Late in the game review: Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days

Game Title: Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days
Console: Nintendo DS
Developers: Disney and Square-Enix

Release Date: September 29, 2009

Remember the beginning of Kingdom Hearts II (hereafter referred to as KH II for brevity's sake)? How you warmed up to Roxas and how you hated Sora for replacing him as the main character? Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days (pronounced "three-hundred fifty-eight days over two") was made just for you. This game is all Roxas, all the time.

Set between KH and KH II, 358/2 Days covers the missing chunk of plot that actually tells you anything about Roxas or Organization XIII, the hooded band of cloaked Nobodies that appear as the baddies in KH II and KH: Chain of Memories.

For the uninitiated, when someone's heart is corrupted in the KH universe, that person's heart becomes a Heartless, enemies that are so common you'll wonder how there are any normal people left. If that person has a strong will, as determined by the we-wrote-it-that-way method of will measurement, the corrupted person's body and soul become a Nobody. Nobody's supposedly "aren't real" and don't feel any emotions, but if that were true I have no idea how the whole Roxas-Axel bromance would have started in the first place.

The game unexpectedly introduces players to a new Organization member, Number XIV, Xion. Players will spend most of the game trying to figure out whose Nobody Xion is and why she can use the Keyblade, Sora and Roxas' trademark weapon. It all gets explained in the end, but the very end.

The majority of the game has next to nothing to do with plot, as Roxas is sent on mission after mission by the Organization. Most of these missions are the of the "go here, kill that" variety, and Roxas does what he's told without really worrying that his bosses are more evil than Snidely Whiplash. Most of the time, he's more worried about sea-salt ice cream, which sounds disgusting by the way.

I don't do mainstream

Just like the other KH games, players will travel to Disney worlds, but Roxas doesn't get involved in the films' plots or change his costume like Sora does. That'd be way too mainstream. Instead,  he'll gladly spend his time in the background and use the new worlds purely for a change of scenery.

Since most of the game revolves around combat, it's a good thing combat is actually fun, unlike the god-awful card-fighting in Chain of Memories. The controls and user interface are almost identical to KH and KH II, so they're easy to pick up if you're a fan of the series.The inventory system is different (you now have to dedicate slots items that up Roxas' level) but it's simple and easy to pick up.

During missions, Roxas occasionally has backup from other Organization members, but he's often left to fend for himself. You can't just give Goofy all your potions and expect him to look out for you this time. Combat is mostly hack-and-slash, and dodging is as useless as ever (better upgrade the blocking move). Magic is still next to useless at the beginning of the game and seriously overpowered at the end. The game combats that by making some enemies straight-up immune to all magic, but then you can just wail on them. Like most RPGs, 358/2 Days starts you off weaker than the nearest ant, but by the end of the game you're stronger than God.

Disappointingly, Roxas can't dual-wield Keyblades until the very end of the game (or in Mission Mode after completing the story). Previously, Roxas did so in a cutscene at the end of KH, he could briefly do it at the beginning of KH II and Sora could do it often later in KH II. If dual-wielding had been accessible, even temporarily, it could have made players feel like a rock star for half the game, but no such luck. The makers have their reasons, but it still feels like a tacked on feature and wasted potential.

Mission Mode, which lets players re-visit completed missions while playing as someone other than Roxas, exists outside the main story. Players can step into the shoes of King Micky, Riku, Donald, Goofy and Sora, and every member of Organization XIII. Each member has their own strengths and weaknesses, and they are interesting enough that it's a pity they don't amount to much more than boss fights in other games.

Final Call:

358/2 Days is a solid hack and slasher and RPG, and it's a way for fans of the series to get a more play time in the KH universe. If they're just playing for the story, though, it'd be easier to take ten minutes and read a synopsis online.