Many of the worlds in Kingdom Hearts 3 stand out as some of the most expansive and engaging levels that the series has seen so far. Among these worlds, the Toy Box often ranks among the top thanks to the unique mechanics that come with the Gigas toys, as well as the ways that enemies like Marionettes add a new twist to combat.
The Marionettes actually have more impact on both the level’s mechanics and it’s specific world’s overall story than any other Heartless in the series. Not only are these enemies responsible for the majority of encounters in Kingdom Hearts 3‘s Toy Box, but they also become a pivotal part of Buzz Lightyear’s story arc as he has trouble trusting Sora throughout the level.
Marionettes have one key feature that is built on throughout the course of Sora’s adventures through Toy Box, as the Heartless capture and possess toys for the player to fight. Among these toys are the giant mechs known as Gigas that come from Verum Rex alongside the mysterious new character Yozora. However, once the player beats their first possessed Gigas, this is when Kingdom Hearts 3 opens up the ability to take control of the mechs and use them to fight Heartless and more possessed toys.
This Gigas mechanic might be one of the highest points that Kingdom Hearts 3 reaches for some players and helping to bump Toy Box to Number 1 on many fans’ tier lists. Having access to three separate mech suits that each have their own strengths and weaknesses also gives players the chance to customize their experience with which Gigas to spend the most time fighting as. That being said, the Gigas aren’t the only toys that Marionettes possess, and one that comes at about the midpoint of the level makes for a strange and creepy boss fight.
Best described as an extraordinarily anime-themed doll, Angelic Amber appears as both a boss fight, and as a shockingly successful jump scare halfway through Toy Box. This is one of few cases where the player doesn’t see the toy getting possessed by a Marionette, instead Amber appears out of nowhere, staring into a dollhouse that Sora is forced to investigate. It makes for one of the creepiest Heartless encounters in Kingdom Hearts, where the player is suddenly surprised to see a possessed doll act out the worst fears of anyone that may or may not have been scarred as a child by Poltergeist.
The fight itself is less interesting than the design or the introduction, as Amber doesn’t really have a wide enough variety of attacks to remain interesting at lower difficulties, but can one-shot players in Kingdom Hearts 3‘s challenging Critical Mode. Regardless, the spectacle that the encounter brings is still well worth the underwhelming fight, especially considering that it is only the mid-boss of the world anyway. Some of the other enemies like the Gigas and the final boss definitely work to make up for the quality of both the Toy Box and the Marionettes as a whole.
One place where the Marionettes outshine the majority of other Heartless is in the way that the enemy’s special ability is woven directly into the world’s narrative. Towards the end of the level, Buzz Lightyear, who has been the player’s companion up until this point, is possessed by one of the Heartless and temporarily turned against the party. This unfortunately doesn’t lead to the players having to fight Buzz himself, but it does lead to one of Kingdom Hearts 3‘s more involved boss fights, at least.
More important than the boss fight though is the fact that this is the first time that any Heartless has interacted in the story beyond being the next obstacle to overcome. While most of the danger of Kingdom Hearts Heartless is implied through the presentation of the enemies, this is the first time they’ve done something other than show up to be fodder for Sora and friends to mow down. This is what helps the Marionette stand out in Kingdom Hearts 3, even when it’s among a number of interesting new enemy types.
Kingdom Hearts 3 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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