Riona (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rionaleonhart) wrote2013-06-27 06:20 pm
rionaleonhart) wrote2013-06-27 06:20 pm
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I've Been Singing Kingdom Hearts Music To Myself For Days.
Finished replaying Kingdom Hearts Re:coded!
It's not clear when Data-Sora realised he was a digital replica of the real Sora, which bothers me a bit. You'd think that would be quite a big revelation. Sora takes a lot in his stride, but surely you would need at least a moment to sort through your thoughts after discovering that you and your friends and your home are actually just data inside a computer.
(Data-Riku seems to have been fully aware of the situation from the start, which is just as well, because Riku would definitely have been upset by having that revelation suddenly dropped on him. I suspect that, whereas Data-Sora is unshakeably sure that the people of the datascape matter, Data-Riku has trouble believing his own existence is of any real value. He still values Data-Sora, though. EXPLAIN THAT, RIKU.)
Here's the text of one of my favourite scenes in Re:coded:
(Riku's data has been corrupted by bugs; Sora is now inside Riku's data, trying to debug him. Riku tries to apologise. Because Riku is also here, inside himself. Look, it's best not to think too hard about anything in this series. I thought I'd try to give this extract a bit of context to make sure it wasn't too confusing, but I realise as I type that the context is far more confusing than the extract itself.)
Riku: Sora... Really, I'm sor—
Sora: Nope! Don't say it!
Riku: Can you blame me? I shouldn't have let the bugs in like this. Every time it's me against some outside force, I give in and—
Sora: Riku, would you can it for a second? How many worlds have we been to now?
Riku: Um...
Sora: 'Cause not long ago, the answer would've been 'one'. But now, you and me have been all kinds of places, and instead of dreaming about what's out there, we only have to remember it. We've got the whole universe inside of us. Just let that sink in for a second.
Riku: ...Pretty incredible.
Sora: All those worlds inside you, and you know what? You're still Riku. Doesn't matter how many 'outside forces' you have to face – because everything you touch makes you stronger. Always has.
Riku: Th-thanks.
Sora: Heh heh, you like that? Sounded wise beyond my years, right?
Riku: A little flowery, but you made your point, half-pint.
Sora: H-hey! I'll remember that when I'm taller than you!
Riku: Ha ha! I look forward to that. And Sora?
Sora: Yeah?
Riku: ...Never mind. I'll tell you when all this is over.
I've been ungenerous to Re:coded, I think. The plot may be a bit nothingy and the camera may be infuriating, but it has some of my favourite character interaction in the entire series, and I really love its take on Castle Oblivion.
That said, I started Days after finishing my Re:coded playthrough (because apparently I'm replaying all my Kingdom Hearts games? I swear I don't just play videogames all day, even if my recent entries really make it sound like I do) and was startled by how strong my emotional reaction was right from the beginning. Re:coded is fun enough, but I'm not particularly invested in it, whereas I care intensely about Days.
(ROXAS'S ADORABLE DIARY. All games should have the protagonist keep an adorable diary. See also Uncharted 2, in which Nate's journal slowly fills up with both puzzle hints and incredibly silly doodles.)
A thought: where was Kairi in Re:coded? We never meet a Data-Kairi, and I think the real Kairi is mentioned a grand total of once. Poor Kairi; she does get a bit neglected. Riku plays a significant role in Chain of Memories and Re:coded and Dream Drop Distance, but Kairi seems to be almost entirely absent from the spin-off games, and she's unconscious for most of the original Kingdom Hearts. Maybe she'll finally get a larger role in Kingdom Hearts III? She's not one of my favourite Kingdom Hearts characters, but maybe that would change if we actually got to know her.
It's not clear when Data-Sora realised he was a digital replica of the real Sora, which bothers me a bit. You'd think that would be quite a big revelation. Sora takes a lot in his stride, but surely you would need at least a moment to sort through your thoughts after discovering that you and your friends and your home are actually just data inside a computer.
(Data-Riku seems to have been fully aware of the situation from the start, which is just as well, because Riku would definitely have been upset by having that revelation suddenly dropped on him. I suspect that, whereas Data-Sora is unshakeably sure that the people of the datascape matter, Data-Riku has trouble believing his own existence is of any real value. He still values Data-Sora, though. EXPLAIN THAT, RIKU.)
Here's the text of one of my favourite scenes in Re:coded:
(Riku's data has been corrupted by bugs; Sora is now inside Riku's data, trying to debug him. Riku tries to apologise. Because Riku is also here, inside himself. Look, it's best not to think too hard about anything in this series. I thought I'd try to give this extract a bit of context to make sure it wasn't too confusing, but I realise as I type that the context is far more confusing than the extract itself.)
Riku: Sora... Really, I'm sor—
Sora: Nope! Don't say it!
Riku: Can you blame me? I shouldn't have let the bugs in like this. Every time it's me against some outside force, I give in and—
Sora: Riku, would you can it for a second? How many worlds have we been to now?
Riku: Um...
Sora: 'Cause not long ago, the answer would've been 'one'. But now, you and me have been all kinds of places, and instead of dreaming about what's out there, we only have to remember it. We've got the whole universe inside of us. Just let that sink in for a second.
Riku: ...Pretty incredible.
Sora: All those worlds inside you, and you know what? You're still Riku. Doesn't matter how many 'outside forces' you have to face – because everything you touch makes you stronger. Always has.
Riku: Th-thanks.
Sora: Heh heh, you like that? Sounded wise beyond my years, right?
Riku: A little flowery, but you made your point, half-pint.
Sora: H-hey! I'll remember that when I'm taller than you!
Riku: Ha ha! I look forward to that. And Sora?
Sora: Yeah?
Riku: ...Never mind. I'll tell you when all this is over.
I've been ungenerous to Re:coded, I think. The plot may be a bit nothingy and the camera may be infuriating, but it has some of my favourite character interaction in the entire series, and I really love its take on Castle Oblivion.
That said, I started Days after finishing my Re:coded playthrough (because apparently I'm replaying all my Kingdom Hearts games? I swear I don't just play videogames all day, even if my recent entries really make it sound like I do) and was startled by how strong my emotional reaction was right from the beginning. Re:coded is fun enough, but I'm not particularly invested in it, whereas I care intensely about Days.
(ROXAS'S ADORABLE DIARY. All games should have the protagonist keep an adorable diary. See also Uncharted 2, in which Nate's journal slowly fills up with both puzzle hints and incredibly silly doodles.)
A thought: where was Kairi in Re:coded? We never meet a Data-Kairi, and I think the real Kairi is mentioned a grand total of once. Poor Kairi; she does get a bit neglected. Riku plays a significant role in Chain of Memories and Re:coded and Dream Drop Distance, but Kairi seems to be almost entirely absent from the spin-off games, and she's unconscious for most of the original Kingdom Hearts. Maybe she'll finally get a larger role in Kingdom Hearts III? She's not one of my favourite Kingdom Hearts characters, but maybe that would change if we actually got to know her.
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