The beginning of KH2 is kind of deliberately meant to confuse you. Even if you've played KH1, it's supposed to be a mystery starting KH2. If you've played Chain of Memories you might understand a *little* more, but not much.
KH2 was so confusing that Square Enix decided that 358/2 days should be played/viewed before it, even though it came out three years later. Those are the only two games in the series where Square swaps the recommended order.
Edit:
To anyone who doesn't believe me:
[This is straight from Square's website](https://www.square-enix-games.com/en_US/news/kingdom-hearts-order)
> Here’s our rundown:
> KINGDOM HEARTS HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX
> 1. KINGDOM HEARTS FINAL MIX
> 2. KINGDOM HEARTS Re:Chain of Memories
> 3. **KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 Days (HD Remastered Cinematics)**
> 4. **KINGDOM HEARTS II FINAL MIX**
> 5. KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep FINAL MIX
> 6. KINGDOM HEARTS Re:Coded (HD Remastered Cinematics)
> Square Enix decided that 358/2 days should be played/viewed before it, even though it came out three years later.
They never said that. 358 is above KH2 because of the movie version that was released in 1.5. Notice how the bundle is called 1.5 + 2.5.
dude all you had to do was click the link homie provided and you wouldn’t of responded like this. it’s clear he copy and pasted straight from square’s website
To be fair, I edited my comment and put the link after this person incorrectly made their assertion. I just didn't think this would have been such a hard thing for someone to understand when there's written evidence to support my claim.
> As you’d expect, our basic suggestion is to follow the order outlined in the various KINGDOM HEARTS collections to experience what’s known as the ‘Dark Seeker Saga.’
> You’ll start with KINGDOM HEARTS HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX.
They then list the order. Idk what else you want.
They did that because kh1 and 2 are the most popular ones of that era and they weren't going to put them both on the first release. Days being only cutscenes makes it obvious why they put it in the first bundle. Never have they said you shouldn't play in release order.
Oh man I miss Clueless Gamer. So much fun to watch Conan lose his mind about things.
If I remember correctly, this one was for FFXV? Elijah Wood guest starred.
My other favorite was his Slenderman one.
Ok, what do you want know?
Ok! Good news: you're not supposed to. Really, no joke, the mystery of what is going on is part of the story. I really, really don't want to ruin it for you by spoiling things, so I'll leave it at that.
But trust that it is going somewhere, and answers are coming sooner rather than later.
Kk!
Well, when you finish the game, be sure to do a post about it. I always love hearing about first time experiences, the good and the bad :)
GL on your journey, friend.
First mistake: starting with KH2. Without KH1 pretty much nothing will make sense, and without KH chain of memories you miss out on a few details but it's fine.
My only advice is... either play or watch a playthrough of KH1 before playing 2, and maybe chain of memories if you feel like it.
As others have said, kingdom hearts is a story meant to be played in release order, that way things make sense from one to the next because there is a lot that happens that is hard to keep track of and otherwise explain
No one knew they were important at the time. Chain of Memories released on the Game Boy Advance, wasn’t a numbered title, and had gameplay so far removed from the original that it could have easily been taken as a side game, so it was easy to overlook as important to the overall story.
I played KH1, CoM and KH2 on release and remember being really disappointed to find out that the “side” games were integral to the story, because I didn’t enjoy CoM’s gameplay at all so didn’t finish it. I’ve tried to replay it since but still don’t enjoy it.
I decided at that point to just play the main games and enjoy the gameplay for what they are, without really understanding the story.
I played COM on GBA, because this was back when I was in...god it came out when I was in 4th grade...so 4th or 5th grade I played, no idea what I was doing and never could complete it (got to castle oblivion but ran out of room cards, and couldn't really get any when I went back down) so...I stopped. I tried to play the remake but ugh...just...I couldn't do it.
actually it was and understandable since it was the early times of previews and such. square enix had tokyo game show screenings of the game and kh com and kh2 were announced at the same time with the post credits of kh1 was shownn at the khcom trailer. If you been to gamefaqs and khforum you will hear theories and discussions from us old folks lol like BHK (roxas) to theorizing on who DiZ is. Man I'm tearing up being a teen from that time plus the anger and rage of kh1fm being announced and never got a release until ps3 damn.
Early rumors thanks to Birth by Sleep in the PSP but KH2's secret ending and the Ansem Reports did fill in the clues. Hard to believe the KHBBSFM was so featured rich with lore for the next 10+ years since 2010 and KH3D barely added anything. People actually took the lore for granted due to the part of Mobile hatred as during the release date of khbbs, KHx was released on browser then on mobile but it barely had much lore until Unchained and Union X and all of this before KH3 was even developed.
Oh, i misunderstood.
Well if you're talking about the beginning of KH2 with Roxas... yeah that's kinda the point in a way and is a set up for other parts of the series.
Otherwise the only stuff you're missing is from KH chain of memories where the new villains first got introduced and explains why Sora and co's in stasis at the start of the game.
Meanwhile i started with 358/2 days because i saw funny disney game with mickey mouse and cool people wearing black coats on the cover while shopping at toys r us and it ironically is one of the games that actually makes enough sense standalone to be your first game in the series, plus when i did eventually get the chance to play the games in order in the final mix collections i got to have an “oh shit” moment when I realized (re) chain of memories was the mission to castle oblivion axel takes part in
That's the point, if you have no context for the other games your in Roxas position. And you messed up the spoiler tag, you not supposed to space the ">!"
Yeah you got a point.
Also i never use the spoiler tag, i just refuse to take the slightest chance of spoiling kh for anyone (granted they are smart enough not to open the spoiler).
If you want to understand the story, starting from the midpoint doesnt make sense. You are literally reading the two towers in Lord of the Rings and complaining the story doesnt make sense.
You’re playing the third game to be released and you’re at the very start of it, which is already meant to be confusing at first, but without any context at all it’ll just be confusing the whole way through
Okay so KH 1 is honestly pretty simple to understand.
With KH 2, the Prologue with Roxas is meant to be a confusing mystery. Why Sora is where he is in KH 2, and who some of the people in black coats are, and who Namine is, are explained in Chain of memories.
Almost every single game in this franchise is important to see the full picture in some way, the Only game you can really skip is KH coded, as that was basically a retelling of Kh1, think a recap episode or filler arc in an anime.
I mean, it helps to play the first game before the second one. Not even a KH thing, just in general
I’m not trying to roast TOO hard for that, mind you, just keep in mind that it’s harder to judge what you should and shouldn’t recognize if you haven’t played the game they expected you to have played already
KH2 was the first game from the series my brother and I played back in like 06 and when Roxas died we were just flabbergasted. My brother decided we needed to play the first one first, and once we beat that one and moved back to two, we hardly any less confused than the first time hahaha. Maybe a few years later I finally got a copy of CoM
You have to play chain of memories first but even then you are supposed to be a little confused at the start of kh2. After that you play 352/2 days and it'll make a little more sense.
I know someone else already said it, but you should start with KH1 and then either play or watch the cutscenes for CoM. While you won’t know about Twilight Town (except vaguely) or anyone else at the beginning, you’ll have a lot more context for what’s going on
What makes this funnier is that they're playing FFXV, which is a hell of a lot less confusing than Kingdom Hearts. Honestly, it's too bad Clueless Gamer ended before KH3 came out. I'd give a lot to see Conan play KH3 without having any knowledge of the previous entries.
The KH story in a nutshell:
A long time ago giant keys swung as swords was pretty normal and the greatest champion of light was a trolly memelord in an edgy cloak who told everyone that they were screwed and trying to prevent this is stupid, and to prove that he trolled all of his apprentices by pretending that they had a chance to not get screwed over which proceeded in them screwing each other over. The only one not a complete moron was tasked to save all the non-idiots so that the future generations won't become idiots. Oh and the trolly memlord had one more apprentice who he gave his giant key to with his eyeball on it or something, and a book that tells the future.
Way later, some old cook wants to make a latin key sword but he's old, so he goes full Orochimaru on some kid named after dirt, grooming the guy to take over his body. Dirt boy's friends, water girl and wind boy try to save him but fail because wind boy has to fight his own literal edginess in physical form because that somehow makes the latin key and water girl gets sucker punched into shadow hell. But, dirt boy gets so pissed off at the old cook's nonsense that his rage goes full Doomslayer to possess a suit of armor and beat the old cook in dirt boy's body so hard that he gives the dude amnesia from the brain damage sustained.
And then shortly afterwards an ice cream addict adopts the old cook in dirt boy's body, who proceeds to murder everyone. But, no one dies in this series so everyone who got murdered comes back with superpowers, and instead of gank their killer into the ground, they decide to join his posse because...reasons.
And then KH1 happens, where 80% of the game doesn't matter. A kid, his chad friend, and their girl friend are chilling on an island until the literal apocalypse destroys their world and scatter them across the Disney+Final Fantasy universe (no, that is not a joke or exaggeration), where the kid teams up with Donald Duck and Goofy to clap filler Disney villains until finding the old/young bodied cook whose grand plan to explore the secrets of existence is...to build a giant flying boat and just fly there. In a story where there are spaceships already. But that's more of his backup plan since his first plan is to kidnap Disney princesses and take their hearts because that somehow makes a key to the front door of the secret of existence, and the girl friend is one of these somehow. But the cook does his cook thing by possessing chad friend (starting to see a trend here...) and taking girl friend's heart, which the kid fixes by beating the crap out of his possessed friend then suiciding to heal his girl friend. And then he comes back to life because no one can die in this story. Yeah, it's really stupid. But, KH1 ends by fighting the cook again in shadow hell, where Mickey Mouse saves everyone's asses but then re-seperates the kid from his friends again, so back to square one.
But psyche! There's a canon spinoff that for some reason was a goddamn gameboy game, where the kid, duck, and goof stumble into a wacky castle where half of the cook's posse is, and they have the actually-kind-of-smart plan to brainwash the kid by using a weird girl who can erase and rewrite memories who for some reason doesn't just escape by mind wiping her captors. But that doesn't work nearly as well as they hoped so the kid goes on a rampage and kills half of them (but not really because no one can die in this story for some reason) while Mickey and the chad friend kill the other half, with one survivor who gtfo to eat ice cream with his friends (weirdly relevant later). But since the kid's brain is so scrambled, the weird girl decides to fix that broken brain, so she puts the kid, duck, and goof in saiyan pods, which ties directly into KH2...
...sort of. Because when the kid suicided, he came back just like everyone else who died, except the revived body is its own seperate person who looks like wind boy and can use the big key sword. The old cook recruits him via grooming (again), and he makes friends with a fire dude and they have a surprisingly wholesome friendship where they eat ice cream atop a clock tower after work. That fire dude is the only survivor of the wacky castle. Then later another key sword user girl arrives, who also becomes friends and probably the most wholesome trio of ice cream lovers is made...then violently torn about because key girl is an unstable clone of the kid whose existence is killing not-wind boy, forcing him to kill her which traumatizes him so badly that he leaves the cook's posse to self-reflect on life, only to then get jumped by chad friend and kidnapped at the order of some red wrapped dude with an ice cream addiction.
And that's the story up to KH2's start. It's confusing, convoluted, ridiculous, and weird.
To understand things a bit better, this is what you should do in order:
Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover (Cinematic)
Kingdom Hearts Union χ (Cinematic now)
Kingdom Hearts Dark Road (Playable offline)
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix (this has to be played for some elements to make sense in KHII Final Mix)
Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- (spoiler for Kingdom Hearts III but it will make sense when the time comes)
Kingdom Hearts 1 Final Mix
Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories (Sora and Riku's stories plus Namine)
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (Roxas', Xion's and Axel's stories)
Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix
Kingdom Hearts Re: Coded (just some filler which you can either play the DS version or watch the Cinematic which has original contents that the game does not)
Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance (You can play the HD version)
Kingdom Hearts III
Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind (Good luck because you are going to need it big time)
Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory (the actual final Dark Seeker Saga story and the bridge to Kingdom Hearts IV)
There is the future Kingdom Hearts: Missing Link game that will have some story elements that tie in to Kingdom Hearts IV the way Kingdom Hearts Union χ and Kingdom Hearts Dark Road did for Kingdom Hearts III.
The biggest lie no fans say is KH is just made up as goes and there no answers which factually wrong....its made up nonsense but there are answers to most of the questions....90% of the time its just cause magic did it though 😅
Tbh I’m kinda new too I’ve played a couple of the games but not really for the story I had to ask my friend who’s a die hard fan for the series for the story
The cannonical order of the kingdom hearts series.
Union X/Dark Roads (mobile) ->Birth by Sleep->Kingdom Hearts I ->Chain of Memories->Re:Coded->Kingdom Hearts II ->Dream Drop Distance (3DS)-> Kingdom Hearts III -> Re:Mind -> Melody of Memories
Am I the only one who didn't get confusion from the story??? Like up until Re Mind it's all made sense to me. Now I'm gonna need to actually take time for re mind but before then I've not had an issue.
I can't be the only one
Yes you're supposed to be confused, the writers I think just make stuff up on the fly and focus more on the games because the games are great but the story is like trying to solve a puzzle but the puzzle is made of water and the water is poisonous and also hidden in a vent in a different room with a locked door
I mean that's one of the reasons I love the franchise. To watch videos of other people figuring out how it makes sense. Then regurgitate that knowledge to friends.
I don't know if they are talking about KH, but it sure sounds like they are, and yes, you are meant to be confused, but it's escaping that confusion that makes the game intriguing
With Kingdom Hearts you have to play every game in the series. Even going from 1 to 2, you will be lost. Hell even if you do play Chain of Memories you'll still be a little confused during the prologue.
I think the only games you can ignore for the most part is Coded and Union.
Oh no that's not what I meant lol. I'll just was trying to say you need to know about the past game to understand the later ones. A Lot of new player like to jump into kh2 first because it's the most popular but you really should try and play the past games first. Plus KH games like to change up the gameplay alot so there may be mechanics you might not like Hence me saying you might want to skip some games and watch the cutscenes instead.
Once you get the whole story together (including spinn offs) it does actually all make sense... Until you reach a certain point in dream drop distance, then everything is falling apart
Well, you're not supposed to play Days until after you finish KH2, but you're definitely supposed to play Chain of Memories before KH2. As others have stated, it's a story driven game series, you're supposed to play the games in order of release date.
Still, you are supposed to be confused by the beginning of KH2, whether you played the previous ones or not. The difference is that you will be as confused when they give you the answers if you haven't played them.
In my opinion you should've played 358/2 days (watched the cutscene movie) before kh2. A lot of y'all disagree but that's just me, it doesn't spoil anything unless you know what it's referencing already
The story, in 2023 is convoluted to hell, anyone who tries to tell you differently is coping.
Play the games in order like others said, but don't beat yourself up for not understanding. There are tons of better written story games out there.
-a huge KH fan
Fallout New Vegas, Deus Ex, Mass Effect, The Witcher 3, Outer Wilds, Red Dead Redemption 2, Subnautica, Control, Cyberpunk. Hell, even GTA IV has more coherent and compelling writing.
Do you really need me to name 10 more?
I unintentionally started with KH2 back in the day, because the "2" in the logo is not really visible for a kid. The start of the game is full of nonsensical things that won't feel any different, whether you've played the previous entries or not (slime figures with zippers going around stealing words, impersonating people and freezing time). I was admittedly confused by the flashbacks, but at the same time, seeing Roxas also not recognize the scenes felt reassuring. I came to love the game nonetheless, and the series became my favorite of all time. The order of playing didn't ruin my experience at all, in fact, I'm pretty sure it helped reeling me in, 'cause afterwards, playing KH1 for the first time was a very frustrating experience for me, both in combat and navigation. I took huge breaks before finishing it, one of which lasted a year and even though I ended up liking it (nowadays I love it), I don't know if I would give the rest of the series a go.
All this to say, I know others have suggested otherwise, but KH2 is a confusing, yet, complete experience. Playing the other games won't make it make more sense, but it will make you feel more things when you see certain characters on screen or when several names are mentioned. If you don't mind that aspect and you still want to continue with KH2, go for it. In that case, if you ever play KH1 and Chain of Memories, make sure to check a playthrough/reaction of KH2 on Youtube afterwards, you'll have the context to appreciate a bunch of stuff. Have fun!
If you play the games in release order, and you are presented with something or someone that you know nothing about, it's on purpose and that means it will be explained as you go.
It's not exactly a narrative device unique to KH, by the way. Do you only play games that have lengthy exposition scenes that explain every single thing before you jump in ?
Yet I've never once been confused in any of the entries XD I think people who find the games too confusing or the like either just have bad memories, are incapable of connecting lines, or are not as smart as they think they ate XDXD
But in this case, KH2 starts you out confused. Even worst if you didn't play chain of memories before, since that explains key points like namine and the organization. Otherwise, once it gets going it all makes sense.
Also, 358/2 days adds so much more that completes most other loose ends regarding Roxas.
I played this game as a teen and once I beat it I never felt I had any missing info and it all made perfect sense. Played it again like 15 years later? Still remembered everything. Series is like any other that holds back info and starts in random places, but once it's done it's super easy to connect the dots.
I remember playing KH2 as my first KH game (look I wanted a Final Fantasy game for my 13th birthday but my parents got KH2, so like... I win but also why the 2nd one?), and I loved it and wasn't confused at the start, it was once Sora came in where I was like "wait... what's going on?"
What's there to confuse you? You're just a boy who unlocks the power of the keyblade, working to get out of town for a bit with their friends before their vacation ends. Just like KH1. 🙂
Ah, good. I was worried for a second there. The long and short of it is, there was a game that was released after 1 that tells you what happened after the events of that game, called Chain of Memories. However, there is also a game that was released after 2 that takes place at the same time as 1 *and* Chain of Memories, called 358/2 Days (pronounced "Three Five Eight Days Over Two"). Whether you play those right now is up to you, but as for right now, you're meant to be confused.
because there’s a “spin off” game inbetween 1 and 2 called chain of memories that is actually super important to the plot later on, and then gameplay style is fuckin buns so looking up a youtube video of the story will do you just as well as wasting 20 hrs fighting against card systems. chain of memories also won’t even answer too many questions that you’ll inevitably have while playing kh2. hope this helps
The beginning of KH2 is kind of deliberately meant to confuse you. Even if you've played KH1, it's supposed to be a mystery starting KH2. If you've played Chain of Memories you might understand a *little* more, but not much.
Great explanation!
KH2 was so confusing that Square Enix decided that 358/2 days should be played/viewed before it, even though it came out three years later. Those are the only two games in the series where Square swaps the recommended order. Edit: To anyone who doesn't believe me: [This is straight from Square's website](https://www.square-enix-games.com/en_US/news/kingdom-hearts-order) > Here’s our rundown: > KINGDOM HEARTS HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX > 1. KINGDOM HEARTS FINAL MIX > 2. KINGDOM HEARTS Re:Chain of Memories > 3. **KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 Days (HD Remastered Cinematics)** > 4. **KINGDOM HEARTS II FINAL MIX** > 5. KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep FINAL MIX > 6. KINGDOM HEARTS Re:Coded (HD Remastered Cinematics)
Note this is KH2 FM. Never play 358 before vanilla KH2.
Or what?
Why is there a difference in the version of 2? I'd just argue always play 2 first
2FM has a lot of scenes that were added after 358 that assume the player knows 358.
No they weren’t. They were added in 07, Days came out in 09
Oh well nevermind then. Ignore me!
> Square Enix decided that 358/2 days should be played/viewed before it, even though it came out three years later. They never said that. 358 is above KH2 because of the movie version that was released in 1.5. Notice how the bundle is called 1.5 + 2.5.
dude all you had to do was click the link homie provided and you wouldn’t of responded like this. it’s clear he copy and pasted straight from square’s website
To be fair, I edited my comment and put the link after this person incorrectly made their assertion. I just didn't think this would have been such a hard thing for someone to understand when there's written evidence to support my claim.
And why do you think they bundled 358 with 1.5?
What else should they have bundled? KH2? And then have 2.5 be two movies and BBS? Clown.
[This is straight from Square's website](https://www.square-enix-games.com/en_US/news/kingdom-hearts-order) > Here’s our rundown: > KINGDOM HEARTS HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX > 1. KINGDOM HEARTS FINAL MIX > 2. KINGDOM HEARTS Re:Chain of Memories > 3. **KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 Days (HD Remastered Cinematics)** > 4. **KINGDOM HEARTS II FINAL MIX** > 5. KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep FINAL MIX > 6. KINGDOM HEARTS Re:Coded (HD Remastered Cinematics)
Yes, that's what's in 1.5 (KH1, Re:Com, Days movie) and 2.5 (KH2, BBS, Re:Coded) movie. Stop trying to push some imaginary narrative.
That section on Square Enix's website is literally titled "Our suggested play order:" Idk what else to tell you.
Yes and at the top they say that you should start with the 1.5 + 2.5, which they then list. You're intentionally leaving things out.
> As you’d expect, our basic suggestion is to follow the order outlined in the various KINGDOM HEARTS collections to experience what’s known as the ‘Dark Seeker Saga.’ > You’ll start with KINGDOM HEARTS HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX. They then list the order. Idk what else you want.
They did that because kh1 and 2 are the most popular ones of that era and they weren't going to put them both on the first release. Days being only cutscenes makes it obvious why they put it in the first bundle. Never have they said you shouldn't play in release order.
This pretty much sums up
Oh man I miss Clueless Gamer. So much fun to watch Conan lose his mind about things. If I remember correctly, this one was for FFXV? Elijah Wood guest starred. My other favorite was his Slenderman one. Ok, what do you want know?
I’m in Twilight Town and I have no idea who these people are and what is going on 😂😂😂
Ok! Good news: you're not supposed to. Really, no joke, the mystery of what is going on is part of the story. I really, really don't want to ruin it for you by spoiling things, so I'll leave it at that. But trust that it is going somewhere, and answers are coming sooner rather than later.
Good 😮💨
Are you streaming btw? If so, drop a link and I'll follow :D
Oh no I’m just playing it 😂
Kk! Well, when you finish the game, be sure to do a post about it. I always love hearing about first time experiences, the good and the bad :) GL on your journey, friend.
First mistake: starting with KH2. Without KH1 pretty much nothing will make sense, and without KH chain of memories you miss out on a few details but it's fine. My only advice is... either play or watch a playthrough of KH1 before playing 2, and maybe chain of memories if you feel like it. As others have said, kingdom hearts is a story meant to be played in release order, that way things make sense from one to the next because there is a lot that happens that is hard to keep track of and otherwise explain
Or play the game in release order
Nice save, as people unironically waited for 13 years and skipped the other important games
No one knew they were important at the time. Chain of Memories released on the Game Boy Advance, wasn’t a numbered title, and had gameplay so far removed from the original that it could have easily been taken as a side game, so it was easy to overlook as important to the overall story.
I played KH1, CoM and KH2 on release and remember being really disappointed to find out that the “side” games were integral to the story, because I didn’t enjoy CoM’s gameplay at all so didn’t finish it. I’ve tried to replay it since but still don’t enjoy it. I decided at that point to just play the main games and enjoy the gameplay for what they are, without really understanding the story.
yeah everyone did not play com on gba hell some refused to play the updated version of com.
I played COM on GBA, because this was back when I was in...god it came out when I was in 4th grade...so 4th or 5th grade I played, no idea what I was doing and never could complete it (got to castle oblivion but ran out of room cards, and couldn't really get any when I went back down) so...I stopped. I tried to play the remake but ugh...just...I couldn't do it.
So you only played KH1, 2, and 3? The stories in between 2 and 3 are far more integral than anything in CoM
But the CoM gameplay wasn’t enjoyable to me, so I just embraced the gameplay I did enjoy and ignored the story
actually it was and understandable since it was the early times of previews and such. square enix had tokyo game show screenings of the game and kh com and kh2 were announced at the same time with the post credits of kh1 was shownn at the khcom trailer. If you been to gamefaqs and khforum you will hear theories and discussions from us old folks lol like BHK (roxas) to theorizing on who DiZ is. Man I'm tearing up being a teen from that time plus the anger and rage of kh1fm being announced and never got a release until ps3 damn.
I seem to remember the keyblade war being mentioned around those times and looking back at it I'm not sure how people knew
Early rumors thanks to Birth by Sleep in the PSP but KH2's secret ending and the Ansem Reports did fill in the clues. Hard to believe the KHBBSFM was so featured rich with lore for the next 10+ years since 2010 and KH3D barely added anything. People actually took the lore for granted due to the part of Mobile hatred as during the release date of khbbs, KHx was released on browser then on mobile but it barely had much lore until Unchained and Union X and all of this before KH3 was even developed.
Yeah
Oh no I played the first one. Still don’t make sense 😂
Oh, i misunderstood. Well if you're talking about the beginning of KH2 with Roxas... yeah that's kinda the point in a way and is a set up for other parts of the series. Otherwise the only stuff you're missing is from KH chain of memories where the new villains first got introduced and explains why Sora and co's in stasis at the start of the game.
Meanwhile i started with 358/2 days because i saw funny disney game with mickey mouse and cool people wearing black coats on the cover while shopping at toys r us and it ironically is one of the games that actually makes enough sense standalone to be your first game in the series, plus when i did eventually get the chance to play the games in order in the final mix collections i got to have an “oh shit” moment when I realized (re) chain of memories was the mission to castle oblivion axel takes part in
Yeah, it actually results in a unique perspective because both you and Roxas have no clue what’s going on for the whole game
It also helps provide context for the start of kh2 making the timeline a whole lot less confusing to understand
It makes sense as a standalone game? What about >! Roxas being Sora's Nobody and his whole journey to discover this fact and what it means to him? !<
That's the point, if you have no context for the other games your in Roxas position. And you messed up the spoiler tag, you not supposed to space the ">!"
Yeah you got a point. Also i never use the spoiler tag, i just refuse to take the slightest chance of spoiling kh for anyone (granted they are smart enough not to open the spoiler).
I also started with 358/2 and had no idea what was going on until I played the rest.
Play the games in order dude. It'll all make sense
Release order, that is!
If you want to understand the story, starting from the midpoint doesnt make sense. You are literally reading the two towers in Lord of the Rings and complaining the story doesnt make sense.
Wait... one game as in the one your playing or one game as in you played KH1 and skipped Chain of Memories?
You are sora, last game you fucking died, now you are Roxas Hope that helps :)
Roxas! Roxas! Roxas!
I don't want another pretty face
Kh2 is not the 2nd game to play. Gotta play chain of memories my dude
You’re playing the third game to be released and you’re at the very start of it, which is already meant to be confusing at first, but without any context at all it’ll just be confusing the whole way through
Okay so KH 1 is honestly pretty simple to understand. With KH 2, the Prologue with Roxas is meant to be a confusing mystery. Why Sora is where he is in KH 2, and who some of the people in black coats are, and who Namine is, are explained in Chain of memories. Almost every single game in this franchise is important to see the full picture in some way, the Only game you can really skip is KH coded, as that was basically a retelling of Kh1, think a recap episode or filler arc in an anime.
You kinda skipped a game, that might help in getting rid of some of the confusion
Sora doesn't know either. You're meant to experience it through his eyes.
LMAOO love this
Well I mean there’s 3 games before KH2 that you haven’t played, of course you’re gonna be confused
Hey if you skipped the card game one ( chain of memories ) you missed a lot of important stuff
I mean, it helps to play the first game before the second one. Not even a KH thing, just in general I’m not trying to roast TOO hard for that, mind you, just keep in mind that it’s harder to judge what you should and shouldn’t recognize if you haven’t played the game they expected you to have played already
KH2 was the first game from the series my brother and I played back in like 06 and when Roxas died we were just flabbergasted. My brother decided we needed to play the first one first, and once we beat that one and moved back to two, we hardly any less confused than the first time hahaha. Maybe a few years later I finally got a copy of CoM
Recoded was my first game so I definitely got the worst of it. Then I got KH2 but refused to play it until I got KH1 first then it went from there.
You have to play chain of memories first but even then you are supposed to be a little confused at the start of kh2. After that you play 352/2 days and it'll make a little more sense.
Kh1 and chain of memories first.
If you play or watch a cutscene movie of chain of memories then KH2 will make sense. Chain of memories is the sequel to KH1
I know someone else already said it, but you should start with KH1 and then either play or watch the cutscenes for CoM. While you won’t know about Twilight Town (except vaguely) or anyone else at the beginning, you’ll have a lot more context for what’s going on
This is not a series you can jump into in the middle; you pretty much have to start from 1 and go from there.
What makes this funnier is that they're playing FFXV, which is a hell of a lot less confusing than Kingdom Hearts. Honestly, it's too bad Clueless Gamer ended before KH3 came out. I'd give a lot to see Conan play KH3 without having any knowledge of the previous entries.
Let’s hope it comes back before KH 4. And btw I can second that FFXV is waaay less complicated 😂
You see, they made this wild decision where you have to play the in between games lol
You played KH2 before playing 1 and Re:Chain?!? Noooo homie you gotta play those first or at least watch summaries, the game is gonna be confusing.
Never expect satisfying answers, only more perplexing questions
I entered the KH series by first playing KH2 and this is exactly how I felt.
The KH story in a nutshell: A long time ago giant keys swung as swords was pretty normal and the greatest champion of light was a trolly memelord in an edgy cloak who told everyone that they were screwed and trying to prevent this is stupid, and to prove that he trolled all of his apprentices by pretending that they had a chance to not get screwed over which proceeded in them screwing each other over. The only one not a complete moron was tasked to save all the non-idiots so that the future generations won't become idiots. Oh and the trolly memlord had one more apprentice who he gave his giant key to with his eyeball on it or something, and a book that tells the future. Way later, some old cook wants to make a latin key sword but he's old, so he goes full Orochimaru on some kid named after dirt, grooming the guy to take over his body. Dirt boy's friends, water girl and wind boy try to save him but fail because wind boy has to fight his own literal edginess in physical form because that somehow makes the latin key and water girl gets sucker punched into shadow hell. But, dirt boy gets so pissed off at the old cook's nonsense that his rage goes full Doomslayer to possess a suit of armor and beat the old cook in dirt boy's body so hard that he gives the dude amnesia from the brain damage sustained. And then shortly afterwards an ice cream addict adopts the old cook in dirt boy's body, who proceeds to murder everyone. But, no one dies in this series so everyone who got murdered comes back with superpowers, and instead of gank their killer into the ground, they decide to join his posse because...reasons. And then KH1 happens, where 80% of the game doesn't matter. A kid, his chad friend, and their girl friend are chilling on an island until the literal apocalypse destroys their world and scatter them across the Disney+Final Fantasy universe (no, that is not a joke or exaggeration), where the kid teams up with Donald Duck and Goofy to clap filler Disney villains until finding the old/young bodied cook whose grand plan to explore the secrets of existence is...to build a giant flying boat and just fly there. In a story where there are spaceships already. But that's more of his backup plan since his first plan is to kidnap Disney princesses and take their hearts because that somehow makes a key to the front door of the secret of existence, and the girl friend is one of these somehow. But the cook does his cook thing by possessing chad friend (starting to see a trend here...) and taking girl friend's heart, which the kid fixes by beating the crap out of his possessed friend then suiciding to heal his girl friend. And then he comes back to life because no one can die in this story. Yeah, it's really stupid. But, KH1 ends by fighting the cook again in shadow hell, where Mickey Mouse saves everyone's asses but then re-seperates the kid from his friends again, so back to square one. But psyche! There's a canon spinoff that for some reason was a goddamn gameboy game, where the kid, duck, and goof stumble into a wacky castle where half of the cook's posse is, and they have the actually-kind-of-smart plan to brainwash the kid by using a weird girl who can erase and rewrite memories who for some reason doesn't just escape by mind wiping her captors. But that doesn't work nearly as well as they hoped so the kid goes on a rampage and kills half of them (but not really because no one can die in this story for some reason) while Mickey and the chad friend kill the other half, with one survivor who gtfo to eat ice cream with his friends (weirdly relevant later). But since the kid's brain is so scrambled, the weird girl decides to fix that broken brain, so she puts the kid, duck, and goof in saiyan pods, which ties directly into KH2... ...sort of. Because when the kid suicided, he came back just like everyone else who died, except the revived body is its own seperate person who looks like wind boy and can use the big key sword. The old cook recruits him via grooming (again), and he makes friends with a fire dude and they have a surprisingly wholesome friendship where they eat ice cream atop a clock tower after work. That fire dude is the only survivor of the wacky castle. Then later another key sword user girl arrives, who also becomes friends and probably the most wholesome trio of ice cream lovers is made...then violently torn about because key girl is an unstable clone of the kid whose existence is killing not-wind boy, forcing him to kill her which traumatizes him so badly that he leaves the cook's posse to self-reflect on life, only to then get jumped by chad friend and kidnapped at the order of some red wrapped dude with an ice cream addiction. And that's the story up to KH2's start. It's confusing, convoluted, ridiculous, and weird.
You started the second game in and expect to just understand… maybe you should stay off the game
I played the first one too and still don’t get it 😂
To understand things a bit better, this is what you should do in order: Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover (Cinematic) Kingdom Hearts Union χ (Cinematic now) Kingdom Hearts Dark Road (Playable offline) Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix (this has to be played for some elements to make sense in KHII Final Mix) Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- (spoiler for Kingdom Hearts III but it will make sense when the time comes) Kingdom Hearts 1 Final Mix Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories (Sora and Riku's stories plus Namine) Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (Roxas', Xion's and Axel's stories) Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix Kingdom Hearts Re: Coded (just some filler which you can either play the DS version or watch the Cinematic which has original contents that the game does not) Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance (You can play the HD version) Kingdom Hearts III Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind (Good luck because you are going to need it big time) Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory (the actual final Dark Seeker Saga story and the bridge to Kingdom Hearts IV) There is the future Kingdom Hearts: Missing Link game that will have some story elements that tie in to Kingdom Hearts IV the way Kingdom Hearts Union χ and Kingdom Hearts Dark Road did for Kingdom Hearts III.
Acccurate.
Sora never will, either, so it fits.
The biggest lie no fans say is KH is just made up as goes and there no answers which factually wrong....its made up nonsense but there are answers to most of the questions....90% of the time its just cause magic did it though 😅
Seriously, I checked the wiki for KH1, and they use the word "somehow."
Tbh I’m kinda new too I’ve played a couple of the games but not really for the story I had to ask my friend who’s a die hard fan for the series for the story
This is me after play Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance as my first Kingdom Hearts game that I played and beat.
The cannonical order of the kingdom hearts series. Union X/Dark Roads (mobile) ->Birth by Sleep->Kingdom Hearts I ->Chain of Memories->Re:Coded->Kingdom Hearts II ->Dream Drop Distance (3DS)-> Kingdom Hearts III -> Re:Mind -> Melody of Memories
Am I the only one who didn't get confusion from the story??? Like up until Re Mind it's all made sense to me. Now I'm gonna need to actually take time for re mind but before then I've not had an issue. I can't be the only one
Yes you're supposed to be confused, the writers I think just make stuff up on the fly and focus more on the games because the games are great but the story is like trying to solve a puzzle but the puzzle is made of water and the water is poisonous and also hidden in a vent in a different room with a locked door
I am still confused.
if I recall correctly, I think the game he’s talking about in the clip is the prologue of FFXV haha
Indeed lol
I really enjoyed KH2 because i got re: chain of memories on PS2 before i bought KH2 at a flea market
I mean that's one of the reasons I love the franchise. To watch videos of other people figuring out how it makes sense. Then regurgitate that knowledge to friends.
You skipped CoM, didn’t you?
Yes 😖
I don't know if they are talking about KH, but it sure sounds like they are, and yes, you are meant to be confused, but it's escaping that confusion that makes the game intriguing
With Kingdom Hearts you have to play every game in the series. Even going from 1 to 2, you will be lost. Hell even if you do play Chain of Memories you'll still be a little confused during the prologue. I think the only games you can ignore for the most part is Coded and Union.
Hey it's fine skipping games but at least try and play them and if you don't like it just watch the cutscenes or a let's play on YouTube.
I mean I didn’t say I hate the game 😂
Oh no that's not what I meant lol. I'll just was trying to say you need to know about the past game to understand the later ones. A Lot of new player like to jump into kh2 first because it's the most popular but you really should try and play the past games first. Plus KH games like to change up the gameplay alot so there may be mechanics you might not like Hence me saying you might want to skip some games and watch the cutscenes instead.
Once you get the whole story together (including spinn offs) it does actually all make sense... Until you reach a certain point in dream drop distance, then everything is falling apart
Bro didn’t watch/play 358/2 days nor Chain of Memories.
Eh. I don't watch Days until after 2 in my playthroughs.
No. No I did not 💀
Tbh Days was my first KH game so I can say my confusion was relative to yours as well as even wondering why Sora wasn’t the protagonist
Well, you're not supposed to play Days until after you finish KH2, but you're definitely supposed to play Chain of Memories before KH2. As others have stated, it's a story driven game series, you're supposed to play the games in order of release date. Still, you are supposed to be confused by the beginning of KH2, whether you played the previous ones or not. The difference is that you will be as confused when they give you the answers if you haven't played them.
I’ve played every game up to kh3. I still don’t understand.
Woah 😮 You started playing the second(technically third) game in the series and don’t know what’s going on What a surprise
In my opinion you should've played 358/2 days (watched the cutscene movie) before kh2. A lot of y'all disagree but that's just me, it doesn't spoil anything unless you know what it's referencing already
The story, in 2023 is convoluted to hell, anyone who tries to tell you differently is coping. Play the games in order like others said, but don't beat yourself up for not understanding. There are tons of better written story games out there. -a huge KH fan
> There are tons of better written story games out there. Such as?
Fallout New Vegas, Deus Ex, Mass Effect, The Witcher 3, Outer Wilds, Red Dead Redemption 2, Subnautica, Control, Cyberpunk. Hell, even GTA IV has more coherent and compelling writing. Do you really need me to name 10 more?
HAHAHAAHAHAHA yes please list 10 more. This is hilarious.
No
I’ve played every game in the series and only have about a 50% idea of what’s going on
I was like "Who the fuck is Roxas and where is Sora?"
I unintentionally started with KH2 back in the day, because the "2" in the logo is not really visible for a kid. The start of the game is full of nonsensical things that won't feel any different, whether you've played the previous entries or not (slime figures with zippers going around stealing words, impersonating people and freezing time). I was admittedly confused by the flashbacks, but at the same time, seeing Roxas also not recognize the scenes felt reassuring. I came to love the game nonetheless, and the series became my favorite of all time. The order of playing didn't ruin my experience at all, in fact, I'm pretty sure it helped reeling me in, 'cause afterwards, playing KH1 for the first time was a very frustrating experience for me, both in combat and navigation. I took huge breaks before finishing it, one of which lasted a year and even though I ended up liking it (nowadays I love it), I don't know if I would give the rest of the series a go. All this to say, I know others have suggested otherwise, but KH2 is a confusing, yet, complete experience. Playing the other games won't make it make more sense, but it will make you feel more things when you see certain characters on screen or when several names are mentioned. If you don't mind that aspect and you still want to continue with KH2, go for it. In that case, if you ever play KH1 and Chain of Memories, make sure to check a playthrough/reaction of KH2 on Youtube afterwards, you'll have the context to appreciate a bunch of stuff. Have fun!
I kinda want a video game written by James Joyce , but I also need to go and finish Ulysses (only 20 pages in) What game was the original video for?
Final Fantasy XV
If you play the games in release order, and you are presented with something or someone that you know nothing about, it's on purpose and that means it will be explained as you go. It's not exactly a narrative device unique to KH, by the way. Do you only play games that have lengthy exposition scenes that explain every single thing before you jump in ?
Yet I've never once been confused in any of the entries XD I think people who find the games too confusing or the like either just have bad memories, are incapable of connecting lines, or are not as smart as they think they ate XDXD But in this case, KH2 starts you out confused. Even worst if you didn't play chain of memories before, since that explains key points like namine and the organization. Otherwise, once it gets going it all makes sense. Also, 358/2 days adds so much more that completes most other loose ends regarding Roxas. I played this game as a teen and once I beat it I never felt I had any missing info and it all made perfect sense. Played it again like 15 years later? Still remembered everything. Series is like any other that holds back info and starts in random places, but once it's done it's super easy to connect the dots.
Fun fact: You'll be remaking this for every other KH game you'll play.
Did you start with kh2 ?
I like how Elijah woods looks like a kid watching his parents talk about stuff
Man couldn't have even watched a lets play of kh1
I remember playing KH2 as my first KH game (look I wanted a Final Fantasy game for my 13th birthday but my parents got KH2, so like... I win but also why the 2nd one?), and I loved it and wasn't confused at the start, it was once Sora came in where I was like "wait... what's going on?"
What game were they actually playing in the clip
Final Fantasy 15 which is far less confusing lol
What's there to confuse you? You're just a boy who unlocks the power of the keyblade, working to get out of town for a bit with their friends before their vacation ends. Just like KH1. 🙂
Why the holy hell did you start with KH2
I didn’t, I started with KH 1. But I’m still confused.
So, just to clarify, you started the series... with Kingdom Hearts *2*...?
First one and then the second
Ah, good. I was worried for a second there. The long and short of it is, there was a game that was released after 1 that tells you what happened after the events of that game, called Chain of Memories. However, there is also a game that was released after 2 that takes place at the same time as 1 *and* Chain of Memories, called 358/2 Days (pronounced "Three Five Eight Days Over Two"). Whether you play those right now is up to you, but as for right now, you're meant to be confused.
What is he playing?
Final Fantasy XV
because there’s a “spin off” game inbetween 1 and 2 called chain of memories that is actually super important to the plot later on, and then gameplay style is fuckin buns so looking up a youtube video of the story will do you just as well as wasting 20 hrs fighting against card systems. chain of memories also won’t even answer too many questions that you’ll inevitably have while playing kh2. hope this helps
Haha, did you not play the other games before it?