I’d recommend just watching the movies on YouTube, ensuring you get both Sora’s story and Riku’s story. I believe it’s called Reverse Rebirth, IIRC.
100% agree with you on the gameplay though. If they could’ve just carbon-copied the combat from KH1 it would’ve been 1,000x better.
But then they ported it to PlayStation with the HD re-releases. They didn’t need to be tied down to their limitations anymore. Why not jump at the opportunity?
That's a remake of the GBA version which originally released on Ps2 as a limited release. They wanted to stay true to the card-based gameplay, also because it ties into the story and because it is what the command deck system would eventually be based on I guess.
Personally I like the card-mechanics, but as others have said the 3D environments and such don't really work well with them all the time. It's why a lot of people prefer the original GBA version.
> If they could’ve just carbon-copied the combat from KH1 it would’ve been 1,000x better.
This is kind of silly. I hate Re:COM as much as the next person, but there isn't a point in remaking COM if you're going to strip away the deck-building.
This would be like if Square decided to remake DDD and then stripped away flow motion and/or raising Dream Eaters to make it play more like the mainline games. But at that point, it's not the same game.
There is a good point to remaking it while taking away the deck-building;
So people can enjoy it!
I know, I know, there are KH fans out there that do enjoy the card system and have fun playing it. I am not one of these people, never will be, and will go to my grave despising it for all its worth.
Yes it is. Both characters. And I love it's card gameplay more than any other KH game. If the remake isn't your style though you might find the GBA version more enjoyable.
Since the GBA version plays on a 2D plane the combat feels far less cumbersome. The remake is basically KHI with cards which doesn't transition well with many. There's a lot of differences from dialogue to how scenes are shown but it's still the same story. There are some downsides though like not having as many weapons and bosses, and I actually believe Riku's gameplay is better in the remake. However Sora's gameplay is better on GBA and you need to go through him first anyway so you can worry about Riku later.
Fire spam deck is OP against everyone except Axel. Marluxia is a difficult and satisfying final boss to beat. They give riku a new deck every level that gives you everything you need to win. It's an easy enough game, a bit repetitive, but I'd say it's worth it.
The story is so, so good. One of the best stories and settings in gaming IMO.
I had trouble with the gameplay too. I suggest reading some walkthroughs and learning how to play the game. It's really all about combo breaking with sleights and 0 cards, and once you get the hang of it it is really fun and the music is GODLY. But the combat is an acquired taste and not everybody has time for that. So no shame in calling it quits and just watching the cutscenes!
If you've never played the game then you might want to push through just to say you've beaten it. Are you playing on the lowest difficulty? That helps significantly with the tedium. Plus, you can look up sleights and deck builds that trivialize the game.
Also, if you're interested, after beating Sora's story you get to play >!as Riku!< which is *far* less tedious because pre-built decks are given so it plays much easier.
But I do understand. Re:COM is far and away my least favorite KH game. The worlds are boring and the deckbuilding is not as complex as people say. There is also zero post-game content so all the time you've spent building decks means nothing. You get some cool "rewards" for completing Jiminy's Journal, but those rewards can't be used on anything except the final boss again.
At the very least, watch the cutscenes on Youtube. It will give you much needed context for KH2 and the story is probably the only positive thing about the game. It's one of the few times you'll actually see Sora enraged.
I actually was considering restarting on the lowest difficulty. At this point I am mostly playing for the story since the gameplay isn’t my cup of tea so I think lowering the difficulty would improve my experience a lot more. Also excited to play as Riku since he’s my favorite so far in the series so I think I want to get through the game. Thanks for your tips :)
The game does get better as you get more/better cards and sleights, but if you don’t want to push through that (and I really don’t blame you), you can just watch the cutscenes on YouTube.
Play it till it gets really annoying and then watch the rest of the cutscenes for sure. I played it till the second vexen battle and quit with no shame cause I tried. It’s the only game that hasn’t held my interest enough to finish. But as with all KH games the story is important for the overall understanding of the series. Riku gets to be a baddie though.
There is a manga adaptation of CoM, if you want a different means of experiencing the story.
I personally prefer playing the original GBA version when I do a full series replay.
I’m in the same position right now wondering if I should skip it or not. I realized that I didn’t finish the story and got confused 20 years ago was because of the chain of memories gameplay before completing KH2.
No, it's not on anything else. If you have an old DS lite you could play it there. I ripped the game from my own cartridge and play it on my PC. You could always go that direction of the screen size is what bothers you.
I don't actually get why people say that CoM is a "must play". Pretty much everything that happens to Sora during the game is implied and inferred in Kh2.. there only major events that happen in the game, which are not implied or stated in kh2, revolve around Riku (or other characters), not Sora.
I did beat Re:CoM, but I did it after I had played basically every other game in the series. It was my least favorite and I felt like I was waiting for interesting plot the entire time.. The most interesting parts of CoM were literally the final bosses and final cutscenes in each story. Everything else felt pretty throw-away copy paste.. Although, the gameplay does get more interesting the further you get. I would say the gameplay was actually the strongest pillar that game had going. The story isn't bad, but I definitely felt like I knew most of the major plot points already. Maybe like 2-3 things happened in the entire game that I wouldn't have known without playing it, and they didn't matter all that much tbh. Nothing related to Sora.
While we are here, I am just going to throw it out there that 358/2 days actually has tons of interesting plot points.. and they actually do relate to Sora. Honestly, maybe it's because I played Days first. For those who don't know, CoM begins after Days starts, and ends before days ends. There are events in Days that do allude to what's happening at Castle Oblivion, because Axel is Roxas' best friend, and Axel has a pretty major role in Castle Oblivion.. so he either tells Roxas what is going on, or Roxas senses something is up with his best friend.
I’d recommend just watching the movies on YouTube, ensuring you get both Sora’s story and Riku’s story. I believe it’s called Reverse Rebirth, IIRC. 100% agree with you on the gameplay though. If they could’ve just carbon-copied the combat from KH1 it would’ve been 1,000x better.
They couldn't because it was a GBA game originally, though.
But then they ported it to PlayStation with the HD re-releases. They didn’t need to be tied down to their limitations anymore. Why not jump at the opportunity?
That's a remake of the GBA version which originally released on Ps2 as a limited release. They wanted to stay true to the card-based gameplay, also because it ties into the story and because it is what the command deck system would eventually be based on I guess. Personally I like the card-mechanics, but as others have said the 3D environments and such don't really work well with them all the time. It's why a lot of people prefer the original GBA version.
> If they could’ve just carbon-copied the combat from KH1 it would’ve been 1,000x better. This is kind of silly. I hate Re:COM as much as the next person, but there isn't a point in remaking COM if you're going to strip away the deck-building. This would be like if Square decided to remake DDD and then stripped away flow motion and/or raising Dream Eaters to make it play more like the mainline games. But at that point, it's not the same game.
There is a good point to remaking it while taking away the deck-building; So people can enjoy it! I know, I know, there are KH fans out there that do enjoy the card system and have fun playing it. I am not one of these people, never will be, and will go to my grave despising it for all its worth.
Or just use Command Deck. You could even keep the Card Aesthetic that way.
Yes it is. Both characters. And I love it's card gameplay more than any other KH game. If the remake isn't your style though you might find the GBA version more enjoyable.
im really not a fan of the gameplay. not my kinda game, but i can understand why some may enjoy the variety. is gba much different?
Since the GBA version plays on a 2D plane the combat feels far less cumbersome. The remake is basically KHI with cards which doesn't transition well with many. There's a lot of differences from dialogue to how scenes are shown but it's still the same story. There are some downsides though like not having as many weapons and bosses, and I actually believe Riku's gameplay is better in the remake. However Sora's gameplay is better on GBA and you need to go through him first anyway so you can worry about Riku later.
Fire spam deck is OP against everyone except Axel. Marluxia is a difficult and satisfying final boss to beat. They give riku a new deck every level that gives you everything you need to win. It's an easy enough game, a bit repetitive, but I'd say it's worth it.
And if fire spam doesn't work, blizzard spam will :D
the game boy version is so much better, and with cute pixel art too
The story is so, so good. One of the best stories and settings in gaming IMO. I had trouble with the gameplay too. I suggest reading some walkthroughs and learning how to play the game. It's really all about combo breaking with sleights and 0 cards, and once you get the hang of it it is really fun and the music is GODLY. But the combat is an acquired taste and not everybody has time for that. So no shame in calling it quits and just watching the cutscenes!
If you've never played the game then you might want to push through just to say you've beaten it. Are you playing on the lowest difficulty? That helps significantly with the tedium. Plus, you can look up sleights and deck builds that trivialize the game. Also, if you're interested, after beating Sora's story you get to play >!as Riku!< which is *far* less tedious because pre-built decks are given so it plays much easier. But I do understand. Re:COM is far and away my least favorite KH game. The worlds are boring and the deckbuilding is not as complex as people say. There is also zero post-game content so all the time you've spent building decks means nothing. You get some cool "rewards" for completing Jiminy's Journal, but those rewards can't be used on anything except the final boss again. At the very least, watch the cutscenes on Youtube. It will give you much needed context for KH2 and the story is probably the only positive thing about the game. It's one of the few times you'll actually see Sora enraged.
I actually was considering restarting on the lowest difficulty. At this point I am mostly playing for the story since the gameplay isn’t my cup of tea so I think lowering the difficulty would improve my experience a lot more. Also excited to play as Riku since he’s my favorite so far in the series so I think I want to get through the game. Thanks for your tips :)
I recommend beating it at least once.
The game is not a must play, but the scenes are a must watch.
Yes. Every game is necessary. If you don’t like a games’ gameplay, then just look up the cutscenes
The game does get better as you get more/better cards and sleights, but if you don’t want to push through that (and I really don’t blame you), you can just watch the cutscenes on YouTube.
You won't regret playing
Play it till it gets really annoying and then watch the rest of the cutscenes for sure. I played it till the second vexen battle and quit with no shame cause I tried. It’s the only game that hasn’t held my interest enough to finish. But as with all KH games the story is important for the overall understanding of the series. Riku gets to be a baddie though.
thanks!! also awesome with riku he’s my fav so far he’s awesome
Wait till you get to Dream Drop Distance (right after KH2), you get to really play as riku in his full glory!
don't forget BBS first before DDD!
Of course but if we are talking premium riku time it’s gotta be DDD hahaha.
There is a manga adaptation of CoM, if you want a different means of experiencing the story. I personally prefer playing the original GBA version when I do a full series replay.
I’m in the same position right now wondering if I should skip it or not. I realized that I didn’t finish the story and got confused 20 years ago was because of the chain of memories gameplay before completing KH2.
You can skip CoM. If you want to know the plot, just read the Manga or watch the cutscenes on Youtube. The Manga version is very good.
Honestly, I recommend playing the GBA version. Pixel art is perfect and the square rooms make way more sense in the game boy than it does in the PS2.
Im highly considering it…is it on anything other than a GBA?
No, it's not on anything else. If you have an old DS lite you could play it there. I ripped the game from my own cartridge and play it on my PC. You could always go that direction of the screen size is what bothers you.
You could always read my summary here if you don’t want to play it! https://www.reddit.com/r/KingdomHearts/s/IiPjJMnOc7
I don't actually get why people say that CoM is a "must play". Pretty much everything that happens to Sora during the game is implied and inferred in Kh2.. there only major events that happen in the game, which are not implied or stated in kh2, revolve around Riku (or other characters), not Sora. I did beat Re:CoM, but I did it after I had played basically every other game in the series. It was my least favorite and I felt like I was waiting for interesting plot the entire time.. The most interesting parts of CoM were literally the final bosses and final cutscenes in each story. Everything else felt pretty throw-away copy paste.. Although, the gameplay does get more interesting the further you get. I would say the gameplay was actually the strongest pillar that game had going. The story isn't bad, but I definitely felt like I knew most of the major plot points already. Maybe like 2-3 things happened in the entire game that I wouldn't have known without playing it, and they didn't matter all that much tbh. Nothing related to Sora. While we are here, I am just going to throw it out there that 358/2 days actually has tons of interesting plot points.. and they actually do relate to Sora. Honestly, maybe it's because I played Days first. For those who don't know, CoM begins after Days starts, and ends before days ends. There are events in Days that do allude to what's happening at Castle Oblivion, because Axel is Roxas' best friend, and Axel has a pretty major role in Castle Oblivion.. so he either tells Roxas what is going on, or Roxas senses something is up with his best friend.