Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix
Kana
キングダムハーツII FINAL MIX
Rōmaji
Kingudamu Hātsu II FINAL MIX
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)
Release
March 29, 2007
March 29, 2007Rating(s)
CERO: 
Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix is a re-release of Kingdom Hearts II, originally released exclusively in Japan. Like Kingdom Hearts Final Mix before it, it is largely identical to its original counterpart, but features new bosses, additional cutscenes, and extra gameplay features.
The game was announced at Tokyo Game Show 2007 in September 2006 and released on March 29, 2007 alongside Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories as part of the two-disc compilation Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+. It was re-released in 2014 as part of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX, which was then re-released as part of Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX and Kingdom Hearts -The Story So Far-.
Changes[edit | edit source]
- The title screen illustration was replaced.
- Theater Mode was added to the title menu, allowing previously-viewed cutscenes to be watched again.
- The game can now be saved after completion.
- Critical Mode was added as an additional difficulty level.
- Enemies now inflict twice the damage compared to Standard Mode.
- Damage dealt to enemies is 1.25 times the damage dealt in Standard Mode, except for damage dealt to Mushroom XIII.
- Roxas begins with 50 AP.
- Roxas learns Reaction Boost, Finishing Plus, Draw, Lucky Lucky (x2), MP Hastera, and EXP Boost on the Third Day.
- AP increases by 3 instead of 2.
- HP and MP increases by half the amount it does in Standard and Proud.
- EXP increases by 3/4 the amount it does in Standard and Proud.
- The save file displays the words "Critical Mode", and in the PlayStation 2's memory card explorer, the save file has an additional symbol.
- The End now has two different art pieces. One for completing Critical Mode, and the other for completing Critical Mode with 100% of Jiminy's Journal covered.
- Limit Form was added as an additional Drive Form, featuring an outfit design similar to Sora's appearance in Kingdom Hearts, as well as abilities from the original game.
- "Gathering" only requires the player to finish the game and complete all worlds, regardless of difficulty.
- Changing into Antiform will decrease the probably of changing into it again by 5 instead of 4.
- Some of the Secret Ansem Reports have been obtainable at different points.
- Secret Ansem Report 8 is obtained after defeating Roxas instead of after defeating Luxord.
- Secret Ansem Report 9 is obtained after defeating Luxord instead of after defeating Saïx.
- Secret Ansem Report 12 is obtained after defeating Saïx instead of after defeating Roxas.
- The maximum level for the Drive Gauge is now nine instead of seven.
- A Drive Gauge is no longer gained from defeating Saïx, and is instead gained from defeating Xemnas.
- The additional Drive Gauges are awarded for defeating Marluxia's Absent Silhouette and Lingering Will
- Sora learns a magnet element from defeating Luxord, rather than Xigbar in The World that Never Was.
- The Puzzle mini-game was added, with unlockable items.
- Zexion's weapon is revealed to be a book called the Lexicon.
- A new section of Radiant Garden was added called the Cavern of Remembrance, featuring new enemies and treasures.
- Sora, Donald, and Goofy now get new outfits and matching sprites in Christmas Town.
- Several character models, including both Sora, and Roxas were updated.
- Some Heartless got new color palettes.
- EX missions were added to Gummi Ship routes.
- The countdown for Twilight Town mini-games changed font styles.
- Descriptions for several abilities and items were changed.
- Levels for tournaments in The Underworld increased:
- The level for the Pain and Panic Cup changed from 20 to 25.
- The level for the Cerberus Cup changed from 28 to 30.
- The level for the Titan Cup changed from 41 to 45.
- The level for the Titan Cup changed from 53 to 55.
- Contents in several treasure chests have changed.
Story[edit | edit source]
- Dialogue is in English with Japanese subtitles.
- When viewed in-game, the additional cutscenes were voiceless, with Japanese subtitles.
- When viewed in Theater Mode, the additional cutscenes featured Japanese voice acting.
- Thirteen new cutscenes were added.
- "Taking Care of the Rat" was added to Day 4 in the Prologue, featuring Axel resisting orders from Organization XIII to eliminate Roxas for betraying the Organization, though ultimately complying.
- "On Sunset Hill" was added to Twilight Town, showing Riku letting Naminé and Axel go for their help in Castle Oblivion.
- "The Keyblade's Hero" was added to Hollow Bastion, featuring the Organization discussing Sora after confronting him in Hollow Bastion.
- "Saïx's Message" was added to Twilight Town, showing Saïx discussing his recent encounter with Sora with Xemnas.
- "The Hidden Room" was added to Hollow Bastion, showing Xemnas making his way to the Chamber of Repose beneath Hollow Bastion castle, where he greets a suit of armor as a "friend."
- "The Chamber of Repose" was added to Hollow Bastion, showing Xigbar and Zexion sometime before discuss the Chamber of Repose and the Chamber of Sleep.
- "Let the Fun Begin" was added to Hollow Bastion, featuring the Organization discussing Sora's progress following the showdown in Hollow Bastion.
- "Those Who Remain" was added to Twilight Town, featuring the Organization discussing Axel's demise.
- "Roxas" was added to The World That Never Was, showing Xemnas give Roxas his new name when he first joined the Organization.
- "Good-bye, Buddy" was added to The World That Never Was, depicting a conversation Axel and Roxas have atop Twilight Town's clock tower.
- "How It All Began" was added to The World That Never Was, showing the battle between Riku and Roxas in The World That Never Was, where Riku ultimately defeats and captures Roxas but submits to the darkness in his heart in the process.
- "To End It All" was added to The World That Never Was, showing Riku and Sora discuss Sora's promise to Naminé before fighting Xemnas again.
- "Birth by sleep" was added as an additional secret ending following "The Gathering".
Enemies[edit | edit source]
- Roxas can now be fought during the story in The World That Never Was before arriving at the castle.
- The five members defeated in Castle Oblivion can be fought via their Absent Silhouettes, scattered in various worlds.
- All thirteen members of Organization XIII can be refought via their Data Organization XIII battles in the Garden of Assemblage in the Cavern of Remembrance.
- The Lingering Will can be fought in a special stage accessible through Disney Castle after defeating Xemnas.
- Thirteen Mushroom XIII challenges appear in various worlds after completing certain parts of the story.
- A crown appears above Sora's head for completing certain challenges. The crown is acquired in a certain order: bronze, then silver, and finally gold. However, the challenges can be completed in any order:
- Complete all the Mushroom XIII challenges.
- Complete all the Data Organization XIII battles.
- Defeat the Lingering Will.
- Some enemies drop less Drive orbs, MP orbs, and Munny.
- Rapid Thrusters now drop HP orbs.
- 14 new Heartless types were added:
Equipment[edit | edit source]
- Two new Keyblades were added:
- Sweet Memories's magic went from +0 to +4.
- Gull Wing's strength went from +3 to +2, and magic went from +0 to +3.
- Eight new staves were added:
- Spell's Relic was been renamed to Shaman's Relic.
- Eight new shields were added:
- Three new armor items were added:
- Five new accessories were added:
- Lucky Rings can now be synthesized.
- Sora starts with a Ribbon as his default armor in Beginner Mode.
- Ribbon has 15% resistance to all elements, instead of 20% resistance.
- A Protect Belt is now the reward for clearing the Pain and Panic Cup, instead of a Lucky Ring.
- A Serenity Crystal is now the reward for clearing the Pain and Panic Cup, instead of a Protect Belt.
Abilities[edit | edit source]
- Fourteen new action abilities were added:
- One new growth ability was added: Dodge Roll
- Nine new support abilities were added:
- Lucky Lucky and MP Rage are no longer learned by leveling, and are replaced by Drive Converter, and Damage Control, respectively.
- The order of some abilities gained as Get Bonuses has been changed:
- Scan is now earned for defeating Axel in Twilight Town the first time rather than for leveling up.
- Sora learns Counterguard rather than Dodge Slash for defeating Cerberus in The Underworld.
- Sora learns Aerial Dive rather than Aerial Spiral for defeating completing Phil's Training on Maniac Mode in Olympus Coliseum.
- Sora learns Dodge Slash rather than Slapshot for saving the Medallion from the Undead Pirates in Port Royal.
- Sora learns Aerial Spiral for freeing the Cornerstone of Light in Timeless River.
- Sora learns Finishing Leap rather than Explosion for defeating the Blizzard Lord and Volcanic Lord in Agrabah.
- Sora learns Flash Step for defeating the Prison Keeper in Halloween Town.
- Sora learns Magnet Burst rather than Counterguard for defeating the Hostile Program in Space Paranoids.
- Sora learns Vicinity Break rather than Horizontal Slash for defeating Hades in Olympus Coliseum.
- Sora learns Horizontal Slash rather than Summon Boost for defeating the Grim Reaper on the Black Pearl in Port Royal.
- Sora no longer learns Finishing Leap after defeating The Experiment in Christmas Town.
- Sora learns Explosion for defeating the Heartless aboard the Solar Sailer in Space Paranoids.
- Sora learns Slapshot for defeating the Nobodies in Betwixt and Between.
- Sora learns Combo Master for defeating the Roxas in The World that Never Was.
- Goofy learns Damage Control for defeating Zexion's Absent Silhouette.
- Abilities on some weapons have been changed:
- Lucky Lucky has been replaced with Drive Converter on Sweet Memories, Thunder Boost on Meteor Staff, and Hyper Healing on Genji Shield.
- Defender has been replaced with Damage Control on Kingdom Key, and Item Boost on Nobody Lance.
- Hyper Healing has been replaced with MP Rage on Nobody Guard.
- MP Rage has been replaced with Damage Control on Save the King+.
- Item Boost was replaced by Fire Boost on Rising Dragon.
- MP Hastega was replaced by MP Rage on Save the Queen+.
- Wisdom Form no longer has Combo Plus, but gains an additonal MP Hastega.
Synthesis[edit | edit source]
- Serenity Crystals can now be synthesized.
- Bulky Vendors now drop Serenity materials, instead of Bright materials.
- Nobodies no longer drop Serenity materials.
- Petite Ribbons only require 2 Mythril Crystals instead of 3.
- 6 new recipes have been added:
- 10 materials have been added:
Music[edit | edit source]
Eight new tracks were added to the game, some replacing other songs.
- The 13th Reflection: Plays during the fights against the Absent Silhouettes and their respective data fights.
- Rage Awakened: Plays against the fight against Lingering Will.
- Cavern of Remembrance: Plays during non-combat gameplay in the Cavern of Remembrance.
- Deep Anxiety: Plays during combat in the Cavern of Remembrance.
- The Other Promise: Plays during the fight against Roxas. Also replaces "Organization XIII" during the cutscenes immediately before and immediately after the fight.
- Happy Holidays!: Plays during combat in Christmas Town, replacing "The Spooks of Halloween Town".
- What a Surprise!?: Plays during non-combat gameplay in Christmas Town, replacing "This is Halloween".
- Fate of the Unknown: Plays during "Birth by Sleep".
Development and Release[edit | edit source]
Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix was teased alongside Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories in the September 2006 issue of Shonen Jump magazine, released on September 13, 2006.[1] The title was officially announced at Tokyo Game Show 2006 on September 22, 2006, alongside the remake of Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories as part of a two-disc bundle titled Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+.[2]
The game's release date of March 29, 2007 was officially announced in Dengeki on December 28, 2006.[3] Those who pre-ordered copies of the game would get a special book titled Kingdom Hearts -Another Report-, containing information on the Kingdom Hearts series, including characters, new features in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, and a special interview with Tetsuya Nomura titled Director's Secret Report XIII.[4]
Re-releases[edit | edit source]
Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix was remastered in high-definition and re-released as part of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX for the PlayStation 3 in 2014. This was later re-released in 2017 on the PlayStation 4 as part of Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Engadget: "New Square Enix games revealed for DS and PS2" (Originally published by Joystiq)
- ↑ IGN: "TGS 2006: Square Enix Theatre Report"
- ↑ Dengeki: "Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+, with the addition of various elements, will be released on March 29"
- ↑ Famtisu: "Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+ Pre-order Benefits Revealed"