358/2 should be played before Kingdom Hearts 2

[Syne]

I don't think that is lost playing in the order I suggested.

Click to shrink...

I'm in agreement, I also think days before 2 helps with one of the biggest and often brought up (outside of era) complaints; that the kh2 intro is slow, boring, and people wish they could skip it.

Not that I've ever agreed with that opinion, I think the intro is brilliant.

 

[Brawly Likes to Brawl]

The skewed vote baffles me. Do y'all have emotions? Are most users in here nobodies???

Click to shrink...

There's nothing baffling about it. Roxas's intro isn't supposed to have the added context until later.

 

[Nahbac]

I'm in agreement, I also think days before 2 helps with one of the biggest and often brought up (outside of era) complaints; that the kh2 intro is slow, boring, and people wish they could skip it.

Not that I've ever agreed with that opinion, I think the intro is brilliant.

Click to shrink...

If it was standard to play or watch 358/2 days before 2 you'd see far less people sticking around to play KH2. CoM already culls a lot of people.

I love these games but we gotta be realistic

 

[sn00zer]

If it was standard to play or watch 358/2 days before 2 you'd see far less people sticking around to play KH2. CoM already culls a lot of people.

I love these games but we gotta be realistic

Click to shrink...

Of all the arguments against this is probably the best.

 

[Syne]

If it was standard to play or watch 358/2 days before 2 you'd see far less people sticking around to play KH2. CoM already culls a lot of people.

I love these games but we gotta be realistic

Click to shrink...

I mean to most people it will be standard, they'd be playing in the order the remasters list them. The majority of people are not constantly looking up the correct order on google or Reddit, they'll just play through as it's presented 🤷🏻‍♂️

 

[sn00zer]

If it was standard to play or watch 358/2 days before 2 you'd see far less people sticking around to play KH2. CoM already culls a lot of people.

I love these games but we gotta be realistic

Click to shrink...

Of all the arguments against this is probably the best.

 

[SykoTech]

Nice to see the correct choice winning by a landslide.

KHII is one of my favorite games, and one of the best things about it (story wise at least) is the mystery of it all. Not knowing exactly where the story was headed or knowing what the deal was with each character (especially Axel) was great.

The prologue in particular is completely carried by how mysterious everything was. That's completely thrown out the window if you play Days, and the whole thong becomes nothong but a 3 hour slog.

Also, Days is one of the absolute worst KH games in every category. So telling domeone to sit through that before getting to KHII's greatness is cruel.

The only game that should be played before KHII is Chain of Memories.

 

[fontguy]

I don't think that is lost playing in the order I suggested.

Click to shrink...

KH2 is clearly presented to emphasize the lingering question of Roxas' nature and his internal confusion (which we, as the player share with him). That presentation stays the same regardless of the order you go in. Skipping ahead to the answers first turns mystery into tedious dramatic irony.

"What's going on here?" becomes "Yeah, I get it. Move on."

 

[Asterikolt]

2 first, then 358/2 Days. The games were made to be understood in release order - 358/2 Days is a game that is made with the assumption that you've played Chain of Memories and KH2.

To be honest a good part of the mystery of KH2 is from people who didn't play Chain of Memories, since that game is the sequel to KH1 and takes place right before 2. CoM is where you get familiar with the organization, Namine, Axel... it's where you find out why Sora is in the pod, why Riku is the way he is, and a sneak peek at Roxas and Twilight Town. When you play CoM and KH2, you gain the knowledge of the structure of the group, and how they fight, and some basic motivations. That's where 358/2 Days comes in - wow surprise, there's a 14th member, what's their story? And here's the organization members you know in a new, more casual context, with explanations of what was going on behind the scenes of the prior 2 games. You also get some set up for future games. "Huh, that character looks like Roxas... but what's with that outfit, and why do they look like that in the first place?" is a question that is answered in full in Birth By Sleep, for instance.

A lot of the "whoa confusing" commentary about KH as a series is resolved by just playing games in release order instead of going the Star Wars fan route of finding convoluted ways to justify not watching the prequels after the OT.

 

[Jimnymebob]

What about the Ven bits in Days? There's literally no context for him there, and the player would have absolutely no idea who he is without finishing 2.

Should BBS be played before Days, or god forbid before KH1?

 

[ace3skoot]

I just played kh1 kh2 and kh3 in that order, would recommend accept maybe don't bother with kh3

 

[Syne]

I just played kh1 kh2 and kh3 in that order, would recommend accept maybe don't bother with kh3

Click to shrink...

You played 1, 2, and 3 and that's it? You didn't play anything else in the series? That's probably the wildest thing in here lol

 

[Sangral]

No.

Here ya go.

Kingdom Hearts Series CORRECT Order: The Tetsuya Nomura Guide

Hello members of Era. As you can see in the title, this thread is meant to show you how to play the KH games from the mind of the creator: The way he wanted you to play and experience the series. When Era started up, I planned to make this thread in order to guide you on the right path when...

www.resetera.com

 

[sn00zer]

No.

Here ya go.

Kingdom Hearts Series CORRECT Order: The Tetsuya Nomura Guide

Hello members of Era. As you can see in the title, this thread is meant to show you how to play the KH games from the mind of the creator: The way he wanted you to play and experience the series. When Era started up, I planned to make this thread in order to guide you on the right path when...

www.resetera.com

Click to shrink...

Guy who wrote this was so wrong he got permabanned

 

[Radd Redd]

No but it's amazing how many people skipped CoM before KH2. CoM helps you understand parts of what's going on in KH2.

 

[Grzi]

I don't like the game, (it's so repetitive doing missions for the organisation) but storywise KH2 should be played first. The first 5 hours of KH2 are about the suspense, the mystery of Roxas and where, what Twilight Town is, putting you in the shoes of this normal kid who doesn't know what is happening. The prequel explains it and takes away from that intended direction.

Click to shrink...

This is all that needs to be said, really.

Playing 358/2 first would destroy one of the best opening segments in the history of videogames.

 

[WhiteRabbitEXE]

I don't get why prequels continue to be such a crrrrraaaaaazzyyyyy concept. Chronology isn't the end-all, be-all. Prequels are literally sequels that just take place chronologically earlier. The point is to expand upon the foundation of the prior work. Without that foundation, context is always lost, and neither work is appreciated through the lens they were intended to be viewed through.

You (hopefully) wouldn't tell someone to watch a chronological fan cut of Memento for their first viewing, suggesting people do chronological runs of franchises for their first go is no different.

 

[Rellyrell28]

No but it's amazing how many people skipped CoM before KH2. CoM helps you understand parts of what's going on in KH2.

Click to shrink...

I mean I literally started with 2 and then backtracked to 1 but never finished COM cause I just didn't like the gameplay of it.

 

[Syne]

I like how everyone keeps bemoaning playing in the chronological order, stating the creators intent as their argument, when the creator himself decided the best way for new people to experience the story is in fact in chronological order!

Here's an excerpt from an interview Nomura did around the release of 1.5;

I wanted to unite the scattered titles at once at the right time. Another thing was that, approaching the ten year anniversary, the series had become difficult for new players to enter. There are players who look at all the titles and worry over which ones to play, so I wanted to set them out in chronological order.
The three titles in this compilation have been lined up in an order that will make the plot easy to understand, so I think even people without prior experience of the series can be at ease.

Click to shrink...

And here's another for the people who say that days was only included in 1.5 because Nomura wanted 2 games and 1 movie in each collection;

At first I thought about fully remaking Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (hereafter Days) in a form you could actually play. However, work on Days alone would have needed one year at the very least. I worried quite a bit over it, and I thought, weighing up a new title or a remake, players would want the new title. Even so, I had to include Days, so I decided if this is how it has to be then I will re-do it as a video volume.

Click to shrink...

So from the very beginning days was to be included, he just hadn't decided whether or not to do the full remake for it and in the end decided it would take too long, but he had to include days, thus the movie format.

So there we have it, the creator himself thinks that chronological order is the best way for first timers to experience the story.

 

[IDreamOfHime]

I agree. KH2's opening is so long and disorientating, but with the context of 358 it's beautiful.

 

[Chained Prometheus]

For first timers who aren't as familiar with the story and characters of the series? Hell no. Play KH2 first and then go back and watch or play 358/2 Days after that. While it's not hard to guess who Roxas is and what his connection is to Sora in KH2, I do think having first time players locked in a bit more closely to Roxas' perspective during the prologue of KH2 makes his fate hit harder the first time around, especially considering how long the prologue actually happens to be.

For fans who are doing second runs onward? Sure, feel free to do 358/2 Days first and go full tilt in the heartbreak over Roxas' friendships with Axel and Xion. But that first run through of the series definitely should put playing KH2 before 358/2 Days.

 

[The Unsent]

What about the Ven bits in Days? There's literally no context for him there, and the player would have absolutely no idea who he is without finishing 2.

Should BBS be played before Days, or god forbid before KH1?

Click to shrink...

I think for players who want to brave the whole run of games, play them in the release order. They build up the mystery of who Xehanort is and in the first 2 he's explained to be a apprentice of Ansem the Wise who stole his identity. Then you play BBS later and learn who Xehanort is in the past, post keyblade war. I think there's some tension too knowing future Xehanort looks like Terra.

 

[sn00zer]

I like how everyone keeps bemoaning playing in the chronological order, stating the creators intent as their argument, when the creator himself decided the best way for new people to experience the story is in fact in chronological order!

Here's an excerpt from an interview Nomura did around the release of 1.5;

Click to shrink...

Story patch confirmed

 

[Death Penalty]

No

Play by order of release.

KH1 -> CoM -> KH2 -> 358/2 Days -> ReCoded -> BBS -> DDD -> KH3 -> MoM

Click to shrink...

This is always the correct answer, the only exception is Yakuza 0.

 

[Richietto]

Always release order.

 

[Liodin]

No. But you should play CoM after KH2.

 

[Kuroi the Black]

So there we have it, the creator himself thinks that chronological order is the best most marketable way for first timers to experience the story.

Click to shrink...

Fixed that for ya ;)

 

[GamerJM]

I haven't played these games yet, but I don't like the idea that literally every single piece of media ever should be played in release order. It seems conceivable to me that something could be created in such a way that it's better if it's played out of order, especially if the creator made the one that was released later first, but decided to release the one that was made after that earlier for some weird reason.

 

[clockstrikes]

No

Play by order of release.

KH1 -> CoM -> KH2 -> 358/2 Days -> ReCoded -> BBS -> DDD -> KH3 -> MoM

Click to shrink...

Swap BBS with Re:coded and you've got it.

 

[Modest_Modsoul]

Contrary to popular suggestions, play it in chronological order story wise is fun & inspiring to me.

So yeah.

 

[Psxphile]

I get it, OP. It's like the choice you're given in Birth By Sleep on whether to make Terra or Ventus your first playthrough. Of the three choices you're given Terra is considered to be the easiest due to his focus on strength and defense *and* you, as the player, get a proper introduction to the Unversed at the beginning of his run. Ventus meanwhile is the one that plays the most like Sora with his quick strikes so his playstyle is immediately familiar to KH vets and the prologue literally starts from his perspective. However, Ventus only learns about the Unversed through an optional letter you get just before arriving at the first world, not even a cutscene which is baffling when you consider what gets revealed at the end of his run.

Other points to consider is how the game's plot chooses to unfold itself: no matter what character you choose, once Radiant Garden is made available a cutscene that's only really relevant to Terra occurs for either of the 3: the scene where you first see Xehanort and Braig colluding, in secret. The other two playthroughs don't address it directly (though Braig returns for Ventus/Aqua runs during the endgame) so it makes sense to play as Terra first to view it in context (and once you've seen it occur it won't come up again when you play as another character) as he'll be dealing with the direct fall-out. Another one is how Terra's plight is depicted to Ventus throughout his run: as a mystery that deepens as you go from world to world, culminating in Terra jumping in to protect Ven from Eraqus.

Also, Terra is literally the first and default choice on the character wheel select screen.

However, Ventus is the one who gets all these callbacks and references to past KH games that the others don't get.

...


Well, at least we can all agree that Aqua should always be saved for last.

 

[Shopolic]

What about playing Kingdom Hearts 3 without playing/watching/reading story of any other game of this series?
Yes, I did that! :|

 

[Nahbac]

What about playing Kingdom Hearts 3 without playing/watching/reading story of any other game of this series?
Yes, I did that! :|

Click to shrink...

This is a perspective I never get tired of hearing people share.

All you see online are people who either played every game before 3, or only played 1 and 2 (and maybe CoM), never the newcomers

 

[Syne]

Fixed that for ya ;)

Click to shrink...

I'm sorry you feel you can't accept the word of our lord and saviour Nomura into your heart ;P

 

[Glasfrut]

What about playing Kingdom Hearts 3 without playing/watching/reading story of any other game of this series?
Yes, I did that! :|

Click to shrink...

How was that experience??

 

[Zekes]

I've only ever played KH1, CoM, Re:CoM, KH2, and KH3 and it's been working out pretty good for me. I will definitely play KH4 too

 

[Feign]

Playing 358/2 Days at all over watching the movie is the right move. The order isn't as important imo

 

[GamerJM]

What about playing Kingdom Hearts 3 without playing/watching/reading story of any other game of this series?
Yes, I did that! :|

Click to shrink...

I did something that's arguably even more unhinged.

BBS -> KH1 -> KH3

And I played these three games over the course of a decade (BBS in 2012, KH1 in 2013, and KH3 in 2020). I have a good memory so I could remember the events of BBS/KH1 by the time I played KH3, not that it really matters.

I kind of want to get around to playing the other games in a completely random order, just so that it becomes even more incomprehensible.

How was that experience??

Click to shrink...

Also, for anyone who's curious, I actually had a lot of fun with BBS/KH3 and mostly understood the story until right at the end of the game when a bunch of shit happens that flies over my head.

 

[NewtonNextDoor]

358/2 was the only one that I have played. It was amazing. Where should I go next, fam?

 

[sappyday]

No you shouldn't cause KH2's intro is great the way it is. Having Roxas backstory established kind of ruins the sadness of his story in KH2

 

[Vaenyr]

The only acceptable order is release order. Everything else is madness.

 

[double_heist]

Go chaos mode: play all the KH games in reverse order starting from MoM to KH1 lol

 

[Seaneko]

I messed around in 358 for a few hours and couldn't get into it, and the story didn't seem essential for understanding KH2. Aside from that and 2.8, I've yet to play anything between KH2 and 3; KH1 and 2 are the only games in the series I ever go back to because the story is totally lost on me lol

I think if you care about gameplay first and foremost then 358 before 2 is an extremely bad idea, since most of 358's levels are shrunken down versions of worlds from 2, and the battle system is just nowhere near as fun or complex. You'll be doing a LOT of repetitive missions with little story going-ons for a good portion of the game.

 

[kurahador]

Agreed, OP. 358/2 should be played first, or at least after a few minutes of KH2. It made KH2 intro alot more sad.

Also, yes...PLAYED. The movie in the collection doesn't really work for newcomers, it's barely decent as a refresher.

 

[TechnoSyndrome]

This is some watch the Star Wars prequels first shit

 

[FakePlasticTree]

This is some watch the Star Wars prequels first shit

Click to shrink...

Next they'll say you to have to play Birth By Sleep before even playing the first Kingdom Hearts.

 

[Glasfrut]

Also, for anyone who's curious, I actually had a lot of fun with BBS/KH3 and mostly understood the story until right at the end of the game when a bunch of shit happens that flies over my head.

Click to shrink...

I'm sure I have more questions but I don't remember what happend in KH3...besides Goofy telling me about ingredients.

 

[Feign]

I messed around in 358 for a few hours and couldn't get into it, and the story didn't seem essential for understanding KH2. Aside from that and 2.8, I've yet to play anything between KH2 and 3; KH1 and 2 are the only games in the series I ever go back to because the story is totally lost on me lol

I think if you care about gameplay first and foremost then 358 before 2 is an extremely bad idea, since most of 358's levels are shrunken down versions of worlds from 2, and the battle system is just nowhere near as fun or complex. You'll be doing a LOT of repetitive missions with little story going-ons for a good portion of the game.

Click to shrink...

I realize this is an anti-sell for most, but the repetition in 358/2 Days is part of what makes that game as emotionally resonant as it ultimately is. Something completely lacking in the "movie". That little story between missions provides so much context as to why these characters end up fighting for each other in a way that none of the other trios really come close to.

There's also:

Spoiler

The moment you go searching for Xion and end up working together for 2 days to cover everything she missed. It's when she's at her weakest and most unsure. You and Axel show up and it's the only time in the game you have a full team of 3 like the main games. The way things feel and how easy everything becomes just feels so cathartic. And then it's immediately stripped from them when they get back.

Most Kingdom Hearts games are extremely esoteric. This one is mainly human and not dissimilar from what makes Majora's Mask stand out so much on a thematic level.

The game does so much with the limitations to give everything meaning. The only truly bad parts are the bullshit stealth missions.

It's also one of the only games actually written by Nomura rather than having his story ideas filtered through others. It makes a huge difference and makes me think a lot of the other games suffer from him not being able to properly communicate what he wants to say.

 

[Shopolic]

This is a perspective I never get tired of hearing people share.

All you see online are people who either played every game before 3, or only played 1 and 2 (and maybe CoM), never the newcomers

Click to shrink...

How was that experience??

Click to shrink...

It was a... different experience! :D
Really enjoyed its gameplay, powers, music, graphics, Disney characters ad worlds and... but almost didn't know anything about KH characters and didn't know what's happening in lots of scenes with many weird characters talking with each other. Even designs and names of some characters were confusing for me and my mind was going to explode in some scenes! I don't remember any game I skipped its cutscenes in recent 25 years, but did that in some parts of KH3 with only KH characters (not Disney ones).
But in the end, I liked KH3 and it was a 8/10 game for me. Even without knowing many things about the story, final hours of the game and last cut-scenes were great and even made me emotional!

I did something that's arguably even more unhinged.

BBS -> KH1 -> KH3

And I played these three games over the course of a decade (BBS in 2012, KH1 in 2013, and KH3 in 2020). I have a good memory so I could remember the events of BBS/KH1 by the time I played KH3, not that it really matters.

I kind of want to get around to playing the other games in a completely random order, just so that it becomes even more incomprehensible.

Click to shrink...

I heard even playing these games in order can be a little confusing, let alone playing like that! lol
Want to play these games someday. Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX (what a beautiful name!) is on PS Plus and I hope it'll remain for a long time.

 

[Aprikurt]

Imagine making a GBA spinoff required reading for your big sequel. Like you literally cannot understand the start of KH2 without at least a basic understanding of CoM. Really made me pretty mad back in the day as a kid.