Musings of the Kingdom Hearts Variety
I forsook my statistics homework today in order to spend another hour playing Kingdom Hearts 358/2 (ha, finally got the name down...is anyone else confused with the numbers?). So, hear I am playing it when I noticed something. Okay, so I noticed it when I first popped the game in but it really hit me during a mission in Beast's Castle (I'm only on day 73, or something, so that's like the third world I've visited outside of The World that Never Was).
When you first start a KH game, you get the KH theme tune attached to the title screen. It's very sweet and soothing; it sort of reminds me of those snowglobe things with the wind up music. Childish and mellow; it's a tune I relate to Sora. Except this KH game isn't about Sora. It's about Roxas. The introductory tune for this title screen was different. Now, even thought I took band all through junior high and some of high school, I don't really get music much but it seemed to me that the tune on KH 358/2 was the--I don't know the music jargon for it--counterpoint or musical backdrop of the original KH title screen tune.
I noticed this and thought it very fitting. To an extent, Roxas is Sora. He came from Sora; he's a shadow of Sora. As such, he shares and complements the tune associated with Sora's adventures. But, Roxas is his own person; he has his own personality even if he is a Nobody. It was cool; I approved of this detail. And then the creators carried it on. It seems as though every tune associated with each world is musically reversed. It's the same tune but a different part. It's amazing! I am awed by the detail they put into this game.
I'm sure I didn't do it justice by this nearly nonsensical explanation but there you have it.
Another thing this game brought to my attention is that Axel is really tall. Like, really tall; freakishly so. Anyone who's played KH2 knows that yeah, Axel's tall but I always thought that Sora at least reached Axel's shoulder, and I know for a fact that Sora and Roxas are the same height. However, KH 358/2 shows Roxas barely reaching Axel's chest. I'm an Axel/Roxas shipper so it kind of creeps me out that Roxas looks so small compared to Axel. It makes me start to think about age differences and it's implications of pedophilia (jailbait!Roxas, anyone?). Which is ew. But Axel really cares for Roxas (and Roxas reciprocates) so I'm going to go on thinking that there's not much of an age difference and it's probably the camera angle that makes Roxas look so tiny.
Speaking of Roxas...jeez, talk about a major personality change. In KH2, he came off as aloof and cynical. He had a calculating mind as a Nobody but was rather detached, angry, and aggressive as a Twilighter (as in Twilight Town inhabitant, not pansy sparkly vampires Twilight). In KH 358/2, he's much more similar to Sora. He's naive and as eager and sweet as a Nobody can be. It's endearing the way he always looks to Axel for help and answers; how he tries to befriend Xion and have Xion befriend his best buddy Axel so that they can be a trio of friends. Granted, Roxas still has emo-tendencies like in KH2 but he has an epic-existential crisis thing so I can't hold it against him.
Also, Xion? Really adorable. I still think her storyline sounds like a bad Mary-Sue fanfic but she's small and cute and hasn't much job security going for her (psh, I can relate). She's not bad, is what I'm saying. I might actually end up liking her.
All in all, I'm liking the game.
When you first start a KH game, you get the KH theme tune attached to the title screen. It's very sweet and soothing; it sort of reminds me of those snowglobe things with the wind up music. Childish and mellow; it's a tune I relate to Sora. Except this KH game isn't about Sora. It's about Roxas. The introductory tune for this title screen was different. Now, even thought I took band all through junior high and some of high school, I don't really get music much but it seemed to me that the tune on KH 358/2 was the--I don't know the music jargon for it--counterpoint or musical backdrop of the original KH title screen tune.
I noticed this and thought it very fitting. To an extent, Roxas is Sora. He came from Sora; he's a shadow of Sora. As such, he shares and complements the tune associated with Sora's adventures. But, Roxas is his own person; he has his own personality even if he is a Nobody. It was cool; I approved of this detail. And then the creators carried it on. It seems as though every tune associated with each world is musically reversed. It's the same tune but a different part. It's amazing! I am awed by the detail they put into this game.
I'm sure I didn't do it justice by this nearly nonsensical explanation but there you have it.
Another thing this game brought to my attention is that Axel is really tall. Like, really tall; freakishly so. Anyone who's played KH2 knows that yeah, Axel's tall but I always thought that Sora at least reached Axel's shoulder, and I know for a fact that Sora and Roxas are the same height. However, KH 358/2 shows Roxas barely reaching Axel's chest. I'm an Axel/Roxas shipper so it kind of creeps me out that Roxas looks so small compared to Axel. It makes me start to think about age differences and it's implications of pedophilia (jailbait!Roxas, anyone?). Which is ew. But Axel really cares for Roxas (and Roxas reciprocates) so I'm going to go on thinking that there's not much of an age difference and it's probably the camera angle that makes Roxas look so tiny.
Speaking of Roxas...jeez, talk about a major personality change. In KH2, he came off as aloof and cynical. He had a calculating mind as a Nobody but was rather detached, angry, and aggressive as a Twilighter (as in Twilight Town inhabitant, not pansy sparkly vampires Twilight). In KH 358/2, he's much more similar to Sora. He's naive and as eager and sweet as a Nobody can be. It's endearing the way he always looks to Axel for help and answers; how he tries to befriend Xion and have Xion befriend his best buddy Axel so that they can be a trio of friends. Granted, Roxas still has emo-tendencies like in KH2 but he has an epic-existential crisis thing so I can't hold it against him.
Also, Xion? Really adorable. I still think her storyline sounds like a bad Mary-Sue fanfic but she's small and cute and hasn't much job security going for her (psh, I can relate). She's not bad, is what I'm saying. I might actually end up liking her.
All in all, I'm liking the game.