For those following my Twitch channel, it may be known that I am currently going through Critical Mode. For those who are not, know this is a thing and you should follow! It’s fun and I’m dying less and less.
In the week since I announced that I was going to be blitzing Critical Mode, I have a couple of major learns. Some of these are pretty basic, but some were surprising once I figured it out. Here’s what Olympus and Twilight Town have shown me so far:
Do NOT trust Donald to save you with a heal, especially in the beginning.
Donald being lazy with the heals has been a long standing joke in Kingdom Hearts. Right after I throw a potion? Donald heals me. Right after my mana replenishes and I can cast Cure myself? Yup, you guessed it. Donald doesn’t redeem himself until later in the game, at that point he gets smarter. Just like normal, only trust your own heals.
Attractions, party moves, and form changes are A MUST!
In most attractions, you’re moving in a way you cannot easily be hit, the only exception I’ve seen was the Magic Carousel. Most of them have decent damage output and keep you safe. The Pirate Ship I’ve had the best luck with.
Any time a member of my party would speak up with a move, “My shield is ready!” “Time for some magic!” “Sora, this way!”, I would select it almost instantly. This can be the difference between a quick death and a successful battle.
Form changes, especially if this is a new game plus, can help IMMENSELY! Having gone through the story and gotten everything I possibly could, I had the Ultima Keyblade before I started my Critical mode. It’s proved to be so insanely useful, but has also lowered my guard when I felt like that form was all I needed. As long as you’re using with the same caution, you should be able to utilize these changes to your advantage.
Flow motion is actually a lot more useful.
I’ll be brutally honest, I did not like flowmotion when it was introduced in Dream Drop Distance. When I saw it was in KH3, I sighed and just accepted it. It wasn’t until later in the first play through did I see it as a functional part of the game. Critical mode even more so. It allows for quick escapes, big attacks from a distance, and gives the opportunity to be a lot more creative with your approach.
Kupo Coins. Get ‘em.
There will be mistakes made. There will be times where you blocked instead of dodged, times where your camera angle was juuuust so you didn’t see that Vermillion Samba building up to throw a fireball in the back of your head. There will be deaths, and probably a lot of them. Kupo Coins give you a little bit of leeway in that. If you’re holding a Kupo Coin and you die, the coin is expended and you stay alive! It’s an amazing get out of jail free card to make Critical Mode a whole lot more bearable.
Big enemies = Big problems!
In the beginning? Any enemy bigger than Sora is going to be a bad day if you slip up for even a second. Satyrs can two shot easily with their quick one two punch that you cannot interrupt by attacking and Large Bodies can one shot with belly sliding or when they get all mad when you hit them too much. If you see this in a group your attacking? Approach with caution!
What I’ve done with some success? I try to focus on the big dude but only if they’re focusing else where. I’m not about to take a Large Body head on, especially as head on does nothing to them. If they’re focused on me I keep a distance with Flowmotion and use magic. When my mana is recovering I’ll keep an eye on the big one and attack other smaller heartless around until I get my mana up again.
Do not be too proud to run for cover.
There will be battles that you are just not doing well. Donald and Goofy are down, you have no potions equipped, and your health is blaring at you because you can only see the tiniest sliver of green. Running away will make everything despawn and give you a chance to revive. In best cases, those monsters and you’ve wailed on will still be lower health, so it also gives you an edge.
