KINGDOM HEARTS REVIEW PART 3Â
CHARACTERS CONTINUED
TEMPORARY WORLD SPECIFIC PART MEMBERS
The next set of characters are ones that appear in specific worlds and can actually join the party and fight alongside Sora, Donald and Goofy. They each have their own unique fighting styles and abilities that tremendously aid in combat. When ever you come across these characters it’s always recommended that you put them in the party because of their superior power and it’s just cool to fight alongside your favorite Disney heroes. Now there can only be 3 people in the party and since you can’t switch Sora out you have to choose whether Donald or Goofy will sit out of combat (Don’t worry they still level up even when they’re not used). Also you can only switch party members at SAVE POINTS. It’s always recommended you have Goofy sit out because Donald is more useful in combat because of his magic and the world specific hero can more than make for Goofy’s strength, but the choice is entirely up to you. Some enemies especially late in the game are resistant to magic so you may want to have Goofy help you with a full on assault, but you sacrifice Donald being able to heal you with the Cure spell in a pinch so you need to use items or cast the spell yourself. These world specific characters are the best written and acted Disney characters in the game (villains, Donald, and Goofy included). They’re the most interesting of the Disney characters because they interact with Sora the most and it’s through their problems and struggles that Sora learns the things he does. You could make an argument saying that they could be main characters, but I don’t think that’s true despite their importance to the plot and Sora’s development. Here are your favorite heroes returning to their awesome former glory!
TARZAN: voiced by Tony Goldwyn
The ape man is the first world specific party member encountered. After getting separated from Donald and Goofy Sora gets attacked by Sabor. Tarzan saves the Keyblade Master and becomes a party member and leads you to Jane’s camp. After reuniting with Donald and Goofy you can switch the party members to your “heart’s†content using the SAVE POINT. Tarzan sticks with you throughout the story of his world and is a very good ally to have. The animators really got his movements down. This is Tarzan’s full fighting capabilities. He can go into berserk attacks with his spear and can also do some basic defensive magic by creating a wind barrier or heal a party member in distress. He plays off the trio of Sora, Donald and Goofy well and I like the scenes where Sora is trying to interpret what Tarzan is saying because obviously Tarzan doesn’t speak English very well. A great ally to have when exploring the Jungle.
Aladdin: voiced by Scott Weinger
The next hero we meet is Aladdin. When the trio arrive in Agrabah they find that everything has gone to hell and is under Jafar’s control so as they’re exploring the town they hide out in Aladdin’s House (unbeknownst to them). They see the Magic Carpet pinned down by a bookshelf by the Heartless and Sora lets it go. The carpet flies to the Desert and the trio decide to follow it. The Carpet takes them to the area where the Cave of Wonders would be and there they see Aladdin and Abu being attacked by Heartless. After the skirmish the trio introduce themselves and Aladdin immediately wants to help save Jasmine and Agrabah. The way Aladdin fights it seems that he has fought the Heartless before (most likely when they appeared during his visit to the Cave of Wonders) with fast and agile attacks and his handling of his scimitar the damage is very high. He often uses a powerful head on assault charge attack that often does damage to enemies that would normally be immune to frontal assaults. If that wasn’t enough (if you equip him with restorative items) he often heals other party members when their HP or MP gets low. He’s still the very likeable character we remember and eventually develops a solid friendship with the trio and he maintains that sense of honesty that made him the diamond in the rough. After Jasmine is kidnapped by Maleficent Genie offers to find her by having Al use his last wish, but Al honors his word by freeing the Genie instead and having Genie be a summon! Another great ally in this awesome adventure!
ARIEL: voiced by Jodi Benson
This is probably the most interesting world specific party member. The main reason for this is because she is in a sense a kindred spirit for Sora because Sora had the same dreams of traveling to other worlds and go on adventures. The adventurer that I love is back and she’s at her best (especially after that awful sequel). She is genuinely interested in what the trio is looking for and joins them on their journey in Atlantica. Jodi Benson gives a great performance as always. Ariel’s full combat capabilities are utilized in this game (except trident wielding which is a little bummer). She uses her great agility to use her tail in spin attacks. They’re not the most powerful attacks, but they work well enough. She can go into an extremely powerful Spiral Wave attack that does major damage, but her main attribute is magic! She can cast thunder magic, create a wind barrier and also has the cure spell. Due to the fact that Atlantica is such a different world in terms of exploration and movement mechanics it’s going to take awhile for the player to adjust to their merman form and combat can be difficult at first so it’s best to let Ariel take care of the enemies while you practice with the controls a little bit more. One of my favorite party members and a very effective one!
JACK SKELLINGTON: voiced by Chris Sarandon
The Pumpkin King is back and he’s still great! Although he may not have as much interaction with the trio (simply because the story has Sora, Donald and Goofy along for the ride in the world’s story) he is still a solid character that Sora learns from. Chris Sarandon still brings a joyful and “lively†performance to the character despite not having played him in about 10 years. Jack like Ariel has magic as his main form of offense. He has fire, blizzard, thunder and gravity spells as well as a sliding attack! Due to Jack’s astounding height his attack range is quite large, easily able to attack flying enemies that try to get away! A great character to have in combat!
PETER PAN: voiced by Christopher Steele
The Boy that Never Grows Up is back and it’s as if he never left! The new voice Christopher Steele is very good at capturing the sense of fun, adventure and even captures some of the immaturity and stubbornness of the character, but also conveys the sense of bravery and heroism the character has. Since Kairi and Wendy are both Hook’s prisoners Sora and Peter have the same goal so they agree to work together. The only character that can fly (for now anyway). This ability makes him essential to smooth combat in the world of Neverland! He attacks enemies from above with his dagger. He also has the ability to create a wind barrier as well as cast stop on an enemy so their motionless and helpless. Another great character to have by your side.
BEAST: voiced by Robby Benson
The best party member in the whole game. Beast has super human strength and is the strongest of all the party members. Even enemies with high defenses are badly damaged with Beast in the party. His two main attacks are Ferocious Lunge and Furious Bellow. His AI also has the intelligence to conserve the healing items that he has equipped for emergencies unless you customize him to do otherwise. He also is essential for exploration because his super human strength allows him to break down unreinforced walls. After the terrible sequel that was Belle’s magical world here the Beast has honor, courage and love in his heart and traveled via corridor of darkness to Hollow Bastion after his world was destroyed in order to find and rescue Belle from Maleficent! Robby Benson’s performance is excellent and captures Beast perfectly!
I know this is some character list, but I’m not done! I still have the villains then I can move on to gameplay and the other sections!!!
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