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Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (read "Kingdom Hearts Three-Five-Eight Days over Two") is an RPG developed by Square Enix for the Nintendo DS, with aid from h.a.n.d. It focuses on the life of Roxas between the end of Kingdom Hearts and the beginning of Kingdom Hearts II, exploring the time from Roxas's creation until his confrontation with Riku that leads to his placement in the simulated Twilight Town.
Conception & Design
"Pinocchio's World" (remade as Prankster's Paradise) was originally set to appear in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, but was eventually removed due to space restrictions. Tetsuya Nomura explained that the planned plot for the world was, Set in a circus and playing off the story of Pinocchio, a puppet with a heart, and the Nobodies who possess no heart, we planned for a sad episode with Roxas and Xion looking for hope for themselves. The world would have included Pinocchio (as a human) and Geppetto, as well as the villains Honest John and Gideon from the original film. The profile sprites for the characters still appear within the final game's code. Hades and Megara were also planned to appear in Olympus Coliseum, and Tinker Bell was apparently planned to have lines, before she was made mute. These characters' profile sprites also appear within the final game's code.
Characters
Like previous Kingdom Hearts titles, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days features numerous Disney characters. All Organization XIII members are playable in multiplayer mode, as well as Riku, Donald, Goofy, The King, and Sora. Xion, the elusive fourteenth member of the Organization, has great significance in the story. The Heartless appear as the primary antagonists, including a large amount of new types. Also, some special Heartless appear as normal encounters, such as the Possessor in Beast's Castle. There are many old bosses seen like Guard Armor and Darkside. Moogles also appear in the game, they themselves wearing Black Coats. Pete is featured only in Agrabah and Neverland. However, with the exception of the aforementioned Moogles, there are no other Final Fantasy characters in the game
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days Gameplay
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days's gameplay is similar to the action-RPG style of the previous games in the series, and takes place in a 3D environment. There originally were three status bars, HP, MP, and a new one labeled LM, but the LM and MP bars have been removed. The familiar command menu from past installments of the game has returned, this time with only three visible commands. Instead of using MP for magic you equip the spells you want to use for each mission using the Panel System. Magic has also been altered in that various forms of the same spell, such as Fire and Firaga, are actually physically different spells instead of the same attack with a different level power. A camera control scheme that allowed players to move the camera with the touch screen, and to move, jump, and attack using the control pad and face buttons is also present. Some names of Heartless have been changed too (e.g.: Rabid Dog has become Bad Dog). Another interesting point is the height of the chairs at Where Nothing Gathers. While playing in multiplayer mode, the chairs' heights do not relate to their own preferences, but rather their rank during the missions that you go on. The members who come in lower places, out of all four members participating in the challenge, will receive lower chairs than the members who scored higher. When missions are completed, the height of the chairs will either move up or down in accordance to their previous position. All characters also have various different forms of their weapons, each with unique stats, like the various Keyblades in the previous games
About Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
The game covers the story of Roxas before the events of Kingdom Hearts II. On the day he is born as Sora's Nobody when Sora transforms into a Heartless in the original Kingdom Hearts, Roxas is found by Xemnas in Twilight Town, the leader of Organization XIII, who names him its thirteenth member. Each day he is sent on missions to other worlds, either alone or accompanied by his fellow members, to destroy Heartless with the Keyblade and release captive hearts, with which the Organization can fulfill their goal of summoning Kingdom Hearts and become complete beings. Roxas is placed under the care of Axel, who he befriends and spends his spare time with at the end of each day, sitting atop the clock tower in Twilight Town, speaking what's on their minds and eating sea-salt ice cream together. Shortly after Roxas's induction, the Organization gathers in the Round Room to witness the arrival of a mysterious fourteenth member, Xion. Her appearance changes from person to person, depending on their relationship with her. Later, when Axel and several other members are assigned to Castle Oblivion (setting the stage for Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories), Roxas is paired with Xion.
