We assume that writing this review is a person who was, in purely subjective terms, pleasantly struck by Kingdom Hearts III, although my counterpart as a critic is well aware that the work, in its entirety, has particularly serious shortcomings, both for the drafting of the plot and for the playful mechanics. Having said that, we have already proposed the analysis of the third chapter to you at the time, and it is available at this link, but today we are going to review Kingdom Hearts III ReMind, expected DLC that in the mind of the development team had to clarify some outstanding issues. This is partly true, but on the other it must be said that as the events unfold, the story gets messed up in an all too obvious way. Although fans really like to theorize about the series, the risk is to put too much meat on the fire without then giving a worthy conclusion to the whole. The additional content had the main mission to please fans who had been orphaned of those elements re-proposed only in the Final Mix versions. From this point of view, users will finally be able to find bread for their teeth, given that all the boss fights entered, with particular emphasis on the Data, are really challenging.
Where were we
ReMind resumes exactly from the moment Sora decides to go alone in search of Kairi, exploiting the Power of Awakening. Well, without giving you too many spoilers, our protagonist he will find himself reliving the whole battle of the Keyblade Graveyard but from another perspective, namely that of the Guardians of the Light. In addition, some very significant scenes have been added that can give enormous insights into what the future of the series will be. We avoid adding anything else, but this does not prevent us from taking stock. The ability to create a sprawling storyline has always been the most recognized quality of Nomura, this time though… it's really exaggerating. Continuing to sip such important information in content that is not really “within everyone's reach” risks turning out to be a double-edged sword, given that already at present there is a lot of confusion even within the community itself. Although I appreciated some very specific choices and dialogues, I feel that the explanations provided are more like mere pretexts to reinforce already known or assimilated concepts, while an almost hidden narrative makes its way under the radar, branching off towards still hidden shores.
If the task of ReMind was closing some circles, know that this focus is not fully centered, since at a certain point you can clearly see how the cycle of the saga of Xehanort has come to its conclusion, without having to say anything too significant by now. We know, in fact, that for really important information we will have to wait for the next Union Cross update - free to play title for mobile devices - and the release of the so mysterious Projekt Xehanort, also for mobile phones. The aspects not yet examined in all probability will be analyzed within other productions, which, in part, deeply disappoint. The end result of the additional content is totally confusing, but not without potential. Although Kingdom Hearts III was a disappointment for almost all fans, if the narrative premises of the new course called Master of Master Saga there are so many reasons to continue following the series.
New DLC, old commands
The functions and controls have remained virtually the same, although when you open the DLC you will find a free update that gives Sora new abilities, allowing him to perform new moves even faster and more powerful. As previously mentioned, you will retrace the stages of the final phase of the game, until you recompose the heart of Kairi. Although the whole experience is a narrative corridor, at a certain point the title will open slightly, proposing a formula very similar to the one seen in Fragmentary Passage. If you finish the game in standard and critical mode you will get the related symbols, which will grant you two old acquaintances: the keyblades Distant Memory e Lucky charm. These are essentially mirrors of each other, and we're sure a lot of fans will have a lot of fun. The difficulty of the DLC, like the one in the main game, it is derisory, especially if you have upgraded Sora during the endgame. Different speech is made for the Data, but we will get there calmly.
Given the huge difference in strength between Sora and the others, the developers have decided to give the player the opportunity to choose, only and exclusively in some boss fights, which character to control. In fact, you can take the reins of Roxas, Riku, Kairi e Aqua. Each of them is equipped with a unique and recognizable move set, a pity not particularly sought after from a choreographic point of view. These heroes will have their default statistics, which essentially "cancel" those of Sora, thus allowing a more balanced level of challenge. However, it should be noted that the development house did not waste any particular energy in proposing new game situations or more articulated final clashes: even the fights against the Data dell 'Organization they are just a completely secondary pastime, nothing that adds too much real fun. Once you have defeated everyone, in fact, you will be left alone with a lot of questions, even if it must be said that the ending of the DLC is really exciting in some respects.
We have just mentioned the Data, there is therefore to highlight this aspect that, in part, wants to be the central point of production: their goal is to propose boss players with a higher level of challenge, placing them in front of ideologically complex challenges. Too bad that, in part, they did not turn out to be such, where except in a couple of clashes we will only recognize classic boss fights where we will go in the long run to knock down the opponent without too much difficulty. More than a fight, each fight will become a competition to see who resists the most, not exactly the height of exaltation if we add that, regardless of the fact that we are facing copies created thanks to digital data, the enemies move equally to their counterpart " real ”, making their patterns easy to read.
Conclusions
From a purely technical point of view, the game defends itself well, especially as regards a design that remains captivating and magnetic. There are two additions that will please fans however: the first is a totally revised photo mode, the second is the premium menu. As for the photo mode, you will now be allowed to move all the characters available in any game scenario, making them take the pose that best suits you, giving life to truly creative shots. The premium menu, on the other hand, will be activated shortly after restarting the game. You will have the opportunity to gain an advantage or penalize yourself, going to select settings such as restoring HP over time or such sadistic features that would scare even the most prepared gamer. The choice of how complex to make your experience is entirely up to you. A dutiful applause also goes to the music, always of excellent quality and capable of completely transforming some scenes which, without them, would be really insignificant.
In conclusion ReMind is pure chaos. The DLC does nothing but mess up the whole general plot without being too clarifying and, indeed, putting even more doubts in the player's head. At 30 euros the playful offer proposed by the additional content is really poor, since in most of the time you will face the same enemies with videos already seen and reviewed. The additions, insignificant and inspired, are absolutely not worth the price of the ticket, making it clear immediately that this content is intended for a more hardcore audience that would follow the saga even at the end of the world. We also realize that this ongoing main plot division is hurting the series as the development team with Kingdom Hearts III has shown that when there is a need to clarify it is difficult to prepare a brilliant and coherent story. The additional content, among other things, almost assumes that at certain moments the end user has followed the events of Union Cross, putting even more confusion on a story already free to any interpretation. Kingdom Hearts III ReMind it barely reaches sufficiency, since it has proved to be a mere filler of an experience, at least from a purely playful point of view, far too poor to excel.
Some almost existential questions for fans have not been answered after almost a year from the release of the main game, therefore the conclusion of the Xehanort saga rather than putting an end to the past seems to be the classic transition chapter and nothing more. However, we still have hope for the future of the brand, given that the direction the plot is taking could turn out to be more interesting than expected, and above all much more solid than this first part. At present, however, we still have too little information on this precise subject to be able to give more precise judgments, and we just have to wait for the next move of the Master of Masters.
