5/5 ★ – Em_SG97's review of Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix.

Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix is probably one of the weirdest games out there in concept but it works so well. It has one of the most well balanced and perfect combat systems in any game to this day, and I do not exaggerate. I don’t think the devs even realized what they created because this combat system was never used again in another KH game and it makes me sad. I’ll talk about the story first though and come back to gameplay later. Honestly speaking, the story for this game is pretty ridiculous and hokey, but I think that’s part of the charm. It’s very convoluted compared to the simplicity of KH1 but there are parts of it that really work. The introduction of Roxas at the start of the game is wonderful and really adds some depth to a cast of characters that weren’t very deep in the beginning. His tale of tragically being tied to our lead, Sora, hurts extra because I, as the player, am depriving him of his life by playing as Sora. Roxas must merge with Sora’s heart in order for the game to progress. As cheesy as the dialogue usually is, Roxas’s last line before disappearing really makes you feel for him. For the most part the structure of the story is similar to the first game, with Sora going to various Disney worlds to help the inhabitants, while being accompanied by Disney’s very own Donald and Goofy. The difference in complexity between this game and the first one comes from the sheer amount of characters and stuff going. The cast of villains is drastically increased and an entirely new type of enemy is introduced that broadens the lore. It definitely isn’t as thematically sound and simple as the first game, but I still think there is good payoff to a lot of story beats. Goofy almost losing his life is a great moment that hypes me up every time. Watching Mickey Mouse get pissed off and ready to kick ass does things to me. The later fight with Roxas works especially well because of his tragic story, and the music really helps convey how hard Roxas is fighting to claim his individuality. I didn’t want to fight him but I knew I had to. The final battle is probably the last big story beat that works so well, since it puts the spotlight on Sora and his best friend, Riku’s, relationship. It feels good to see them fight side by side after mending their broken friendship from the first game. It’s epic as fuck. While i’ll admit the dialogue and line delivery can be pretty dumb a lot of the time, it has a charm to it that makes me enjoy it and the story for the most part. Now I’ll transition to the gameplay. Holy shit is this gameplay polished. Sora has so many abilities at his disposal that options in combat are virtually limitless. He has a plethora of spells with different uses, form changes that provide different buffs, summons that provided different aids, and limit attacks for ridiculous damage. To compensate for Sora’s varied arsenal, lots of different enemies are thrown at him, each with different weaknesses and behaviors. On the highest difficulty, I was forced to think very quickly and use Sora’s entire move set to its full potential to achieve victory. This is especially true for the boss fights. This game probably has some of the challenging and engaging boss fights in recent history. The data fights, which are especially difficult bosses meant to be challenged after the main game, demand the best from the player and each requires a different strategy to beat. They make especially good use of Sora’s movement abilities, allowing for snappy and responsive moves that feels incredibly satisfying to pull off. The crown jewel of the game is the secret boss fight with the Lingering Will. He’s already infamous in gaming history as one of the toughest boss fights, and with good reason. He hits harder, moves faster, and can take more damage than any other enemy in the game. He’s a true test of a player’s skill and there’s no better feat in the game than beating him. The data fights and Lingering Will demand a lot of practice and dedication to beat, but I promise the satisfaction is worth it. I think the combat is virtually perfect, but there are few flaws that can put a damper on things. Certain enemies can be extra difficult to stun or throw out cheap attacks that can be hard to deal with. However they are not impossible to beat and varying your strategy can lead you to victory. The pride lands level is a good idea on paper that doesn’t translate well to gameplay. For this stage, Sora’s form is altered and many abilities that are used often are taken away, resulting in combat becoming frustrating because your options are heavily limited. I have no idea why the devs did this but it really sucks. The one positive I can say about this level is that it’s optional. The last part of gameplay I will touch on is the gummy ship. It’s a bullet hell mini game where you drive a spaceship and shoot enemies. It’s very barebones but it’s at least fast-paced and flashy enough to keep me interested. You can also customize your ship but that part never interested me much. I think overall the gummy ship is padding in between the real gameplay, but I don’t hate it and it’s far better in this game than the first game. The last thing I’ll talk about is the music. I fully believe this is Yoko Shimomura’s best work in the series and it is stellar. Sanctuary is an amazing opening for the game and the rest of the soundtrack helps sell the emotions and epicness with a beautiful or grand sound. It’s a perfect soundtrack and it’s one of my all time favorites. If you can’t tell by now, I think this game is amazing. While the story can be hit or miss, it’s got enough powerful moments combined with its top-notch gameplay and score to keep me coming back for more playthroughs. It’s my favorite Kingdom Hearts game and one of my favorite games of all time. 10/10