Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

Unreleased

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (キングダム ハーツ Kingudamu Hātsu : Surī Faibu Eito Deizu ōbā Tsū) (pronounced "Kingdom Hearts : Three-Five-Eight Days over Two" as read in Japanese too) is an RPG developed by Square Enix for the Nintendo DS with aid from H.a.n.d.. It is an installment in the best-selling Kingdom Hearts series. The game features the life of Roxas between the end of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and the beginning of Kingdom Hearts II. This game will explore the time from Roxas' creation until his confrontation with Riku that leads to his placement in the simulated Twilight Town, a data-based Twilight Town in Kingdom Hearts II. It is said to be in full 3D as a single and multiplayer game. The game was announced at the 2007 Tokyo Game Show.

Square Enix revealed at Tokyo Game Show 2007 that a new unique installment to the Kingdom Hearts Series would be coming exclusively to the Nintendo DS. In 358/2 Days, Players will learn more about Roxas' time in the Organization XIII by engaging in both exciting single-player & multiplayer modes. Many unanswered questions about Roxas' life (while Sora was sleeping for one year) will be explored alongside offering Kingdom Hearts fans a whole new way to enjoy the series in a variety of Disney worlds. In December 2008, it has been announced that the game will come to stateside audiences as well as in Japan.



Plot
358/2 Days revolves around the untold events of Roxas during his time with Organization XIII. The initial trailer showed events in Twilight Town, as did more recent trailers and scans. The clock tower is shown as Roxas, Axel and Xion's hangout. Organization XIII's headquarters will also be featured. Xaldin and Roxas have been seen running around Beast's Castle, and a trailer at the official site shows that they fight a Darkside Heartless there.

Characters
Like previous Kingdom Hearts titles, 358/2 Days will feature numerous Disney characters. Confirmed characters include Roxas, King Mickey, and Riku (who could possibly be an antagonist). Also, in the multiplayer mode at least, all Organization XIII members will be playable. It is unknown if all 13 members will appear in the story mode. The trailers have also revealed a previously unknown 14th member of Organization XIII, Xion. She appears to have great significance in the story. Her role is subject to question, as she has been shown hanging out with Roxas and Axel in several scans and trailers, and in others, attacking them. The Heartless will appear as the primary antagonists, and there will be some new boss types, including a "frog Heartless" (according to Gamespot). Also, some special Heartless will appear as normal encounters, such as the Possessor in Beast's Castle.

Chronology
This game, much like Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, takes place in between the two main games in the series. This one presumably begins directly after Roxas is created near the end of the first Kingdom Hearts, through the events of Chain of Memories, and ending with the beginning of the second Kingdom Hearts, when Sora wakes up. If this is true, then it may contain the deaths of several Organization members (Vexen, Lexaeus, Zexion, Marluxia and Larxene). What is certain is that players will see a full Organization XIII, one scene even showing all 13 members (hoods lowered) in the meeting chamber.

Confirmed Worlds

 * The World That Never Was, with the Castle That Never Was
 * Twilight Town
 * Castle Oblivion
 * Wonderland
 * Olympus Coliseum
 * Agrabah
 * Beast's Castle
 * Hollow Bastion
 * Halloween Town
 * Neverland
 * Destiny Islands

Gameplay


The gameplay is believed to be similar to the action-RPG style of the previous games in the series. Multiplayer is to be included. Any questionings of multiplayer just being computer controlled AIs was put to rest by the several reviews of people playing the demos at the official events that demos of the game have been featured at. Multiplayer gameplay is confirmed to control Roxas and all of the members of Organization XIII, the one possible exception being Xion. The only other possible playable character people were questioning, Xemnas, has been confirmed by Nomura to be playable. The only members yet to be seen (in scans or trailers) or played (in demos) in multiplayer so far are Xemnas, Vexen, and Zexion. In recent scans, the familiar command menu from past installments of the game has returned, this time with only three visible commands. There is also a new gauge in the status bars. Along with HP and MP, there is a yellow bar labeled LM, possibly similar to the drive bar in Kingdom Hearts 2.

They also had a control scheme in the Jump Festa 2008 Demo:
 * L: Move camera left
 * R: Move camera right
 * L or R twice: Camera resets behind player
 * L+R: Lock on (it was learned at TGS that days has an auto lock system, with no way to select a target)
 * D-pad: Control character
 * X: Scroll through command list (attack, magic, item)
 * A: Perform command
 * B: Jump, double tap for double jump, press with direction after jumping once to air slide
 * Y: Reflect Guard, press with direction for dodge roll, after jumping press with direction to glide
 * Start: Pause game

Nintendo Power subsequently described a control scheme that allowed players to move the camera with the touch screen, and to move, jump, and attack using the control pad and face buttons. These controls may still change before the game is released.

Another interesting point is the height of the chairs in Where Nothing Gathers. The chairs' heights do not actually relate to the number of members in the Organization, but rather their rank. Lower ranking members, like Vexen and Zexion have lower chairs, where as higher ranked members, like Saïx and Marluxia have higher chairs. When missions are completed in 358/2 Days, the height of the chairs change depending on how well or poor the members did.

Trivia

 * Tetsuya Nomura has stated that Xion will only be seen as a screenplay role; you cannot play as her through the game


 * Even though the Organization has 14 members, the organization keeps the name Organization XIII. This will also be explained in the game.


 * It was stated that the scene from Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+, with Axel and Roxas sitting on the Clock Tower of Twilight Town, was originally meant for the opening of Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. It will actually be the ending to Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.


 * Roxas' naming by Xemnas in front of the Old Mansion, dealt with in Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+, will be used as the opening To Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.


 * The title is a reference to the year that Sora was asleep. There will be the supposed 358 days playing as Roxas in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days followed by the 7 days played in Twilight Town as Roxas in Kingdom Hearts II.


 * Since he'll be among Organization XIII members throughout most of the game, how involved Roxas gets with the Disney characters whose worlds he visits is unknown, but this screenshot shows that he will at least meet a few.


 * The new trailer shows Organization XIII members casting spells outside of their normal elements in the Wi-Fi (such as Axel using Aero). Whether this is just to balance the characters in Wi-Fi or actually canon remains to be seen.


 * In Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix+, Riku and Roxas battle, this is possibly the last level in the game, and that Riku is possibly seen as an Antagonist

Official Website

 * JP: http://www.square-enix.co.jp/kingdom/days/
 * NA: http://na.square-enix.com/khdays/

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days