I plugged an underrated KH video last time, so I'll do it again. A point or two in this video was inspired by an especially overlooked analysis on KH2's Disney world usage and integration. Well worth a watch. kzread.info/dash/bejne/mKqol8l9ptrFgMo.html

The big difference between the implementation of reactions commands vs qte, is that qte was often used to try and make cinematics have more gameplay, meanwhile reaction commands make the gameplay more cinematic

@xXLunatikxXlul

5 ай бұрын

Excellent way of putting it!

What a wonderful day to have the youtube algorythm mysteriously reveal to me that Frieza from DBZ Abridged is a Kingdom Hearts fan.

@ezrat4248

9 ай бұрын

Is this really frieza from tfs the choice did sound familiar I just can't place it

@iansynge7656

7 ай бұрын

...Uh. No? Frieza in DBZA is voiced by LittleKuriboh, AKA the guy behind Yugioh Abridged. And I'm PRETTY sure this guy isn't him.

@SmokeyEdits

5 ай бұрын

@@iansynge7656 You'll be eating your hat in 3 years when LittleKuriboh pops out and goes "AHA! I pulled a Ludwig on you and made a new channel and got big there, too!"

@shilohoward6085

3 ай бұрын

It's clearly a joke, guys.

The like .2 second cuts to ah questionable material is like a mental flash bang to jolt you back awake and make sure you keep watching instead of just listening lol. Never change

Calling the final Xemnas fight boring will result in you having a Keyblade shoved into your rear Keyhole

i loved your edit of the reaction commands at the end you did a really nice job, i love kh1 and 2 so much.

@Duncadinca

9 ай бұрын

Thank you, I'm proud of that montage

@paz6666

9 ай бұрын

@@Duncadinca i rewatched that bit atleast 5 times! the transitions between multiple fights was too awesome. ty for the video

This is the quality content I'm looking for on KH. Not those Top 10 you didn't know etc. I hope you get lots of views on your videos as it has super rich and very entertaining vibes.

so happy to have found this channel, binged your videos ngl i thought the whole thing was going to be like the beginning jokes so i was very pleased to find like an in depth run of such a missed fun mechanic ❤

Here is some advice that I came across and like. If you see a fence, fully understand why it was put there before you go tearing it down. Dunca you did fantastic job at explaining why the Triangle QTE was good in the KH series. While it is a fun meme to say press triangle to win like pressing F to pay respects, the QTE deserves more respect. There were times where I just couldn't wrap my head around it despite how well it worked out for me earlier in the game. It started simple enough, one consistent button you could count on to see Sora accomplish amazing feats to help out in battle. Then the Dice and Card game mechanics happened and I just didn't understand for the longest time that the command list had a part to play in this somehow. Considering what I just said you can already guess that I had a hard time with Xemnas energy barrage attack before I realized that there were two QTE's at the same time to deflect them all...not to mention I couldn't figure out the Xemnas sky scrapper QTE event. If anything, I can consider the KH2 QTE as a quick to learn but hard to master if you don't fully know what you are doing. With KH 3 there was a lot of freedom to play and approach a fight however you wanted. Heck I was able to find a way to keep Sora in the air without flying as I outmaneuvered most of the enemies and even bosses I fought against. I am looking forward to what insane moves they got for us in this future Kindgom Hearts game.

Honestly hope you blow up because your content is really entertaining while actually being informative about the points you try to get across here

@Duncadinca

9 ай бұрын

Me too. Thanks

Thanks to 30:44 I was today years old when I realized the Assassin Nobody's RC Fail-safe used to counter a kamikaze attack directly correlates to Axel and his...explosive tendencies in KH2

Bless the algorithm for sharing this with me. The opening skit lost me for a sec and I almost clicked away, but I’m glad i stuck with it because I also adore the reaction commands and will love it until the day I die ❤

How this guy have only 400+ subs? Thats criminal! "It has only two videos..." Okay, fair. But damn, these two videos are excelent in quality. Hope to see you upload more often. Like once every two/three months? In the meantime, time to recomend this video to my friends who also love KH.

@Duncadinca

10 ай бұрын

I already upload as fast as I can, I'm afraid. Thank you though.

I'm kind split on how I feel about RCs. A thing I liked about KH1 is that you have to basically do the cool thing you wanted rather than it being automated in response to a button press, which would award you Tech Points. Blocking Hades' fireball back into his face, for example. On the other hand, there are some Reaction Commands like Xemnas' Finish or Sephiroth's Block that I think were pretty well-implemented and I wouldn't mind seeing more in the vein of those rather than "Oh, guess I'll use Firagun on the Volcanic Lord for the 50th time this boss fight" or "Oh, I guess I'll spin Jafar again."

@nuclearsynapse5319

9 ай бұрын

Yeah not all reaction commands are made equal for sure. My favorites are the ones that are quick and snappy, stuff like learning Dragoon jumps and Bat Cry. They aren't necessary, but if you want the advantage they offer you have to grab them up. The RCs like Urninator and other boss cinematic sequences look cool, but they are often explicitly necessary/unavoidable and with the exception of Xemnas' Finish you can literally just spam Triangle and win.

Terrific video, i´m right there with you. One more point to which the argument "it is lazy" falls off instantly: reaction commands are ought to test an important ability for gamers, reflexes. The ability to snap out of your muscular memory and pay complete attention to whats happening on screen, that is part of the beauty of reaction commands / quick time events. Moreover they allow for the flow of the battle and for introduction of awesome cinematics, your video is the more complete testament of the later argument.

Brilliant video for such a small channel! Looking forward to more!

Damn yeah I'll rewatch this

The edits and the jokes are all made real smooth. Watching this video is just full of pleasant surprises tickling me. Command Deck, Attraction Flow offers so much benefits with its damage but you can spam it on everything Reaction command is mostly unique to each enemy / teammate / specific story progression, which makes each moment more impressive. But when it is shared, holy crap you blew my mind by 28:24 I overlooked it. It has way more depth than I first thought. Thankfully specific reaction command was not repeated (or a whole lot) because it would make subsequent reoccurrences less impactful.

@Duncadinca

10 күн бұрын

Thank ya for the nice words

Rewatching bc you deserve it, king. 👑

I have found yet another *lovely* channel!! ❤❤ Thank you for the great videos, man.

Would you rather press triangle and summon a merry-go-round? Or press triangle and judo flip a dragon, slap someone with a possessed chandelier, counter-snipe someone in their own scope, or just plain beat a tyrant against the side of a building? This seems pretty obvious to me, but hey, what do I know. I don't work for Square Enix.

I came here to binge your whole channel after watching your KH3 video yesterday and I couldn’t believe there were only 2 so far. I instantly subbed! Your editing and commentary is top tier 💫

@Duncadinca

10 ай бұрын

Thank you. I guess my editing and commentary have something in common with your eyes.

So i spat out my energy drink here at work the moment Nomura started crooning Katy Perry. Thanks for that 😂

@Duncadinca

Ай бұрын

Pleasure

When I play KH2 with the RCs, I get so hyped just because seeing Sora use the enemies weapon against them is so badass. When KH3 removed the RCs, it was just boring. The fights felt less engaging. Mob fights would slap me around even with the use of magic for crowd-control because Sora can only get out at least 4 or five cast before the cool down on critical mode while in KH2 critical mode you can get 7 or more cast of magic before the cool down which didn't feel nerved. People who say the RCs made the game to easy probably were only focusing on the triangle button itself instead of looking at the cool animation that took place after pressing triangle. Something about KH2 Sora's animations during those RC felt so smooth. Not only that but the detail that goes into the RC was also impressive. Here are some I will list out here. Larxene Join RC has Sora jump towards the screen but what I like is Sora facial expression while rushing towards the screen. He is extremely pisses & he is like this with Marluxia's Aerial Strike RC as well. The cannon RC during the pirate medallion fight is an adorable one where Sora activates the cannon with his foot while holding the keyblade diaganially in the air. But what makes it adorable is the happy look on his face. Just like what you said about the story fitting with the Organization XIII RC, it also fit for Sora because he mention in one of the cut scenes in that world that he always wanted to be a pirate & he was living that moment during a threating fight which I thought was so cool to see. If you think reaction are to easy then try looking at the cool animation instead & you will see why KH2 RCs get soo much praise. It was never about them being to easy but was about what Sora was capable of doing to his enemy while also making it look as badass as possible. I really hope to see some major improvements with the RCs in KH4 & not make them only available for the boss fights scenario.

Wow I just watched your KH3 video and now this! I’m just sitting here like “THIS PERSON GETS IT!” Edits are amazing and commentary is goated. Looking forward to the next one 🔥🫡

@Duncadinca

9 ай бұрын

Thank you very much

Aww damn you had to reupload it? Thats a shame, I haven't watched the full video yet so I'll rewatch it again

I found your channel from your kh3 video. I love your videos, hope you continue the good work.👍

@Duncadinca

6 ай бұрын

Thank ya

That was an awesome compilation at the end!

@Duncadinca

Ай бұрын

Yes, yes it was

Finally, another Dunca classic

I love this video. It pretty much encompasses why I love reaction commands, and why I never felt like I could relate to the criticisms of reaction commands, or at least see where they were coming from. Like, I knew that I felt Kingdom Hearts 2 wasn't a "press triangle to win" game, but I had a hard time explaining to people why I felt that reaction commands were a net positive for the gameplay. Great work!

Just found this video and Im only 6 minutes in. You are so funny and this deserves way more views.

@Duncadinca

23 күн бұрын

You've the power to make them appear. Thanks.

Yeah i could watch this agian why not

I love that if you really think about it, Roxas' whole section is like a merging of KH1's combat and pace with KH2's newer mechanics being slowly dripfed to the player, thus teaching them how KH2 is rolling. Edit: KH2 is the Metal Gear Rising of the Kingdom Hearts series. #3 may have have bigger spectacle and a more powerful Sora but the feat scale and rule of cool in KH2 make Sora and even Mickey way more badass. That skyscraper RC went reminded me of the first Meta Gear getting tossed and sliced up in the way that it shows Sora's innate combat skill.

YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I NEEDED THIS VIDEO. KH2 IS MY FAVORITE AND HAS THE BEST MUSIC❤❤❤

Good fucking content. Its robbery that you don't get more views

@Duncadinca

6 ай бұрын

I appreciate that, thanks

Dude your videos are awesome o hope you make more content

@Duncadinca

9 ай бұрын

I hope so too

I’m only 13 minutes into the video and I am so thoroughly enjoying this I’m going to sub right now as opposed to checking the channels back catalog like I usually would. 💯

@Duncadinca

9 ай бұрын

I appreciate that

looool we all hated sanctuary back in the day because we heard passion first. anyway love your videos!

Circle is the GOW equivalent to KH's Triangle.

Not even gonna lie I struggled against xaildin before realizing I should be trying and just rely on triangle

Great video

Roxas prologue was and still is peak fiction. Shame kingdom hearts story writing peaks at the beginning of the 2nd game

21:12 actual comment time, this is why Xaldin was so hard for people I imagine. They tried to X mash a boss that literally cannot be X mashed

underrated

I agree with you on most of this other than i used alot of magic in all the games

I'm sorry I just see a guy saying that fire was made useless in KH2 at 5:30. Look, I get it: You want that rapid fire homing projectile. It goes hard (especially with EXP Zero scaling). KH1's magic system was amazingly built... for KH1. You had all range options covered with aoe and single target options, but using these left you open to attack. What Fire in KH2 does is offer you an early game low mp cost spell with defensive aoe effects in base form, and insane aoe coverage in Wisdom/Master form (not to mention 0 RV in Final). If anything I want to know why it's fire being trashed and not blizzard. KH2 blizz is still great, but I've always been a bigger fan of the shotgun style, which I'm happy Master form kept.

32:00 I laughed out loud xDDD. You speek truth.

I always thought that everyone who complained about reaction commands were and are stupid. Reaction commands were the thing that made me look forward to every boss fight. I always loved seeing Sora do some crazy anime stuff midfight and it be my fault that it happened. It was the ultimate reward for paying attention during a fight.

Whens the next video, we need more.

Lmao I played 2 as a kid and the Demyx fight stopped me in my tracks. I had to beat the game when I was older 😂 "DANCE WATER DANCE!" haunted me for SO long

Imo a good example of the reaction commands actually helping to turn the tides in your favor for the most part are the heartless and nobody’s with there commands and how most people have a hard time with the chamber of remembrance bc that place contains heartless and nobody that don’t have reaction commands

as an avid qte defender since the original god of war i respect the hustle.

I love Reaction Commands so much. When you see Sora take the Grim Reaper's weapon, and then do the same thing to Marluxia, wielding them both like they're nothing, it just shows how insanely good Sora is at improvising in combat. This dude's ability to adapt to any situation is unparalleled, and it shows in the way Reaction Commands are implemented. The guy hijacks the Surveillance Robot's laser and guns down an entire army! The building RC??? That thing being slashed to shreds is only overshadowed by the Reaction Commands against Xemnas that come afterward! The only problem I've ever had with Reaction Commands is that they feel separated from how integrated the combo system is. After KH1, they made a clear conscious decision to let magic mix in with your physical combos for KH2, and it shows. Master Form's entire design wouldn't work without this. If you could use a finishing move after a Reaction Command or magic cast rather than having to wait until the end of the animation? Perfection. But as it stands, the way they were implemented in most cases is just amazing. God I love this game. Great video.

data xemnas is reaction command personified

Yes I agree!, Reaction command is the goat.

Stormrider!!! 👀

My man dropped 2 videos and dropped off the internet dang

That's why I like KH3 Remind's fight between the guardians of light and the replicas

I had to sub after this video😂

@Duncadinca

9 ай бұрын

Thank ya

I never understood the hate towards action commands. I’m glad KH3 didn’t have them since it would have made it even more ridiculous with the many combat options that are already available to you. Super excited for KH4!

I think the saddest part is how hard future games tried to take away the simplicity of Reaction Commands but still keep cinematic moments, leading to absolute garbage like the Sköll DM "Minigame" let's call it, because what you do and what then happens in the cutscene feel disconnected. Sure it might look cool, but that's about it, KH2 combined style and substance much better exactly because it was just a button press at the right time Also about Flowmotion, I HATE how dumb and unnecessarily long the attacks were in DDD, it feels like you lose control of the characters entirely in the one spinny thing and the buzzsaw attack, which is funnily enough the ONLY good Flowmotion attack in KH3, for as brief as it is. It made me use only the dive slam attack and nothing else that wasn't mandatory in terms of that combat aspect. It could've been good if if was more like the Trailers way back when

I truly believe because of the triangle button, kingdom hearts, two stands at the pinnacle of all Kingdom hearts games

More like RE:Action Commands

@Duncadinca

10 ай бұрын

I laugh so I don't cry

Why do you found so familiar

It's not just about them being OP. You can argue that, for the most part, they aren't OP, but I also don't like how long they are. These are cutscenes with next to no player agency. You just press triangle until the cutscene is over. That's boring. The best RCs, those that I don't mind, are those that require timing. I hope in KH4 RCs are more like that.

12:19 I WASNT READY

@Duncadinca

9 ай бұрын

Neither were they

2:40 Same! Union X and KH3 are to blamed for killing my interest for the future of this series! 🤝 14:04 Oh my god... The Stun increase strategy actually makes sense! 24:31 EXACTLY! Counterattacks and special attacks rewarding you for exploiting an enemy's weakness. Something that KH3 could desperately use for their junky ass Dynasty Warrior enemy balance! (and bringing back enemies from KH2 without their respectful counterattack RCs) 35:22 and then Nomura threw the strategist Sora into the trash. 😬 36:21 That's what I have been saying! 👏I can't fathom that people call "KH2 press Triangle to Win" when BBS is literally spam Buttons to get a Hand injury. 36:50 Funnily enough, RE:CODED has SUPERIOR Command Deck than BBS and DDD! The combat flows smoothly and responsive with linking your main combo with Commands and having Keyblade's abilities to enchant your combat! Re:Coded has legit the best portal KH combat, dragged back by it's horrible world gimmicks that take the combat away from you 😩 (someone please, make a Romhack of this game already) 39:00 The fact they wasted DEV time making Attractions, bloated press Button to Win cinematic, only for the players to hate them and the update to give the "Critical Converter" ability will never stop be funny to me! 39:31 NOMURA YOU HACK FREUD! 43:38 Can related, when I was a kid I was obsessed with KH2:FM as a Kid! I even downloaded KH2:FM videos from youtube with No damage Battles, The japanese exclusive (for the time) Org XIII data fights, hacked/modified combats e.t.c and burned them into a DVD so I can watch them on my TV 😁

@Duncadinca

5 ай бұрын

Big thanks for the commentary

@Leonidash15

5 ай бұрын

@@Duncadinca Thank you for the Video~

38:39 You are NOT a sane person.

@raheemaslam7363

9 ай бұрын

When ever someone does a corny evil laugh you know the take is not gonna sit well

I broadly agree with what you're saying, but I think a key negative of reaction commands is that the very first time you see each one you kinda have no idea what it's going to do Which isn't too bad when it's somewhat intuitive like dodging around a dusk or facing off with a samurai, but when it's something long or complicated it really doesn't feel like you're the one doing it because you've often got very little idea what the player character's going to do next Might be part of why the criticism of the system has dropped off so much, it's the kind of problem you're only going to experience once, on any replay it'll just feel badass

@PixelHeroViish

10 ай бұрын

That's only really a problem for a select few Reaction Commands, I feel. Cases like Xemnas and the Skyscraper in the solo fight (except there the whole point is not knowing how to do it right or what will happen) or things you have to react to unbelievably fast, like the Neo Shadow dash attack, but most of the time they're safe enough for you to just see GREEN and hit the GREEN button for something to happen and then you see it happen and boom Granted that kind of thing applies to practically everything in almost every game

@TheAnimatedGamer

10 ай бұрын

You can apply that same argument to situation commands though, half your moveset cut that's gotten out of randomness depending on what you in your gameplay that isn't garentaed. Then there's the constant Disney ride attraction commands or grand magic that you can constantly spam. Just like RCs SC get just as boring on multiple playthroughs

@Fawkes42

10 ай бұрын

@@TheAnimatedGamer I would apply the same argument, if the players hitting a button in the heat of battle and there's no realistic way for them to know what their character's going to do then that's an inherently unengaging mechanic

Probably one of the reasons why RCs aren't really a thing in KH3 is the fact that just about half your combat tools are on the Triangle button is just rough, because if you were to miss the RC you'd accidentally pop a form or something, kinda a similar problem to the critism that Auto Form/Limit gets, except turning them off isn't a solution. Basically Reaction Commands got sacrificed to Situation Commands.

5:05

It's funny you state you checked every RC in the original version, then proceed to play the FM version, which has rebalanced them all. Mind you thats not all they have rebalanced, pretty much the entire game has been adjusted. Vanilla KH2 was very easy compared to 2FM, but nobody plays vanilla 2 anymore. I feel like the whole point of RCs being very overpowered isn't the flat damage, but rather most of them opening the boss up for a free combo, sometimes even 2. Thats the reason why an RC can delete entire bars of health. It's still a fantastic mechanic and its great to finally get it back. Actually the hyenas have a RC, when they stop running, you need to call over Timon and Pumba, so they run into each other, instead of hitting the duo. Pretty much essential to beat them at LV1 Man that montage at the end was amazing. Shows off everything i loved about KH2, and also reminds me why i hate this series now.

@Duncadinca

9 ай бұрын

I'm not doubting you, but have you got a citation on RCs being rebalanced in FM? I tried looking it up, couldn't find anything. If there's written proof, I'll add that fact as a disclaimer in the description.

@tehSunBro

9 ай бұрын

Maybe just a different damage calculation, because many other things also changed a lot. Because you deal significantly more damage in vanilla 2 even without the additional reaction boost. Just compared Saixs berserk command in vanilla proud to 2fm proud. And dont even get me started on the japanese version of vanilla2. Sadly the only actual game mechanics data we got is for 2FM, all you can really do is compare yourself, especially since nobody plays vanilla2 anymore. Edit: Ima just ask some of the modders i know / the open KH guys@@Duncadinca

Blitzball you Philestine, have you never played FFX?

@Duncadinca

9 ай бұрын

I’m gonna call it a volleyball in every future video and it’ll be your fault

I've held this opinion for a while that I think the difference between how lame Nobodies got after KH2 and how good they were in that game in specific is how they played into the reaction command system (and didn't have a boatload of needless hyper armor but that's for another day) as you basically had to play off of all of them to succeed in tougher encounters. Want to get through an encounter with a whole bunch of dusks swarming you? Use reversal both to disorient them and to dodge whatever other enemy is around that isn't affected by it. Those berserkers giving you trouble cause you keep deflecting off their swords? Bait the sword through and use the reaction command to group them up and make them vulnerable for a while. There's so much interplay with these systems and i've come to really appreciate them as I grow older cause nothing else really plays like it. That edit at the end with all the reaction commands was godlike.

Couple of things I want to say A. 5:06 I’m sorry but Sanctuary doesn’t hit as hard as don’t think twice and simple and clean B. I feel like reaction commands, as cool as they aren’t inter-grated into Sora’s kit as well as Drive forms, Magic and ect unlike situations commands (Do in part that Drive forms, Magic and ect being tie to resources while Situational commands and shotlocks are tie to what ever Keyblade you have on you) C. While yes FM did give the data bosses good reaction commands it didn’t change the other reaction commands in the game

What I love about Reaction Commands as a game mechanic even more is how Sora and Roxas actually thinking outside the box and fighting at his best. Sora and Roxas are trying their best to defeat their enemies with style and strategy. There are only rare and few Reaction Commands in BBS and KH3, they are so rare to the point of the playable characters not having brains to strategize and instead rely on brute force to win a fight and most of all not have their style and personality to shine through in a battle of wits and power, this is both lazy and boring cuz your only option now is to mash X some more

You spent more than two thirds of the video dunking on both the player base and the games' handling of Reaction Commands as a whole, as well as saying that they were beyond broken in multiple ways, only to say almost at the end "DiSrEgArD eVeRyThInG i SaiD, cAuSe At ThE eNd Of ThE dAy, I jUsT lIkE tHeM" 🙄 I was so tempted to stop watching the video multiple times due to the crass and frankly offensive approach to criticizing Reaction Commands. But at the end of the day, even though your criticisms about Reaction Commands was crude, a lot of your talking points were actually valid, and your suggestions on how to improve and re implement them are actually pretty good ones

@pedroportela6476

Ай бұрын

Yeah, I'm about three minutes into this video, and this guy's attitude just screams "I'm probably not wrong, but I sure as hell sound like a massive knob while making my point." Like, the video is obviously well edited and he put a lot work into it, but like... that can only carry a video so far.

Yeah I'm not really changing my stance on disliking reaction commands at all, though my dislike of them is not because they're "too powerful", but because they're mostly cinematics that don't really feel to me as if it's Sora doing the action so much as it's me initiating a pretty flashy cut scene where I watch Sora do something. Others love it, I don't. It's one of the few reasons I find KH2 to be the second worst over all of the three major games in the series, though KH3+Re:M has the benefit of me having expected SO MUCH WORSE after BBS and Unchained kinda tanked all hope I had for a return to a simpler and more reasonable story that all it had to do was moderately entertain me to succeed so there is that. In a I left the game feeling I got what I expected, not that I loved the game sorta way. KH2 is the better game, but I left KH3+Re:M feeling better because I expected a lot from one and awfulness from the other. But back to Reaction points, I would have loved it more if, rather than reaction commands, they were just actions Sora could perform. Reverse? Well dodge roll into twilight tendrils and you reverse. Shan Yu? Time your block well then attack (no pushing back, just a brief moment of throwing him off balance when you block, not parry, then Sora goes to combo). Thresholder? Just beat the heartless out of the door or use a sliding thrust or forward facing spell attack to it when it swings both arms to "unlock" the heartless from the door. Could even make a keyhole silhouette glow during the attack to hint to the player a risk reward is available for the bold during said attack. Marluxia? Block a certain attack to knock his scythe from his hands, Attack prompt turns to Grab briefly after it lands on the ground if you get Sora close enough to it, Sora grabs it and now Attack is replaced with Reap for a few satisfying, unique animated blows. Stuff like that is what I'd much prefer rather than a reaction focused button prompt as it would have been an actual development of the fantastic organic use of magic and basic attacks in the over world that KH1started and the franchise dropped immediately after it. KH1 had a counter system of sorts where you'd block or parry just right and stun the enemy for a second then you, the player, wail on the enemy, heal, or the latter then the former. It was an organic, keep your eye on the enemy rather than on the system thing which I prefer since I like playing Sora as Sora and not Spider-Man or Batman. Plus it feel s more rewarding for me to suss out the enemy's habits without a big "HERE'S HIS WEAK POINT!" green flashy button prompt telling the inexperience 15 year old to spectacularly counter something. It's cool that other people like it, and I don't begrudge them that. But I don't like it very much at all since the most fun spectacular things for me have always been a mix of what I did in the game and how I imagine it translated out in the fight. I like the imaginary space some games allow for, but KH2 and onward refuse me that because they must show EVERYTHING. And yes, I used Magic A LOT in classic KH1. Effectively pro strat wise? God no. But I loved throwing gravity, blizzard, fire, lightning, and wind around because I was about Sora's age when I played the game and was like "Yep burn these bitches.Thunder! DEEP FREEZE! Heal- Thanks Donald I just did that..." Why have magic and not play with it? I mean wouldn't it have been more interesting in KH2 for Sora to learn attacks from his enemy and allow you to switch up your attack style by holding down L2 and/or R2 to use a Heartless/Nobody action command fighting styles to spice up game play rather than occasional Reaction Commands? He can get attacks and abilities from enemies while Donald and Goofy get weapons from same enemies, Keyblade combat could be livened up at the discretion of the player rather than at the whim of the game, and Sora gets to look more powerful without cinematics that feel disconnected at times from what you're doing. The enemies get to have all their flashy personality attacks while actively attacking Sora and company rather than only when Sora is countering them. Still has the same flair as reaction counters, still teaches player and foreshadows organically, and allows for an even bigger pop of "Holy crap!" when you fight that Nobody leader and see their superior variant of the attack that you've been using for a few hours now. No personality need by lost by the player being a cleaver little sneak and having learned and use the members techniques against them. If anything I think it'd be a bigger imparting of personality to them because the player gets to kinda get into the head of the Nobodies and see why they do what they do the way they do. It's kinda silly to suspect that the cinematics have as much to do with people remembering them so much as they're good or just memorable lines. I mean no one screams "BURN TO THE GROUND!" because Mega Man X7 is a master piece, but because the line is so badly and awkwardly used that it's hilarious. Basically there's other factors for memorability in line use. I mean imagine if snipers just had a particular pattern that the player is familiar with say, see a red dot on Sora means you should block, pause, attack, pause attack is something the player has seen often enough that when Xigbar shows up then IMMEDIATELY does the sniper vanish the player sees three red dots on Sora slowly move to line up on his chest and that block, pause, attack, pause, attack reflex kicks in and you hear "Huh... cleaver little sneak" without cinimatics. I argue you'd feel so much more gangster from that lesson being muscle memory and knowledge gained from fights than just triangle use. I will concede that Disney partner specific reaction commands do slap though. I have no problem with those since it is a simple, quick little way to work with them in a unique way that you do with Donald and Goofy Limits that are more freely used which I think is a grand positive. But if they were replaced with context button presses (block for Hercules' shield, jump and attack for Jack's spooky thing, magic for Jack Sparrow's bombs, etc.) I would also find that neat. I dunno, this is a long ass post in a video I don't even dislike, just have different opinions on. I mean, sure, the spectacle is pretty darned cool visually. I don't and wouldn't deny that. But it always tended to feel empty to me, probably because they just feel like the devs didn't trust I could read the enemies well enough to bounce that spikey boy on my own or they don't quite make sense. Like, cool as it is for Sora to warp snipe the Snipers attacks back... uh.. how does he teleport like that and why doesn't he do it more often? Or how does he just "learn" to dragoon leap temporarily? I'm not demanding realism here, just that it feels a bit out of left field sometimes and would flow better with me if these were techniques organically in his move set that he just *had* naturally and it was up to the player to string them together and show these fools how actually big brained Sora is even if Nomoura and Co. just love playing up the dumbass shounen main character trope ever since KH2. I can certainly agree with disliking what they replaced reaction commands with for the most part, but mostly because BBS added... I think nothing good to the franchise. The cheat board from Re:Coded though whips ass and I really feel that should be brought back. Flow motion also slaps and was close to giving us KH2 levels of strength Sora I think. Either way, I envy your ability to enjoy so heavily Reaction Command in a way I cannot. I feel the same way you sound in how much you love that about how much I enjoyed KH1 and how it was just embodying so much of my love of fantasy from East and West at the time from a franchise I knew very well at the time (Disney) and one I only knew of via osmosis (Final Fantasy) and actually got me to try Final Fantasy for the first time after missing out on my chance to get the pS1 games. It was a great time. A time I never got to get repeated even in KH2, though perhaps my expectations for that one were just too damned high, lol. Well good video, I do enjoy your KH talks and rants even if we don't quite see eye to eye in every last thing.