KHUX The Chi storyline - Unnecessarily complex

[Akeyroh 16]

Hey everyone,

Normally I don’t create new topics. I prefer status updates to share my thoughts on different topics but I think this topic is too big to just create a status update. I’ve been thinking about this for some time now and I wanted to start a discussion about this. So let’s talk about Kingdom Hearts Chi/Unchained Chi/Union Cross/Back Cover.

First of all let me start by saying that the following will be my own personal opinion. I don’t want to argue that I’m objectively right or something like this. Also it could be possible that I don’t understand some plot points or I just explain them wrong. I played the game when it released outside of Japan but as time went on I just started watching the cutscenes on YouTube and stop playing the actual game. So feel free to correct me.

I’ve come to realize that I really don’t like the chi timeline and I dislike the fact that the plot points that are presented within that timeline will affect Kingdom Hearts III (and potentially the next KH saga). At first I was intrigued to know more about the Keyblade War and the age of fairy tales. I wanted to see how these Keyblade wielders fight over the X-Blade. I wanted to see how the world got covered in darkness and how the hearts of children rebuild the world. But even in the beginning I disliked the fact that it will be told through a japanese-only PC game and a mobile game for smartphones. I will talk about that later though.

So I was excited to discover the secret behind the Keyblade War but the story was not like I expected it to be and that’s not bad at all. I liked to be surprised but I feel like many things regarding that era are unnecessarily complicated, especially if you keep in mind that this is a mobile game that will affect KH3. So let’s talk about the plot. The basic concept of the story is okay: Different unions with their respective leader, an intriguing and mysterious Master of Masters and the book of prophecy which talks about the end of the world. There is also a lost page and a traitor among them. That sounds interesting but I feel like they added so many unnecessary plot points or concepts to this basic idea.

Why are they using powers from the future (medals) to face the heartless, which apparently also come from the future? I mean there is no darkness in this era, or at least heartless shouldn’t be in the realm of light. And the player collects Lux? Why not call it “Light”, so everybody can understand it without someone explaining the term? And the whole thing about the power bangles that collect darkness is so weird. Ava said its okay if they collect it but using it is forbidden. So did they explain why we collect light and darkness? Also, the worlds that the players visit are all an illusion and we basically don’t know how the era of fairy tales looks like except for Daybreak town. Regarding these aspects, it just seems like they tried to implement the gameplay (medals, points, guilt, worlds etc.) into the story, thus making it more complex. I feel like they could’ve told the story without future powers, illusions of Disney worlds, lux, guilt etc.

But there are also many other plot points that complicated the whole story of the chi timeline. So Chirithys are dream eaters created by the MoM and they can exist outside the realm of sleep? And what about the unchained realm? We still don’t know anything about that and the fact that Maleficent somehow exists in that era. I know she could enter the world through digitizing the book of prophecies and it could be possible that this somehow takes place in the realm of sleep but why did they add these things to the story? I really wonder why they can’t just show us what happened in the era of fairy tales without making it so complicated and intertwined with the present story. On top of that the X-Blade isn’t even a part of that story so far. The Keyblade War is over and the dandelions have new union leaders. Why do we need this second generation? Why not make Ventus, Lauriam, Ephemer, Brain and Skuld the Foretellers to begin with? So Ventus and Marluxia lived in the era of fairy tales? Normally this wouldn’t be problem to me but they already added so many confusing and complex plot points. Ventus and Marluxia are just the tip of the iceberg. If they just told the story of the union leaders, the master of masters and the attempt to prevent the end of the world, that would be completely fine. I wouldn’t even have a problem, if Ventus and Lauriam are part of that particular story. Everything feels so unnecessarily complicated and complex.

Actually, it’s funny because I didn’t feel like BBS made things unnecessarily complicated and complex. I liked how they expanded the lore of KH within that game but in this case I really think the chi era just adds more unnecessarily things to the story. Maybe I feel that way because the Xehanort saga is ending soon and I really think they should use their time and start answering some unanswered questions in the franchise.

I also think that it is extremely unfitting that they released this game before KH3. With the remixes, they basically said: Listen guys, we realized that releasing all these games on different consoles was a bad idea and we lost many fans because of this but now we want you to play all these games on one console so that you are prepared for KH3”. But then they simultaneously release a mobile game that dives deep into the lore of the whole franchise and even features plot points that will important to fully understand KH3. That’s the complete opposite of what they were trying to achieve. On top of that they split the story about the chi era into a japan-exclusive PC game, a mobile game and a movie which doesn’t even explain the whole story. If they really wanted to tell that story before KH3 releases, why didn’t they make a complete movie out of it or released it as a console game which serves as a first look into the gameplay of KH3?

The worst part of that decision is the fact that it’s an ongoing mobile game. This game has hundreds of missions and most of them are basically fillers. And from what I’ve heard, it’s very difficult in the NA version to play the game without using in-app purchases. The artstyle might look cool but it also limits the expression of the characters, the fights and the overall story.

So these are my thoughts. I don’t like the way how they tell the story about this epic Keyblade war and the era of fairy tales. I dislike that they made this particular story so unnecessarily complicated and complex and I don’t understand why they released it as a mobile game. And finally, I’m disappointed that they connect these events into KH3. I mean KH3 is supposed to be the game that answers most of the unanswered questions in the whole franchise (I don’t think it will but adding more questions doesn’t make sense to me). From what we saw so far, important plot points already made their way into KH3 (Maleficent and Pete searching the mysterious box). I’d expected them to fully focus on telling the last chapter in the Xehanort saga but it seems like they are already setting up the new saga within KH3. I’m fine with a secret ending that teases the next saga but don’t do it within the actual game.

Wow, what a wall of text. I’m sorry for that but I really wanted to talk about this for some time now.

Edited February 8, 2021 by Akeyroh

[Felixx 6,646]

100% agreed. Unchained X/Union Cross should have never existed in my opinion, and if then not as a mobile game that takes ages to update. It's honestly the only thing I kinda hate about Kingdom Hearts.

[Mysterious Figure 353]

I 100% agree with you but I also feel the same about all KH games post-KH1, especially with the ridiculous lengths they go to explain why Sora is always level 1 in each game

Edited October 1, 2017 by Mysterious Figure

[Awesome Sauce 634]

This encapsulates my feelings regarding the Chi saga perfectly. I wouldn't hate it so much if it was, say, a spin-off not related to the main series and in it's own universe, but right now it's just dragging it's plot and is nothing more than a series of reveals and plot threads to tide us over until KH3 releases. Heck, I don't know why a mobile game that connects to KH3 needed to be made, when KH3 already has the task of addressing and connecting the plot-points of 4 (5 If you count 0.2) games, while trying to tell a good story that can stand on it's own and end the Xehanort saga in a satisfying way. Adding another set of plot-points to that is just needlessly complicating things (Like nearly everything else in the plot).

[Headphone Jack 1,147]

yea it's amazing how off the rails they took the story of a mobile/browser game. 

 

the other day i thought "hey i think maybe i'd like to try and get into the story of those Chi games." then i spent a good 20 minutes trying to figure out which cutscenes to watch and which order and i realized this is a similar problem many people have when it comes to the entire KH series. the titles are so confusing that you can't figure out where to start.

 

Chi is really losing it, which is a shame because what little plot i could make out from the cutscenes seemed like it'd be interesting to play in an actual game and not a mobile gotcha game.

[Smithee 327]

The Chi storyline - Unnecessarily complex

 

A KH-related storyline that's "unnecessarily complex"?

 

Say it ain't so!

Edited October 2, 2017 by Alan Smithee