Review - Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (2010) and Re:Coded (2010)

         Hey guys, Chuck here, and we're back with more Kingdom Hearts . After the release of Kingdom Hearts II, Disney and Square Enix releases a trio of games designed to expand the lore of the series. One of the games 358/2 Days, we've discussed previously. Today, we'll be taking a look at the other two games in that set: Birth by Sleep for the PlayStation Portable and Re:Coded on the Nintendo DS. 

         So, Birth by Sleep is a prequel game set ten years before the events of the original Kingdom Hearts. Ultimately, this means that there are no Heartless, no Nobodies, and no Organization XIII. However, we do have our three playable characters of Terra, Ventus, and Aqua. Now, all three of them visit the various worlds of the game, and all three have different experiences in each world. But, here's how I'd classify them: Ventus, or Ven for short, is the centerpiece of the story, meaning that everything going on centers on him. Terra, meanwhile, is on a journey of redemption, seeking a second chance to prove himself, but ultimately ends up following a dark path. Aqua, meanwhile, is the true protagonist of the game, and her story is the most tragic of them all. Now, when you play the game, it can be done in any order of character, but the recommended order is Terra, Ventus, and Aqua. 

          Anyway, all three are the pupils of Master Eraqus, and all three are mastering the art of wielding the Keyblade in a world called the Land of Departure. After Terra and Aqua's Mark of Mastery exam ends with Aqua ascending to the rank of Keyblade Master, the two are given an assignment. You see, monsters have begun appearing in the various worlds, and their appearance puts everyone, especially the Princesses of Heart, in danger. These monsters, based entirely on negative emotions, are called the Unversed. In addition, Eraqus' colleague, Master Xehanort, is missing. So, Terra and Aqua go off on their mission. However, Eraqus asks Aqua to also keep an eye on Terra, as the small glimmer of darkness that emerged from within him during the Mark of Mastery was very concerning. Ven, meanwhile, is driven to leave as well by a boy in a mask called Vanitas. 

         So, Terra, Ven, and Aqua all go off on their own journeys, only running into each other occasionally. The three eventually meet up again in the world of Radiant Garden. Yeah, remember Hollow Bastion? Well, during Kingdom Hearts II, that world's original name is revealed to be Radiant Garden, and we see it in this game as it was in its original state. We also see both Terra and Aqua visit Destiny Islands, where Terra passes the power of a Keyblade wielder to Riku, and Aqua opts to merely have Sora promise to always be by Riku's side, deciding that a single Keyblade is enough for any friendship. Anyway, the stories progress, and it all comes to a head in the Keyblade Graveyard, where the truth is revealed amongst this trio of friends. First, we learn that Ven was once apprenticed to Master Xehanort, but was injured during a training session where Xehanort attempted to get Ven to summon the Χ-blade, but he is unable to, forcing Xehanort to separate the darkness from Ven's heart, creating both Vanitas AND the Unversed at the same time. After this, Ven confronts Eraqus for answers, which the master gives, but attempts to rid the worlds of Ven, leading to a fight between Eraqus and Terra, who only saw his master attack his friend. After the fight, Xehanort slays Eraqus in cold blood and destroys the Land of Departure. Aqua, who had returned Mickey to Yen Sid's tower, is informed of the situation and goes off to save her friends. 

        So, we get the following fights in this point of the game: Aqua vs. Braig (who was hired by Xehanort to strengthen the darkness in Terra), Terra vs. Xehanort and Vanitas, Ven vs. Vanitas, and Terra vs. Xehanort. During these battles, Ven and Vanitas merge into Ven-Vanitas, and Xehanort forces his heart into Terra, forming Terranort. The Χ-blade is formed, but incomplete and unstable. And then, we get Aqua and Mickey vs. Ven-Vanitas and Terra's Lingering Will vs. Terranort. With the battles over, Ven's heart has gone to the heart of another to safely recover, whilst Terra's Lingering Will stands guard over what remains of the Keyblade Graveyard. Now, after completing the stories of all three of Terra, Ven, and Aqua, a Final Episode is unlocked, where Aqua takes Ven's body to the Land of Departure, and uses Eraqus' Keyblade to seal the land away, turning it into Castle Oblivion. Aqua, hearing Terra's voice, goes to find him in Radiant Garden, where she ends up in a fight with Terranort. After the fight, Terra attempts to rid Xehanort from his heart, only to fall into the darkness. Aqua dives in after him, and sacrifices herself to send him back to the light. Terranort, now just going by Xehanort, is rescued by Ansem the Wise, Ven's heart, we learn, has migrated into that of Sora, and Aqua holds onto hope as she wanders the Realm of Darkness. Now, for even more gameplay, there's the Secret Episode, which can be unlocked when specific parameters are met. In the Secret Episode, Aqua fights off swaths of Heartless in the Realm of Darkness. And, that's about it for game story. 

     Okay, so the world selection in Birth by Sleep is primarily focused on the worlds of Disney Princesses that didn't have their worlds explored previously. Dwarf Woodlands, Castle of Dreams, and Enchanted Dominion all debut in this game, and are based on the films Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty. We also have Deep Space, based on Lilo and Stitch, Disney Town, based on classic Disney cartoons, and returning Worlds like Olympus Coliseum and Neverland. Unfortunately, there is no party system in this game, as it's replaced by D-Link. D-Link allows players to temporarily access Command Decks of other characters, giving them access to special attacks that they may not get otherwise. Speaking of which, the Command Deck is a feature that allows players to stack spells, items, and special attacks. Commands can be melded into more powerful commands, with unique abilities unlocked that offer things like health and magic boost, among other things. 

       The voice acting in Birth by Sleep is top notch, with the main trio of Terra, Ven, and Aqua being portrayed by Jason Dohring, Jesse McCartney, and Willa Holland. Mark Hamill provides the voice of Eraqus and the late Leonard Nimoy provides the voice of Master Xehanort. Lastly, Haley Joel Osment, the voice of Sora, provides the voice of Vanitas. Honestly, it's fun getting to hear a more devious sound in Haley Joel Osment's voice in this game. 

      Overall, Birth by Sleep is seen as one of the best spin-off titles in the Kingdom Hearts franchise, and I'm giving it a rating of 5/5. Seriously, I can't recommend it enough. 

       Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded, conversely, is not a good Kingdom Hearts game. If anything, it's superfluous, unimportant, and not worth the effort. All it is, really, is just filler tying both 358/2 Days and Birth by Sleep to the main narrative, as well as answer the mystery of King Mickey's letter at the end of Kingdom Hearts II. But, I still need to get through the story of this one, so, let's do this. 

        So, in Disney Castle, Jiminy is going over the two journals regarding the events of Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II, the former of which is blank due to the events of Chain of Memories. The blank journal had one entry in it: "Thank Namine." However, another mysterious entry is discovered by Jiminy: "Their hurting will be mended when you return to end it." Confused, Jiminy, King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy all dig into the situation, and try to investigate by digitizing the journal. Another problem: it's infested with block-shaped Bugs. 

        Reaching out to a digital version of Sora, dubbed Data-Sora, Mickey gives this digital ally a digital Keyblade to fight against the Bugs and discover what's happening in the world of the Journal. Traversing through familiar worlds (all from the first Kingdom Hearts) Data-Sora helps many friends (Cid, Huey, Dewey, Louie, Alice, Hercules, Aladdin, etc.), all while dealing with a cloaked figure, revealed to be Data-Riku, as well as Pete and Maleficent. 

         Unfortunately, there's more going on with the Journal, as Data-Sora is drawn to Castle Oblivion, where a cloaked boy, Roxas, takes him through a Gallery of Memories, and it's finally revealed what the cause of the mysterious message and the Bugs was: Naminé. She reveals that the messages and the Bugs were a means to test Sora's heart, or rather that of Data-Sora, as she found memories in Sora's heart that, while belonging in his heart, aren't HIS memories, and they are extremely painful and could completely break Sora's heart if he isn't ready to face the hurt. The memories are those involving Roxas, Axel, and Xion, as well as Terra, Ven, and Aqua. Mickey, realizing the significance of this, writes the letter to the real Sora regarding the memories, and their importance. On Destiny Islands, Sora decides that he needs to go forth and help save everyone that was lost. 

        In the Mysterious Tower, Mickey confers to Yen Sid about this discovery, and how close they are to recovering Ven and Aqua. However, Yen Sid mentions that with the defeats of Xehanort's Heartless, Ansem, and Nobody, Xemnas, that Master Xehanort himself will soon return. Yen Sid then has Mickey summon both Sora and Riku to the Tower for a purpose: to show the Mark of Mastery. 

        Now, Re:Coded is the definition of filler in the Kingdom Hearts series. Honestly, it's pretty much a retread of both Kingdom Hearts and Chain of Memories, and only serves to interlink characters from 358/2 Days and Birth by Sleep with Sora's story, and setting up his next journey: to save them. However, some of the voice acting was pretty good in this game, with a personal favorite being the voice of the Genie in this game. In lieu of Dan Castellaneta, who voiced the Genie in both Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II, Jim Meskimen provides the voice of the Genie. And honestly, Jim Meskimen's Genie honestly sounds the closest to the original voice of the Genie, Robin Williams. And for that, I gotta give major props for Jim Meskimen in this game. 

        Honestly, outside of the HD Cinematic version of the game, Re:Coded isn't really worth it. It's not as bad as either Chain of Memories or 358/2 Days, but it's definitely among the weaker games in the series. I'm giving Kingdom Hearts Re: Coded a rating of 2.05/5. Anyway guys, that'll do it for the Kingdom Hearts series for now. Join me in June for my next Kingdom Hearts review, and be sure to join me next week for my review of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once and Always. This is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys next time.