Recent Content by yhorian

  1. yhorian
    Thread

    Kingdom Hearts II Another look at KH:FM+ SE Keyblades.

    Here's a thread based on the slowed-down version of the Secret ending. Many people have done frame-by-frame analysis and this bit of genius helps those of us who can't be bothered breaking it down ;)

    I use this version of the slow-down. Its nicely unbiased and uses the original sound.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vm6DEwWQKoY

    A few holes remain in what we 'know'. I use the term loosely, because in reality we know nothing - but we'd like to think we've guessed right!

    Keyblades:

    1. The keyblades featured are chainless but effectively serve as swords and magic focuses. There is a chain present on mickeys, and the dark keyblade in the video.

    2. No one is using 'dual keyblades'.

    3. The only keyblades that aren't really bland, are the ones with chains and DH's. The only keyblade 'summoned' to the hand is baldy's.

    4. Baldy turns his keyblade into the dark ball that he fires into the sky to make the 'moon' (its too flat in my opinoin, more like a symbol in the sky).

    5. The frozen keyblade breaks. Although its wielder is dead, it suggests some kind of mortality to the dull looking keyblades. Remember, the keyblade might be bonded to a person but its a seperate entity and can be passed on. Read below for more on that.

    What we know about keyblades is very limited. Clearly Sora's is one of a unique set. We've seen other keyblades that exhibit his power - doing spectacular things that a normal sword could not (although reference KH1 and Riku unlocking Malificents heart - How does that blade work? Where does it come from?).

    At the same time, there are moments when characters wield two. One for each hand.

    The first person I know that did this is Roxas in the KH2 trailer 'Another side, another story'. He stands amongst heartless, in TWTNW and a nobody symbol forms underneath him.

    You'll notice that in the KH2:FM+ added sequence between Riku and Roxas when Riku is again defeated. Roxas grabs Rikus' dark keyblade and summons his own. There's always the chance such appearance are for marketing purposes and break canon but again there's the chance its related to a solid underlying theory.

    Keyblades can be taken/stolen. They have changed hands, they have been passed on. Despite this, there appears to be a strong underlying bond between what they keyblade wants and who wields it. This means that the keyblade, while it is most often hidden and summoned by its wielder, is a physical thing that can be passed on. The fact that both Roxas AND Sora can have a keyblade suggests that it can also be split by such phenomenom as heartless/nobody creation. Notice this happening in the video above: When baldy creates a heartless looking knight it has a copy of a keyblade. (Although this means Baldy is a person with no heart - its been said you have to have a heart to wield a keyblade) Very confusing that part but thankfully the dark helmets has no chain. It could well be a 'mundane' keyblade. Its nice to note Roxas' summoned keyblade DOES have a chain.

    Keyblades that appear in 'dual mode', while often sporting keychains, appear to be linked to something other than the wielder. The exeption is KH2:FM+'s extra form which requires nothing for Sora to use. Yet he 'remembers' his old clothes when he uses it. (I like remembers, because Memory seems important) No secondary keyblade has been used for the unlocking/locking purpose and so it seems clear that although there are keyblades - there are only a few very powerful ones that can lock/unlock. These seem to be linked to a fixed alignment (Light, Dark, etc) instead of a persons heart - which often develops and changes (Sora and his anti-form, Riku moving from light to dark to nearer light again)

    There's a lot more I could add on keyblades and the versions used but I'd like to use the space to quickly field a few observations/thoughts.

    When Aqua protects Ven using a shield, its reminiscent of Riku/Sora's drive ability. The running theory is that such powers are not keyblade based. They come from the heart and work best with its friends.

    There is a flash that mentions 'Xehanort's memory' in the original video of the crossroads. Its taken its talking about his missing memory but in light of the 'trinity' theory, that the Nobody and Heartless symbols are featured with another, could it refer to this new foe? Memories make the soul and its possible the third race are made of memories. If someone loses those memories (Xehanort, Roxas, Namine) they form some Amnesia-based enemy? That's a bit far out, but its an idea.

    Many including myself have said the one who removes his helmet and who's eyes go dark is the original Xehanort - in body at least.

    Is he no the same one you fight in KH2:FM+? Assuming he and the one you fight are both the one in the video, doesn't that make them both versions of Xehanort?

    This is where the Xehanort's memory comes in. What if his lost memory, formed a strange sort of lost-man? Is there a connection to the ones people call Chasers? Did Xemnas (a nobody being soul+body) have the memory of his past that Xehanort lacked?

    Many people quote that 'the characters in the video are entirely new characters'. Which one? We've established both special endings are with different characters because the keyblades change and the armor is slightly different. So could the original one have people like Riku, Kairi and Sora behind the masks?

    And the most important question: Is even Nomura, admiting he could make mistakes in all this mess, going to be able to explain it himself in the next game :D

    I hope so.

    Yhorian
    Thread by: yhorian, Apr 18, 2007, 2 replies, in forum: Kingdom Hearts HD II.5 ReMIX
  2. yhorian
    Post

    Kingdom Hearts II Discussion of Secret Ending

    Lets hope I can help ease the pain. Ibuprofen on standby!

    The organizations Kingdom Hearts was only filled when heartless died. Not when normal people were killed by nobodies (normal people defeated by heartless seemed to turn into more heartless). It suggests that the 'Kingdom Hearts' that they formed was artificial. Xemnas even says that he built it up and when its destroyed 'I'll have to start all over again'.

    This is backed by the fact they closed the door to Kingdom Hearts in KH1. Although it was filled with heartless, it was also filled with Light (reaching for darkness this killed Ansem the Dizguise - a clever nickname I use for XH in KH1). Kingdom Hearts itself appears to manifest as something all our hearts contain, so it makes sense it contains both dark and light. The Heartless that we saw inside might have always been there, might have been sent by Sora, so on, so forth. Its hard to say at the moment so we'll just focus on the fact they were there.

    The one Xemnas creates can't be the kingdom hearts. What he made was a ball of anger, rage and envy. Negative emotions that make your heart dark. Each time Sora released a heartless (a heart consumed with darkness that has been removed from its body) he was adding another dark heart to his creation. He seemed focused on only capturing the dark side of things leading me to believe that this couldn't be the paradise mentioned elsewhere.

    I think it would be good to establish what Kingdom Hearts is with what evidence we have (and to establish if we're talking about a heart of worlds(places) or a heart of men(the people)). Its been said its a paradise, full of Light. Its been said its where hearts are born. It also contains (and was the source of?) the Heartless. I think it'd be fair to assume Kingdom Hearts can contain both dark and light. Both exist in our hearts, and are sort of required of each other for life. KH2 stressed that although Good battles Evil, you need both. A kinda democratic morality where you have left and right arguing what's best but its the cooperation of the two that eventually makes the decision. Why can't Kingdom hearts be the same?

    I think the next game will focus less on 'the individuals' heart and more on the heart of worlds like the first KH. That is, the heart of the places they live. I've got some theories on dark corridors and connecting hearts of worlds (like how Sora's connected to his friends) and how Sora was locking the world's hearts (not the peoples hearts) to prevent consumption but that's for another thread. I just want to help air some ideas for you to relieve that head pain.

    Yhorian
    Post by: yhorian, Apr 18, 2007 in forum: Kingdom Hearts HD II.5 ReMIX
  3. yhorian
    Post

    Kingdom Hearts II Does this mean anybody can use a keyblade?

    Drive forms and keyblades

    If you're having trouble trying to get a handle on wielding one keyblade...

    How do you explain so many wielding two?!

    Roxas was the first we saw with two keyblades, in the trailer for KH2. (Isn't Riku using his dark sword instead of the dark keyblade he got in that one?)

    One is Light but one is Dark, there's something similar when sora uses two. There's one Light one and... the other that is representative of a seperate entity. Suggests that the people he's with are 'lending' him keyblades or their ability to use/wield one.

    I think the Awakening theory holds a lot of water. And that Anti-form has something to do with the darkness that is in Sora's heart. We know the only people truly without Darkness are the princess'. It stands to reason that awakening might have something to do with coming to terms with both your Dark and Light sides. Not necessarily embracing, or even balancing! But learning that you have both and to embrace your full potential means embracing both as a whole. Riku 'no longer belongs in the realm of darkness' but still has that dark edge to his power. Is he on the way to being awakened? Is Sora the same now?

    Yhorian
    Post by: yhorian, Apr 18, 2007 in forum: Kingdom Hearts HD II.5 ReMIX
  4. yhorian
    Post

    Kingdom Hearts II Discussion of Secret Ending

    Of course you have, you just don't know it...

    When someone gives in to the darkness, it shows in their eyes. That orange tint is what gives it away. Just as the Xehanort look-alike (I refuse to commit!) undergoes the dark-transformation toward the end.

    That is why Riku wore a blindfold. As quoted, 'His eyes couldn't lie'. He has one orange, one original. Half in dark, half old Riku. The Eye is clearly a reference to this phenonemon as its only featured on dark blades.

    What I'm curious to know, is why he created a heart symbol in the sky. It was reminiscent of Kingdom hearts - so was he creating it? Calling it? What does the crossroads have to do with calling the heart of all worlds?

    Yhorian.
    Post by: yhorian, Apr 17, 2007 in forum: Kingdom Hearts HD II.5 ReMIX
  5. yhorian
    Post

    Kingdom Hearts II Nobody, Heartless... A 3rd Being?

    Another 'species' and its origins

    There is a second version of the 'trinity' design everyone quotes as having a crown:
    [​IMG]

    I bring this up because I know everyone feels sure that had we seen it 'completed' it would have draw a symetrical three-pronged crown. Yet it seems intentional they hide obscure the symbol and although I do believe its a crown - its a good idea to keep an open mind.

    There is a possibility what we see might be an incomplete symbol of some other shape. The 'crown' is not the same shape as the crown most often shown (Sora's pendant crown, which appears in a few important places). It has a curved edge, long prongs and is more reminiscent of a trident than a crown. Could it be it is an incomplete design that we've captured? Perhaps something in the making, purposely obscured to prevent any references that might 'give the game away'?

    If there is a 'third race' based about the Mind/Soul then there is a difficulty in making it a manipulable bad guy. Nomura's philosophy takes the angle that Memories are something we create, gather and share. It is the act of sharing that makes friends and when we die it is their memories that let us live on. This is a large theme in many Final Fantasy games where people often switch a persons Memories and their 'Soul' synonymously. How do you make someones soul/mind evil? Or even into a seperate entitiy?

    I think the better theory would be what happened if you joined a heartless with a nobody. The chemistry would essentially be making the person you broke in the firstplace. Except they would be not be defined by the 'Light' that people choose to live in but be almost pure Darkness. What you then get is one very evil hearted dude in a cold body. A frankenstein recipe for super-bad guys! And far more entertaining form a design aspect.

    Yhorian.

    PS - First time poster. I like the look of this forum and the creativity that some of you guys pump out. Its inspiring to see such passion for a game.
    Post by: yhorian, Apr 17, 2007 in forum: Kingdom Hearts HD II.5 ReMIX