Much like other Kingdom Hearts games, Kingdom Hearts bbs is a 3D JRPG focused on whacking stuff with a key while exploring worlds and meeting its (usually Disney) residents.
I will base this review on Kingdom Hearts 2.5 remix for the PS4. If there is anything different from the original, it will not be included here.
Grade (for the lazy people):
Plot:
The plot of the Kingdom Hearts series is, despite it containing a LOT of Disney characters, surprisingly serious and deep and Kingdom Hearts bbs is not letting up on that.
The game has 3 main characters: Terra, Ventus, and Aqua. You can play through each of their storylines separately and see everything that happens from their perspective.
All three go to the same worlds, but will have completely different experiences and characters they meet. However, all three stories tie together quite neatly.
It is important to note that there is no way to switch between characters once you have chosen one. The only way to play as a new character is by starting a new game. You can skip part of the intro when you start a new game after finishing someone's story.
All three are aiming to become Keyblade masters (the name speaks for itself), but only Aqua manages to get that title at the start of the game. This sets up the character dynamics and relationships right off the bat and gives you clues on what is going to happen later on.
Gameplay:
The gameplay is the strongest point of the game. Every mechanic is explained sufficiently when it comes up, so you will not have to worry about it if you do not understand something I outlined here.
Fighting:
Although whacking enemies using X is pretty effective, sometimes you need a little more "oomph" to your attacks. This comes in the form of the command deck. The command deck is a deck you can stack commands in (surprise, surprise). These commands can be activated during battle and then get a cooldown, to stop you from spamming them. Generally, the stronger the attack, the slightly longer the cooldown.
This is not the only thing that helps you fight. You can also use something called D-links. This allows you to get a set of commands from the person you are D-linking with and get the finisher specific to that character.
D-links can be upgraded by using them and then getting "D-link prizes" that drop from monsters while the D-link is active.
Although D-links are pretty handy early game, they become pretty much obsolete late game because your commands are significantly better than anything you can get from D-links.
Also, from my experience, some boss battles do not allow you to use D-links.
Another part of your combat abilities is your finishers. These allow you to dish out some extra damage (and sometimes other effects) once you have charged it up. Every D-link has its own set of finishers and every main character has their own finishers that you can upgrade by having them equipped and then fulfilling the requirements for the upgrade.
Finishers will not be very useful if your fighting style uses a lot of command styles though, as they replace your finishers. Command styles are activated when you charge your finisher and used particular commands to do so. They drastically change your character's fighting style for a short amount of time and come with their own finishers. These finishers tend to be more destructive than their normal counterparts.
There are 2 more things to know about fighting in Kingdom Hearts bbs. The shotlocks and melding.
Shotlocks are abilities separate from the command deck that charge during a fight and can attack multiple enemies at once. Using them has a special mechanic that allows you to "select" which enemies to hit and how often. Fully using a shotlock goes to a special finisher as well that asks you for timed button prompt to deal a LOT of (usually homing) damage to enemies.
Lastly, melding. melding is an integral part of the game. It allows you to get new commands and passive abilities. These passive abilities can help you out quite a lot. There are abilities that get you extra experience, extra attacks during a combo, extra damage, extra healing and a lot more.
Once you max out a command, by having it in your command deck during battle, you can use it to meld and, if it has a passive ability, that ability will become yours, permanently.
Mini-games and collectibles:
There are quite some mini-games to go through if you are interested. Keep in mind that these are optional, except for one per main character in Disney Town (one of the locations you will go to).
There are 3 major ones in Disney Town, one for each main character. All characters can play all mini-games, but only the reason for one of them gets explained. For Terra, it is the racing mini-game, for Ventus, it is the rhythm mini-game, and for Aqua, it is the "fruitball" mini-game. As stated before, these get explained sufficiently when they come up.
There is a fourth (hidden) mini-game in Disney Town as well, but it does not actually keep score. Any more on this I consider a spoiler. Pretty fun if you manage to find it.
Every world (except the first one, the last one, and the arena) has an "unversed symbol", an black-ish, purple-ish orb with a purple sign in it. This gives you access to a mini-game as well. This mini-game is completely dependant on the world it is in and (sometimes) the character you are playing as. Just follow the instructions in the top-left of the screen to finish them with a good score.
There are 2 more major mini-game locations. First is the arena, where you can fight enemies and extra bosses for points and then buy commands and items with these points. Second is the command board. The command board makes use of the commands you currently have in your command deck to play. It is basically a type of Monopoly, except the streets are now commands. It is quite lengthy to explain the details here, so I will refrain from doing that. It will be explained once you unlock it and try it.
There are 2 types of collectibles in the worlds, both of which are recorded in the journal. The first type is treasure chests, which usually contain commands and (sometimes) items. The second type is stickers, which you can stick onto a picture to unlock more items. At first, your picture is as empty as this:
Putting stickers on them in the right place awards you points. Get a certain amount of points and you get an item or a command. Keep in mind that you can get 7 points if you place them in the right spot, so try to do that if you want all the items and commands.
Graphics:
Although not quite as beautiful as the opening cinematic would want you to think, the game is quite beautiful and quite detailed, except for NPCs. There is a severe lack of NPCs and this sometimes becomes painfully apparent.
Other than that though, the graphics are not disappointing in the slightest. They did not inspire me with awe for its beauty either, though.
It fits and does not diminish the gameplay. That is about it.
(The opening cinematic is beautiful though: Kingdom Hearts bbs opening cinematic)
Music:
The music in Kingdom Hearts in general is beautiful, specifically the famous intro screen OST and "Simple and Clean", the song used for most openings and endings of the series.
The background music during the game is not too noticeable but adds the right feeling to the majority of the situations, changing to combat music during combat and to boss music during boss battles. Nothing major there, but very fitting.
Endings:
There is a special ending once you complete all 3 paths on Proud difficulty or higher and complete some additional objectives as well. Other than that, all 3 main characters have their own ending that intertwines beautifully with the others' endings. You may even become emotional at some point near the end.
Tips and tricks:
- Play in the order given by the game for the best experience story-wise (that is: first Terra, then Ventus, and Aqua last)
- Get the Ventus D-link maxed out as early as possible when playing as Terra and Aqua, because it makes your attacks significantly faster and you are reeeeeeeeaaaaaally slow in the beginning.
- when you die, keep in mind that "Continue" puts you back in the last room you entered before the fight you died in and "Retry" starts the battle over. Do not make the same mistake I did.
- When playing as Ventus or Aqua, get "Time Splicer" as soon as you can, because it is OP. Preferably have 2 of these in your deck near the end of the game.
- Always have 2 cure spells equipped in your deck. They can really help you out in a pinch.
- The big purple/red hopping enemies with the cranks on the back need to be attacked from the back, or they will become invincible and then go homing suicide bomber on you. You have been warned.
- If you are a bit lazy, you may want to meld a command with "Exp walker" as soon as you are able.
- Want to meld with more knowledge of what you are doing? Take a look at this melding guide.
- Want to unlock all finishers for every character? Take a look at this finisher guide.
Good points:
- Solid gameplay
- Good story
- Amazing music (at least the 2 mentioned)
Bad points:
- Slow start
- No way to change characters mid-game
- Some of the earlier sections are HARD (specifically the escort sections)
- Escort sections (can you see I really dislike those?)
- Some mechanics becoming basically obsolete late game
Conclusion:
Sorry for this lengthy review of this game. It is just that I wanted to portray it as accurate as possible. The game is great and can really get you going into the series if you have not tried it yet. I would highly recommend trying this game if you are a fan of JRPGs or 3D fighting games (or both, of course). For a starter guide and an amazingly funny review, go see Superbutterbuns' video on it.
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