The month of June has officially become the real MVP. And by that, I mean there's finally some juicy good news for us ever-so-patient, ever-so-vigilant, and thankfully-not-dead-yet, Kingdom Hearts fans! E3 2017 has swiftly concluded, and in its wake remains the buzzing hype and anticipation of the new, not-so new, and...delightfully strange. (Admit it, you totally can't wait to explore the world as a freaking Tyrannosaurus Mario. ) Nevertheless, it's evident that one of the biggest surprises of all may have actually come just a couple of days before the Expo even kicked off, when the Kingdom Hearts Orchestra World Tour dropped an unprecedented trailer for the long and anticipated Kingdom Hearts 3:
I must admit that my own heart skipped a beat upon hearing this news, especially as it’s no secret that a new trailer regarding the game has been looooooong overdue. Even with the promise of another trailer and more information just around the corner (more specifically, at the D23 Expo on July 15th) both fans and spectators alike are still a-buzz with their own hopes and predictions for the new trailer and the game itself. Being no stranger to the hype train, I have decided to compose my own list of hopes and expectations for the title, and sincerely hope that I can share them without being perceived as a complete lunatic.
- The First Fantasy: A New Theme by Utada
Every Kingdom Hearts fan knows that the series isn’t quite the same without the melodic (and rather catchy) themes “Sanctuary” and “Simple and Clean”. They have both been used interchangeably throughout various moments in the series, and have served as the opening themes for each game. To add variation, they are often remixed; however, the overall nostalgia of each song is never truly lost regardless of any added beat, tempo, or drop. Now, as much as I praise these two songs, in the same breath, I can’t help but wonder if the final installment of the saga warrants JUST another remix. The Kingdom Hearts series is over 15 years old now, and with that comes a new kind of respect and expectation. A new....presence, if you will. Both Sora and the gang have done quite a bit of maturing since the Kingdom Hearts 1 days, therefore, it seems only fair to celebrate their final confrontation with an equally epic, and matured theme.
- The Second Fantasy: Some Garsh Darn CIVILIZATION!
Despite how fun this series is, and how many good vibes come with seeing various Disney Worlds from our childhoods all over again, you can’t help but notice just how vast and EMPTY some of these locations are. I know that in some worlds (such as The Land of Departure) a dense population isn’t probable, because the existence of such a World is supposed to be secret, and exclusive to Keyblade wielders only. However, places such as Traverse Town, Castle of Dreams, La Cite’ des Cloches, Prankster’s Paradise, and Olympus Coliseum are SEVERELY lacking in civilians, and it sometimes sucks the wonder out of the Worlds. Festivals with no festival-attendees, royal balls with no royals, amusements parks with no naughty little boys...Winning against a Titan doesn’t feel so great when the arena echoes with disembodied cheers. Are we just supposed to believe that Phil keeps an audience track on standby?
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| LONELYYY~ |
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| I AM SO LONELYYY~ |
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| I HAVE NO BODYYYYY~ |
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| TO CALL MY OOOOOWN~ |
Even cities like Twilight Town (arguably one of the largest original cities in the game) is only inhabited by a sprinkle of people in specific locations. There are buildings everywhere: shops, platforms, even a train system, shouldn’t this be a more bustling city?? Of course, I’m not saying that every World needs a crap load of people, but I truly believe that just a little more effort and realism can be put into some of these environments.
- The Third Fantasy: Fewer Familiar Worlds
Gosh, I can’t even think about this one with rolling my eyes. I suppose I’m a minority on this, but even though Hercules' World looks well constructed, and absolutely gorgeous in the new Kingdom Hearts 3 trailer, I really, REALLY hope that this is the last time we see this place. Repeated Worlds have become quite the trope for this series, and while I understand that some revisiting is necessary in order to conclude certain story elements and so forth, there’s a difference between revisiting, and milking a World to DEATH. At least in The Coliseum’s and Traverse Town’s defense, they're both significantly expanded upon as the series progresses. For example, Olympus Coliseum includes "A Town Near Thebes" in Birth by Sleep, and the Underworld in Kingdom Hearts 2; while Traverse Town reveals an underground mailing system, new districts, and some additional alleyways in Dream Drop Distance. However, never-changing, tedious, and down-right irritating Worlds like Monstro have officially reached the height of repetitiveness and MUST go.
- The Fourth Fantasy: Decent Pacing
After recently going back and replaying some of the Kingdom Hearts games, I can't help but notice that at times, the pacing can be rather.....strange. Some sequences go on a bit longer than they probably should, some dialogue is a bit drawn out, there are a surprising number of awkward silences. Even much of Dream Drop Distance feels as if it's just Sora and Riku literally trying to stay awake while various Xehanorts elaborate on how f*ked their situation is. While explanation and subtext is good, (I mean, who doesn’t like knowing what's going on?) there’s always such a thing as too much talking and not enough doing. Even the opposite can easily happen. There should be an adequate balance of both.
- The Fifth Fantasy: A plot that isn’t completely reliant on the events of Kingdom Hearts Chi/Unchained Key/Union X
From watching the trailer above, it's apparent that the Master of Master’s mysterious Black Box is already a major plot point in this game. Which I don't mind, since I too, am curious of what it contains. However, I think that it would be a massive disappointment if the entire plot of KH3 was dependent upon the events of Back Cover, Unchained Key, and Union X. Despite how canon the story within these games and cinematics may be, there are quite a few other plots and issues that desperately need to be resolved before we attempt to tackle the many mysteries of those games. We still haven’t rescued Aqua, Terra is still a hostage of Xehanort, Xion is still forgotten, Roxas’s fate is still unknown, the 13 Darknesses still have to be revealed AND stopped, and (oh my garsh!) we still have no idea who the confirmed Guardians of Light are, do we? The point is, there is still very much to resolve already, therefore, saving some of these new mysteries for the next saga would be way better than trying to cram ALL of them into a single game.
- The Sixth Fantasy: A Plot That Isn’t TOO Complicated.
We don’t need anymore time travel. We don’t need the birth of anymore Nobodies. We don’t need anymore replicas with an identity crisis, and we CERTAINLY don’t need anymore “dreams within dreams”. A couple of these elements have become their own tropes within the series, and they need to be forgotten. Let KH3 be a story that tackles the current mysteries and issues, without rehashing any of these other scenarios, or bringing anything else into the plot that will distort things further, and leave more holes.
- The Seventh Fantasy: An Ending That Isn't A Bullsh*t Villain Cliche
“Oh, Xehanort wasn’t the bad guy! It was just a bigger, badder dude up there in the sky controlling him!” No. No. Don’t do that crap. Please don’t. This is his Saga, it’s almost over, the least you can do is let the man go out with a bit more dignity than that. Even if he is redeemed in some way, let it be in a way that is a little more than just: “Oh poor old man, he’s just a poor puppet! Oopsie!”
- The Eighth Fantasy: An Actual Ending
Non-conclusive endings aren’t so bad if you’re only on the first installment of a franchise, and want to stir up excitement for sequels, but when you have over 6 titles, and are just now releasing the actual conclusion to those games, I think the fans deserve an ending that's worthy of being called a- well, ending.
- The Ninth Fantasy: Enthused Voice Acting
I think this speaks for itself!
- The Tenth Fantasy: A Unanimous Release Date
I don’t know how much control Tetsuya Nomura even has over this, but guessing from the other releases probably not much. Regardless, these unmatched release dates must stop. Yes, we know that Japan is Square’s favorite son, but releasing it there first, and subjecting everyone else to weeks of dodging spoilers online is just totally cruel, man. Totally. Can't we all bask in the glory of KH3 together?
- The Eleventh Fantasy: At Least one Good Plot Twist.
I know this may seem contradictory to Fantasy #6, but believe it or not, it IS possible to have at least one good surprise without it being too over the top. Besides, whats an adventure without a few surprises? (“Good” surprises that is.)
- The Twelfth Fantasy: An Actual Outfit Change for Lea. Seriously.
I'm all for Goth... I really am. But that ass-squeezing leather has got to smell like fresh brimstone and Yaoi angst by now. Lea's hanging with the good kids now, can’t he at least run home and find some decent clothes? Surely, he’s proven himself worthy of a few hundred zippers and a hoodie.
- The Thirteenth, and Final Fantasy: Good Dialogue.
Not decent. Not passable. GOOD. No more awkward silences between lines, cringey sentiments you’d find on a fortune cookie, and no, absolutely NO forced laughter. Oh my Moogly-Goof, the forced laughter! Stop that. It’s not cute! Not even in fictional characters! KH3 will be good, I have no doubt about that, but even if it's not perfect, adhering to the golden rule of appropriate laughter would make this game and it's cut-scenes that much more amazing, and would instantly atone for a million sins.
Well! There’s my list. Even as I create this, I can think of a few more expectations, but these 13 are the most imperative to me. Of course, all of these are based solely on my own opinion and experiences, and I have no desire to impose these ideas upon anyone else. All in all, this has been another thought for the blog, and I can't wait to see what's in store for the future!
Stay Uncanny! ≧◠◡◠≦✌
