of keyblades (or rather, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep)

-nerd alert-

Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep came out this past September. i, however, did not actually get it until Christmas. i started playing it right away, and honestly, i think that even though the game didn't focus on Sora (the main character in almost all the other games), it was just as good, if not better, than all the ones that i've played before.

besides the fact that it focused on completely new and different characters than the other games and is a prequel, the game differed in another major aspect as well: you play as three different characters, with each character's story contributing to the bigger picture.

upon beginning the game, you have the option of choosing between the three main characters. they all differ in strengths and majorly in story and game play.

t e r r a

i picked Terra first. i'm not quite sure if i liked him or not. he was a typical "good guy kind of turning bad guy but fighting it", basically. one of the things that frustrated me, though, was that the ending of his story was unclear and confusing. it ended where i wasn't really sure if he was dead or alive or lost or what.

i felt almost like the writers weren't hardly trying with his portion of the game, because i finished him with a sort of feeling like he wasn't too important to the entire story. i liked his portion, but it overall seemed pretty lacking. 3/31/11 edit: so i just finished replaying Kingdom Hearts II for the first time in like three years. and, um, JAYKAY, Terra's like, really important. anyway.


(carry on)

one of the things i did like a lot, though, was that his abilities and strength made gameplay immensely easier than the other two characters.





a q u a

 
i went with Aqua next, mostly because i didn't see much of her character when i was playing as Terra and was curious. i think i liked her fighting style the most out of all three characters. i liked her character a lot. she was very different from the other two. her story wasn't as exciting as Terra's, but it was still really good.

i didn't think that the part she played in the overall story was that big of a deal while i was playing as her, but when i got to the last level, i was like WHOAA NEVER MIND.

basically, i liked her a lot. :)

v  e n t u s

before i even started playing as Ventus, i kind of knew that he was more or less the main character in the game. even the title, "Birth by Sleep", comes from his portion of the story.

Ventus, or "Ven", was by far my favorite. his story was the most interesting out of all three characters. and okay, i'll admit it, he also made me fangirl squeal a few times.

his story had the most mystery about it, and i took as much time as i could while playing as him because i just didn't want it to be over yet. the entire time i was playing i was eager to see what would happen next, because the story was so unpredictable.

one of the things that i enjoyed the most, though, was while Aqua and Terra had to protect Cinderella by fighting the Unversed on the level "Castle of Dreams", Ventus got shrunk down to mouse-size and had to make Cinderella's dress. oh, and his boss for that level? LUCIFER THE CAT. heck yes!



so, after finishing the game and all the different characters, the story left me almost speechless which is probably why this post sounds so weird at different parts. i apologize, haha.

basically, Birth by Sleep blew me away and now i'm impatiently waiting the US release for the next installment. oh, and if you're into Kingdom Hearts: seriously, invest in this game. for reals.

also, don't try too hard to unlock the secret ending of the game.

(because, hey, isn't that what YouTube is for?)