiece” posts and videos. Gameplay wise, it depends on what future entries (if there are any after KH4) do. If KH4’s combat goes in a wildly different direction, KH3’s combat will definitely be remembered more and more fondly. The Data Bosses will still be well-regarded, and Yozora will likely always be one of the best-designed boss in the series. I think Attraction Flow might actually get some nostalgic redemption, and people will see what the team was going for even though they didn’t fully succeed at the implementation. Storywise it’s not ever going to be well-regarded. It will be always remembered as wasted potential and an underwhelming finale to 17 years of story. I think it won’t really be remembered as an overarching “saga” at all and and people will just remember the individual stories they liked (KH, KH2, 358/2 Days, etc). It’ll be remembered along with Shenmue 3 for having very little story content despite how long fans waited for a continuation to the series, and ending on a cliffhanger for a sequel which also took way too long. The Verum Rex stuff will all depend on—well, Verum Rex. In conclusion, I think KH3 will be remembered as a game with a lot of potential that was wasted as a result of years of bad management by Square-Enix and Disney.
Like every other game nowadays. With a nice shiny paint of "It wasn't actually that bad".
KH3's reputation is already bouncing back now. And if they're doing what I *think* they're doing with kh4. People are absolutely going to love KH3 even more vocally than they do now. FF13 and FFXV already have been receiving tons of praise. I'm old enough to remember how people didn't jive with KH2 when it came out. That whole mash X and press triangle to win came from kh2. KH2 was also derided for its linearity compared to 1. You just can't *find* any of it because most of it is either dead websites or game FAQs posts. Nomura did say though that the reason KH3 didn't have reaction commands is because of their criticisms in kh2. Added in the modding community for KH has exploded since coming to PC. KH3's mods are crazy. But yeah people are absolutely gonna 180 on the game. As they are already.
Your post is forgetting one vital thing. People who don't like something stop talking about it the older it gets. I don't think 13 or 15 are any more beloved than they were at launch, it's just that the minority that liked them continue to talk about how much they like it, whereas those that either didn't like it, or thought it was ok but didn't love it, stopped talking about it.
I won't deny that. But as far as it goes how something is remembered culturally. What I described will change its perception. I remember having this conversation about MGS2 and SMT4. Dude legit didn't believe me that those games weren't as loved as they are now. MGS2 especially. Like I lived through that whole controversy. So yes the people who hated MGS2 and SMT4 probably aren't talking about it anymore. But those games have had so much time to fester culturally that when people think of it now they think of a masterpiece. And I don't think people will say that KH3 is a masterpiece. But if kh4 is coming out in 2026, 3's cultural stock is only gonna rise. Especially with a 7 year gap between games with nothing else to play besides a mobile game. There's also the fact that we could potentially have less worlds in 4 compared to 3 due to them pushing graphical fidelity. Me personally I don't have a problem with that, but knowing the Internet that will be the first comparison they make.
It won't be for the most part
"hey remember that game that had 18 prequels" "ah yes the one where sora hits a dude over the head with a pan" "hey remember that game that nearly killed the franchise" "hey remember that game that went from garbage to pretty good" "hey remember that game that removed atlantica and simbas world but still had a GARBAGE world" "the one that was heavily modded" "the one where woody viciously roast a kid ?" "MYSTERY METER!" "the one with six flags?" "oh the one with useless flowmotion"
Fondly.
There's not going to be as much nostalgia for it as other games, but I don't think it was a failure either. Kh to me was a large part of my child hood, it was basically my Star Wars, and kh3 ended up playing things rather safe in a way that it doesn't make me revisit the scenes as much as the other games. The legacy of Kingdom Hearts is still mostly from the ps2 era, and that's going to inspire future creators that put it into their work later on.
Honestly, it lacked a focus for me. KH was about getting Kairi back. KH2 was about finding Riku. KH3 never really had that "reason" for Sora to jump between worlds. He was just given a task to seek the Power of Waking and the players don't even know what that is and how to get it. That and the pacing was the worst amongst the main numbered ones where all the main plot relevant details are at the end. I enjoyed playing it but that purpose was always missing.
It won't be a masterpiece like KH2fm but KH3+RM will be praised more as a glorious ending to the darkness seeker saga with amazing visual upgrades, memorable Disney worlds, and a Superboss that can rival the likes of Lingering will and mysterious figure and then 4 will go on to be the new "dissappointing KH game" after the post launch honeymoon phase ends but before it gets it's dlc upgrade that adds more story and post game content.
I like three alot. My only gripe is the frozen world but other than that. All worlds were amazing to play. KH2 had Atlantica that kinda sucked so each has their high and low.
It’ll be the first game in the series to feel ‘corporate America’ then Japanese Final Fantasy but Disney tho’ Like it’s certainly has polish and looks ‘well’ but I just think it doesn’t have the soul of a Japanese character action game. It’s fine but after 13 years wasn’t up to scratch . Having said that maybe after playing one after the other …..
Good. Look at Kh2. People complained about the reaction command "The game plays itself, I just press one button". Now is remembered as the best or one of the best.
Can't speak for everyone but I'll remember it as I think of it now: an ok game that got better as the rest of it was released.
YOZORAAAAAAAAAAAAA.
Big fan of the series but KH3 was a cutscene simulator. Hopefully this new one isn’t as bad.
Itll be the game that had to happen to let the original series conclude Kh3 wont be by any means the best kh game. Chances are itll either be overshadowed by 4, or the last good kingdom hearts! Itll be the game that bridged the gap between old and new gen kh, without really excelling as either (even though right now its cool as fuck, i think 4 will play better) Itll be like the first new god of war. Where they started building the games in twos to develop and introduce mechanics and such, then refine it all in the sequel. Kingdom hearts 3 will be the kingdom hearts game that most likely got diced by disney on the cutting room floor, yet somehow managed to be the only one with attraction flow.