Zeldaman's Run of KH2FM!

[Zeldaman2.0]

Heya. So, since I've recently started back up on KH2FM, and since I'm bored and nice and such, I've decided I'd tell you what it's like playing the game so far. To start, I AM playing this on an emulator, but that shouldn't affect the game other than in framerate, and in some textures (which rarely occurs). I'm also using an English patch so text might fuck up a bit, but it's aesthetic.

I figure I'll start with differences. Initially, there's the title screen (which I'll take a cap of in a little bit and post) which is kinda cool. On difficutly select, there's the all-new Critical Mode, whose caption is only: the HARDEST mode. It doesn't seem to hard compared to Proud so far (Proud is a fucking breeze for me) and once you get to the Station of Calling on Day 3, you get an extra FIFTY AP, and a SLEW of abilities, of which are a Finishing Plus and Two Lucky Luckys, among others. There's also a No EXP ability, but I'm not going to use it. Defender's name and use is made clear in the Japanese name: Critical half. It reduces damage taken by half while in critical state. Maybe not much, but it might save you. Another note is that HP gains are worth only half as much, and it's GLOBAL. Pretty sure at least. I'll check it in a minute. Some other new stuff thus far (I'm in Yen Sid's Tower and I stopped to type this up), there's a scene after the very first Axel fight where Axel is told, in the meeting room, to eliminate Roxas. He is first threatened by Xaldin of all people, and Xaldin shoots a lance at Axel only for it to graze his hair. Xemnas tells him to stop (though he's still hooded) and charges a hand blast. Axel comments that Xemnas is going to turn him into dust, and then reluctantly agrees. After Sora boards the train, there's another new cutscene. Namine, Axel, and Riku (hooded and tainted) are standing on Sunset Hill. Diz had ordered Riku to kill both of them but Riku lets them go, as he "owes them for the things that happened in Castle Oblivion". Axel and Namine DC out, Namine saying she wants to see people, though she doesn't know where to go. That's all so far... wait. There's also a new mirror in the room with the three clothes fairies: it's a small, roundish mirror and upon "investigating" it says: "A nostalgic look floods your mind", referring to (I'm guessing) Limit Form later in the game.

Lemme know if there's a screencap of something besides the title screen you guys would like. Questions and comments appreciated.

[NebulaGregarZX]

Well, the scene with Namine, Axel, and Ansem-Riku definitely clears up something that was left unresolved in Days; Ansem mentioning that Riku will have to dispose of Namine. Since Days was made AFTER 2 - after Final Mix 2 - this is just a case of us being screwed out of plot coherence. Like the "I've been to see him. he looks a lot like you." line at the start of KHII. It refers to the optional Xemnas fight that is ONLY AVAILABLE in Final Mix.

If we don't see a KH2.5 Remix eventually, I'll be pissed... and it should include remastered cutscenes from Coded.

I imagine Critical gets harder as you go along, since your HP gains are cut down... and those ability points you got earlier will slowly lose meaning as the numbers scale up. Be careful.

Actually, one difference that I already know about is just before Xemnas Phase 5. Sora remembers the note in the back of his journal, and Riku says he can thank Namine AFTER they kick ass. Just throwing that out there.

[Zeldaman2.0]

https://2img.net/h/i1262.photobucket.com/albums/ii606/ShaneDelbont/titlescreencap_zps495e9759.png

Spoiler:

There's the cap. Thanks for the heads up on the scene, that was one thing that I didn't know about. Gonna start playing again, I wonder what HB/RG and the Gummi ships will be like?

EDIT: After obtaining the new garments, Sora drops something from... his hair? Goofy notices and comments as such. He also says that it looks like "a piece from a big picture". Sora asks if this was another gift to him, but the fairies say they didn't do it, though it must be important for his journey if the clothes spawned it. If I collect more, apparently I'll get something good, maybe? Jimminy decides to record this in his journal, and I have obtained the first 'puzzle piece'. Woot.

EDIT2: After exploring HB, I found that some puzzle pieces are related to different puzzles, and are thus named as such. The first puzzle is called "Awakening", and seems to be a Station picture. I'll upload a picture once that's done. The Pieces are Crown-shaped objects floating about throughout the levels, you have to touch them to get them: no cheating with Draw. They seem to be making use of the emptier spaces in the game quite well with this, and it's kinda fun looking for them. There was a new cutscene as well, right after Xigbar talks with Sora. The Organization convenes in their meeting room, where they discuss Sora's apparent ineptitude, the fact that he is walking the path of light, and where we see Luxord try to entertain himself with cards. Demyx says if he has a good incentive he'll play along, to which (I think Xigbar) one of the other replies "So you'll be glad to take care of him for us?" And Demyx, in typical fashion, replies "Ah, menial work isn't my thing..." Xemnas then chides them and tells them to "plant seeds in his path". They then leave.

[Zeldaman2.0]

Ah, The Land of Dragons...

I completed this level with only a minor hiccup at the start, with the mission that requires you to find all the hidden Heartless at the start. Needless to say, that was my only hiccup. I found some more puzzle pieces, and I'm slowly working on the pictures they make. I'd also like to add that Shan-Yu was stupid easy. I didn't even get to use Limit a second time. Hell, I didn't even make it through half my Form Gauge! (Though, to be fair, I had it maxed out at HB.) Some enemies have recolorings done to them, of note so far are the Soldiers and Assault Riders. I'll post more caps if you guys want me to. Any questions? Comments?

[NebulaGregarZX]

Huh. Well, I guess we should see the recolors, but about the puzzle pieces... they sound JUST LIKE the stickers in BBS, except that they're pieces to a puzzle/picture, instead of decorations and things to add to an existing picture. And I bet that any rewards you get are based on completing individual puzzles, rather than just finding and placing a lot of stickers.

[Zeldaman2.0]

They are in a way. You have to place them in the correct spot, and I'll post a screencap of the Soldiers, the Assault Riders, and the puzzle with the most pieces thus far. And yeah, I think you get them once you're totally done with a picture. My emu hasn't been lagging that much, even during boss fights. It only gets really bad when a special camera effect is used, or there's a LOT on the screen. I've only gotten small lag in the Gummi ship missions, and only in one thus far for a brief moment. Gonna upload the pics in a few.

[Zeldaman2.0]

The puzzle
https://2img.net/h/i1262.photobucket.com/albums/ii606/ShaneDelbont/dawnpuzzle_zpsae0dd47c.png

Spoiler:

The Soldier
https://2img.net/h/i1262.photobucket.com/albums/ii606/ShaneDelbont/soldier_zps37ba873d.png

Spoiler:

The Assault Rider
https://2img.net/h/i1262.photobucket.com/albums/ii606/ShaneDelbont/assaultrider_zps7f2c4f23.png

Spoiler:

[Zeldaman2.0]

Beast's Castle is down. I managed to not die in the boss fights on this one at least, but the Large Bodies got me a couple of times. Some more recolorings, but I'll do them later. Finished the first puzzle and got an AP boost for my efforts!

[NebulaGregarZX]

Hm... Well, sounds like it's going well. To be honest, I don't think I'm very good at playing KH games, myself, but that's because I judge myself based on how much I die. And since I'm a little careless... on higher difficulties, I definitely have trouble. Any time I disobey my better judgment, it bites me about three seconds later when I have to Continue...

[Zeldaman2.0]

Yeah, Critical Mode would punish you in a couple places. You know those ghost enemies that show up on the way to Demyx? They can two-shot or three-shot you... and your siren won't even go off to warn you. O.o

I got to the first Absent Silhouette area, and upon investigating it, it says that it looks dangerous. Upon trying to check it out, however, you either get the option of "we best leave it alone" or "looks dangerous, let's go" and you can't fight Zexion... that is, until you get the Olympus Stone. Demyx shows back up after his fight to explain that fighting them will "awaken your true yourself". Sora ponders his meaning, but Donald and Goofy insist that he focus on saving Megara.

Coliseum down. Up next: Timeless River. (Fuck. Those god-damned cars are going to fuck me over....)

[Zeldaman2.0]

Something I forgot to mention! Now, upon beating a world, a heartless called a Mushroom XIII may appear, and will sit in an area and wait for you to "duel" it. These are like the old White Mushrooms from KH1, whereupon beating their minigame you got a prize. In The Land of Dragons, Mushroom 4 appears, and challenges you to "tag". Upon starting, you must vanquish as many clones (all of them have only 1 HP) as possible, while not letting any of them touch you. Doing so ends the game, and thus far I've only beaten a max of twelve. Which isn't enough to spawn any prizes. In Olympus Coliseum, Mushroom 6 spawns where Demyx was fought, and challenges you to beat up all of his clones in a set time limit. Magic helps a lot, but my max score was a minute twelve seconds. However, that's enough to spawn a Tent, a synthesis item (I forget it... >.>) and two new items (also related to synthesis): a Tranquil Shard and a Tranquil Stone. I don't know what they're used for, but they seem cool: they look like white mushrooms.

Oh, and that Absent Silhouette fight? Yeah, I lost twice. I don't think I can win as I am now, so I'm going to just progress the story.

Small side note: some chests have different items! Instead of just all mythril items, I've actually found a blazing shard, frost shard, and lucid shard in chests!

Headed to Timeless River now.

[Zeldaman2.0]

....

I just thrashed Old Pete in ONE COMBO. Admittedly, I was in Valor form, and had Hero's Crest+Shooting Star. BUT ONE COMBO? WTF?

[Zeldaman2.0]

Finished Timeless River! Wasn't too bad, I always enjoy this breather episode of a level. Simple, yet it has it's challenges. I transformed to Anti-Sora for the second time this game (the first against the second form of the Ballroom boss in Beast's Castle) and I lived to tell the tale! Drive Recoveries are apparently THREE TIMES as effective as they were in the old games: regular restore three, high restore nine! Holy shit! Gonna grind Wisdom and Valor up to their maxes and then head off to bed. G'nite, guys!

[Haar_Dragon]

Yeah, Drive Recoveries didn't help all that much in the original, so they kinda went away fast.

Also, I wouldn't say it's impressive that you "lived to tell the tale" after turning Anti twice, considering Anti-Form is actually quite good, but either way, good luck with the rest of the game. And...didn't you just now get Wisdom Form? It might take a while to grind that up.

[Zeldaman2.0]

Critical Mode means not only is Sora's damage jacked up, but the enemies turn it up to eleven as well. Not to mention Anti-Form makes him MUCH more susceptible to damage, and I only had half a bar left. With less HP than normal.

I actually got Wisdom to it's current max (level four) in like thirty minutes thanks to the still-existing Drive Gauge maxing trick. Mickey's House in Timeless River? Enter, spawn Heartless, Drive, Thunder spam (btw, Wisdom has TWO MP Hastegas now, and you also have a MP Hastera from the start!) shoot the enemies until low drive/magic replenishes, finish up and when Drive gauge hits its last bar run to the door back to Disney Castle and Max Drives. I failed that once and had several drive recoveries, and that's how I figured out the triple drive heals.

And, I'm not sure, but I think the Forms require less experience now that Limit form is in play. I'll check once I max Valor, I needed to go to bed before I could do so.

[Zeldaman2.0]

So after facing Mushroom VI until I had Valor all maxed out, I went back to the Land of Dragons to try out Wisdom form on the tag Mushroom. At first I only got sixty, and needed eighty five to beat it, so I was kinda disheartened, but I got a drive recovery and a FUCK TON of items nonetheless! I went back and faced him, and this time, making sure to use quick run, I got to ninety one! He dropped a shit ton of stuff, including a shield for Goofy! He dropped one on the sixty shots, but it was only one attack (same as what I had). The new one (first one was Happy Mushroom, this is Happy Mushroom+) is three attack, and it keeps me current with what he'd get in Port Royal. I'll try M 6 again here in a second.

Not going to tempt the Pain and Panic cup... not yet anyway.

[Zeldaman2.0]

Six was okay, but I feel like I need more magic for it. Oh well... Time to..

Oh god no.

No. Please God no. Not that. I don't care if I'm going for completing all worlds. It's not worth it. No. Gummi ship waht are you doing?!

NOOOOOOOOOO NOT ATLANTICA NO!!!!!

[Haar_Dragon]

Hm. I've never seen anything on KH2 Critical Mode, so I'll just take your word for it. My logic was that it'd be easier to dodge with Anti's speed boost.

Also, what exactly IS Limit Form? I know it uses the KH1 design, but beyond that?

Oh, Atlantica...you're so f*cking pointless in this game...

[Zeldaman2.0]

Basically it gives Sora the ability to Drive without using any party members (free MP and HP refills mid-battle? Yes.) and gives him access to all of the old cool Limits from KH1: Ragnarok, Ars Arcanum, Sonic Blade, and... I forget the last one. I think it's Zantetsuken. Only three drive bars to use, too!

[Haar_Dragon]

Strike Raid, the one you're missing is Strike Raid.

Anyway, so Limit Form is basically the ability to quick-shift between forms? Am I understanding that right?

[Zeldaman2.0]

No no no. Limit Form is a Form in and of itself. Basically instead of Strength, Magic, Abilities, or Raw Power, you get Skills: the old combos from KH1. It's its own Form, and it doesn't require Party Members, meaning once you get it there's never a fight you have to go without using Drive. It uses the minimum number of Drive bars (3) and like all other Drives, you get HP and MP refills, too.

Edit: you also get Dodge Roll as its movement action.

[Haar_Dragon]

Oooooh! Nao ah gets it!

When you said "Drive without party members" I thought you meant it was a form that shifted between the others. Geez, doesn't sound like I could've been any more off-base with that one.

Still...is it just me or is Magic pretty much useless in KH1 and 2? I mean, at the end of KH1, most bosses are immune to Magic and most common enemies are strong against it. In KH2, it gets nerfed to hell so that there are really only three helpful skills: Magnet, Reflect, and of course Cure, but then again, that's never a bad thing. So...what the hell?

[NebulaGregarZX]

And then in Days, it's one of the most effective means of attack, and come BBS with Aqua... cartwheeling your enemies into ashes aside, she can dish out insane damage with magic. Maybe they realized just how pathetic they made Magic and decided to up the power?

[Haar_Dragon]

Kinda seems that way, huh? Days is pretty much impossible without it, BBS is helped a lot (especially Aqua, as you said), Coded has some SERIOUSLY great spells, and DDD seemed to buff physical powers just to keep up with all the magic. Personally, I feel 3D had the best balancing, although it might have showed a BIT more favor to physical...or maybe that's just my playstyle.

[NebulaGregarZX]

Yeah... See, I decided to make Riku a purely physical fighter, and give all the magic I could to Sora. As a result... Sora is trickier to work with.

Finally! Some praise for Coded! About damn time... All I've heard from anybody is that it's an escort game that isn't worth your time. It's not amazing, but it's definitely not bad at all...

[Sponsored content]