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| rdfs:label | - Kingdom Hearts Wiki:Magazine/Issue 6
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| coliseumfight9l | - Roxas certainly cared about Axel during his time in the Organization, and we can be certain that he treasured that time, as evidenced by his going to "free Kingdom Hearts" for the sole purpose of the sea salt trio being together again.
Also, what about appearance? Axel has his shock of red spiky hair, but Roxas' hair is just uber snazzy and he is the pinnacle of good looks.
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| unlockingthekeyholenewusers | |
| coliseumudcomingsoon | |
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| ansemreports2title | - Big Hero 6 confirmed for Kingdom Hearts III
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| naminessketchbook1b | |
| coliseumfight13l | - Roxas' life was difficult enough on its own, especially with him not being supposed to exist. His struggles, his story and his hair all combine together to make him the character that I love. No convincing on anyone else's part will sway me from that.
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| contentscoliseumdesc | - Aixon and Chainoffire face off in a Roxas vs. Axel debate.
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| gridriddle1answer | |
| flickrushgametask | - Acquire Zolephant in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.
- Defeat Riku in Mission 93 of Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days while wearing the Extreme Ring.
- Beat Sephiroth in Kingdom Hearts II without the use of magic or items.
- Consecutively complete three of Kingdom Hearts' Jungle Slider courses without being hit once.
- Earn five consecutive Fantastic scores on any Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Ice Cream Beat songs.
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| coliseumfight7l | - We will have to differ on the topic of light being extinguishable then. Ansem, Seeker of Darkness was wrong, after all...
Regarding the life span, Roxas was never supposed to exist, thus naturally he never had a chance to attain his other goals . He was always meant to return to Sora, and even Riku himself had to succumb to the darkness to take him in. Axel's accepting of death was directly tied to his having nothing to live for. Roxas was gone for good, as far as he knew.
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| roundroominthisepisode | - Although there's no episode for today,
- But!
- You'll have to keep your excitement at bay.
- For this issue, the roomies are away.
- The sorry folk still have something to say:
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| gridriddle4answer | - Keyblade Inheritance Ceremony
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| flickrushmailbaganswer | - Dancers from Kingdom Hearts II. No contest.
Besides the fact that they’re one of the only Nobodies that don’t have a reaction command, their kicks knock off quite a large chunk of HP, and they have a move that cannot be reflected or blocked. Once you’re trapped in said move, you have no control over Sora, and you lose an even larger portion of your health than their normal kicks. These enemies are especially tedious if you’re doing a level 1 critical mode playthrough, any of their attacks signify a certain death! Also they look stupid. Ugh.
- For me, it's definitely community events! Mainspace editing is fun and fine but it's when you collab with the other Wikians that you experience the full effect of being part of a wiki. It's great to see the lively buzz that the magazine and End of Year Events tend to cause.
When I am doing real wiki work, I tend to stick with gameplay articles, especially sections of the wiki that are extremely vacant and empty. It's very satisfying to complete a project that actually contributes new information to the wiki as opposed to mundane clean-up work. Those of you into that stuff, I'm so glad you exist, because I certainly don't have that patience!
- rightWell, reader, I think the obvious choice lies in one of Sora's male counterparts. Who would not kill to have such gloriously gravity-defying hair as Sora, or Roxas, or Ventus? Axel is another contender, but I think his sideburns are a bit too funky for me to tame.
So let's narrow down the list. In the first Kingdom Hearts game, Sora's hair sets the precedent for the spike-a-thon do's of the KH males. Unfortunately, as the series continues, his hair becomes less and less fabulous, leaving us with the cat ear style of Kingdom Hearts III. Therefore, I dub Sora's hair too unpredictable and eliminate him from the running.
Next up is Ventus and Roxas, the clone twins. I'm all about originality, so I eliminate both of their hairstyles to ensure I don't get a clone of my own who copies my early 2000's scene punk hair. So that leaves us with the best option, Vanitas!
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Vanitas has the wonderful height of Sora's hair, without the loss of volume Sora is prone to. His hair is imbued with the teenage-y angst of Ventus and Vanitas, without the dual twin theme. He also pays tribute to Xion, via the hair color.But, most importantly, the picture of Vanitas above was taken shortly after he removed the motorbike helmet he wears for the majority of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. That's right folks, Vanitas' hair defies the laws of helmet hair. And that, in my opinion, is a power worth becoming the ?-blade for.
- Being a cat owner, I know how it feels to feed and clean up after your furry little animal without getting any thanks in return . That's why I think Chef Kyroo would be the greatest pet ever! He cooks, he cleans, he scares away the burglars, what more could you ask for? Sure, he isn't very furry but I could make do with cuddling a teddy bear instead.
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| markofmasteryexamreview | |
| keyblademasterauthor | - TheFifteenthMember
- TheSilentHero
- Troisnyxetienne
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| coliseumfightsprite | - Axel- Mission Mode Icon KHD.png
- Magazine Issue 6 Games Sprite.png
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| doortolightfeaturedproject | - For this quarter, we're focusing on , a mechanic that's fairly major to the series yet badly covered on our wiki. The plan is to list every Reaction Command of every game in a table that covers the command's name, description, and trigger context. For Kingdom Hearts II, much of the information is already on the page under hidden text, but they need to be merged into the table to work effectively. We know a lot less about Reaction Commands from other games, such as Birth by Sleep, Re:coded, and Dream Drop Distance, so we need to pool together information for these. Visit the article's for more guidance and don't be shy in helping out!
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| coliseumfight2r | - It may be easy to resonate with your character, but the series wouldn't be the same without Axel introducing Roxas to the "icing on the cake"!
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| flickrushbirthdays | - Spare a thought and wish a happy birthday when the day comes around!
- Oct 26: Draaek
- These users will be celebrating their birthdays in the next quarter-year:
Oct 07: TheFifteenthMember
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| unlockingthekeyholetumblrtoppost | - Our most popular post of the past quarter is...
- Lexaeus teaches Roxas
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| roundroommeetthepanelists | - Neumannz: Hey there, guys! This is your friendly neighborhood Neumannz, welcoming you to Round Room Corner! ... What do you mean a round room has no corners?! ... You get outta here! ... *door slam* ... Okay, guys, now that Chain is gone, let me say a few words. I've been kicking around on the Kingdom Hearts Wiki since Fall 2009, back in the days of Days, and I've been bureaucrat since February 2011, when we decided our landlord was being kind of a jerk and moved out. When we decided we were doing a podcast, I jumped at the chance to get involved on this kick-awesome project!
- Chainoffire: Hey Hey! It’s your friendly neighborhood Ch- HEY! NEZZY TOOK MY LINE! Well, it’s Chain! I was “coded” onto the Keyhole back when Re:coded was the latest game to hit the shelves in April 2011. I became an admin back in December 2013, and have been going back and forth between The Keyhole and the KHWiki ever since. When I heard about the podcast, I happily decided to volunteer my efforts to get more acquainted with some of the other users. Thus… here I am!
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| coliseumfight8r | - Since he wasn't supposed to exist, Roxas is lucky that someone like Axel came along to become his friend at all! He even died to save his somebody, so Axel was definitely there for Roxas. But can Roxas say the same?
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| flickrushbirthdaysauthor | |
| gridpuzzle | - Traverse through the maze to lock the Keyhole!
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| flickrushmailbagquestion | - If you could have the hairstyle of any character in the Kingdom Hearts series, whose would you choose?
- What's your favourite job to do on KHWiki or the Keyhole and why?
- If you could rid one enemy from the entirety of the Kingdom Hearts series, which would it be?
- If you could have one Dream Eater as a lifetime pet, which would you choose?
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| markofmasteryexaminterview | - right|250px
Chainoffire: So Aixon, you're the newest staff member over at the Keyhole, what's it feel like to have all that power?
Aixon: Power is fine, as long as the bearer knows how to deal with it. This isn't my first time in such a position, so there is very little difference from being a regular editor. Very little has changed for me really, besides perhaps bearing a little more responsibility to ensure that correct edits are being made to the mainspace.
Chain: You've been such a position before? Where was this?
Aixon: An online browser game which I still play today. I shan't name the game though
Chain: I won't press for it then. So what brought you to this fine wikiverse?
Aixon: Originally, I came to the Keyhole when looking for tips on how to beat the Ruler of the Sky. I was brought back by a friend who used the site for all his Kingdom Hearts related information. I wanted to try editing out, so I joined. The rest is history heh…
Chain: Ahh yes, ruler of the sky. That and leechgrave are some of the nastiest creatures that you're required to defeat. So not a fan of days huh? What is your favorite KH game and non KH-game? Also, your favorite bosses both in and outside of the KH series?
Aixon: I never had too many issues with the Leechgrave myself. Just utilise those limit breaks well, and success is guaranteed. Oh, don't get me wrong, Days is a great game! The only reason that I decline to play it through again is to avoid the pain of that horrible flying disaster boss... My favourite Kingdom Hearts game in terms of storyline has to be Re: Chain of Memories, and in game-play it would be Dream Drop Distance. I haven't played a huge array of games, but I can say that Tales of the Abyss is up there among my favourites. For bosses, my favourite KH boss is Chill Clawbster; outside the KH series it would have to be Legretta from TotA. "Power, come to me!"
Chain: Interesting choices! Now with the announcement of Kingdom Hearts 2.8 and the anticipation of Kingdom Hearts III ever increasing, what do you look forward to most for these games, or the future of the franchise in general?
Aixon: I am very excited to see where the storyline is going to develop to from this point. The "final clash" in KHIII is certainly enough to get excited about. I am also very keenly anticipating Aqua's return from the realm of darkness, as well as hoping daily that Ansem the Wise's speech from the end of KHDDD will mean the returns of both Roxas and Xion. Beyond KHIII, I am interested to see what Tetsuya Nomura is going to do with the story
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| markofmasteryexamtopfive | - Number Four
- Whether it matches the specific event, environment or setting for which it is written. If it is a character theme, does it associate well with the character for which it is written?
Expression
- Does it evoke emotions or is it monotonous? What kind of emotions does it raise?
Memorability
- Marking criteria:
Tonality
- Next time:
- Just how much, as fans, do we remember the song? Do we associate it with a character, or place, or game in general?
- How melodic or atonal a piece is. Does it sound harmonious or discordant?
Context
- Fate of the Unknown, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
- That's a secret kept under lock and key.
- This is a continuation of last issue's piece. If you haven't seen it already, catch up before you continue!
- As far as I am aware , there isn’t an entry in the soundtrack for the music to the secret ending of Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix. That secret ending, called “Birth by Sleep,” is the fan favourite for a good reason: there is a lot going on visually and musically. In fact, in the last issue of the Twilight Times, Birth by Sleep was voted our favourite secret ending of all time. It is my favourite too, mainly for the music. All of us who have played Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep have found that this secret ending has been promoted to an actual in-game event.
I think it a real pity that the only appearance of Fate of the Unknown was in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, because I wanted to hear this in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep as well.
Tonality
I think a lot of people would agree with me when I say that this piece is pure orchestral awesomeness. It begins rather solemnly, and then progresses to something relatively quick-paced. A lot of the piece sounds decisive, like the kind of music you would hear at a fight. But somewhere in the middle, a calm point occurs. The presence of that calm point in the middle is the clincher for me. Only a few instruments take centre stage – the piano and the violin, and the context of this will be discussed in a later section, of course. Then, it gets fast again, building up to a decisive end.
Today, many of us would recognise a good bit of this piece to sound like Terra’s character theme, while the calm point is Aqua’s character theme. Recognising these bits would perhaps make us appreciate this piece of music a lot more.
Context
I bet a lot of us remember how Birth by Sleep goes. In Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, this secret ending was promoted to an actual event in the game, and we will have seen the progression of events at some point. Now, let’s tie the music to the story.
thumb|right|200px|Ventus, Aqua and Terra are facing forward, and the wind is blowing their capes about. In Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, this wind is a sign of Xehanort's presence. By this point, they all understand the truth about what Xehanort has done.
We are in the Keyblade Graveyard, an ancient battleground for countless Keyblade wielders who clashed over the light, and wanted to possess it for themselves. We do not know what this world looked like before; all that remains is the husk of a world, with thousands upon thousands of lifeless keys stuck in the ground and on rock faces here and there. Xehanort and Vanitas, who are approaching our heroes, Terra, Aqua and Ventus, are about to turn this area into a battleground once more. All the while, we hear a solemn choir telling us that there is a very sinister power about, one far more sinister than anything we have ever faced before.
We are then treated to a slew of Keyblade-wielding theatrics: Xehanort has immense power and we immediately see him as the antagonist. Terra rushes to Xehanort before anyone can stop him. The solemn introduction fades into a battle theme with little extravagance. Things are getting serious, and the gloves are off. There is little time for talking. Xehanort summons a cliff, and then another. Before Terra can attack him any further, Xehanort freezes Terra’s right arm. Ventus attacks in Terra’s stead.
Vanitas rides upon the many lifeless keys, effectively desecrating the memory of the many Keyblade wielders who fell on these grounds. The music flourishes into a lush fragment of Terra’s theme, and then repeats. At this point, Vanitas knocks Ventus over with a great many keys before concentrating on Terra.
We are treated to more Keyblade-wielding theatrics: Vanitas attacks Terra with the lifeless keys upon which he rides. Aqua casts Barrier on Terra but it is still not enough to protect him: the keys deal significant damage to him anyway. And then, halfway through, Ventus, hoping he could gain the upper hand, tries to attack Xehanort from behind. Xehanort cracks Ventus’ armour and freezes him, and sends him falling off the cliff. Ventus’ Keyblade snaps in half as he falls off the cliff – a detail absent from Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep.
left|250px Aqua, who is still on the ground, rushes to hold Ventus’ body in her arms in a sort of Pietà pose. Those of you who do not know what the Pietà is, it is Michelangelo’s sculpture depicting the Virgin Mary holding the crucified Christ in her arms. Aqua holds Ventus in this sort of fashion. The music is mournful.
Is he dead? Is he still breathing somehow? We see an instance of tender, almost motherly, compassion, in the midst of a battleground. It is here that Aqua’s theme plays, and that musical section, in my mind, heightens the feeling that Aqua is willing to show compassion, even in the face of death. Of the team of three friends, it seems as if Aqua is the medic, even though theoretically, each can heal the other due to knowing the Curaga spell. Aqua has a particular affinity for magic, and would fulfil that role best. In many stories of the past world wars, we have heard of the heroic acts and sacrifices of medics; this particular section suggest to me that Aqua might indeed do the exact same, with the amount of silent resolve that she has… except that she does not know if Ventus is dead or alive.
Then we see a slight glimmer of hope: Ventus’ eyes are moving! He is alive!
And then, the music gets louder, once again to ready us for battle. Xehanort parts the clouds above him. To everyone’s shock and horror, Xehanort summons Kingdom Hearts.
thumb|right|200px|Just look at Terra's eyes...
Aqua can only look up into the sky without saying anything. It is no secret that he is about to wrest control of Kingdom Hearts, should he not be stopped.
It becomes clear, with the visuals and the increase in drama in the music, that this is another one of Xehanort’s many forms that need to be defeated. And as the music builds up into a crescendo, once again playing Terra’s theme fragment, and reaches its dramatic climax and resolution, we see just what happens to Terra.
He looks up to the sky… his eyes turn yellow… is Terra, of all people, the “Ansem” that we once fought all those years ago!!!!????
Cut to black.
Fate of the Unknown has been a no-frills, no-nonsense battle theme showing that time is of the essence in stopping Xehanort from doing the unthinkable. There has been no other secret ending music or battle music much like this.
Expression
Fate of the Unknown starts off solemn and sinister, telling us that the approaching enemies are of a calibre beyond what anyone has faced up to this point. Then, it builds up to a sense of urgency, and stays there up to about halfway through. At that point, it becomes calm and solemn once more, playing Aqua’s theme, showing a great deal of sadness and the possibility of imminent loss. Then the music builds up, it climaxes very quickly, showing that the change that has happened to Terra is so quick, that Xehanort could probably have a stranglehold on how fast things progress. There is a whole mix of emotions in this piece of music, and it fits, as we find out in the actual story of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep that Terra, Aqua and Ventus enter into battle with Xehanort and Vanitas with mixed emotions.
Memorability
Seriously, don’t tell me this thing isn’t memorable at all. The many people who voted for Birth by Sleep as KHWiki’s and The Keyhole’s favourite secret ending speak for themselves.
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| coliseumfight1l | - So, Chain... Here we are, at the start of our little character debate. I'm going to start by saying how easy it is for me to resonate with my favourite Kingdom Hearts character, Roxas.
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| flickrushkeyholetask | - .
- Comment on two topics at our .
- Create your own blog or comment on a .
- Help out on .
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| coliseumfight6r | - Light can be extinguished as well! Darkness is the heart's true essence! Axel can not only use his fire to build a wall around himself, and make the floor slowly burn you to death, but he can make someone combust into flames in just a snap!
You say "Roxas' light is superior", then why couldn't he survive for more than a year? Axel was alive for a MUCH longer amount of time than Roxas. Plus, Roxas lost his life because he couldn't accept his fate. Axel, on the other hand, welcomed it with open arms. Got it memorized?
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| gridriddle | - Who am I?
- Inferior to my intellect; unable to see through my guise.
- A flurry of flames passes by.
- A gift between us; I have one, too.
- A lucky charm crafted for you.
- A twist of fate, a change of sides
- All express disdain.
- But always look out for my friends.
- Can come quite off as truly a surprise.
- Conductor of pain;
- Externally calm, but a berserker inside
- From one to another
- I am manipulative and cunning,
- Intentions oraccidents
- Promise to return to me,
- To protect you, no matter where you go.
- Two trios connected
- Violin, trumpet and drum
- Where are summoners selected?
- With honest intentions- no evil lies.
- or allow me to go.
- Pitiful creatures; so mindless, so Heartless, and so unwise.
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| markofmasteryexamreviewtopic | |
| naminessketchbook1bartist | |
| flickrushpoll | - We asked...
What's your favourite Kingdom Hearts trio?
See the next issue for the results!
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| divetotheheartintroto | - Welcome to Intro to..., the Twilight Times' newest column! The purpose of Intro to... is to educate! Each Intro to... will delve into a chosen Kingdom Hearts topic and dissect it in a possibly informative, possibly entertaining, and possibly nonsensical way. It's the beginner's guide to Kingdom Hearts!
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For our first Intro to... We’re going to talk about Kingdom Hearts. The game. The series. The ever-expanding universe. Our reason for being. We kid, we're not that obsessed. *thinks about account on Kingdom Hearts encyclopedia* *thinks about being admins on a Kingdom Hearts based tumblr* *thinks about Kingdom Hearts posters on bedroom walls* *thinks about Kingdom Hearts figurines and books on bedroom shelves* *thinks about Kingdom Hearts in general* Okay, we're a little obsessed.
Kingdom Hearts arrived in an explosion of soap opera-worthy dialogue and umpteen references to darkness in 2002. We open on three friends who live in a little place called Destiny Islands.
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Sora, the spiky haired brunette, is the character through whose eyes we view the series. He's hyper, eager to help, and even the possible end of the world can't ruin his cheerful mood. He's got a "might be more than a friendship" friendship going on with Kairi, the pink haired cutie pie.
right|x200pxThe final member of their group is Riku. He's basically a ball of angst, and he talks like he's getting his existential crisis out of the way early. He's Sora's best friend, which is odd because he spends the majority of the game bullying Sora. I think his attitude comes from hair jealousy. Sora's got volume to die for and Riku's got a mop top. Plus, why is Riku's hair grey? He's a tween. What did he see that turned his hair that color?
Anyway, we're absorbed into the adventures of Sora and his crew as they build a raft to travel the seas. We gather materials, race against Riku, spar with the other island kids, watch as the island is swallowed by darkness, watch Riku succumb to darkness, see Kairi turn into a mirage... Standard island life, basically.
Actually, not so standard island life. A mad magical storm wipes Destiny Islands off the map and leaves Sora alone in a new world, with a shiny new weapon latched to his hand. That weapon is called the Keyblade and it's... Well, it's a giant key that you use as a blade. It's not rocket science.
Meanwhile, Kairi has been put in a fridge disappeared, so Sora sets out to find her. He quickly discovers a bunch of little bad guys called Heartless, which are killing people and eating worlds, because that's just what they do. Eventually Riku turns up too, as more of a jerk than he was before.
That's the basis of KH. It's a story of a boy and his key, defeating Heartless to find his friends. Except there's one element that makes KH special. And that element is...
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KH is created by a company called Square Enix, most famously known as the creators of the wildly popular Final Fantasy series. KH is a collaborative effort between Square Enix and the even more famous Walt Disney Company. This series is one part Final Fantasy, one part original content, one part Disney. It's a fanfic writer's dream.
So while Final Fantasy has its moments to shine, and the original story is what glues everything together, it's the Disney content that sucks most fans in. Each level of the game is a "world", based around a Disney franchise. You can swim in Atlantica with Ariel. You can train with Phil in Olympus Coliseum. It's even a Disney villain that conducts the heartless plague! If you're a Disney lover, KH is for you. Ever dreamt of running through Wonderland or chasing Pinocchio through the whale Monstro? Then KH has got you covered!
As Sora's world unravels, he befriends Donald Duck and Goofy, and a seamless blend of darkness spewing monsters and cheery princesses occurs. Disney, Keyblades, finding friends. This is simple, right? Hahaha. HAHAHAHA. HAhahAHAHahaHAHa!
No. Simple is not a word KH fans know. The first game was pretty cut and dry. It ends on an almost happy note, and leaves an open end. And that brings us to Kingdom Hearts II...
Explaining KH2 will make no sense to those unfamiliar with the series, which, since you're reading a beginners guide to KH, I will assume you are not. So I’ll keep this brief. Sora's still out in the world, fighting to get back home, to Kairi, just as he always is. Riku's having an identity crisis, as he always is. Kairi's standing around looking pretty with her unutilised potential, like she always is. Then in walks...
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ORGANIZATION XIII! These guys stroll onto the scene and jack everything up. There's a bunch of them, each with different goals, and different reasons to wail on Sora. Before we know it, Sora's joined Riku's "I don't know who I am camp" and the KH angst-o-meter is cranked to eleven.
In Kingdom Hearts II we're also introduced to an extra playable character, Roxas, who the org are extra interested in. The story becomes Organization XIII searching for Roxas, who is watched over by Riku, who is searching for Sora, who is searching for Kairi, who is running from the Organization. The character pool is saturated. There's the bazillion Final Fantasy characters, the gazillion KH original characters, and the bajoollian Disney characters. But we've still to explain the most important character of all. Introducing Tetsuya Nomura:
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This is the mind that dreams up KH. He might look unassuming. You might think he's no more than an ambitious designer with no-one to reel his imagination in, leaving him free to do whatever he wants to the Kingdom Hearts series. Whatever convoluted plot, confusing game mechanics, or extra characters he wants, Nomura gets. And if you're a KH fan, by golly you better roll with it. You wrap your head around whatever plot Nomura conjures, or you'll be left behind! It's survival of the fittest in the KH fandom! And just when you think you understand, just when you think KH makes sense to you, Nomura reveals his true plans. Nomura reveals... THE SIDEGAMES!
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You see all the different platform labels on those covers? I hope you don't like money, because Kingdom Hearts likes to keep your pockets nice and empty. All money must go to Tetsuya Nomura!
Let's cut to the chase: The sidegames aren't really sidegames. Sidegames insinuates optional playing. These games are more "play them if you want any hope of understanding the plot of this series".
At first things were simple. We begin with Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories aka Haven't we done this before? Chain of Memories is almost a scene for scene remake of the first game, with a minor plot about lost memories thrown in to excuse the lazy rehashing. Even this, one of the least popular games in the series, is a must-play, as it explains how Riku and Sora go from Point A to Point B . right|x300pxNot only that, but it offers vital insight into the beginnings of the mysterious Organization XIII and it also gave our first taste of a non-Sora point of view. Chain of Memories let us step into the giant shoes of Riku, allowing us to watch him grow as a person.
Then there's Kingdom Hearts coded aka Okay, we've definitely done this before. We get to experience all the same worlds AGAIN, this time because Sora's journal is glitchy and... I dunno, unkempt journals are out of style or something? But of course this game is also necessary to play, in order to understand the links between the ends of Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts II.
Next up is Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days aka Who are these guys and why do they make my heart hurt?. A much more inventive offering than the preceding two, 358/2 Days tells the story of Roxas, from Kingdom Hearts II, and his origin. Again, this game delves into the Org XIII, finally explaining much of what was happening in KH2. Like in KH2, we play as Roxas through this game, giving us another glimpse of the world outside Sora's happy disposition.
Oh man, and then there's the remakes! Coded became Re:coded, Chain of Memories became Re:Chain of Memories. Some games got Final Mixes, aka "Here's the same games but with some extra stuff thrown in because why not?". HD remakes are like Final Mixes, with better graphics and movies. All of these games are released in Japan first, and then released to the rest of the world with extra stuff. And even though each remake is a shameless grab for money, you have to play them, because each one has some special extra ending or cutscene to explain something in either the past or the future of the series. It's a nightmare.
Thankfully, not all sidegames are annoying. 2010 brought Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, a game set ten years prior to KH1, with a new cast. We learn more about the keyblade, we learn more about the core cast, the organization, even some of our Disney favourites. We saw the rise and fall of three keyblade wielding friends, Aqua, Terra, and Ventus, who are now essential to the KH story. But, most important of all, we were introduced to this guy:
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Master Xehanort, the purveyor of all that gives the heebie jeebies. You only have to look at him to know what his deal is: like Riku in the first game, he has hair jealousy. Check out our protagonists and their lovely locks.
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And now look back at Xehanort. Yeah, he's jealous. And wouldn't you be angry if you were the only bald guy in a world where everyone's hair is freaking awesome? I mean, there's also this guy, but even he gets a cool hat to cover the dome.
So, because of hair jealousy , Xehanort has launched a plan to destroy the world, so he can be the coolest kid on the block. He's the grandmaster of every crazy plan we've met so far. He's also almost every character we've met so far... but that's a concept too complicated to explain in a beginner's guide.
The big Xehanort reveal gave way for the 2012 sidegame, Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance aka Riku gets a haircut and everything you know is a lie. This game tells us that Organization XIII’s whole plan from KHII was just a cover up to find 13 different versions of Xehanort, each with their own hairdo, so they could find the secrets to the big heart-shaped moon in the sky. Yeah, it got weird.
Little did we know that there was a prequel to the prequel called Kingdom Hearts χ aka Nomura's platform checklist is almost complete. KHX is a PC browser game that takes place in an alternate universe before the events of the Keyblade War. Yeah, it got weirder.
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Which is where we are now. The next to come from this crazy mess is Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, aka Why are the titles in this series so confusing?. 2.8 will bundle HD remakes of KH3D, a new special movie for Kingdom Hearts χ, and a sort-of-revival-of-an-old-cancelled-game-but-not-really title called Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A Fragmentary Passage-. In other words, Nomura has figured out the perfect excuse for pushing the final game in this phase of KH back even further.
right|x300pxSo the wait for Kingdom Hearts III is on. It's set to come out.... *bursts into tears* We don't know! It's been two years and all we have are three and a half stinking trailers! They made a PC game no-one wanted, and then they remade that PC game and added in crucial plot elements so now everyone has to try it! Now there's a new HD remake, with only ONE new level, but we have to play it because that one level leads up to KH3! Why are you doing this to us, Nomura? We give you all the money you ask for! We buy all the soundtracks, and game guides, and cheap merchandise you hawk our way! Why do you harm us so??? *sighs*
So that's concludes an Intro to... Kingdom Hearts. We've barely scraped the surface of what the series has to offer, but you are welcome to peruse the Keyhole and KHWiki to learn more. Although, if you're reading this magazine, chances are you're already a fan of the Kingdom Hearts series, because you're hanging around a Kingdom Hearts site. That means you already know what Kingdom Hearts is, and you didn't need it explained to you. Unless you got here from a completely non-Kingdom Hearts matter. Like maybe you were looking for an intro to heart surgery in the United Kingdom and you clicked on the wrong link. In which case we say: What are you doing reading this stuff? Get out of here, man! Those hearts aren't going to stab themselves! That's what heart surgery is, right? Stabbing hearts? NOTE: We are not licensed medical professionals.
But if you're here for the Kingdom Hearts, then we hope you enjoyed reading our ramblings about things you probably already know. At the very least, one thing we have all learnt from this Intro to... is that FinalRest is not quite eloquent enough to handle an entire column in this magazine, and Chainoffire doesn’t have the sanity to keep doing this sort of thing. We’re kept behind the scenes for a reason.
In conclusion: Kingdom Hair'' is a game about a bunch of people beating the crap out of a kid. Disney provides good insulation. Give Lord Nomura all your money.
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| doortolightnewusers | - We are delighted to have seen many new users in the last three months and we'd like to take this moment to shine the spotlight on a few:
* joined us in July and has contributed much-valued Kingdom Hearts χ content. We're always excited for more χ editors!
* also made his account in July. So far, Rainbow has uploaded several high-quality .gifs onto the wiki. Keep up the good work!
*Come August, come ! While he has only made a small number of edits, his positive attitude is appreciated by everyone.
*In the same month, arrived to make many edits across the wiki with an uplifting enthusiasm towards Kingdom Hearts and the Wiki.
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| naminessketchbooklineart | - 400
- For inspiration, see this Disney alphabet.
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| doortolightpolicyupdates | - Catch up on the latest changes made to formats, policies and the Manual of Style:
*The has been deemed as grammatically correct and is acceptable on the wiki.
*Disney Infinity 3.0's for file names is "DI3".
*Although it has not reached a consensus yet, we are debating over "" as we want to cut down on the amount of game icons that appear on the top of pages. Don't be shy, throw in your two cents!
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| coliseumfightimage | |
| gridriddle5author | |
| contentscollage | |
| naminessketchbooklineartartist | |
| gridriddle3author | |
| coliseumfighttopic | |
| markofmasteryexaminterviewintro | - Watchful overseer of the mainspace, Aixon is a careful editor who takes great pleasure in the tasks that he commits himself to, ensuring he completes each one with finesse. Chainoffire sat down with him to talk about the important things, such as the future of Kingdom Hearts, adminship, and facial hair.
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| divetotheheartintrotoauthorb | |
| contentstutorialdesc | - Check out Dive to the Heart for a beginners guide to the Kingdom Hearts series and a bonus tutorial on how to grind with Wisdom Form.
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| coliseumfight10r | |
| gridriddle3answer | |
| unlockingthekeyholeteaparties | - Each quarter the Keyhole hosts a tea party for all users to get together and discuss wiki related issues. Below are important policies we have decided upon in our latest tea party forums.
;
*The update to the navigational templates is still being discussed. Right now, we're choosing artwork for use on each navi.
*The mini-game template discussion has been moved .
*In sorting the talk pages for articles that are now condensed into lists...
**All pre-merge talk pages should be archived.
**Older talk pages should be redirected to said archives.
**If talk pages have post-merge content, those topics should be moved and condensed into the list article's talk page.
**Finally, list pages should link to all related talk page archives.
*Some of the conclusions from our ongoing gallery discussion are...
**Talk bubble sprites should not be put in slideshows.
**If an image is marked with an artwork category, it belongs in the artwork section of the gallery.
**Merchandise sections will be added to galleries.
**Boxart should be moved to the end of artwork sections.
**Concept art pieces should not be split into multiple images.
**A screenshot subsection will be added to the bottom of game sections.
**Gameplay sections will be scrapped and worked into animated subsections under the game sections.
**Icon subsections will be added under game subsections.
*When Tea Party topics become too lengthy, they should be moved to their own separate forums. Discussion are still ongoing as to when a topic is deemed movable.
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| coliseumfightauthor | |
| coliseumfight4r | - While Roxas might have carried the tradition on, Axel is the one that started the tradition. Plus, his fire powers definitely make Roxas' light powers look lame. Wall of fire anyone?
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| divetotheheartintrotosubject | |
| flickrushpollresultsquestion | - Which of the following would you most like to see in Kingdom Hearts III?
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| keyblademastergradient | - left bottom, #ecbb8a 0%, #f4cfa9 38%, #ecbb8a 72%, #f4cfa9 100%
- left bottom, #9ACD32 0%, #008000 38%, #9ACD32 72%, #008000 100%
- top, #dfda20 0%, #e4e077 60%
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| keyblademastertitle | |
| flickrushpollresultsinfo | - Lea and Isa had a lot of fans amongst the voters! It seems that what we want the most from Kingdom Hearts III is to find out exactly what happened to the two former friends and how they became nobodies in the first place. This option received 6 votes, 23% of the total.
The other popular option was for the indifferent voters. Another 23% of voters decided that they wanted two or more of the presented options. In a similar vein, the second most popular option, with 5 votes and 19% of the total, was all of the above!
The third character to earn support was Kairi, with 4 voters crossing their fingers and hoping that she'll be available as a playable character in the upcoming release. This gave her 15% of the total votes.
Tied for fifth, with 2 votes each, was the return of Keyblade armor and the hope that Sora will make a final descent into darkness in order to safeguard his friends. Both of these options earned 8% of the final total.
There was one person excited for transformation sequences for every Keyblade Sora owns, which gave that option 4% of the total.
Finally, it seems that we're all happy with the present, as no one requested that Sora, or any other character, travels to the past.
Thanks to all those that participated and we look forward to seeing what the results of our next poll will be!
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| naminessketchbook2b | |
| coliseumfight3l | - The "icing on the cake" may have been introduced by Axel, but Roxas certainly took on the tradition and is for sure the character that resonates more with the idea.
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| flickrushpollauthor | |
| unlockingthekeyholetumblrupdates | - dbkwik:resource/jhbV6WyVjEDacEGG5yKeLg==
- dbkwik:resource/4f4ZKv83BpjFWdMe48Y2Vg==
- As the Keyhole tumblr enjoys sharing the creative, funny, and intriguing ideas the Kingdom Hearts fandom has to offer, we also take the opportunity to share some of our own original content. Here's what we've posted since the last issue:
- *Wikia is the gift that keeps on giving
*This world... is just too smallright|link=http://yeoldekeyhole.tumblr.com/post/125234392376/ive-always-wondered-why-were-here-on-this
*Ansem Report 8 from Birth by sleep
*Transparent Vanitas
*TheKingdom Hearts IIIhype'begins'Capes! from Birth by sleep
*Birth by sleep
*A tale of truth from Birth by sleep. Yeah, we gif-ed the heck out of that video.
*Chainoffire'VS Kingdom Hearts χ Unchained
*Kingdom Hearts 2.8 logo
*After the explosion of 2.8 Aqua gifs
*Removed content lessons
*Roy Conli speculation'
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| flickrushtodolistauthor | |
| doortolightauthor | |
| coliseumfight12r | - Well, Roxas, I guess he really never had the chance to help, so I can't really fault him for that. But while Roxas may rock the bedhead look, I still gotta stick with Axel in the end.
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| gridriddle5answer | |
| ansemreportsauthorb | |
| naminessketchbooklineartprint | |
| flickrushmailbagauthor | - Chainoffire
- TheFifteenthMember
- FinalRest
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| unlockingthekeyholejiminysjournal | - x150px|right
*Mini-Game Infoboxes: We have a new infobox making the rounds at the Keyhole! Created by , the new template is designed for use on all mini-game pages. The template has been spread on the appropriate pages already, but if you find an article in need of the new infobox, feel free to add it in.
*Staff: Our staff roster was recently updated, which prompted about retired staff that wish to make a return to their former positions. Returning staff are now required to undergo a trial period under the watch of the currently active staff, to ensure they have the dedication required to keep up with their post.
*Keychain: The discussion on wiki purpose is still ongoing. All Keyhole users are encouraged to get involved with the discussion .
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| flickrushkhwikitask | - Enhance an .
- Fix at least ten .
- Vote in the .
- Expand on one .
- Pitch in on .
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| gridpuzzleauthor | |
| naminessketchbookauthor | |
| naminessketchbook2bartist | |
| coliseummacomingsoon | - Nominations for the ,
- the Regular Bracket finale, the Double Bracket,
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| flickrushpollresultsauthor | |
| markofmasteryexamtopfivetopic | - Pieces of Music from the Kingdom Hearts Series
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| keyblademasterpage | - 250
- thumb|150px|right|I'd like that shirt.
It started with an episode of The Flash. Cicso Ramon was wearing a particularly funky T-shirt that episode and being the inquisitive spirit I am, I decided to see what it actually was. From there, I discovered "Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock" ! I figured that if someone managed to come up with a functional, five-way "Rock, Paper, Scissors", would I be able to re-create the simple three-way version, but using Kingdom Hearts terminology? So I did some thinking, sketching, crossing-out and more thinking until I got to this.
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The idea of "Rock, Paper, Scissors" is:
:Rock crushes Scissors cuts Paper covers Rock.
But "Heart, Heartless, Keyblade" works like this:
:Heart decides Keyblade destroys Heartless eats Heart.
In terms of hand gestures, a heart is represented by a fist, which matches nicely since your fist is approximately the same size and shape of your heart. A Heartless is depicted by forming an open ring with your hand , symbolising the lack of a heart. Finally, the Keyblade is played using the same gesture as "scissors" from the classic game because holding out two fingers bears some resemblance to a skeleton key.
My game isn't exactly full proof but it is what it is. If you have any better "Rock, Paper, Scissors" formations, do share in the comments section!
- The little we know about Xehanort’s earlier life is as follows:
*He grew up in Destiny Islands, and apparently left for good, because he felt that the islands were “just too small”. His story now seems to be a legend and a subject of great intrigue, recounted by the people of the islands.
*No one knows how Xehanort obtained his initial weapon, his Ethereal Blades as I like to call them, but he used these. The purpose for him carrying a weapon is unknown.
*For some unknown motive, he decides to become an apprentice of an unnamed Keyblade master in the Land of Departure, and he meets fellow apprentices Eraqus and Yen Sid.
*Xehanort’s tutor tells him about the uses of Keyblade armour and urges him and the other apprentices to use it while travelling the Lanes Between so as to not be touched / corrupted by the darkness. Xehanort, however, is a naughty boy, and does not heed his master’s words, and is presumably touched by darkness for the first time. He seems to like just how much power it gives him, so every time he travels through the Lanes Between, he does not use his armour. Enough exposure to darkness gives him the amber eyes that we now associate with him.
*At some unknown point in time the unnamed Keyblade master holds a Mark of Mastery examination. All three apprentices – Xehanort, Eraqus and Yen Sid – pass and are declared Keyblade masters. Xehanort has the choice of inheriting his master’s role of taking care of the Land of Departure or going off on his own and forging a new path: he chooses the latter option. Yen Sid also does the same. Eraqus is left to take care of the Land of Departure.
*At some unknown point in his life, Xehanort learns about the Keyblade War and the various factions that were involved in it. He discovers Kingdom Hearts and the X-blade, and become extremely fascinated by them. His fascination turns into an obsession, and his obsession becomes unhealthy, to say the least, that it becomes the focus of his life and causes a rift in his friendship with Eraqus. Eraqus would later be wounded near the eye as a result of a scar that Xehanort inflicted on him with his Keyblade, after being told by Eraqus not to throw the worlds into oblivion just because of his curiosity over Kingdom Hearts and the X-blade.
Some like to theorise that Xehanort started off as a good person and turned evil due to his association with the darkness. I cannot help but think, however, that Xehanort always had a disobedient, rebellious streak from the get-go. We do not know if people in the islands begged him not to go. We do know that he disobeyed his master, and he wounded Eraqus in order to tell him not to be involved in his unhealthy obsession with Kingdom Hearts and the X-blade. Make of all this what you will.
Birth by Sleep: Prologue
- In any work, there is always an antagonist or a character who errs on the side of wrongdoing, due to some event in his life that has impacted him profoundly that he shows calculation, coldness or violence. Kingdom Hearts has many antagonists, each with different motivations for behaving as they do, but none of them display the sheer amount of planning and calculation of Xehanort.
I find it simply inadequate to place Xehanort into any one of the three categories of evil – because quite frankly, I see him as neither. A freak of nature would often be seen as chaotic at worst, committing evil out of impulse, but Xehanort is a personification of something far worse.
I invite you to read along with me, as we go through his role in the games bit by bit, just to see what conclusion we could possibly draw from it all.
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Before it all began
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| divetotheheartintrotoauthor | |
| coliseumfight5l | - Fire can be extinguished, whereas light will always be around in some form or another. Roxas' control over light must then be superior. Deep down, there's a light that never goes out, right?
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| gridpuzzleanswer | - File:Magazine Issue 6 GridPuzzleAnswers.png
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| markofmasteryexamreviewauthor | |
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| ansemreports1title | - New Remaster Trilogy Announced - including Birth by Sleep Volume 2!
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| ansemreports | - 300
- 600
- --09-15
- 2.10384E7
- It has been a nine year-long journey, but on the 22nd of August, the Kingdom Hearts II manga finally finished its run in Japan. Square Enix finally released the manga's highly-anticipated 10th volume, the final entry to the series!
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Following the events of Kingdom Hearts II and illustrated beautifully by Shiro Amano, this series was a wonderful adaptation for Kingdom Hearts fans to enjoy. Are you an avid Kingdom Hearts manga reader? Are you sad to see the series end? Let us know on the Twilight Time's talk page!
- ~ John Vignocchi
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| ansemreports3title | - Unchained χ Releases in Japan!
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| contentskeyblademasterdesc | - In this issue, TheSilentHero explains his theory behind Mickey's Keyblade, TheFifteenthMember re-invents rock, paper, scissors, and Troisnyxetienne analyses the character of Xehanort.
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| doortolighttrinityarchives | - Here's the latest from the KHWiki:
*Staff: After a fresh surge of editing, reclaimed his moderator powers in accordance with the staff policy. Chitalian has been making frequent, quality edits and we're glad to have him back where he belongs.
*Mirage Arena: The has been revived, thanks to . The reinvigorated tournament structure contains the familiar Regular Bracket in addition to new Double and Trinity Brackets. Head over there to vote and nominate; the mind behind the most-enjoyed fight wins a medal for their userpage!
*Site Theme: Headed by , we've updated the wiki's skin to a new Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ theme.
*Event Ideas: Alongside the Keyhole, we are planning two major events in the near future: the and a next year!
*Featured Project: The "Cleanup of the Month" has been rebranded as the Featured Project and will change every quarter, alongside the magazine. See below for its first edition!
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| coliseumfight11l | - Axel never needed help in Days and that's why Roxas didn't help him out.
Roxas's hair is snazzy. Axel's hair is just impractical. I'd hate to have to go through the horrible process of gelling that every morning.
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| gridriddle1author | |
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| naminessketchbooktimelessriver1bartist | |
| ansemreports5title | - The Kingdom Hearts II Manga comes to an end
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| naminessketchbooktimelessriver2bartist | |
| divetotheheartgametutorial | - I have been requested to write a second guide for levelling up another Drive Form, and I thought Wisdom Form would be a good next piece. It is unclear to me whether Wisdom Form is one of the least favourite forms among Kingdom Hearts fans, but it most certainly comes in handy for magic users. With the introduction of new magic-intensive bosses in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, it is almost imperative that we players level up Wisdom Form all the way in order to reap its benefits, especially Quick Run and MP Hastega. I hope this guide may come in handy. If there is anything missing from it, please feel free to share your levelling tips and suggestions to the magazine’s talk page.
Basics
Sora gains experience for Wisdom Form according to the number of Heartless defeated. Each Heartless defeated gives one experience point. Wisdom Form is magic-intensive, and Sora naturally has access to his spells because of this.
Therefore, if you’re looking to level up this drive form, do not go for Heartless with high hit points. Instead, go to areas where there are many Heartless, especially those with low HP. There are a few such areas throughout the game, but they do not always remain ideal training spots for this form. Therefore, when levelling up Wisdom Form, do take note of which point of the game you are.
Timeless River: Windows to the Past
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The image above shows the four Windows to the Past in Timeless River. They are all situated on Cornerstone Hill, which serves as the “hub” of this world.
Cornerstone Hill, incidentally, has a Save Point, a Moogle Shop, and a World Exit.
This is where our little trick comes in. Some of you may know that exiting a world from a Save Point when your Drive Gauge is still running will replenish your Drive Gauge back to full. The same applies when taking the door back to Disney Castle.
Your modus operandi when training here would be to enter into any one of the Windows of the Past, take out the Heartless there as quickly as you can with whatever spells you have in your arsenal, leave, exit to Disney Castle with your Drive Gauge still running, and enter back in. Repeat as many times as needed.
Evidently, you will not have access to Wisdom Form until after your first visit to Timeless River is complete – training here is a good excuse to return to Timeless River.
The World that Never Was: Fragment Crossing
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The Fragment Crossing is a winding road of sorts, surrounded by skyscrapers. There’s a sort of sewage or electric generation system halfway through, and the odd few treasure chests can be found on the generators or on the sides of the road. I mention this place here because it is one of my tried-and-tested places to defeat scores of Heartless. The Heartless to be found here are Shadows and Neoshadows. They have a low to medium amount of HP each, and scores of them can be defeated at once with a well-placed Magnet and Thunder.
In the original Kingdom Hearts II, the Fragment Crossing is always infested with Heartless. There is no lapse of time if you’re looking to use this as a training ground.
But if you’re playing Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix like most of us currently are, with the not-so-recent release of the HD 2.5 Remix, then take note: this place will not stay a training ground for Wisdom Form forever!
Your point in time to look out for in II Final Mix is when you approach the Altar of Naught and defeat Xemnas for the first time. By this point, presumably all the Heartless that Pete and Maleficent have summoned have all been defeated by Nobodies. At this point, Heartless will no longer appear in the Fragment Crossing; they will all be replaced by Nobodies. Therefore, if you are playing the Final Mix version and are looking to train up Wisdom Form before your first encounter with Xemnas, the Fragment Crossing is a good spot – but it will not be for long.
Agrabah: Treasure Room
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Now this method only works during the first visit to Agrabah. When Sora and company arrive in the treasure room, they are tasked with defeating 50 heartless. 47 of these Heartless consist of Icy Cubes, Fiery Globes, and Silver Rocks, which have low HP, so they can be dispatched quickly. However, been warned that after the 47 smaller enemies are vanquished, 3 Fat Bandits will appear. After defeating 50 enemies here, it will get you 50 steps closer to your next level! If you have yet to level wisdom form at this point, you’ll automatically make it to level 2 and be halfway to level 3! Even if you have already started levelling this form, using this strategy will give you a significant boost to your next level.
If anyone has any more methods of levelling up this drive form, feel free to add them to the magazine’s talk page, they would be much appreciated!
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| contentspodcastdesc | - In today's issue, meet your regular roomies, Neumannz and Chainoffire for more Kingdom Hearts talk.
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| divetotheheartgametutorialtitle | - Tips for levelling up Sora’s Wisdom Form
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| ansemreports4title | - Kingdom Hearts confirmed for Disney INFINITY
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| divetotheheartgametutorialauthor | |
| editorinchief | |
