Kingdom Hearts II > Overview
Since the release of Kingdom Hearts, fans have begged for a full-blown sequel to the game to come out. Their cries were somewhat answered with the release of Chain of Memories in 2004, but it only left fans wanting more. Finally, in 2006, Square-Enix released Kingdom Hearts II, the long-awaited, full-blown sequel to the game that everyone had come to love.
In typical Square-Enix fashion, it wasn’t enough to simply make a sequel. It had to be superior in every way to the games that came before it. Kingdom Hearts II picked up exactly where Chain of Memories left off. Sora and his companions awake from their slumber and set out to find the King and Riku. Meanwhile, the game introduces an unusual boy named Roxas, who has been having all kinds of strange dreams about Sora. Soon, a much deeper plot is uncovered and it’s up to Sora, Donald, and Goofy to save the universe all over again.
New this time around was the addition of Forms, which were special powers that Sora could tap into by borrowing the powers of his friends. Along with Forms came the ability to use two Keyblades at the same time, as well as several new abilities. Possibly the most innovative thing about Kingdom Hearts II compared to the first game was the introduction of Reaction Commands. The Triangle Button, which served little function in the first title, now played a tremendous part in many of the battles in Kingdom Hearts II. By pressing the Triangle Button at specific times during certain battles, Sora could trigger a Reaction Command that could turn the the tables in his favor.
The game also featured many new worlds, though some were updated versions of worlds that appeared in previous installments of the franchise. New to the series was the Land of Dragons (Mulan), Beast’s Castle (Beauty and the Beast), Timeless River (Steamboat Willie), Port Royal (Pirates of the Caribbean), Pride Lands (Lion King), Space Paranoids (Tron), and The World that Never Was, a new original world.
With bigger battles, badder enemies, more characters, more worlds, new Keyblades, brand new controls, and an overwhelming amount of new items, accessories, armors, and more, Kingdom Hearts II lived up to every bit of the hype that gamers were expecting, and then some. Though it satisfied many gamers for the time being, a new installment in the series only left fans wanting even more.
