Kingdom Hearts II FM [PS3] Commentary #085, Hollow Bastion C: Sora's Dilemma

This is video #085 in my playthrough of Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, part of the Kingdom Hearts HD II.5 ReMIX. This video contains commentary. To view the non-commentary version, click here:    • Kingdom Hearts II FM [PS3] Playthrough #08...   Previously, the party took out Demyx on Hollow Bastion, and Sora descended into the Great Maw. The party has reached the Crystal Fissure. Now, the party continues on to the north (time 1:32). In a scene, they find themselves face to face with an army of Heartless. They notice Organization XIII's leader on the bluff above. Mickey has a flashback to a visit he had with the real Ansem the Wise many years ago (time 2:34). Then, back in the present, Mickey reveals the impostor's true identity (time 4:13). Unfortunately, Sora and company have their own problems at the moment. Afterwards, Sora must battle 1,000 Heartless on his own (time 5:08). Fortunately, they are all Armored Knights and Surveillance Robots. The Rising Sun and Snag/Sparkle Ray reaction commands will make this a very amusing battle. At the conclusion, Sora reaches Bonus Level 34 (time 9:55). He learns the Guard Break ability. After the battle, it appears that the party has cornered their opponent (time 10:14). I think this is one of the best scenes in the whole game. However, Organization XIII's leader has interesting ways of coming and going. Afterwards, Axel appears to make a bit of a reveal. Then, Saïx shows up to manipulate poor Sora. His poetic moment is interrupted by the arrival of another enemy. Sora is in quite a dilemma now, isn't he? After the scene, the party acquires Secret Ansem Report 1 (time 17:58). Then, there is a brief scene with Leon and Cloud (time 18:20). Cloud actually has something decent to say, for once. We are treated to a Final Mix-exclusive scene in Organization XIII's meeting room (time 19:01). These exclusive scenes are nice additions to the game. It seems that Organization XIII has its own dilemmas to resolve. Afterwards, we see a brief scene aboard the Gummi Ship (time 20:44). We then see the rest of what happened down on Hollow Bastion (time 21:09). In the darkness, the party meet someone who leaves behind a box with interesting contents. None of the party should recognize Roxas in that photo, but for some reason, Sora does. How can that be? The other item points out a Keyhole that needs sealing. It appears to be the second Hollow Bastion Keyhole, but it doesn't seem to be counted as such. The party acquires the Ice Cream and Picture key items (time 23:53). When that is done, the party returns to the world map (time 24:25). The party debates who could have left the items for them. Anyway, this marks a turning point in the game. The party must now revisit the worlds they have previously visited. Like in the original Kingdom Hearts, battle levels are increased everywhere, and things are now more dangerous. Olympus Coliseum and the worlds past Port Royal are now locked. And what's more, there is this vague shape in the darkness past Twilight Town. What could that be? For now, the party touches down in Hollow Bastion again to review their gains and the new Jiminy's Journal entries (time 25:17). During the previous encounter, Donald reached Level 36. It appears that he gained boosts to Magic and Defense. Also, Goofy reached Level 36. It appears he gained boosts to Max HP and Max AP. In reviewing the Journal entries, they review Secret Ansem Report 1 (time 29:12). Next, there are some more Torn Pages to be inserted into Pooh's storybook. Thank you for watching! This video is part of my Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix Playthrough playlist. I am playing the version released as part of the Kingdom Hearts HD II.5 ReMIX compilation for the PlayStation 3 in 2014. All characters, story, music, artwork, and other copyrighted and trademarked components of this game are the property of their respective owners. Videos uploaded are educational and commentary in nature, as defined under the 'fair use policy' of copyright. Played on PlayStation 3. Recorded with the Elgato Game Capture HD device and software. Produced with Adobe Premiere Pro CS6.