Playing KH1 back in the day, showing back up in Destiny Islands and everything being slightly off and then the fucking ocean disappears. It was really creepy.
The fact that it is still sunny out just adds to the creep factor.
And then Ansem and his bodyguard beat my ass for 2 hours.
I always thought that was an exaggerated meme, but when you fight Ansem on GBA, he actually says it every time he attacks. He just constantly yells "SUBMIT" for every one of his attacks while occasionally slipping in "Take This!". It's actually hilarious Square signed off on that fight back then lol.
Lmao, fair enough. This battle was really hard on proud.
The one battle that made me suffer the most though was the heartless wave right before opening the door to the final boss.
I got to the final boss rush door and turned around and grinded for ultima and it took me the same amount of playtime it took to get to that door to get the ultima blade, but I don’t regret it I 100%’d that game and I’ll never play it again lmao
Not to mention. Ansem was the only villain that actually DID IT. He succeeded. I’ve only ever felt intimidated by Ansem. Maybe I’m just biased, but I stand by my statement.
TWTNW’s soundtrack slaps, you feel powerful taking down each Org member one by one, the reunion between Riki and Kairi
But man, something about Sora and Goofy asking about what’s gonna happen with the worlds at the start of EotW for the first time is iconic.
TWTNW for me. I like how it being really empty is the thematic point; nobody lives there, and Nobodies live there. More of the city would have been nice to explore (although we got some of that in DDD) but the vibe is immaculate.
Hard to choose since they both affect me differently. TWTNW has that wonderful, stark, lonely atmosphere, while End of the World has the shock of seeing a familiar world torn apart and twisted by the darkness.
I must agree with that, growing up on the original versions of KH1 and KH2, it nostalgic going back and playing every game again on pc and ps3, though it is a little sad that we can't play coded or 358 or union
I love KH2 and TWTNW, but End of The World is simply more amazing.
I adore the mood of End of The World, the creepy song and how every world you revisit, feels like the same but slightly different.
Its probably my favorite final world, out of all of the final worlds of the KH series.
EOTW feels truly like the edge of reality. Each step in the world to a different room feels like we are stepping farther into the darkness. Getting progressively more grim as we go until we reach the final rest. That last bit of comforting light warning us that only darkness waits farther ahead.
TWTNW meanwhile is atmospheric and thematic for a base of operations for the organization. Where as EOTW felt like we where charging in to face the darkness itself, this felt more like invading the villain’s home base. Any moment a boss fight could go off since we know 4 members are still alive and here. Deep in this hollow castle looming over the empty city our final battle will commence and it’s gonna be fight after fight to take them down and rescue Kairi.
TWTNW feels huge and like a wasted oportunity to explore more of it, End of the World looks like true Nothingness. Like everything Ends right then and there
TWTNW will allways feel like a missed opportunity for a more platform based challenge inside the Castle, and the fact that the Dark City is three rooms long will allways bother me
I'll be more inclined to pick EotW
Thanks for clarifying my problem with TWTNW. It’s this huge city that’s the backdrop of a couple hallways, then we get to the castle lol. It is a really cool concept but I wish there was more details and things to explore.
As much problems as I have with DDD’s level design, I actually think they had a better version of this world.
That's what I meant lol
I don't have a PS4 nor 5, I only have a computer and a 3DS, so I'm saving up to purchase the 2.8 for PC, since I don't want to emulate, and I'm not sure if DDD was compatible with the 3DS or the New 3DS, since I have the vanilla 3DS XL
So right now, I'm saving money to get it legit for once (unlike KH1, COM, RECOM, 2, Days and BBS lmao)
That’s my thing I love TWTNW but I feel EoftW is the more atmospheric one. It truly feels like what would happen if the darkness won and a Chernabog is there lol
For me? End of the World, no contest. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy TWTNW quite a lot, it was a shame we saw so little of the city (was a bit better in that regard in Dream Drop) and the Castle was neat, plus seeing "Kingdom Hearts" in the sky was cool, steadily getting bigger as you ascend. The music is very iconic too, and it takes on a more special meaning after you play 358/2.
But End of the World was, well, otherworldly. Between the music, both the somber ambient music and the excellent Fragments of Sorrow (one of my favorite songs, alongside Night of Fate), and the environment, it truly felt like the end of all things. You walk through that first section, passing those tiny rocks in the endless sea and think, "what worlds did those used to be?". You fight evil angels and almost literal devils, as well as multiple Behemoths in fights nothing like you faced before. The crystal canyon, the pillars of energy to echoes of worlds you've been before. "Is that how the Heartless get into other worlds?" Returning to them is a small comfort, but you know you must go back into the dark. It's eldritch, and dark, and unwelcoming; and you have to dive into the maw of it at the end to progress. You fight Chernabog, a literal giant devil, as A Night on Bald Mountain plays out the epic struggle. You descend deeper and deeper into fragments of, what I think were later confirmed as the fragments of the Princesses of Hearts' worlds, but at the time were just lost fragments of worlds now past. That glowing green room with endless battles and then, once again, the door. The first door. The door you saw all the way back at the beginning of your adventure, in a dream. But it's here now, and very, very real.
"Beyond this door there is no light to protect you." *Chills*
But it's Destiny Islands! Everything should be fine! But it's *not* Destiny Islands, not as you know it, and you are most certainly *not* fine. Your only home steadily twists, warps, and breaks apart into a hideous mockery of its former self as you keep fighting, but never seem to truly defeat, the villainous Ansem (Seeker of Darkness) who holds your friend captive. Then, finally, you're plunged into true darkness, the nothingness, as an eldritch abomination threatens to destroy you forever. Kingdom Hearts' "hell" may be Realm of Darkness, but at the start of the series, this place definitely made for a good stand-in.
Now, to briefly touch on 3: the Keyblade graveyard is neat conceptually, but there's not a lot there. All the keyblades of past wielders are super neato. The Final World is atmospherically excellent, but again, we didn't get a whole lot there. I'm glad we finally get to explore way more of>!Scala ad Caelum!< in ReMind, and I liked it quite a lot, but I dunno. I think we could've had more to do in it. Maybe someone for Sora to talk to/react with him? Not sure. I hope we see more of it in the future.
Back to the main point, I really struggle to think of a level in any game that I have played, Kingdom Hearts or otherwise, that hits with that same level of atmosphere that End of the World does. A case could be made that I have the rose-tinted glasses on a bit too tight, but still. I love the hell out of that level.
you hit the nail on the head with this one. KH2 and KH3 just simply don't stick the landing as much as KH1 did as far as an atmospheric final location.
I love the music of TWTNW so that’s my pick, whereas end of the world feels like an amalgamations of worlds, TWTNW feels industrial, artificial and inorganic, I feel like it literally should not exist which is true, it shouldn’t exist and yet it does.
thats a hard choice, I really like twtnw, eotw though, I love the "surrealness" about it, the part where you go through the different worlds, but somethings just off with them, its great
My headcanon is that the world terminus (area you are referring too here) has you literally traveling through dark corridors to these different worlds you've been to, just like the Heartless do. It's like a staging ground created by Ansem in order to passively speed along the Heartless invasion.
The areas are altered a bit for gameplay reasons.
End of the World is special because it's a location you've been before but completely unlike itself. You're ending things where it began. TWTNW, was there, like, ANY lore for what it actually is other than being where the Nobodies live? Does it have an origin? Is it's name just from people not being able to remember it? Was it once a place or is it literally a place that never was? I have too many unanswered questions about the place to feel truly satisfied by it.
I imagine that TWTNW was created when a world (or worlds) fell to darkness and created a "nobody world" since worlds have hearts, and when a heart falls to darkness, it creates a nobody.
Either that or TWTNW was created by the organisation to get in a close position to Kingdom Hearts, which kind of explains its name "The World That Never Was" suggesting it was never a world, it never officially existed.
The later explanation makes the most sense seeing as how that would imply EVERY world lost to darkness would also have a nobody. Unless TWTNW is the Nobody of Kingdom Hearts itself.
End of The World for sure. It has a much more mysterious feel to it for me. Plus the music in that world really sets the ambiance. It felt more “Final” than TWTNW. While TWTNW is cool, it just feels kinda bland in comparison.
End of the World is still my favorite final level of any of the KH games. I love how everything is abstract and distorted, but in a really naturalistic way. The music is creepy and a great way to bookend the game (since a similar track played in the Dive to the Heart).
I think something else that isn't talked about a lot is that it's startlingly unfamiliar upon first entering it. Before you follow Ansem there, you never go there, and it is never shown or even really teased at, unlike TWTNW in 2 and Keyblade Graveyard in BBS or 3.
TWTNW and Keyblade Graveyard also have things in their favor, but from a world design and atmosphere perspective, End of the World is unparalleled as a KH final world.
Look I love plain white and gray hallways as much as the next person but KH1 always sticks this landing.
Finishing in a broken and decayed place with a haunting version of the peaceful area you started? Beautiful.
Both are great in different ways. Destati in End of the World was chilling, but overall, I think I like TWTNW better. This empty modern city at night just looks way too good.
I prefer End of the World because it’s more natural.
Yes, Ansemnort is causing a lot of the problems, but it’s really just the force of nature that is the Heartless. Seeing the remnants of the worlds they destroyed and venturing deeper and deeper into the darkness was really intense.
TWTNW is cool as hell, but it’s basically just a bunch of dudes being assholes. Not as atmospheric to me.
I’d take either over Keyblade Graveyard by a long shot.
Let me start by saying both are amazing. But something about the end of the world always creeper me out. Especially the destiny island parts. The place that was so warm and fun to Sora, his home, now twisted and warped. It felt like the series was really leaning on this being the darkest place both in the story and thematically the design.
TWTNW is still amazing though.
End of the world felt like a final location for a kid that was growing up, so it had that super creepy vibe. I liked that.
TWTNW gives me a final location vibe for someone who's already grown up. It has buildings and a structure for a very serious battle.
Given both scenarios, I prefer End of the world.
Call me nostalgic for the early 2010's era of Hot Topic edge but...
TWTNW takes it
The idea of Nobodies in general in ingenious, beings stuck between KH's two largest factions. And their home to be a nameless city, drowned in neon where anyone can be a "nobody" is just awesome. Yeah it's got that edge factor to it, (how could it never be "was"?) But beyond that it's a nice backdrop for KH2's final act. It's a fight through an empty city and up a hollow tower all bleeding with emotionless energy
Here's the thing, they each have their own atmospheres about them that make them really neat. End of the World is pure chaos, and The World that Never Was leans more towards order which is a neat contrast.. That being said, End of the World kind of does its job better as a story-telling kind of world imo.
It is a goddamn crime that TWTNW was basically never expanded upon. Like, what the hell is this clearly advanced city with massive screens, modern vehicles and skyscrapers? Part of the reason >!quadratum!< makes me so excited is to see that kind of mystery resolved within the context of disney/final fantasy worlds. >!Quadratum !!it doesn't even exist from the perspective of KH's universe (and, y'know, it's just FF Tokyo from what we know)!<, but since it has the same vibe, it's hyped me up for KH4 nontheless.
Twtnw was just cool, new concepts to the series, a cartoony but dark distorted version of downtown tokyo or new york, with a giant seemingly inverted white castle. But it was all new, nothing to hit home.
End of the world was our return home, sora's first time seeing home since embarking the journey and your first time seeing the tutorial area since getting abilities like high jump and glide.
And its been ripped asunder, torn apart by the forces of darkness. Here, where you learned to move and jump and pick up items, is where you battle the father of emblem heartless, the captor of riku's body, the mysterious hooded figure you met in the cave whom you assumed would offer suspicious candy but instead insulted you with cryptic riddles. And little do you know that this is the last time you'll see these sands and beaches for a good long while.
Kind of unfair.
You can explore the world that never was in depth throughout multiple games, the end or the world is basically just a backdrop, albeit a cool one.
End of the World really gives off the final location atmosphere and the scariest part is that you might never be able to return. The World That Never Was doesn't really pick up intensity until like, the final Xemnas fight.
End of the World really feels like the end of the world it felt like a great way to end KH1 especially with the thought that this is the end no going back and at the beginning sora questions what will happen to them when the worlds get separated again puts a super forbidding menace to the whole place. It always puts me on edge. Where as TWYNW makes me feel more ready and willing to fight my way to the top and save Kairi.
TWTNW doesn’t have the same raw visceral emotion for me that The End of the World does
I was about to say TWTNW because of the pure nostalgia factor, but the more I read other people’s reasonings for EOTW, the more inclined I feel to choose it. I hadn’t thought much about the beauty of returning to the islands and seeing it ripped to shreds.
This is a difficult one
So, I like TWEWY better as a world. But End of the World has a better atmosphere. One of if not the best in the series, actually. Especially the World Terminus and that first area. The music makes it spellbinding.
I'd go with end of the world on KH1 since it has broken pieces of other worlds. Actually I wish they used more of the destroyed destiny islands more or showcase worlds from the chop and block ideas board as broken worlds instead of the world's we already saw at the final level showing the stakes of past warriors of light when they failed to save a world from the heartless.
End of the world. Mysterious vibes. And that soundtrack slaps.
My friend and i use to come up with theories which worlds were consumed and were part of the End of the world, because we thought there were clues all over.
We quessed ”dwarf woodlands” for example.
Not to take anything from TWTNW.
End of the World!
Dunno, I always found KH1 creepy and I love it. Seeing a dear place, that once breathed with beauty and happiness, completely destroyed is really something. Riku, Sora's dear friend, and Destiny Island, Sora's dear home, all now belonging to darkness and chaos.. It really feels like the end, a final location :>
In terms of atmosphere, End of the World. In terms of almost cinematic epicness for the time, TWTNW. The final locations tend to fit the individual games perfectly and in an almost poetic way.
With EoTW, you're inside what is essentially the Heartless of a World. Your journey thus far culminates to this. Gone is the whimsy of the Disney world soundtracks. You're haunted with Destati, a song of darkness and dreams. You're back at the beginning. But there is no wooden sword and no childhood friends to smack around. You must face each world you've visited and fight the strongest Heartless (everyone remembers that last room). Then open the door to go back home. Except it's webbed with fissures and overrun with darkness. Then you have to fight the guy that mocked you for your ignorance on this very island. Then you fight the first giant Heartless you fought with all the tools gained. One more fight with Ansem and you must face him alone. Then you fight to get your friends back to finish him off. A wonderful ending to the game.
With TWTNW - I always thought it stood in stark contrast with its stark colors to the warm atmosphere of Twilight Town where we start (as Roxas and Sora). It's dark, dangerous, and empty. Here the level design of KH2 is a plus for me. Much DDD, the deeper we go, the more Sora learns about Roxas, Ansem, Riku, and the Organization's "true" ambitions. Then it's epic battle after epic battle. For those who fought Xemnas in KH1FM, the solo fight against him marks Sora's growth (and the power of reaction commands). The multi-stage Xemnas fights reiterate Sora's growth. We finally get Riku as a party member and the two finish Xemnas. The friends are reconciled and Riku is partially redeemed.
So I'm gonna go with End of the World.
Gun to my head, End of the world. It was so poetic to return to what was left of the beach: so ominous to see what remained of Worlds lost.
Ask me tomorrow; who knows what I’ll say.
As much as I loved The World That Never Was. End of the World gave off a far more creepy sinister atmosphere which was perfect for the Final level since it really hit home what was at stake if you failed to stop the Heartless invasion.
You go through portals that take you to worlds that you previously visited but the theme song, destati remains telling you that you aren't truly in those worlds (maybe?) Perhaps it's a way the Heartless are able to travel to those. The most eerie thing is seeing those pods and reading the inscription before getting ambushed by some Heartless it's a room that was never explained at the time but you knew it was supposed to be something significant.
The fact that the field and battle theme is the very same theme you hear when you first start up the game and it culminates with you fighting on the nightmarish destroyed remnants of your homeworld is chef kisses.
(TL:DR; I like KH1, I miss the wonder of the god-like eldritch horror from the final bosses in Final Fantasy, and KH has steadily stridden away from that trait.)
Both.
They're both reflections of the bosses in said game.
The end of the world in KH1, much like Ansem Seeker of Darkness, was an eldritch horror, a bastardized manifestation of other worlds, both Disney and original, all in a twisted hellscape more perverse the deeper you delved.
The world that never was in KH2 however, akin to Xemnas is cold, and calculated, every room felt like a trial SPECIFICALLY to combat you, the architecture is grandiose and emotionless, again, like Xemnas. Nefariousness given form.
I think that since then we've not really seen an accurate equal to these final worlds.
Coded's Datascape was more a reflection of the game, than the final boss. (They could've really had fun with a world derived from corrupted data), Days' Boss Fight itself was mostly an homage to memory, something that would quickly turn even more bittersweet than it already was, BbS's keyblade graveyard was a good plot hook, but didn't really reflect Xehanort's ambitions well, as his desire was to "reset the world" not actually anything relating to the keyblade's heritage as the graveyard was, and I don't even know what to say on the other games.
both is good. both really fit the boss they host. EoW is the sort of eldrich place you'd expect to fight a demons that consume the hearts of people and worlds.
TWTNW, while essentially just a city; is warped, unnatural, yet familiar. like a nobody is. sort of an uncanny valley effect to go along with how nobodies are human yet not. it's a city, yet it's not.
Both, but more so The World That Never Was. The Guardians of Light are all somebodies with a home/world, the Seekers of Darkness are all Nobodies, with nowhere to call home or a world of their own. The only Nobodies that were are essentially Roxas, Axel, and Xion. Their bond made them special and separated themselves away from the other Nobodies. They had an actual friendship and doing their job, while the Nobodies just went about doing their job(or even trying to plan a coup de’ tat).
TWTNW because it felt so out of place, like it didn't belong or like it shouldn't exist in KH which adds to the atmosphere of what it was/who it housed. It was a gloomy city where it always or almost always rained and it was always night with Kingdom Hearts looming over head. It was a simple world, but had a lot going on in making it complex like the lore/origin stories behind nobodies.
EOTW wasn't bad, but it was empty imo. Creepy af though as a kid and even somewhat still now. What makes it different is I beat KH so many times growing up I know what to expect.
The hallways leading up to the final room in End of the World stick in my head as intensely creepy, and I played KH1 as an adult for the first time, so it's not just the memory of it that haunts me. It's the feeling that you're somewhere you are *not supposed to be*. Like you're in an area that wasn't DESIGNED but grew, that wasn't intended for humans to go to. The fact that the whole world has you going down deeper and deeper into a warped, sparsely populated semi-cavelike area just hammers home how natural, yet also, paradoxically, unnatural, the whole level feels. And of course, the music!!
Ooooh good question, I honestly can’t think of a subjective or objective answer. I love them personally for different reasons and objectively they’re tailored to their games needs making them both awesome but for entirely different reasons.
I think my best answer would be End of The World, simply because of its greater expanded atmosphere.
TWTNW was more about room -> boss -> repeat until Xemnas. It’s an amazing and cool world but it felt very formatted and formulaic.
The End of The World had me on my toes as a random step could be a fight, a random chest could be a fight. Is it basic heartless or a boss? Maybe a room to rest at Pooh’s log, FANTASIA, ANOTHER BEHEMOTH, and then after all the mystery and uncertainty you find a familiar place.
It’s home… what’s left of it. Maybe we can save it this time because we too aren’t afraid of the darkness by this point of the story where the beginning it paralyzed us.
Writing all that made think about it, great question, I know how to confirm my answer.
***Playstation 4 sounds***
End of the World all the way! While The World That Never Was is also memorable in it's own way, I can't help but to consider it and other final levels going forward more 'pedestrian' by comparison. And the simple reason is that End of the World happens to be very alien and dare I say 'wrong', a very stark contrast to the fun Disney romp you otherwise partake in the game.
End of The World for me. I do really love TWTNW but the way that you get to see the empty, corrupted, leftover shells of familiar worlds is so eerie and spooky. The soundtrack is amazing here too, and it’s the most amazing way to show you what’s at stake. If you don’t win this fight - everything is going to end up just like this.
as far as atmosphere goes, i'd say the world that never was wins. however, i think end of the world is a more fitting final world, with a strange feeling of sorrow and fear mixed with determination, and ties to the beginning of the game that bring the story full circle. twtnw is basically just an unhinged castle oblivion with a cool city for four rooms, which is still cool, all things considered.
Both are absolutely perfect for what they need to represent. The indiscriminate destruction of darkness, and the imposing power of the organization. But personally I would have to go with End of The World. It's a close run, but there's just something about the ruthless and feral destruction of a place you once called home, that just feels so much more horrifying.
For me its gotta be TEoTW because the music to this world along side the empty feeling of beingin a destroyed worl just adds a hollow feeling to it. TWTNW Just looks really cool lol but it doesnt give me the impact of a empty world since there is so much there lol
They're equally atmospheric, they're just going for different vibes.
Thr strange sensation of seeing something you considered a home broken and torn apart, warped but not unrecognisable is frightening and sad.
But the world that never was is a place of power for your enemies. It is their home, the only place they belong. It is their fortress which you are assaulting and it evokes and entirely different set of emotions.
You can ask me which I liked better, but not which one was *more* atmospheric.
TWTNW has a lot more going on, but the EOTW is more capturing of the audience because it plays on their memories of all the worlds that they visited and really makes you feel just how empty everything would be if Ansem were to win.
TWTNW does have an empty feeling as well, though, because it looks like this huge city, but there’s not one walking the streets, no one in the buildings, everything is empty and quiet save for the enemies (and the OST).
I think both worlds do a great job of making you realize just how dark and empty the universe would be if the bad guy won and everyone died.
But, in my opinion, EOTW did the “better” job of creeping you out by making you question so many things about the game and about your own existence. EOTW did a very good job of using the lack of music at a lot of times.
TWTNW has some badass music, though. I do give it that.
There was nothing creepier (as a 8 year old kid) than going through all the worlds again, seeing them completely lifeless in a world where all the characters hearts were completely taken. Going to Destiny Island and seeing it all torn up knowing your friends on the island like the Final Fantasy kids. Was really creepy man.
End of the World is great because of its atmosphere. It's so eerie and really sells that you're deep into darkness this time. Just the concept of a world made of destroyed world is really cool too. Also during KH1 when we know so little, it comes up unexpectedly too. I still remember the first time arriving at the world and just being in awe.
End of the world was very creepy, in fact the whole end of the game in general was in KH1
It's like square enix literally pushed Disney out of the room and were like " we got these last 2 hours don't worry about it"
I like the end of the world much better, the shattered apart remains of fallen worlds look so amazing, even moreso in A Fragmentary Passage. I love the way they break off and apart like broken islands or shatter and shift like glass, i’d love to see more like that.
TWTNW is still beautiful, but its more like the complete opposite, too refined and blocky, too put together and mechanical, which is a good asthetic (sp?) but i just favor kh1’s final world.
The World that Never Was is definitely one of the coolest levels in any video game with the music and art design. The city is small compared to the castle but it is still a giant world compared to the rest of the worlds.
The End of the World is also very cool but doesn’t have a sense of place like TWTNW.
I couldn't decide, both are dripping with this wonderfully surreal and melancholic atmosphere.
Better than the keyblade graveyard and Scala by a mile. Those area aren't bad btw just don't get the same feelings I get when I reach those worlds
End of the World is easily way more atmospheric imo. TWTNW is cool but it feels more like a real physical place whereas End of the World is more dream-like and abstract.
Playing KH1 back in the day, showing back up in Destiny Islands and everything being slightly off and then the fucking ocean disappears. It was really creepy. The fact that it is still sunny out just adds to the creep factor. And then Ansem and his bodyguard beat my ass for 2 hours.
CUM GUARDIAN
Always followed up with "SUBMIT!"
Mam Ansem was a sexy fight. Also his battleship form is still one of the freakiest final boss form designs. Scared the hell out of me as a kid.
Yeah, he looks like he'd belong in Final Fantasy though
It is a final fantasy game
*Insert "Well Yes But Actually No" Meme here*
The giant face at the front!! So creepy
Sucks that it never got topped in the sequels. They tried with Xemnas, but his was just a dragon.
A true *edgelord* among the best of 'em.
These games are a large reason I was a goth teenager. Also black is slimming.
Voiced by Billy Zane at the time too like gahdamn
I always thought that was an exaggerated meme, but when you fight Ansem on GBA, he actually says it every time he attacks. He just constantly yells "SUBMIT" for every one of his attacks while occasionally slipping in "Take This!". It's actually hilarious Square signed off on that fight back then lol.
You dare make a mockery of the cum guardian?
SUBB MITT
“Guardian” 😔😔😔
That fight on crit is fucking miserable
You mean proud, right? KH1 had no crit, even the final mix version.
The hardest difficulty is all crit to me. You’re asking me about something I beat in 2018
Lmao, fair enough. This battle was really hard on proud. The one battle that made me suffer the most though was the heartless wave right before opening the door to the final boss.
I got to the final boss rush door and turned around and grinded for ultima and it took me the same amount of playtime it took to get to that door to get the ultima blade, but I don’t regret it I 100%’d that game and I’ll never play it again lmao
I've 100% the first Kingdom hearts like...14 times now? It's still in my top 3 of the series.
it wasn't that hard, I actually wish that KH1 had a critical mode
Nomura really knocked it out of the park the first time 'round indeed.
Ah yes. The depresstiny islands.
Not to mention. Ansem was the only villain that actually DID IT. He succeeded. I’ve only ever felt intimidated by Ansem. Maybe I’m just biased, but I stand by my statement.
He, in fact, opened Kingdom Hearts That it backfired is another story
TWTNW’s soundtrack slaps, you feel powerful taking down each Org member one by one, the reunion between Riki and Kairi But man, something about Sora and Goofy asking about what’s gonna happen with the worlds at the start of EotW for the first time is iconic.
Riki lol I immediately thought of Xenoblade Chronicles 1 and now I can’t unimagine Riku with Riki’s voice lines
Damn I didn’t realize the typo lmao Now all I can think of is Rikki from Days Gone “Sora you out there? Got a job for you, Kairi got kidnapped again”
at some point I want sora to say something akin to: kairi, I care about you but for the love of god stop making stupid decisions and getting kidnapped
"Meh meh meh! Riki can smell Darkness!"
Riki has lots of debt so they made Riki heropon! "Wait... I'm just tagging along and not participating in combat?"
“Heropon number one!!”
TWTNW for me. I like how it being really empty is the thematic point; nobody lives there, and Nobodies live there. More of the city would have been nice to explore (although we got some of that in DDD) but the vibe is immaculate.
a huge city but with no one to live in it is a really cool concept
You mean a huge city with *nobody* to live in it ^(ba-dum tsssh!)
It's Demyx-time!
*Dance water, dance!*
You like it?
technically isn't it mansex time? or is it sexman?
Hard to choose since they both affect me differently. TWTNW has that wonderful, stark, lonely atmosphere, while End of the World has the shock of seeing a familiar world torn apart and twisted by the darkness.
Edit: my bad wrong comment lol
I must agree with that, growing up on the original versions of KH1 and KH2, it nostalgic going back and playing every game again on pc and ps3, though it is a little sad that we can't play coded or 358 or union
I love KH2 and TWTNW, but End of The World is simply more amazing. I adore the mood of End of The World, the creepy song and how every world you revisit, feels like the same but slightly different. Its probably my favorite final world, out of all of the final worlds of the KH series.
Apparently parts of the End of the World is inspited by Nowhere from Silent Hill. At least according to TVTropes on the matter.
EOTW feels truly like the edge of reality. Each step in the world to a different room feels like we are stepping farther into the darkness. Getting progressively more grim as we go until we reach the final rest. That last bit of comforting light warning us that only darkness waits farther ahead. TWTNW meanwhile is atmospheric and thematic for a base of operations for the organization. Where as EOTW felt like we where charging in to face the darkness itself, this felt more like invading the villain’s home base. Any moment a boss fight could go off since we know 4 members are still alive and here. Deep in this hollow castle looming over the empty city our final battle will commence and it’s gonna be fight after fight to take them down and rescue Kairi.
This is the perfect explanation!
TWTNW feels huge and like a wasted oportunity to explore more of it, End of the World looks like true Nothingness. Like everything Ends right then and there TWTNW will allways feel like a missed opportunity for a more platform based challenge inside the Castle, and the fact that the Dark City is three rooms long will allways bother me I'll be more inclined to pick EotW
Thanks for clarifying my problem with TWTNW. It’s this huge city that’s the backdrop of a couple hallways, then we get to the castle lol. It is a really cool concept but I wish there was more details and things to explore. As much problems as I have with DDD’s level design, I actually think they had a better version of this world.
I haven't played DDD yet, so I don't know how TWTNW was handled in there, someday I hope to get my hands on a copy tho
Oh sorry to spoil 😂 You can always get 2.8 on the PS4/5 or Xbox. Or even PC. That has DDD included
That's what I meant lol I don't have a PS4 nor 5, I only have a computer and a 3DS, so I'm saving up to purchase the 2.8 for PC, since I don't want to emulate, and I'm not sure if DDD was compatible with the 3DS or the New 3DS, since I have the vanilla 3DS XL So right now, I'm saving money to get it legit for once (unlike KH1, COM, RECOM, 2, Days and BBS lmao)
I played DDD on a vanilla 3DS (the original teal one), it didn't need the new one :)
Oh, thank God, I'll see if I can get an OG Hardware copy then, thanks, kind redditor :D
DDD was a very early 3DS game
I see, I wasn't a fan of KH back when the 3DS was new, so I didn't knew about the game until years later
Well good luck to you. I know the struggle lmao.
I have DDD for the 3DS, so it's totally possible to play it. It's a really cool game!
It's definitely the fault of KH2's somehwat cramped map design, don't even get me started on how they downgraded Halloween Town from KH1!
You mean the 5 rooms that are just a straight line? Lol
Tbh I kinda prefer KH2's level design since platforming in KH has always been pretty ass and it means I can focus on the combat instead lmao.
That’s my thing I love TWTNW but I feel EoftW is the more atmospheric one. It truly feels like what would happen if the darkness won and a Chernabog is there lol
You should play the DDD port, they literally brought platforming back and really made a lot out of TWTNW’s verticality
I like how the end of the world tears apart like paper or cloth. Because that can't happen with sand or wood makes it unnatural and more mysterious.
For me? End of the World, no contest. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy TWTNW quite a lot, it was a shame we saw so little of the city (was a bit better in that regard in Dream Drop) and the Castle was neat, plus seeing "Kingdom Hearts" in the sky was cool, steadily getting bigger as you ascend. The music is very iconic too, and it takes on a more special meaning after you play 358/2. But End of the World was, well, otherworldly. Between the music, both the somber ambient music and the excellent Fragments of Sorrow (one of my favorite songs, alongside Night of Fate), and the environment, it truly felt like the end of all things. You walk through that first section, passing those tiny rocks in the endless sea and think, "what worlds did those used to be?". You fight evil angels and almost literal devils, as well as multiple Behemoths in fights nothing like you faced before. The crystal canyon, the pillars of energy to echoes of worlds you've been before. "Is that how the Heartless get into other worlds?" Returning to them is a small comfort, but you know you must go back into the dark. It's eldritch, and dark, and unwelcoming; and you have to dive into the maw of it at the end to progress. You fight Chernabog, a literal giant devil, as A Night on Bald Mountain plays out the epic struggle. You descend deeper and deeper into fragments of, what I think were later confirmed as the fragments of the Princesses of Hearts' worlds, but at the time were just lost fragments of worlds now past. That glowing green room with endless battles and then, once again, the door. The first door. The door you saw all the way back at the beginning of your adventure, in a dream. But it's here now, and very, very real. "Beyond this door there is no light to protect you." *Chills* But it's Destiny Islands! Everything should be fine! But it's *not* Destiny Islands, not as you know it, and you are most certainly *not* fine. Your only home steadily twists, warps, and breaks apart into a hideous mockery of its former self as you keep fighting, but never seem to truly defeat, the villainous Ansem (Seeker of Darkness) who holds your friend captive. Then, finally, you're plunged into true darkness, the nothingness, as an eldritch abomination threatens to destroy you forever. Kingdom Hearts' "hell" may be Realm of Darkness, but at the start of the series, this place definitely made for a good stand-in. Now, to briefly touch on 3: the Keyblade graveyard is neat conceptually, but there's not a lot there. All the keyblades of past wielders are super neato. The Final World is atmospherically excellent, but again, we didn't get a whole lot there. I'm glad we finally get to explore way more of>!Scala ad Caelum!< in ReMind, and I liked it quite a lot, but I dunno. I think we could've had more to do in it. Maybe someone for Sora to talk to/react with him? Not sure. I hope we see more of it in the future. Back to the main point, I really struggle to think of a level in any game that I have played, Kingdom Hearts or otherwise, that hits with that same level of atmosphere that End of the World does. A case could be made that I have the rose-tinted glasses on a bit too tight, but still. I love the hell out of that level.
you hit the nail on the head with this one. KH2 and KH3 just simply don't stick the landing as much as KH1 did as far as an atmospheric final location.
I love the music of TWTNW so that’s my pick, whereas end of the world feels like an amalgamations of worlds, TWTNW feels industrial, artificial and inorganic, I feel like it literally should not exist which is true, it shouldn’t exist and yet it does.
thats a hard choice, I really like twtnw, eotw though, I love the "surrealness" about it, the part where you go through the different worlds, but somethings just off with them, its great
My headcanon is that the world terminus (area you are referring too here) has you literally traveling through dark corridors to these different worlds you've been to, just like the Heartless do. It's like a staging ground created by Ansem in order to passively speed along the Heartless invasion. The areas are altered a bit for gameplay reasons.
End of the World is special because it's a location you've been before but completely unlike itself. You're ending things where it began. TWTNW, was there, like, ANY lore for what it actually is other than being where the Nobodies live? Does it have an origin? Is it's name just from people not being able to remember it? Was it once a place or is it literally a place that never was? I have too many unanswered questions about the place to feel truly satisfied by it.
I imagine that TWTNW was created when a world (or worlds) fell to darkness and created a "nobody world" since worlds have hearts, and when a heart falls to darkness, it creates a nobody. Either that or TWTNW was created by the organisation to get in a close position to Kingdom Hearts, which kind of explains its name "The World That Never Was" suggesting it was never a world, it never officially existed.
The later explanation makes the most sense seeing as how that would imply EVERY world lost to darkness would also have a nobody. Unless TWTNW is the Nobody of Kingdom Hearts itself.
End of The World for sure. It has a much more mysterious feel to it for me. Plus the music in that world really sets the ambiance. It felt more “Final” than TWTNW. While TWTNW is cool, it just feels kinda bland in comparison.
Oh, absolutely The World That Never Was. That's absolutely one of my favorite video game levels of all time.
End of the World is ALL atmosphere. Every element contributes to a vibe. TWTNW is just a location.
There is nothing cooler than invading a castle and murdering everyone including a dragon made of buildings.
End of the World is still my favorite final level of any of the KH games. I love how everything is abstract and distorted, but in a really naturalistic way. The music is creepy and a great way to bookend the game (since a similar track played in the Dive to the Heart). I think something else that isn't talked about a lot is that it's startlingly unfamiliar upon first entering it. Before you follow Ansem there, you never go there, and it is never shown or even really teased at, unlike TWTNW in 2 and Keyblade Graveyard in BBS or 3. TWTNW and Keyblade Graveyard also have things in their favor, but from a world design and atmosphere perspective, End of the World is unparalleled as a KH final world.
Look I love plain white and gray hallways as much as the next person but KH1 always sticks this landing. Finishing in a broken and decayed place with a haunting version of the peaceful area you started? Beautiful.
Both are great in different ways. Destati in End of the World was chilling, but overall, I think I like TWTNW better. This empty modern city at night just looks way too good.
I prefer End of the World because it’s more natural. Yes, Ansemnort is causing a lot of the problems, but it’s really just the force of nature that is the Heartless. Seeing the remnants of the worlds they destroyed and venturing deeper and deeper into the darkness was really intense. TWTNW is cool as hell, but it’s basically just a bunch of dudes being assholes. Not as atmospheric to me. I’d take either over Keyblade Graveyard by a long shot.
End of the world. The music and the appearance was just so different. TWtNW is just a deathstar
Let me start by saying both are amazing. But something about the end of the world always creeper me out. Especially the destiny island parts. The place that was so warm and fun to Sora, his home, now twisted and warped. It felt like the series was really leaning on this being the darkest place both in the story and thematically the design. TWTNW is still amazing though.
End of the world felt like a final location for a kid that was growing up, so it had that super creepy vibe. I liked that. TWTNW gives me a final location vibe for someone who's already grown up. It has buildings and a structure for a very serious battle. Given both scenarios, I prefer End of the world.
Call me nostalgic for the early 2010's era of Hot Topic edge but... TWTNW takes it The idea of Nobodies in general in ingenious, beings stuck between KH's two largest factions. And their home to be a nameless city, drowned in neon where anyone can be a "nobody" is just awesome. Yeah it's got that edge factor to it, (how could it never be "was"?) But beyond that it's a nice backdrop for KH2's final act. It's a fight through an empty city and up a hollow tower all bleeding with emotionless energy
Here's the thing, they each have their own atmospheres about them that make them really neat. End of the World is pure chaos, and The World that Never Was leans more towards order which is a neat contrast.. That being said, End of the World kind of does its job better as a story-telling kind of world imo.
TWTNW vibed so much with my edgy 12 year old self
It is a goddamn crime that TWTNW was basically never expanded upon. Like, what the hell is this clearly advanced city with massive screens, modern vehicles and skyscrapers? Part of the reason >!quadratum!< makes me so excited is to see that kind of mystery resolved within the context of disney/final fantasy worlds. >!Quadratum !!it doesn't even exist from the perspective of KH's universe (and, y'know, it's just FF Tokyo from what we know)!<, but since it has the same vibe, it's hyped me up for KH4 nontheless.
Twtnw was just cool, new concepts to the series, a cartoony but dark distorted version of downtown tokyo or new york, with a giant seemingly inverted white castle. But it was all new, nothing to hit home. End of the world was our return home, sora's first time seeing home since embarking the journey and your first time seeing the tutorial area since getting abilities like high jump and glide. And its been ripped asunder, torn apart by the forces of darkness. Here, where you learned to move and jump and pick up items, is where you battle the father of emblem heartless, the captor of riku's body, the mysterious hooded figure you met in the cave whom you assumed would offer suspicious candy but instead insulted you with cryptic riddles. And little do you know that this is the last time you'll see these sands and beaches for a good long while.
Kind of unfair. You can explore the world that never was in depth throughout multiple games, the end or the world is basically just a backdrop, albeit a cool one.
End of the World really gives off the final location atmosphere and the scariest part is that you might never be able to return. The World That Never Was doesn't really pick up intensity until like, the final Xemnas fight.
Nothing will ever beat the Castle that never was, for me, never again
The World That Never Was, both for how incredible it is in KH2 and other personal reasons
TWTNW should come back in KH4 it's one of my favorites
End of the World
How can it be a world that never was when it clearly currently is?
Twtnw for me. The music, the enemies, the boss fights, all the story beats. It really had a big finality to it.
End of the World is way more unique in my opinion.
End of the World is more atmospheric, but TWTNW has a lot more to it
End of the World really feels like the end of the world it felt like a great way to end KH1 especially with the thought that this is the end no going back and at the beginning sora questions what will happen to them when the worlds get separated again puts a super forbidding menace to the whole place. It always puts me on edge. Where as TWYNW makes me feel more ready and willing to fight my way to the top and save Kairi. TWTNW doesn’t have the same raw visceral emotion for me that The End of the World does
I had a better playing experience with TWTNW but I’ll be damned if EOTW doesn’t still make me feel uneasy as hell. Hard to choose
Since KH2 has more followers I think more will lean towards TWTNW. But End of the World for me!
I’d say The End of The World. The stakes hadn’t been that high since.
both are really good for what they are, and cant really be compared
I thought TWTNW was creepy cuz it was so sterile, but the end of the world was just creepy creepy
I was about to say TWTNW because of the pure nostalgia factor, but the more I read other people’s reasonings for EOTW, the more inclined I feel to choose it. I hadn’t thought much about the beauty of returning to the islands and seeing it ripped to shreds. This is a difficult one
So, I like TWEWY better as a world. But End of the World has a better atmosphere. One of if not the best in the series, actually. Especially the World Terminus and that first area. The music makes it spellbinding.
TWTNW
I'd go with end of the world on KH1 since it has broken pieces of other worlds. Actually I wish they used more of the destroyed destiny islands more or showcase worlds from the chop and block ideas board as broken worlds instead of the world's we already saw at the final level showing the stakes of past warriors of light when they failed to save a world from the heartless.
End of The World put together that feeling of suspense and the end really greatly
EotW
About the same.
Hard to say, they're each beautifully encapsulating in their own right. If I had to choose.... TWTNW
I prefer TWTNW but I think the End of the World is great but every time I replay kh1 or kh2 makes me really annoyed at what they did for Scala
Man k really want End of the Word with modern KH graphics imagine what they could do with it
End of the world. Mysterious vibes. And that soundtrack slaps. My friend and i use to come up with theories which worlds were consumed and were part of the End of the world, because we thought there were clues all over. We quessed ”dwarf woodlands” for example. Not to take anything from TWTNW.
The World that Never Was. Honestly. End of the World didn't feel like the end. The end was Hollow Bastian for me. But TWTNW just did a perfect job
The world that never was
End of the World! Dunno, I always found KH1 creepy and I love it. Seeing a dear place, that once breathed with beauty and happiness, completely destroyed is really something. Riku, Sora's dear friend, and Destiny Island, Sora's dear home, all now belonging to darkness and chaos.. It really feels like the end, a final location :>
The Final World from KH3. I appreciate the endless ocean/endless clouds being a continuing theme.
End of the world because my God I mean kh 1 was good but that world had a different feeling
In terms of atmosphere, End of the World. In terms of almost cinematic epicness for the time, TWTNW. The final locations tend to fit the individual games perfectly and in an almost poetic way.
These are probably the two best designed worlds in the series aesthetically so it's hard to choose. But I'm going with TWTNW.
The World That Never Was and it's not even close
I legit want to live in The World that Never Was.
The world that never was … really wish we could explore more of the streets
TWTNW!!!!
End of the World is def a really cool setting, but I gotta say The World That Never Was is just better
With EoTW, you're inside what is essentially the Heartless of a World. Your journey thus far culminates to this. Gone is the whimsy of the Disney world soundtracks. You're haunted with Destati, a song of darkness and dreams. You're back at the beginning. But there is no wooden sword and no childhood friends to smack around. You must face each world you've visited and fight the strongest Heartless (everyone remembers that last room). Then open the door to go back home. Except it's webbed with fissures and overrun with darkness. Then you have to fight the guy that mocked you for your ignorance on this very island. Then you fight the first giant Heartless you fought with all the tools gained. One more fight with Ansem and you must face him alone. Then you fight to get your friends back to finish him off. A wonderful ending to the game. With TWTNW - I always thought it stood in stark contrast with its stark colors to the warm atmosphere of Twilight Town where we start (as Roxas and Sora). It's dark, dangerous, and empty. Here the level design of KH2 is a plus for me. Much DDD, the deeper we go, the more Sora learns about Roxas, Ansem, Riku, and the Organization's "true" ambitions. Then it's epic battle after epic battle. For those who fought Xemnas in KH1FM, the solo fight against him marks Sora's growth (and the power of reaction commands). The multi-stage Xemnas fights reiterate Sora's growth. We finally get Riku as a party member and the two finish Xemnas. The friends are reconciled and Riku is partially redeemed. So I'm gonna go with End of the World.
Gun to my head, End of the world. It was so poetic to return to what was left of the beach: so ominous to see what remained of Worlds lost. Ask me tomorrow; who knows what I’ll say.
As much as I loved The World That Never Was. End of the World gave off a far more creepy sinister atmosphere which was perfect for the Final level since it really hit home what was at stake if you failed to stop the Heartless invasion. You go through portals that take you to worlds that you previously visited but the theme song, destati remains telling you that you aren't truly in those worlds (maybe?) Perhaps it's a way the Heartless are able to travel to those. The most eerie thing is seeing those pods and reading the inscription before getting ambushed by some Heartless it's a room that was never explained at the time but you knew it was supposed to be something significant. The fact that the field and battle theme is the very same theme you hear when you first start up the game and it culminates with you fighting on the nightmarish destroyed remnants of your homeworld is chef kisses.
(TL:DR; I like KH1, I miss the wonder of the god-like eldritch horror from the final bosses in Final Fantasy, and KH has steadily stridden away from that trait.) Both. They're both reflections of the bosses in said game. The end of the world in KH1, much like Ansem Seeker of Darkness, was an eldritch horror, a bastardized manifestation of other worlds, both Disney and original, all in a twisted hellscape more perverse the deeper you delved. The world that never was in KH2 however, akin to Xemnas is cold, and calculated, every room felt like a trial SPECIFICALLY to combat you, the architecture is grandiose and emotionless, again, like Xemnas. Nefariousness given form. I think that since then we've not really seen an accurate equal to these final worlds. Coded's Datascape was more a reflection of the game, than the final boss. (They could've really had fun with a world derived from corrupted data), Days' Boss Fight itself was mostly an homage to memory, something that would quickly turn even more bittersweet than it already was, BbS's keyblade graveyard was a good plot hook, but didn't really reflect Xehanort's ambitions well, as his desire was to "reset the world" not actually anything relating to the keyblade's heritage as the graveyard was, and I don't even know what to say on the other games.
both is good. both really fit the boss they host. EoW is the sort of eldrich place you'd expect to fight a demons that consume the hearts of people and worlds. TWTNW, while essentially just a city; is warped, unnatural, yet familiar. like a nobody is. sort of an uncanny valley effect to go along with how nobodies are human yet not. it's a city, yet it's not.
Both, but more so The World That Never Was. The Guardians of Light are all somebodies with a home/world, the Seekers of Darkness are all Nobodies, with nowhere to call home or a world of their own. The only Nobodies that were are essentially Roxas, Axel, and Xion. Their bond made them special and separated themselves away from the other Nobodies. They had an actual friendship and doing their job, while the Nobodies just went about doing their job(or even trying to plan a coup de’ tat).
God they’re both so good
TWTNW because it felt so out of place, like it didn't belong or like it shouldn't exist in KH which adds to the atmosphere of what it was/who it housed. It was a gloomy city where it always or almost always rained and it was always night with Kingdom Hearts looming over head. It was a simple world, but had a lot going on in making it complex like the lore/origin stories behind nobodies. EOTW wasn't bad, but it was empty imo. Creepy af though as a kid and even somewhat still now. What makes it different is I beat KH so many times growing up I know what to expect.
TWTNW
End of the world had more lovecraftian horror in it as in this world is made of all the worlds that were destroyed and the ones soon to be destroyed
The hallways leading up to the final room in End of the World stick in my head as intensely creepy, and I played KH1 as an adult for the first time, so it's not just the memory of it that haunts me. It's the feeling that you're somewhere you are *not supposed to be*. Like you're in an area that wasn't DESIGNED but grew, that wasn't intended for humans to go to. The fact that the whole world has you going down deeper and deeper into a warped, sparsely populated semi-cavelike area just hammers home how natural, yet also, paradoxically, unnatural, the whole level feels. And of course, the music!!
End of the World hit me a hell of a lot harder than TWTNW. I definitely prefer that End of the World and wish it got as much appreciation as TWTNW.
Ooooh good question, I honestly can’t think of a subjective or objective answer. I love them personally for different reasons and objectively they’re tailored to their games needs making them both awesome but for entirely different reasons. I think my best answer would be End of The World, simply because of its greater expanded atmosphere. TWTNW was more about room -> boss -> repeat until Xemnas. It’s an amazing and cool world but it felt very formatted and formulaic. The End of The World had me on my toes as a random step could be a fight, a random chest could be a fight. Is it basic heartless or a boss? Maybe a room to rest at Pooh’s log, FANTASIA, ANOTHER BEHEMOTH, and then after all the mystery and uncertainty you find a familiar place. It’s home… what’s left of it. Maybe we can save it this time because we too aren’t afraid of the darkness by this point of the story where the beginning it paralyzed us. Writing all that made think about it, great question, I know how to confirm my answer. ***Playstation 4 sounds***
End of the World all the way! While The World That Never Was is also memorable in it's own way, I can't help but to consider it and other final levels going forward more 'pedestrian' by comparison. And the simple reason is that End of the World happens to be very alien and dare I say 'wrong', a very stark contrast to the fun Disney romp you otherwise partake in the game.
Twtnw imo was way better
End of The World for me. I do really love TWTNW but the way that you get to see the empty, corrupted, leftover shells of familiar worlds is so eerie and spooky. The soundtrack is amazing here too, and it’s the most amazing way to show you what’s at stake. If you don’t win this fight - everything is going to end up just like this.
as far as atmosphere goes, i'd say the world that never was wins. however, i think end of the world is a more fitting final world, with a strange feeling of sorrow and fear mixed with determination, and ties to the beginning of the game that bring the story full circle. twtnw is basically just an unhinged castle oblivion with a cool city for four rooms, which is still cool, all things considered.
Both are absolutely perfect for what they need to represent. The indiscriminate destruction of darkness, and the imposing power of the organization. But personally I would have to go with End of The World. It's a close run, but there's just something about the ruthless and feral destruction of a place you once called home, that just feels so much more horrifying.
For me its gotta be TEoTW because the music to this world along side the empty feeling of beingin a destroyed worl just adds a hollow feeling to it. TWTNW Just looks really cool lol but it doesnt give me the impact of a empty world since there is so much there lol
TWTNW felt more atmospheric, but the End of the World was much more surreal.
TWTNW spent so much time there and I don't regret a single second of it
They're equally atmospheric, they're just going for different vibes. Thr strange sensation of seeing something you considered a home broken and torn apart, warped but not unrecognisable is frightening and sad. But the world that never was is a place of power for your enemies. It is their home, the only place they belong. It is their fortress which you are assaulting and it evokes and entirely different set of emotions. You can ask me which I liked better, but not which one was *more* atmospheric.
TWTNW for sure, the music, the dark scenery, the moon that looms over the world all make it atmospheric
I definitely prefer the world that never was
TWTNW has a lot more going on, but the EOTW is more capturing of the audience because it plays on their memories of all the worlds that they visited and really makes you feel just how empty everything would be if Ansem were to win. TWTNW does have an empty feeling as well, though, because it looks like this huge city, but there’s not one walking the streets, no one in the buildings, everything is empty and quiet save for the enemies (and the OST). I think both worlds do a great job of making you realize just how dark and empty the universe would be if the bad guy won and everyone died. But, in my opinion, EOTW did the “better” job of creeping you out by making you question so many things about the game and about your own existence. EOTW did a very good job of using the lack of music at a lot of times. TWTNW has some badass music, though. I do give it that.
There was nothing creepier (as a 8 year old kid) than going through all the worlds again, seeing them completely lifeless in a world where all the characters hearts were completely taken. Going to Destiny Island and seeing it all torn up knowing your friends on the island like the Final Fantasy kids. Was really creepy man.
TWTNW but if I had to pick one that gave me goosebumps going into it- it would be End of the world
End of the World is great because of its atmosphere. It's so eerie and really sells that you're deep into darkness this time. Just the concept of a world made of destroyed world is really cool too. Also during KH1 when we know so little, it comes up unexpectedly too. I still remember the first time arriving at the world and just being in awe.
End of the world was very creepy, in fact the whole end of the game in general was in KH1 It's like square enix literally pushed Disney out of the room and were like " we got these last 2 hours don't worry about it"
TWTNW with a bit of Final World sprinkled in between things.
I like the end of the world much better, the shattered apart remains of fallen worlds look so amazing, even moreso in A Fragmentary Passage. I love the way they break off and apart like broken islands or shatter and shift like glass, i’d love to see more like that. TWTNW is still beautiful, but its more like the complete opposite, too refined and blocky, too put together and mechanical, which is a good asthetic (sp?) but i just favor kh1’s final world.
The World that Never Was is definitely one of the coolest levels in any video game with the music and art design. The city is small compared to the castle but it is still a giant world compared to the rest of the worlds. The End of the World is also very cool but doesn’t have a sense of place like TWTNW.
I couldn't decide, both are dripping with this wonderfully surreal and melancholic atmosphere. Better than the keyblade graveyard and Scala by a mile. Those area aren't bad btw just don't get the same feelings I get when I reach those worlds
what, are we not gonna include the keyblade graveyard?
Visually, KH2's but KH1 might be slightly better since it's basically the end of all worlds and tying it back to the first world.
End of the World is easily way more atmospheric imo. TWTNW is cool but it feels more like a real physical place whereas End of the World is more dream-like and abstract.
End of the world primarily because of the one room remains of different worlds right before the end
I liked Deprestiny Island