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''Kingdom Hearts II'' is an ''. It is the third game in the series, but only the second game released on the PlayStation 2 . Directed by Tetsuya Nomura , the game continues Sora 's adventures in finding King Mickey and Riku with the help of a large cast of characters from both Disney and Final Fantasy universes, including Donald , Goofy , Jack Sparrow , Tron , Aladdin ; and Final Fantasy's Squall , Auron and more. The in-game music is composed by Yoko Shimomura , who composed the music for the first game, and the theme song " Passion " (" Sanctuary " for the international release) is written and performed by Japanese Pop Music star Utada Hikaru . PLOT OVERVIEW ''Kingdom Hearts II'' begins where '''' left off. Sora and his companions have been asleep for about a year, regaining their memories. When Sora awakens, he eventually arrives in Twilight Town , the place where a mysterious boy, Roxas , who can use dual Keyblades, lived before he left suddenly. Gaining new clothes and powers, Sora began his journey anew, unaware of the events that have taken place in Chain of Memories. Sora continues his quest by unlocking paths to new worlds, fighting the Heartless and Nobodies, as well as facing the remaining members of the mysterious Organization XIII . As the game progresses, Sora learns how much he and Roxas have in common. Early in the game, the player only has control of Roxas while in Twilight Town. Roxas has recurring dreams of Sora's adventures and increasingly mysterious activity is taking place in Twilight Town during Roxas' summer vacation. After obtaining the Keyblade to defend himself from the Nobodies, Roxas comes in contact with a young man in black named Axel . Axel appears to know Roxas, though Roxas has no recollection of him. Roxas eventually makes his way into an abandoned mansion where a girl named Naminé informs him that he is a Nobody, although he did not quite know what a Nobody was at that time. A mysterious, red-cloaked man by the name of DiZ also briefly appears. Then Roxas discovers Sora, Donald and Goofy sleeping in the hidden basement of the mansion. Roxas seems to disappear at this point as Sora, Donald and Goofy awake from their year-long slumber. Jiminy Cricket , who had previously chronicled the trio's adventures, finds that his journal is now completely blank, save for the note: "Thank Naminé" (which was written by Jiminy himself during ''Chain of Memories''). After speaking with Yen Sid, the party is informed that they must once again visit many worlds to protect them from both the Heartless and the Nobodies in an attempt to stop Organization XIII. WORLDS , Goofy and Jack Sparrow in the Port Royal world of ''Kingdom Hearts II''.]] As in the first ''Kingdom Hearts'' game, the player can access different worlds with themes based mostly on Disney films. Worlds based on Disney films
Original worlds
NEW GAMEPLAY FEATURES Gameplay has been revamped from the first game; there are various new features offering the potential of more interesting and diverse play than the original. Drive Gauge One of the new features is a meter known as the Drive Gauge that the player can use for Drive Forms and Summons. It requires a certain amount of levels to be able to use a Drive Form or Summon and when it is invoked a separate Drive Gauge is shown where it shows how long Sora can maintain that form or summon until its power runs out. At first the player can only have a maximum of three levels for the normal drive gauge but it can be improved to a maximum of seven levels throughout the game by defeating certain bosses. Drive is the only gauge that does not get recharged at a Save Point, as opposed to HP and Magic. Drive Forms Sora can "fuse" with party members to become more powerful and acquire different attributes as well. Three out of the five forms allow Sora to use two Keyblades instead of one, and the second keyblade may be equipped in the items menu for this purpose. There are five Drive Forms, all with different methods of increasing their level. The first two forms have Sora merge with one of his permanent party members, Donald or Goofy. Valor Form (known in the Japanese version as '''Brave Form'''), occurs when Sora merges with Goofy, and dons red and black clothes. Although he cannot use magic in this form, Sora gains a boost to his physical attack strength, runs twice as fast in this form and jumps much higher than normal. Sora wields two Keyblades which increases his combo potential and gives him additional attacks. Wisdom Form is where Sora merges with Donald, and dons blue and black clothes. Sora gains a magic attack boost, and hovers across the floor instead of running, giving him superior movement control. Also, Sora is able to dash over the floor while in this form, and attack while moving. Wisdom Form replaces the attack command with Shoot, which lets him shoot a blue magic bullet from the tip of the Keyblade in rapid fire if pressed continuously, making Wisdom Form specialized for long-distance attack. The other two forms have Sora combine with both other party members to attain greater power than in the other two forms. Master Form combines the powers of the Valor and Wisdom forms. In Master Form, Sora's combo potential is increased beyond that of Valor Form, and his magic power is increased as well. However, the power for each respective stat is not quite as strong as the corresponding stat in Valor and Wisdom Form. (The strength stat is still stronger in Valor, and the magic stat is still stronger in Wisdom) Two Keyblades can be wielded, one Psychokinetic ally and the other is held normally. His clothes turn yellow and black, and he is able to Double Jump . Final Form When in this form, Sora will merge with both other party members and don silver and black clothing. Wielding two Keyblades psychokinetically as well as the ability to glide through the air incredibly fast, Sora wields incredible power in this form, dispatching enemies with ease and dealing increased physical and magical damage. Sora can attack while moving in this form also, and sometimes the Keyblades will attack by themselves. Final Form is triggered randomly in battle when Driving based on a certain percentage, and can be chosen after Driving into it the first time. AntiForm is a bizarre form that is a side-effect of driving too much in battle. When activated, Sora turns completely black, walks on all fours, has yellow eyes, and shadowy tendrils flowing along his back, similar to a basic Heartless. While in this form, both partners disappear and Sora uses his "claws" for wide-range attacks that may be weak in individual attacks, but has a very high maximum combo count. His movement speed and jumping height are also increased, gains an extremely fast dodging ability, but Sora's defense is lowered, and is unable to use items, magic, gain experience, Reaction Commands, Limits, or heal himself in any other way while in this form. Unlike the other forms, when it occurs it will cancel out Drive when entering a new area as opposed to staying in effect, and it can only be cancelled at will when there are no enemies nearby. Both of the computer controlled partners will disappear regardless of who Sora drives with and the Drive Gauge becomes empty. Final Form and AntiForm are the two forms which are not given to the player by a person or event in the game, and are somewhat "secret" in the sense that the player has to discover the Forms themselves. Summons summon involves music.]] Like the previous game, Sora can summon a Disney character to aid him in battle when attaining each of their respective items. As summons use the Drive Gauge instead of the MP bar, Sora cannot Drive and summon at the same time. The character will replace the two computer-controlled characters and fight alongside Sora for as long as the Drive Gauge allows. Instead of the summoned character being limited to only one action, the summoned character now has a menu of his own to perform multiple actions, some solo actions and some cooperative actions with Sora. There are four summons.
Leveling up The player can level up Drive Forms or Summons through gameplay. Each Drive Form needs to be leveled up separately, while summons can be leveled up through continued use by using any of them. Leveling each of these forms can be useful for Sora's progress in the game. Each Drive Form (with the exception of AntiForm) and Summons have a maximum of seven levels. Not only does leveling the Drive Forms and Summons make them last longer, but also leveling up the Drive Forms passes on new equippable abilities on to Sora, able to be used outside of battle. Valor Form teaches Sora the High Jump ability. Wisdom Form teaches a Dash ability, Master Form teaches Aerial Dodge, and Final Form teaches Glide. Learning all of Sora's Drive Form abilities helps in combat as well as making field travel faster. Reaction command The reaction command, similar to the '' Resident Evil 4 '', '' Soul Calibur 3 '' and '' God Of War '' real time reaction commands, is used during fights and can allow Sora to perform certain actions when timed correctly. For example, against "Dusk" Nobodies, Sora will slide behind the normally evasive opponents and set up for a combo. Reaction commands can also trigger counter moves as well. For example, "Sniper" Nobodies shoot a red bullet at Sora, but with a well timed reaction command, Sora will kick the bullet back at it. Reaction commands are often pivotal in defeating bosses and certain enemies. Limits A gameplay addition gives Sora a special linked attack with any of the guest characters, and the effect varies depending on the character teaming up with Sora. In the Olympus Coliseum world, for example, Sora has the option to perform a linked attack with Auron when battling enemies. Later in the game Sora will also be able to perform team attacks with Donald and Goofy individually in similar fashion and later, with both. The combination attacks cannot be used simultaneously with any of Sora's Drive forms. Using a Limit will use up all of Sora's MP. Magic abilities Sora's magic spells from ''Kingdom Hearts'' has been modified and have been made stronger. MP (Magic Points) is now measured in a bar and starts at 100, with slight increases after certain story events are completed. When MP is depleted, an automatically filling pink bar appears and when it is completely filled, MP is fully restored. Fire, Blizzard, Thunder and Cure spells from the first ''Kingdom Hearts'' remain, although their effects have been changed. Gravity, Aero and Stop have been replaced by Magnet and Reflect. Magnet will pull in enemies closer to Sora, allowing him to set up for multiple combinations; and Reflect creates a temporary shield around Sora, and shatters into all directions for a limited distance. All spells also undergo the three stages of spell upgrades usually seen in Final Fantasy (e.g. Fire, Fira and Firaga). Spells also have differing effects in drive forms, usually a strength increase. They can also be used in combos. Mickey's help In certain boss battles, if Sora is knocked out, a second option may be available, called "I won't give up!" It allows the player to control Mickey Mouse. Mickey is fast and has a high amount of maneuverability, as his size may indicate. He also can jump twice as high as Sora and has brutal attacks and combo ability. He even has the ability to shoot blasts of magic from the tip of his keyblade, both on ground and in air. These shots can pass through multiple enemies and even hit a single enemy more than once. Mickey's MP bar also recharges very quickly if ever reduced to "zero." However, the player must revive Sora to finish off the boss; this is done by pressing the triangle button repeatedly to fill up Mickey's Drive Gauge. This can also be done by constantly attacking the opponent. After the Drive Gauge, which has a level of three, is full, pressing the triangle button will bring Sora back to life with full HP and Drive. If Mickey has his HP bar reduced to "zero", Sora will be automatically revived but with only 50% of his HP. Different command menus A new feature is that each world has its own Command Menu, some of which are animated. For instance, Olympus Coliseum's design shows an image of the top of the Coliseum, while Port Royal's design shows a ship's steering wheel and the Pirates of the Caribbean logo. If the player desires, the Command Menu's design can be changed to the original ''Kingdom Hearts'' design in the options menu. There are two different Command Menus; a normal one, used for attacking, accessing magic, using items, and drive, and a secondary menu, which is used to attack, summon, switch party members in and out and perform combination attacks. Maps It is optional to have a map in the top-right corner of the screen. In addition, mini-maps can be found in each world. On these maps, a Keyblade indicates Sora 's or Roxas 's location and the direction that he's facing. DISNEY CHARACTERS In addition to the Disney characters that return from ''Kingdom Hearts'', there are also characters from Disney's movies including Megara, Pegasus, Pain, Panic and the Hydra from '''', '' Tron '' and '' The Lion King '' also play parts in the game. Yen Sid the sorcerer, Mickey's master in the movie '' Fantasia '', makes an appearance, inhabiting a mysterious tower. Merlin returns in Disney Castle and Hollow Bastion, revealing the existence of Timeless River to the heroes. Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather from '' Sleeping Beauty '' give Sora his new outfit. Scrooge McDuck also makes an appearance in Hollow Bastion trying to recreate a "seasalt-flavoured Ice Cream ". Pete is also in the game as an ever-persistent enemy to Sora, Donald and Goofy, appearing in many worlds. He works with the resurrected Maleficent , who refuses to relent in her desire for power. Horace Horsecollar , Clarabelle Cow and Clara Cluck make appearances in the Timeless River. FINAL FANTASY CHARACTERS and Cloud in the Hollow Bastion world of ''Kingdom Hearts II''.]] Seventeen characters from the '' Final Fantasy '' series appear. Auron of '' Final Fantasy X '' can be Sora's partner in battle in Hercules' world. Yuna , Rikku and Paine from '' Final Fantasy X-2 '' appear as fairies at Hollow Bastion. Younger versions of Seifer Almasy , Fujin (called "Fuu"), and Raijin (called "Rai") from '' Final Fantasy VIII '' appear in Twilight Town, as a "disciplinary committee". '' clothing. Tifa Lockhart of '' Final Fantasy VII '' also makes her first cameo in the series, wearing her ''Advent Children'' attire. Cid Highwind also returns, but he is still wearing the same attire as in the previous game; he has a speaking role this time around as opposed to caption bubbles in ''Kingdom Hearts''. Sephiroth , Cloud's ever-present enemy, comes along as well, battling Cloud. He is an optional boss. The Moogle s, featured in many different ''Final Fantasy'' titles, serve as shopkeepers at various places in worlds however because of the dangers of the world, they only appear as holograms. It had been stated by Nomura that, although the first game strictly stuck to characters Nomura designed, this time around they were going to "take some risks", which implied that characters from the Final Fantasy games without involvement from Nomura could make an appearance. One of these was Vivi Ornitier of '' Final Fantasy IX '', who appears in Twilight Town as a member in Seifer's group. Another non-Nomura character included is Setzer Gabbiani of '' Final Fantasy VI '', as a challenger in Twilight Town. CRITICAL RESPONSE The critical response of the game has been generally positive, most notably a score of 39/40 from Japanese game magazine gave the game a lower score of 7.6/10 {Link without Title} . MANGA A Manga series, with art by Shiro Amano , has been slated for release on April 22nd. So far, only one volume has been confirmed, titled "Roxas - Seven Days" {Link without Title} , but more could be expected to coincide with the Kingdom Hearts 1 manga. VOICE CAST English language version
Japanese language version
MUSIC See Also: Kingdom Hearts II Original Soundtrack
The tracklist for the single is as follows: # Passion ~single version~ (4:36) # Passion ~after the battle~ (5:57)
TRIVIA 's Telescopic Sight view has been altered from the Japanese version (top) to the English version (bottom).]]
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