How Kingdom Hearts 2's Combat Is Special

Whatever was smoked making kh2's combat needs to be smoked again

KH2 may have launchers, but does it have Suplexes? 9/10

KH1: requires defensive skill. KH2: requires offensive skill. KH3: Just play around with sh*t idc.

I like the Revenge value system because it feels like a more dynamic fight, no one realistically would just stand there and the best part is there is a counter for their counter of you if you learn the fights. Very dynamic I wish DMC had more of it.

One thing RSS Liam pointed out about Reaction Commands after his first playthrough of KH2FM is that while many of them may not have a lot of particular depth and may not mesh well with Sora's general moveset and the more advanced, high-level gameplay available in KH2, they are the "punctuation" of a particular enemy's 'character'. For me, RCs are setpieces that I would argue enrich the experience of KH2 from a spectacle standpoint, because they allow so many non-boss Heartless/Nobody enemies that would get taken down in a combo or two or get wiped by a Limit then forgotten to have a certain lasting memorability on the player's mind. And they do this in a way that doesn't sacrifice too much substance for style. Even if superficial in function, the way RCs slow down or transition the combat without necessarily breaking momentum makes almost every single mob fight have one or more 'highlight' moments to them. A single Morning Star among a group of Shadows or Armored Knights? Single it out not just because it's the biggest threat, but the prospect of countering its body slam attack then basketball-dribbling it to AoE every enemy in range is subconsciously exciting. A group Soldiers? Line as many of them up as you can so that when one of them tries to dive kick retaliate, you get the pleasure of taking a number of them out with a swift Cyclone. These are just two examples of the ways that RCs influence the player's decision making without necessarily cornering them into a dominant strategy. So even if some of them don't feel earned and admittedly feel like "Press triangle to win" moments, they do so much to make individual enemy species feel special and unique in a combat system that doesn't stop you from striking first and slaying them before you can even see what sets them apart anyway. And I think in the long-term history of the game, they are almost as much of what makes KH2 special and memorable as the endless depth of the core combat.

Kingdom Hearts 2's combat is easy to play but hard to master. A button masher isn't going to be defeating Sephiroth or Lingering Will or the Data Org.

I consider Revenge Value the pinnacle of 2's combat, actually, with the way it rewards mastery and encourages experimentation. Coming from fighting games, I consider prediction more valuable than reaction.

You haven't felt button mashing until you fought data xemnes

I hope kh4 feels as rhythmic and flowing as kh2 while obviously adding what Nomura wants for the new game when it comes to combat.

I dont think you can explain why the combat in KH2 is great without getting into the animation. One of the most well animated games in gameplay. It does for flow and weightlessness what monster hunter does for timing and weight.

I love KH2 combat feel most of all. But I also love KH1 tech point system that rewards players for fighting well, along with its MP resource management which makes Save Points more valuable. BBS Command Deck is nice too. They have these great ingredients to combine to create the ultimate KH game.

FFXV & KH3’s battle systems still don’t top the majesticness of KH2’s

Open KH video, persona music plays. Perfection.

KH2FM already has HP barriers like that Vergil example. Lingering Will for example has 2 barriers where he will always enter forced revenge as soon as you hit that HP barrier regardless of Revenge Value. I very much agree though that forced revenges caused by RV should've been reactable. Great video though, always glad to see people appreciate 2FM as much as i do while being able to actually explain why.

Delayed reaction command options for the recent value attacks could’ve been interesting. Like during the Xemnas solo fight, if you wait, the reaction command as you’re running up the skyscraper changes; having a reaction command pop up when the boss is about to revenge attack would be soooo cool, and rewarding players for being quick and expecting it by giving them a counter vs. giving players a simple block/evade if they hit it last minute.

I agree. Aqua is indeed a queen.

I thought I liked kingdom hearts for the story, instead I realized it was for the mechanics.

Swooping in at the last moment to steal the place of April's best video.

This video was phenomenal is EXACTLY how I feel about the battle system of Kingdom Hearts 2! I do wish KH3 was similar in that aspect and I still hold that KH2 was the best in the series.

I know that not everyone is as analytical about games as others are but I truly feel like not enough people give this game credit for just how well thought out all of it's mechanics are. This game was made all the way back in 2005 and I still feel like it's the pinnacle of ARPG combat even among its own series, even outclassing a lot of dedicated action games. The more I think about it, the more I really wonder just how a team of people making games about a boy with clown shoes battling shadow creatures and star wars expies alongside disney characters crafted such a beautiful system that even the current team can't begin to touch. Also, man don't even get me started on Nier. That game was a mechanical disaster which is a shame considering who was developing it.