Information
Kingdom Hearts II (キングダムハーツII) was the second game released for the PlayStation 2 in the Kingdom Hearts series. The game was originally released on December 22, 2005 in Japan and later released in North America on March 28, 2006, followed by Australia on September 28, 2006 and Europe on September 29, 2006. On March 29, 2007, Kingdom Hearts II was re-released as Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix in Japan.
Chronologically, Kingdom Hearts II occurs after Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days and before Kingdom Hearts coded. The game follows Roxas during his six days in the virtual Twilight Town, and Sora from when he wakes up from the restoration pod until he is reunited with Riku and Kairi at Destiny Islands.
The theme song of Kingdom Hearts II is Passion in the Japanese version, and Sanctuary in the English and Final Mix versions. Both songs are by Utada Hikaru. Other music in the game is composed by either Yoko Shimomura or Kaoru Wada.
Story
You begin this game playing as Roxas, a boy who has unknowingly been captured and put into a virtual version of Twilight Town. The virtual Twilight Town is infiltrated by Roxas' old friend, Axel, however Roxas does not remember him. Roxas has recurring dreams about Sora's memories, and he meets with a girl called Naminé, who informs him that he is a Nobody. Roxas is confronted with DiZ and after seeing Sora in the restoration pod, leaves the virtual Twilight Town. Gameplay as Sora begins at this point.
Sora, Donald and Goofy all awaken from their restoration pods in Twilight Town. The trio encounter King Mickey, who sends them to Yen Sid's Tower. Sora then meets a new villain, Pete, and speaks with King Mickey's teacher, Yen Sid. Yen Sid informs Sora about the Heartless, Nobodies and Organization XIII, and Sora begins his journey across the worlds. He meets with Leon, Yuffie, Aerith and Cid in Hollow Bastion, who have started a Hollow Bastion Restoration Commitee.
Sora, Donald and Goofy then travel around to worlds based on Disney movies, looking for Riku and King Mickey, and encountering and destroying Organization XIII members. In Hollow Bastion, Leon discovers Ansem's computer and uses it to find out that Ansem, the previous ruler of Hollow Bastion and villain of Kingdom Hearts, was actually originally named Xehanort. Xehanort was Ansem the Wise's disciple, and after resulting in Ansem the Wise being banished, took Ansem's name.
Demyx is destroyed in Hollow Bastion. After defeating a hoard of Heartless at Hollow Bastion, Sora is confronted by Axel, who reveals that Kairi has been kidnapped and that the Organization is using Sora to gather hearts. Saïx appears, and Axel flees. Sora, Donald and Goofy escape to Betwixt and Between, with the help of Maleficent. Xaldin is later destroyed at Beast's Castle.
Later, Sora, Donald and Goofy enter the virtual Twilight Town, which contains a portal to the World That Never Was. After stepping in the portal, they are attacked by Nobodies, and Axel appears and sacrifices himself to save Sora. Sora, Donald and Goofy arrive at the World That Never Was, and are encountered by Roxas who fights with Sora. The trio then work their way up the Organization's stronghold, the Castle That Never Was, defeating Xigbar, Luxord and Saïx along the way. Sora is reunited with Riku, who has taken on Ansem's form, and Kairi. The three, along with Donald and Goofy, then meet King Mickey who is with Ansem the Wise. Ansem the Wise attempts to destroy Xemnas' Kingdom Hearts, and in the process, kills himself and restores Riku.
Sora fights Xemnas, and he appears to have been defeated. Sora merges with his Nobody, Roxas, and Kairi merges with Naminé. Then, through a Corridor of Darkness; Kairi, Donald, Goofy and King Mickey return to Destiny Islands. Sora and Riku are about to step through the portal, however, Xemnas returns and they fight. Xemnas absorbs what is left of his Kingdom Hearts, and he is defeated by Sora and Riku. As Sora and Riku sit on the Shore of Darkness, a letter from Kairi washes ashore. Then, the Door to Light appears, and Sora and Riku are returned to Destiny Islands.
Gameplay
The gameplay of Kingdom Hearts II is strongly based on that of Kingdom Hearts, with some minor changes. Rooms are generally designed to be more simple, with an obvious path through each world. In each room, the player can unlock a map, to show the structure and entrances of the room. The camera angle of Kingdom Hearts II is slightly altered, giving the player a more overhead view, and complete rotation using the right analogue stick.
During battle, players can now use new features such as drives, limits, and reaction commands. The player has a drive guage, which serves two functions: to transform into a drive form, or to use a summon. Usually, drive forms involve the combination of party members and the usage of two Keyblades, however this is not always the case. Limits are something that can be triggered between Sora and another party member, and involves them teaming up to cause damage. Reaction commands are where Triangle can be pressed in certain situations to perform a special move or action. Other battle differences include a continuous and replentishing MP bar, rather than the discrete form used in Kingdom Hearts.
Another major difference to gameplay in Kingdom Hearts II is the Gummi Ship. Gummi Ship routes now have a much more challenging and engaging feel.
Development
Talk concerning Kingdom Hearts II first started based on the secret movies contained in Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts Final Mix. Kingdom Hearts II was announced, along with Chain of Memories, at Tokyo Game Show 2003. The game was later featured at various events, including Tokyo Game Show 2004, Jump Festa 2005, PlayStation Meeting 2005, E3 2005, and Tokyo Game Show 2005. Many commercials and promotional trailers were shown prior to the game's release.
Kingdom Hearts II received ratings of E10+ from the ESRB, 12+ from PEGI, 6+ from USK, PG from the OFLC, and 11+ from ELSPA.
Kingdom Hearts II was developed by Square Enix. The game was designed by Tetsuya Nomura, and written by Kazushige Nojima.
Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix
Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix (キングダムハーツII FINAL MIX) was announced in September 2006. The game, a re-release of Kingdom Hearts II with added features, was part of the Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+ package that included Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories. It was released in Japan on March 29, 2007. The game mostly includes English voice acting, with the exception of new scenes. A full list of changes is below.
Covers
 Japan |
 North America |
 Europe |
 Final Mix |
Characters
Worlds
External Links
Official
Japanese Kingdom Hearts II website
Official English Kingdom Hearts II website
Official
Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix website
