Can this hand held addition to the kingdom hearts saga with a confusing title stand up to it's console brethren?
358/2 introduces a new system of equipping Roxas with the panel system. In order to equip gear, items such as potions and abilities, players will need to have the appropriate panel space. Think Tetris, only your objective here is to make room for the item so Roxas can use that specific panel. Some panels take up multiple spaces that will allow you to link other panels to it. Linked panels will either strengthen Roxas, allow him to use more items, or even carry more items he finds during his missions. Weapon panels not only affect Roxas' key blade aesthetically, but they will also allow him to string together better combos on the air or ground, or give increase his stats and magic. This will allow players to fully customize their abilities and better suit their play style.
Once your panels are set in place and players are satisfied, you'll need to set out on a mission. There are no gummy ships in this installment of the series. Just missions with objectives that need to be completed and hearts to be collected. Missions vary from doing some reconnaissance in certain worlds, collecting hearts or Organization emblems, or defeating a specific target. That doesn't sound like a lot to do but, missions occasionally throw a wrench into the works and change up the objectives a bit. A checkpoint system is integrated into the game as well, which really helps if you slip up during a mission since you can only save before and after missions. You can also withdraw from a mission in case you feel the need to tweak your panels, purchase or synthesize items. Intel is always provided in the mission selection screen to better prepare you for what Roxas will encounter in that specific mission. It will inform you of the types of heartless you might encounter, ways to defeat the heartless and may also tell you the best way to complete mission by equipping certain panels. Upon the completion of a mission, you'll be rewarded for your hard work and more so if you go above and beyond and do more than the objective asks. You will get experience and items. A bonus gauge located at the top of the mission selection screen will fill after each mission and as it fills will reward you with bonuses by multiplying the amount of items you receive. In between missions, Organization members may challenge Roxas to find treasure chests or fill the bonus gauges on certain weeks. This gives players more incentive to go back and complete the challenges they unlock with Ordeal badges and overall increases the replay value which works quite nicely.
When you finally set out on a mission, you'll encounter a wide variety of heartless from the series. Some have hearts that need to be collected while others don't. Combat is fast paced and once you get the controls down, very fun. Defeating enemies will earn you chains and by chaining together kills, Roxas will collect more hearts. Collecting hearts is an essential part of the game if you intend to buy items from the Organizations moogle. The munny you earn from your foes will go into synthesizing items, weapons, and rings. Combat will vary depending on ones play style. As previously stated, the type of weapon you equip to Roxas will give him bonuses in certain areas. Players can specialize in blasting the opposition away with magic, taking things to the air with longer aerial combos, or keeping their feet planted on the ground and smacking their enemies around. You may create shortcuts for items and abilities by using the left shoulder button. However, you will find that fighting the cannon fodder can get a little repetitive so missions are littered with stronger foes to keep you on your toes. Mini bosses help break up that sense of monotony and can be very rewarding. Large boss battles will make you think about your approach as a flying antlion tosses explosive boxes at you and colossal heartless spawn minions to distract you during battle.
For the first time in the series, multiplayer makes an appearance. As you progress through the game, rank up and locate Unity badges, players will unlock Organization XIII members and missions for mission mode. 4 people can play with each other, provided they all have their own copies of the game. Going back with friends and running through the more frustrating missions is great and competing with each other to get the most coins is exciting. For the first time to appear in the series, it pulls it off quite nicely on a handheld and I'd like to see how well it could be done on a console.
The graphics are just about on par with the PS2's which is great considering it's the DS. Character models are a little jagged and certain features seem to appear and disappear from time to time. Like a characters face or an Organization members hood. There are CG cut scenes scattered throughout the story mode, which are a lot more fleshed out and deliver some solid voice work. Level detail is well done as you'll plenty of familiar areas from the previous titles. There are some nice touches to the minor things, such as the sunset in twilight town or the static memories that occasionally appear in certain points of the game.
There are very few things wrong with the game. The main issue is the camera since it can never figure out where it wants to be. It shakes, and spins while zooming in and out, quickly becoming the most frustrating aspect in the game during the heat of battle. Panels can't be rotated which can is a little annoying if you don't have enough slots unlocked and aren't ready to sacrifice some of the more necessary panels like your potions or level up panels. Finally, another issue is that environments feel recycled as does a certain song titled "Sanctuary" by Hikaru Utada. It is nice to revisit these places and familiar faces but, we've already visited them once before, some twice even.
358/2 is a wonderful addition to the Kingdom Hearts universe. A lot like Crisis Core, it expands on an untold chapter of the plot. It has a few minor issues but they're easily shoved aside by the excellent plot and fun gameplay mechanics with loads of replay ability. Those of you who aren't savvy with the whole story may be somewhat lost but Kingdom Hearts 358/2 is definitely something to look into. It's surely a must have for all you fans of the series.