Kingdom Hearts GBA I just don't quite get it.

[vulcanjedi]

Greetings Programs.

The games me and my kids got for Xmas are providing endless entertainment. Please don't tell anybody but I just beat the elite four in my pokemon fire red and completed the quest to be able to trade with my daughters pokemon Sapphire. Not to mention trading with my son back and forth with his leaf green.

But my daughter also wanted Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories just because it had Disney characters in it. She is going to be 8, and told me the game is too hard. So I decide to get her started.

I have never really played a final fantasy game other than FFVII for a few days but the story in the intro was easy enough to follow. But there was all this instructions and confusing dialog and when I finally got to a point where it let me save it showd I had been at it for almost 50 minutes. No wonder my daughter can't get it started.

I don't get the part about the cards though. The jumping and dodging is normal but the attacks are tied with the card ready to be used. I can't tell if I'm supposed to switch to a different card before attacking and how are you supposed to do that with several ememies on the screen attacking and moving. Not to mention stacking 3 cards to use a special attack.

There have been a few games over the last 20 years that I really wanted to play but couldnt because I didn't quite get them. Mystaria and Langrisser and even ogre battle I can understand having trouble with tactical sims. But this Kingdom Hearts seems more of a kids game so I should be able to get it right ? :)

end of line
VJ

[Promophile]

But this Kingdom Hearts seems more of a kids game so I should be able to get it right ? :)


KH may have disney licences, but it is very much not a game for young kids. I haven't played the GBA one, but the PS2 game had battles that had me, a action / RPG vet, stuck for a long time (damn you Ursula!).

[NintendoMan]

But this Kingdom Hearts seems more of a kids game so I should be able to get it right ?

Th Disney characters are really the only thing that you might consider to be close to kiddy. That's it, definately NOT a kids game though.

[studvicious]

Unless they are good at RPGs this definately isn't a "kiddy game". Which reminds me, I need to get this as soon as I have some extra cash.

[vulcanjedi]

Unless they are good at RPGs this definately isn't a "kiddy game". Which reminds me, I need to get this as soon as I have some extra cash.

Ok

One of their favorite games right now is Magic Pengel on the PS2. Besides the pokemon GBA games.

In terms of RPG's kingdom hearts seems to be more action. I was never good at RPG's like Secret of Mana or Chrono trigger on the SNES but I had no trouble with Zelda link to the past.

I wonder if it is something they may enjoy "discovering" in a few years which would make it worth holding on to. At $35 it has been the most expensive GBA game I have bought to date.

[Gemini-Phoenix]

Well, i'm 23 and I find the game hard!

I have no idea what is going on, and I am pretty sure i'm half way through the game already - And i'm still clueless!

I'm just blagging my way through really.


It's this card based system i'm not used to. Seems pointless. And half the battles go on far too long... Have you tried to fight the two huge bad guys who always seem to appear in Aghrabah? They do my head in simply cos they take ages to kill!

[studvicious]

In terms of RPG's kingdom hearts seems to be more action. I was never good at RPG's like Secret of Mana or Chrono trigger on the SNES but I had no trouble with Zelda link to the past.

you're right, the KH series definately leans more towards the action/RPG side

[SoulBlazer]

I'm still playing Chain of Memories and love it as much as the original PS2 game. Even with the cards, it plays a lot like the PS2 one.

But to echo what others have said, it's a hard game. Don't let the Disney name fool with you -- I doubt anyone younger then 14 can handle this game.

[soniko_karuto]

i've finished both games in KH:COM and yeah, it ain't easy but it's also not hard, it just takes a lil wee time to get used to.

[NintendoMan]

Don't let the Disney name fool with you -- I doubt anyone younger then 14 can handle this game.

YEP!

I am new to the KH series (First Kingdom Hearts that I have played, GBA version that is) and didn't think it would be this hard. I mainly got it because of the Disney Characters and or course square-enix making GREAT RPG's. I hate RPG's too, but like this one for sure!

[Daria]

I'd hang onto it. Your daughter may still play it, I wouldn't be surprised what kids are capable of if you leave them alone.

Most RPGs made today tend to have a learning curve, so if you beat the first section of the game for her you may actually be making it harder for her to learn to play the game.

[vulcanjedi]

I'd hang onto it. Your daughter may still play it, I wouldn't be surprised what kids are capable of if you leave them alone.

Most RPGs made today tend to have a learning curve, so if you beat the first section of the game for her you may actually be making it harder for her to learn to play the game.

She tells me "Santa wouldn't get me a game I couldn't play" :)

I'm just thinking about that beginning segment where it took so long just to get to the save point. And it was mostly story and explaining the card system. But It didn't stick in my head because I don't remember much. But maybe like somebody else mentioned it's not really that complicated anyway.

I'll let her play around with my save file a little. There are two so she can start her own. I'm sure she will get into it eventually. Right now she's enjoying the pokemon sapphire.

Thanks for everyone's input :)

VJ

[junglehunter]

I picked this up on Boxing Day and I find it pretty good. I've only had a few minor gripes:

- After a few cycles of using your cards, you pretty much only get the Heal card and maybe a 1 and a 0 attack card which is very annoying and draws the battle out.

- I guess Square-Enix messed up with the print run in Canada so the game was pre-packaged with ONLY the French manual. *pukes* x_x

Other than that it's not too bad. I wish they'd have normal attacks and leave the magic/healing/summons to the card system. :roll:

[SoulBlazer]

You DO know you can shuffle the cards back into your deck when you've used all of them, right? ;)

[soniko_karuto]

maybe he used sleighs, everytime you stock 3 cards for the automatic combo, the first card gets burned, and can't be brought back without using teh hi-potion (the vase with 2 stars and on). Also, the shiny premier cards, get burned also, even if you don't use them on a sleight.

[vulcanjedi]

You DO know you can shuffle the cards back into your deck when you've used all of them, right? ;)

Yeah,

Thats when you hold the attack button until they all shuffle back into your hand.

The slights seem to be worthless as I can never fire them off at an enemy and just seem to waste one of the cards. So I haven't used them.

VJ

[Psycho Mantis]

kingdom hearts has a kiddy appearance, but the gameplay is deep. the game takes time to get used to and is a big challenge. once you get over the tough learning curve, it's lots of fun. i'm pretty far myself. i'm about level 26, i think.
I can't beat halloween town's boss.

[soniko_karuto]

It would be better if you stated the floor, not your level, it ain't relative the floor to the level.

Also, remember, you can't have enough 0's.

[SoulBlazer]

I've spending a lot of time running around picking up Moogle points so I can buy good cards from the Moogle Shops to boost my deck.

And yeah, you're further in the game then I am. I'm just entering Halloween Town myself.

[soniko_karuto]

you can enter hallowen town as floor number two... You can't say farther or further when you select wich world is next :S

[SoulBlazer]

Okay, I don't know the floor, but Halloween Town was the LAST of the world cards I got. ;)

[blissfulnoise]

The slights seem to be worthless as I can never fire them off at an enemy and just seem to waste one of the cards. So I haven't used them.

VJ

Slights are required to play through the game. The way a slight works is it compounds the values of three selected cards and fires them in sequence. This gives you the ability to break big cards that may be used against you (without using a "zero" card) and counter with your own attacks.

Additionally, if you use 3 specific cards in a sequence (if you've learned the slight) you'll perform a special attack. The 2 best slights, IMO, are the Omnislash (3 clouds) and Blitz (3 different type attack cards totalling between 10-15).

Blitz gives you a numbers advantage, you'll break whatever normal enemy attack is coming at you. It also breaks a good deal of boss attacks (until late in the game, Riku 3 for example). Plus it does big, 95% guarnteed hit, damaged.

Omnislash is godly in the game, but high number Cloud cards are very hard to come by. However, if you can get a few Cloud 4s that's enough to really lay down some damage on all enemies and most bosses if you use it right.

Obviously focus on high cards / zeros for the easiest time, but your CP needs to be high to really load your deck down (not counting premium cards) and avoid doing individual attacks over and over. The game is fairly complex with it's combat, but if you just focus on the numbers, you'll pick it up quickly. I think the combat system is quite original and very well executed. It's stratigic and twitch at the same time. I think your daughter will catch on once she figures out how slights work.

My deck right now is very heavy on attack cards (all lined up for Blitz slights) with an Omnislash every 3 blitzes. At the end of the attack string I have a cure slight (Curega) followed by a Mega-Potion / Mega-Elixir slight to replenish my cards immediately (reloading you deck causes you to drop the first card you used in your slights thereby breaking (most of the time) any slight combos you had for the first round). It works quite well I think, but have fun with it, there are a ton of combos to learn and use.

[blissfulnoise]

I've spending a lot of time running around picking up Moogle points so I can buy good cards from the Moogle Shops to boost my deck.

Suggestion: save your MP for now. At your level, you can't buy the really quality card packs. Once you get around floor 15, you begin to get access to higher level packs that will result in better cards (Metal Chocobos, High level Clouds, One-Winged Angels, etc) that cost slightly more than regular packs (100 for a normal pack of attack cards, 300 for a top quality card pack).

That way, you can buy out a shop and get some very rare quaility cards.

[vultar]

The story in KH:CoM might be a little confusing if you haven't played KH, since it's basically a bare bones retelling with a little bit of extra plot thrown in.

The game really isn't that hard, it just seems like it because of the card system. The best advice I can give you is:

1: Always get CP or HP on your level ups (I never found a big use for sleights).

2: Kill everything and go to every room on the level, so you can get the level ups.

3: Load your deck full of the most powerful attack cards you have, Clouds, 3 is great 5-6 is better, (if you have them put them somewhere near the middle-beginning to middle of you deck), 3 cures (one or two more is better if you have to use them as a sleight), and a couple of 0 cards at the end of your deck. *I'd have another deck of just attack and healing cards made up for some of the faster bosses, Cloud's just to slow.

4: Try to head off a sleight, if you need one, with a Donald or Goofy card since they don't resuffle anyway and are replenished during the course of the fights.

5: Remember you can cycle through your deck backwards, so if you have an enemy that's about to use a nasty sleight on you cycle to your 0s as quickly as possible, wait for the enemy attack to begin, and then use your 0 to block it.

6: Be mindful of the radioactive green Mickey Mouse cards that appear in some boss battles, they're always 0s and when you use them, providing they aren't blocked, cause an event to happen that makes it possible, or at least easier, to attack the boss.

7: You can always go back to the white beginning room of each floor and save your game, so don't use your Moment's Reprive cards unless you really don't want to fight enemies.

8: Make at least one moogle room per floor. And only buy attack cards and magic cards, unless you need some healing cards to round out your deck.

(MP isn't that hard to get, just run in and out of a cleared room that has stuff that you can jump/hit on (like the mushrooms in Wonderland) and keep jumping on them until you get enough MP, they regenerate. I've also heard that if you make a premium room that has barrel spiders in it, and stack your deck with otherwise worthless cards, you'll have a good chance of being able to make those cards premiums by beating the spiders over and over, and selling them for MP.)

Finally, just attack don't worry about what your cards are doing. KH:CoM is as much a button masher as KH was, for the most part it really doesn't take a lot more strategy that repeatedly hitting the attack button until everythings dead.

[soniko_karuto]

well, besides from all cloud followers, there is a great magic attack, wich does also a lot of damage, you need a mushu-fire-fire combination and it does a helluva damage, comparable or the same as the omnislash, there is also another mushu combo wich makes a fire slash.

ok:
firaga break: fire-mushu-attack
Mega flare (great!):Mushu-fire0fire

[vulcanjedi]

Wow

This is all just going way over my 40 something head. But I can see it will be worth holding on to as my kids get better than me at playing games :)

I made it to agrabah and I am done. Thats it :) I'm going back to my pokemon...

VJ