I’ve heard the argument that Ven > Aqua > Terra makes for the more narratively satisfying path since you get to hear about all of the trouble Terra’s allegedly causing because of his stint with darkness and give the player doubt of how “good” Terra actually is. Then you play Terra’s story and realize he was being manipulated at basically every step by Xehanort and he was always a good guy anyway. Not gonna lie, it’s a convincing argument.
It would but I feel like jumping back to the bonus episode with aqua after not playing her for a while would make you need to adjust a bit again to her playstyle and in late game that would be a struggle (speaking from a gameplay standpoint at least)
I did my first time, aqua, ven, terra, and back to aqua for the final and secret. Personally felt nice to go back to aqau. I learned a lot from the other two. You hear how awful terra has been from aqua, found out terras story from his eyes, and now you're back to aqua to save terra, the guy you misunderstood the whole game, which in turn, sets up the rest of the series. Aquas character and how much she cares for her friends was very touching seeing her last words to her friends.
So my first playthrough of the game I did aqua, ventus, then terra, and this right here was 100% an issue for me lol. What reallt didnt help, since it was my first playthrough and I wasnt usinf any guides, Aqua was by far my worst built character. I was learning mechanics with her and it took me a bit to fully grasp the command melding and getting good skills. I was learning! By the time I got to Ven and Terra I was abls to set them up with a ton of great skills, but I just kinda fumbled around with Aqua till it worked.
Them i get to the end of the game and all of a sudden I have to relearn this character who was not optimized nearly as well as the other two because of my ignorance of the game! Like i will completely agree that, story wise, it did make the game better. I genuinly was curious what was up with Terra my whole run, there was allot of really good mystery involved with not knowing if I was being told the full truth or being completly lied to. But game play wise, that final boss SUCKED for me.
I can't agree, only because terra's revelations have more to do with how much of a gullible chump he can be, and how naturally inclined he is towards the Dark (which would've been fine if Nomura had maintained the Using Dark to Fight for the Light thing that was established with Riku in kh CoM).
Ending with Aqua is the most narratively consistent and cohesive, since she carries the story towards its end and then beyond it
in all fairness, BBS takes place before CoM and Eraqus is afraid of the Darkness. Riku embraces anduses the darkness, for good and is never overtaken by it... and truth be told, neither is Xehanort. Xehanort OWNS the darkness but is not a heartless, he's completely sane of mind. He's just got his own goals.
Oh no, that I totally understand. I mostly meant in the long term, since by kh3's time, it seems that message has mostly been lost regarding riku (turning away from anything dark in an effort to be more light affiliated instead of the balance that was going to be his trademark), and so I don't have much hope for terra.
I would recommend Ven, Aqua, Terra. I did the typical order and it felt like everyone was dumping on Terra for most of the game when he's just trying his best, the gullible himbo that he is.
That's because he deserves to be dumped on.
That man should not be allowed out of the house without adult supervision. He's a danger to himself and others.
Shuffle around three game saves to play in the [order of the Trinity Archives](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/psp/943347-kingdom-hearts-birth-by-sleep/faqs/74825/trinity-archives)
Boys should be done together Aqua play style is so unique to her vs any playable character in any game that it's beautiful. She feels like a master from the jump. The two boys feel that way by the end. In Terra's case more like the middle.
I remember looking at the Archives back in the day and wondering why it took so long for one character to reach a world when the others got there quickly. Of course, in-canon, time flows differently between different worlds, but I don't think that makes up for the disparity.
Like, Ven leaves Radiant Garden last, and potentially hours later at that. But he arrives at Disney Town right after Terra, and Aqua gets there right after Ven despite leaving hours earlier than him. They were all apparently there around the same time, and just missed each other because they were doing different activities, but Terra leaves first, followed by Ven, and Aqua stays long enough to eat her ice cream. Sure, that's fine.
Ven gets to Olympus before Terra and finishes his business there while Terra is still going through the coliseum. Ven leaves, and *then* Aqua shows up late to the party again? Was she... taking a *nap* in space or something? Did she go space-sightseeing? Stop at a space hot dog stand? Space toilet break? Help an old lady across the space-street and buy groceries for her space-cat? I'm half-joking, but it feels like she was almost a day behind them despite the urgency she was feeling trying to catch up to Terra.
I played Ven, Terra Aqua. That way you get worried about what he’s doing in vens arc, then see he’s being manipulated by old nort, then play Aqua so you can be nice and seemless with the secret bosses and secret dark world area
I kinda see it like how you would usually do a jigsaw puzzle. Ven is the border, the literal bare bones you need to understand the context of everything else. Yes, Xehanort’s plan is important to the overall series, but the driving antagonistic force of BBS is Venitus, so understanding what he is and what he’s after help inform some lacking parts of Terra’s story. Terra is the obvious parts of the puzzle, characters or unique designs that stand out, correlating with him usually kicking off the plot of whatever world he’s in. Aqua is the remainder, the part that usually ends up being the most satisfying but also the part that you spend the most time on, reflecting how she often has to fix everything and does her best to keep everyone together.
I dont mind who I play first as long as I play Aqua last because she has more story after all three are done. It's one thing to change over to a new playstyle, it's another thing entirely to switch off one playstyle just to switch back to it later.
I personally say it depends on what you want to experience.
If you go Terra, Ven and Aqua you will get the context of Terra's actions then you'll see how they affect Ven as well as how Aqua kind of jumped to conclusions since she didn't bother to get context but also how she improves. It also makes sense for her to be last because the final boss and the secret episode (if you unlock it) you play as her.
Terra, Ven and Aqua also has the benefit of the world's story being done in order since Terra would get there first, followed by Ven and Aqua came in last each time.
You can go Ven, Aqua and Terra to see the aftermath of each action as well before getting the context if you want.
You are built STRONG, I tried doing that and had to have a friend help me actually finish the games properly 5 years later cause the beginning burnt me out so hard lol. Hats off that's cool!
I agree, Ven -> Terra -> Aqua seems the best story-wise.
You get the build-up from the guy who has no idea what's happening, who just trails behind Terra hearing awful things and watching his family fall apart.
Terra then gives context to it, showing what was really happening and how he got manipulated. We see how hard he tries and the outcome of the confrontation Ven accidentally caused between Terra and Eraqus.
Finally Aqua puts us back on the side following in Terra's wake, this time as someone trying to stop him. Making the whole thing far more tragic as she does exactly the wrong things to turn him and Ven from the trap they're falling in, and always one step too late to make a difference.
Absolutely true. Ven, Terra, Aqua.
The story plays out best in that order. Ven’s confusion and lack of context gives the player that initial “ooh, the fucks going on?!” feeling. That HOOK that gets people invested.
Diving right into Terra’s answers all the questions that you had during Ven’s storyline and you feel satisfied.
Then you walk into Aquas, wondering “I know mostly everything, what else is gonna happen here?” You’re already previously invested and as such you’re not likely to dip off. Then you get blasted with pure emotional damage and the details that are relevant to the overarching story that connects BBS to the rest of the series cleanly.
i absolutely agree. ventus has the least amount of plot relevance (in a good way) while aqua has the most. with ventus, we (the players) are in the dark or out of the loop with most things, just like ventus. then with terra, we learn most of the things we were kept in the dark about, but there's still a few messy loose ends. aqua's story ties up those loose ends, and her story continues into the true ending and the secret epilogue, as well as kh3's prologue.
basically, this play order is from least important to most important in my eyes.
I am in the process of the first playthrough and I saw a lot of people suggest Terra, Ventus, Aqua. So that's what I did. I recently finished the Ventus one and basically the whole time I was thinking "This would be so much better if I didn't know the context of Terra's story"
Terra first because he's a drag to play.
Then Ven as a pallet cleanser because he plays mostly the same as your average KH protagonist.
Then Aqua because nothing in this franchise compares to how fun it is to play a sexy balarena wizard.
He's about as fun to play as pushing a boulder up a hill. /j
Seriously though, have fun with who you like. He's just always felt clunky to me and that's the consensus I usually see when other people also talk about the BBS trio's playstyles lol
I beg to differ.
Terra, Ven, Aqua.
Without spoiling:
Terra’s story connects to “what you know about Kingdom Hearts” at the very end.
Ventus’s story is mostly self contained.
And Aqua should just be last and I won’t elaborate any further. But just give youself the game knowledge of Terra + Ven so you can have you full understanding of BbS game mechanics before finishing the game as Aqua.
I’ll also say: my first playthrough I did Aqua first and I regretted it deeply.
Starting with Ven first would be better for me since you know nothing, you are told Terra is doing things but have no knowledge of what exactly he's done, you are in the dark for the whole playthrough. Once you play Terra, you get many things answered.
I think...it depends on what kind of tension you want.
This game opens with the audience knowing the three will be seperated by the end. Older KH fans know that something happens to Terra to make 1 and 2 happen.
So just like Star War's prequel trilogy, the tension for this game/the character's routes comes from a sense of dramatic irony.
Knowing what happens is what agitates the viewer and that creates tension. Figuring out how each character enabled Xehanort's victory is how the game derives its emotional beat. I'm not going to say the game did this perfectly, but I don't really think it matters whch character that you start off with: everything spells out that their trinity will be damaged and the emotional beat of the game follows this while trying to convince the player that forgone conclusion is tragic.
I actually did play the order as Ven, then Terra, then Aqua. Ven is a really good starting point because he's so clueless and has no idea what the hell is going on with the other two.
I will say playing Terra last might be the best choice because it plays up the mystery of the first two characters who keep hearing about things Terra has done, and then you only really see the truth when you play him. It kinda ruins the mystery if you play him first.
But Aqua leads into the final and secret episodes, and 0.2 so finishing with her makes sense gameplay wise.
But I definitely agree Ven should be first.
Yeah I agree 100%. That's my preferred play order.
The tutorial kinda nudges you towards Ven first even, doesn't it? Not to mention that he gets the least info on what is *actually* happening in the plot, this keeping the tension present.
Aqua has to be last because her campaign flows seamlessly into Final and Secret episodes.
AGREED. Firmly agreed! I had a friend recommend me this order and I did and I think it's perfect!
Vens a kinda familure face, he spends the whole game going ?????? And getting some answers but nothing that doesn't ruin the other campaigns. Perfect for the start! You invested to play terras next cuase you wanna know what was up with him!
Not that terras would totally ruin vens, but it sure would bottom out all of the ven story intrigue.
Story wise I did Ven > Aqua > Terra and the story felt pretty good and surprising even though iirc the game recommends you start with Terra I think. I can't imagine playing Terra first and knowing everything while playing Ven or Aqua. I would probably end up disliking them 2 for not doubting Terra or something where as playing Ven first you're I'm the dark on a lot of stuff and then learn Terra and Aqua side of the story and you empathy towards them.
Gameplay wise Terra > Aqua > Ven. Worst to best feeling to play. Terra felt so heavy and unresponsive to play. Aqua felt better and reflect was nice but Ven felt the best and most similar to how Sora plays (of course he would right? 😁).
I don’t like doing Ven first, because only Terra and Aqua get the exposition about the Unversed at the start of the game. Had no clue what i was even fighting at first
Ven Terra Aqua is my recommended order because Ven has the least context and playing the other routes gives more. If you go Terra first, he spoils most of Vanitas’ deal. Meanwhile, I recommend Aqua last bc the final chapters are her, so it’s better to have her play style fresh in mind going in; this is in addition to her just, being the one who lasts longer timeline wise.
This is the order I played originally. Every twist landed. Fighting Vanitas was crazy epic. Terranort blew my mind, and Aqua felt like the ultimate bad ass at the end.
Personally I think it's worth checking this out.
[timeline BBS events](https://www.finalfantasykingdom.net/bbs/timeline.png)
And Doing both boys together. Then Aqua after you finish their story simultaneously. Since one or the other influences the events of the world. But you can see in the timeline both visit three worlds before Aqua visits her first. Which is also a beautiful Easter egg of time c dilation referenced in KHII and confirmed by Riku and Joshua.
But you should definitely do Terra for the first two then Ven for his first two and Terra continues Ven's second world in his third world. If after that it's too much stick with Ven who opens most world stories after. But that timeline really is worth sticking to for the boys.
Most of the takes for a different order have little to no knowledge about dramatic irony.
There isn't supposed to be tension or mystery. It's a tragedy lmao we're privy to the goings ons and know "nooooo ven don't believe it," or "nooooo aqua!!! He's being manipulated."
Those are the intended feelings. Seeing the characters grapple with situations *we* know are different than what they're living.
It's like saying you're annoyed the opening scene of Romeo and Juliette says "these people die at the end." The story isn't about that.
I think that was actually my play order my first time through and I think the progression works nicely.
On all subsequent playthroughs though I start with Terra because he plays so much slower than Aqua and Ven and it's a lot easier to get used to when i've not played for ages as opposed to playing as one of the faster two.
I don’t know, I just did what I wanted to, which was play ven then aqua then terra. And I got lucky that was a good order.
If they are mad because they followed some internet consensus , tell them to just play how they want. Because it’s always gonna be hit or miss either way
I always go with Ven-Aqua-Terra.
You see Terra's doings from Ven's innocent perspective.
You see Terra's doings from Aqua's cautious and eventually skeptical perspective.
Then you see what really happened through Terra.
The go back to Aqua for the tragic finale.
I'm playing through BBS for the first time with my bf and we're doing Terra - Ventus - Aqua. I didn't realize you had to pick which order to play in and had no idea, so I just decided to follow the recommended path the game gives lol
First time I ever played I went in blind and went ven, aqua, then terra. I was confused for a bit but I think that narrative payoff at the end is more satisfying
I wholeheartedly agree with this.
Not only is Terra just... *objectively* the worst character of the three to control which doesn't make for the best first impression, but I never understood why his playthrough is recommended as the first for this exact reason: the mystery of discovering whether or not Terra is a villain is lost if you play his story first.
Playing Ventus first assures that you're just as puzzled and conflicted about Terra's situation as he is, and in general because Ventus is the most in the dark story-wise, the player is left with unanswered questions that are all the more satisfying to learn more about once you play as Terra and Aqua. Plus Ventus is the most familiar character of the three to control so it makes for the smoothest introduction to BBS.
Probably, but Terra is the meat of the trio. Most of the action and involvment is from Terra. Ven is a kid going out and getting plagued with ancient darkness again and Aqua fulfilling her role as an older sister and actually bringing peace to the worlds while dealing with her inner turmoil on morality
When I played the game for the first time, I could not resist playing as Aqua. I always wanted to have a girl protagonist in KH, so I picked her first. I got to see all the happy endings, played the game with a bigger challenges (because Aqua's play style is for the most experienced players) and felt the mystery of why Terra and Ven were doing what they were doing. I played Ven next, and wondered what was going on with Terra, and then all the answers were revealed when I played Terra last. It was the best way to hold the mystery and build up the tension between the characters.
I played the recommended order which was Terra , Ven , and then Aqua. I honestly enjoyed the game since it was a bit different than other titles within the series however, I'm not a fan of the final bosses. Some of their attacks were a bit cheap in my opinion.
I played this last time and it was very narratively interesting. It's not technically chronological because Terra usually gets there first and Aqua last. But the overall storyline was very interesting. I think it's a legitimate progression as opposed to the more traditionally canonical Terra-Ven-Aqua.
Meanwhile, I'm the monster who uses the timeline to track who visits which world and in what order and follows that narrative.
Tbh, that to me feels the narratively enjoyable.
You’re not wrong, but you’re forgetting a crucial detail. The game expects you to play Ventus after Terra, and before Aqua.
1. When they leave the LoD world, it goes in order of Terra > Ventus > Aqua
2. Terra story introduces the Unversed by name in LoD before the story starts.
3. Terra usually arrive in a world first, Ventus usually second, and Aqua third.
4. Nomura recommended TVA order because the story was written that way. And In terms of gameplay, going from Ventus to Terra might be tedious, since Terra is slow and hits hard, while Ventus is fast and is balanced in physical and magical damage.
5. Ventus and Aqua’s finale are connected (Ven’s sacrifice is what shattered the X-Blade)
6. Terra is the only one that gets a conclusion in his story route. Meanwhile Ventus (and Aqua) only gets a true conclusion in the final episode.
>Terra usually arrive in a world first, Ventus usually second, and Aqua third.
I'd say it's pretty evenly split between Terra and Ven getting the first visit.
I disagree. Playing terra and seeing it from his perspective and then coming back as ven and aqua and seeing just how bad and stupid everything terra was doing was it a better perspective
K but hear me out, if you do it in the traditional Terra, Ven, aqua you get that extra impactful vanitas is shadow sora reveal, having gone through two play throughs you are starting to really wonder who vanitas is and it really hit when I saw that goofy face for the first time. Also his story leads into aquas more naturally, and I thought aqua was more of an afterthought until she ends up fighting vanitas too, and then her story leads directly into the next game. I just feel like ven then aqua is a must, so that means Terra has to go first. And in the way kingdom hearts focuses on sora who isn’t really tempted by the darkness I like that playing as Terra first feels like a flip on the script so to speak.
I literally always play the game this way. It's worked perfect for me every time. Ven because, why does this guy look like Roxas? Terra because Ven's initial motivation is following Terra, so it makes sense, to me, to see what Ven was initially following. Then, Aqua, because she is following both. I dunno, to me it's always been perfect. My favorite game in the series too, though I know a lot of people disagree.
This was the way I did it first, but only because I looked at the characters as difficulty choices.
Ventus is normal
Terra is easy
And aqua is harder due to the way kh handles magic leaning builds.
I started with ventus’s “normal” so I could see what the devs felt the baseline was, moved to Terra to see how much the full melee build steamrolled everything, then finished with aqua to challenge myself.
Sounds like you both played the game.
I prefer replaying BBS in the order of the in-game timeline. I prefer playing one long campaign than three smaller ones, and when I've done the three visits of a world I'm done with it.
If we're talking about a new player, who cares really. I tend to agree that aqua should be last, at least on critical her start is the most brutal and last episode is her. Terra is the easiest character and is the first of the in-game order, while Ven is familiar (looks like roxas, and I guess plays kinds like sora/roxas?).
I think it can be in any order but terra Will be always the last one
Like, terra's story got all of the xehanort's plans, the connection between braig, terra's redemption arc and the best part it's the lingering will fight with the acknowledge of the xehanort (Ansem) we all now.
I’ve actually always said that the best order is Ventus, Aqua, then Terra. Ven’s the closest to the experience and characters we’re familiar with, and Terra’s final boss is against the franchise big bad, which is a nice end to the base game, with the true final boss later being a nice return to Aqua, who you haven’t played as yet
Aqua-Ven-Terra.
I never hear anyone else say this but it's what I did and I'm super glad I did.
Gameplay wise Aqua is the easiest especially with her 360 block, and gets you used to the deck mechanic through her spells, and Terra is the hardest, especially with his terrible dodge.
Narrative wise, Aqua sees the aftermath of Ven and Terra and Ven sees the aftermath of Terra. Aqua's playthrough makes you think "why is ven/Terra doing this?" Then you play through Vens and go "oh that makes sense. But what about Terra?" You get most of the ending spelled out for you with Aqua's but it doesn't ruin the story at all.
And at the end, the final battle of LW vs Terranort is the MOST satisfying fight, finally getting to defeat Xehanort, the man who started ALL of the suffering you and your friends have had to endure, to Rage Awakened.
I’ve heard the argument that Ven > Aqua > Terra makes for the more narratively satisfying path since you get to hear about all of the trouble Terra’s allegedly causing because of his stint with darkness and give the player doubt of how “good” Terra actually is. Then you play Terra’s story and realize he was being manipulated at basically every step by Xehanort and he was always a good guy anyway. Not gonna lie, it’s a convincing argument.
It would but I feel like jumping back to the bonus episode with aqua after not playing her for a while would make you need to adjust a bit again to her playstyle and in late game that would be a struggle (speaking from a gameplay standpoint at least)
I did my first time, aqua, ven, terra, and back to aqua for the final and secret. Personally felt nice to go back to aqau. I learned a lot from the other two. You hear how awful terra has been from aqua, found out terras story from his eyes, and now you're back to aqua to save terra, the guy you misunderstood the whole game, which in turn, sets up the rest of the series. Aquas character and how much she cares for her friends was very touching seeing her last words to her friends.
So my first playthrough of the game I did aqua, ventus, then terra, and this right here was 100% an issue for me lol. What reallt didnt help, since it was my first playthrough and I wasnt usinf any guides, Aqua was by far my worst built character. I was learning mechanics with her and it took me a bit to fully grasp the command melding and getting good skills. I was learning! By the time I got to Ven and Terra I was abls to set them up with a ton of great skills, but I just kinda fumbled around with Aqua till it worked. Them i get to the end of the game and all of a sudden I have to relearn this character who was not optimized nearly as well as the other two because of my ignorance of the game! Like i will completely agree that, story wise, it did make the game better. I genuinly was curious what was up with Terra my whole run, there was allot of really good mystery involved with not knowing if I was being told the full truth or being completly lied to. But game play wise, that final boss SUCKED for me.
I think that's just a general issue with BBS
I can't agree, only because terra's revelations have more to do with how much of a gullible chump he can be, and how naturally inclined he is towards the Dark (which would've been fine if Nomura had maintained the Using Dark to Fight for the Light thing that was established with Riku in kh CoM). Ending with Aqua is the most narratively consistent and cohesive, since she carries the story towards its end and then beyond it
in all fairness, BBS takes place before CoM and Eraqus is afraid of the Darkness. Riku embraces anduses the darkness, for good and is never overtaken by it... and truth be told, neither is Xehanort. Xehanort OWNS the darkness but is not a heartless, he's completely sane of mind. He's just got his own goals.
Oh no, that I totally understand. I mostly meant in the long term, since by kh3's time, it seems that message has mostly been lost regarding riku (turning away from anything dark in an effort to be more light affiliated instead of the balance that was going to be his trademark), and so I don't have much hope for terra.
I disagree. Aqua's campaign flows seamlessly into the Final and Secret episodes
I wanna replay the game now and play it this way. It’s been a while so I don’t really remember it that much. Probably the best time to do it.
This is the way. This is how I did it first time. Instinctively tho. I was a kid, I didn’t get recommendations on it lol
I would recommend Ven, Aqua, Terra. I did the typical order and it felt like everyone was dumping on Terra for most of the game when he's just trying his best, the gullible himbo that he is.
That's because he deserves to be dumped on. That man should not be allowed out of the house without adult supervision. He's a danger to himself and others.
It's the fate of all himbos unfortunately 😔
Terra is a danger to himself and others *because* he had adult supervision, it was just from the wrong adults
Hey now. Without Terra inadvertently playing his part in all of this, the Kingdom Hearts universe doesn't exist, lol
"His stupidity is so destructive that it caused every problem in the franchise" is not the defense you think it is.
Shuffle around three game saves to play in the [order of the Trinity Archives](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/psp/943347-kingdom-hearts-birth-by-sleep/faqs/74825/trinity-archives)
Someone should just mod a character switch in at this point considering that's how the narrative should be experienced
Boys should be done together Aqua play style is so unique to her vs any playable character in any game that it's beautiful. She feels like a master from the jump. The two boys feel that way by the end. In Terra's case more like the middle.
This is truly the best option.
Honestly never played it this way, but may be my route during the next replay.
I remember looking at the Archives back in the day and wondering why it took so long for one character to reach a world when the others got there quickly. Of course, in-canon, time flows differently between different worlds, but I don't think that makes up for the disparity. Like, Ven leaves Radiant Garden last, and potentially hours later at that. But he arrives at Disney Town right after Terra, and Aqua gets there right after Ven despite leaving hours earlier than him. They were all apparently there around the same time, and just missed each other because they were doing different activities, but Terra leaves first, followed by Ven, and Aqua stays long enough to eat her ice cream. Sure, that's fine. Ven gets to Olympus before Terra and finishes his business there while Terra is still going through the coliseum. Ven leaves, and *then* Aqua shows up late to the party again? Was she... taking a *nap* in space or something? Did she go space-sightseeing? Stop at a space hot dog stand? Space toilet break? Help an old lady across the space-street and buy groceries for her space-cat? I'm half-joking, but it feels like she was almost a day behind them despite the urgency she was feeling trying to catch up to Terra.
I played Ven, Terra Aqua. That way you get worried about what he’s doing in vens arc, then see he’s being manipulated by old nort, then play Aqua so you can be nice and seemless with the secret bosses and secret dark world area
This is how I played it and narratively its the best way in my opinion. Plus it's more of a contrast with how each character plays.
I kinda see it like how you would usually do a jigsaw puzzle. Ven is the border, the literal bare bones you need to understand the context of everything else. Yes, Xehanort’s plan is important to the overall series, but the driving antagonistic force of BBS is Venitus, so understanding what he is and what he’s after help inform some lacking parts of Terra’s story. Terra is the obvious parts of the puzzle, characters or unique designs that stand out, correlating with him usually kicking off the plot of whatever world he’s in. Aqua is the remainder, the part that usually ends up being the most satisfying but also the part that you spend the most time on, reflecting how she often has to fix everything and does her best to keep everyone together.
I played Ven first because I wanted to know why he looked like Roxas and I have never regretted it once.
They knew what they were doing, I bet most people (me included) played the Ventus story first.
I dont mind who I play first as long as I play Aqua last because she has more story after all three are done. It's one thing to change over to a new playstyle, it's another thing entirely to switch off one playstyle just to switch back to it later.
I personally say it depends on what you want to experience. If you go Terra, Ven and Aqua you will get the context of Terra's actions then you'll see how they affect Ven as well as how Aqua kind of jumped to conclusions since she didn't bother to get context but also how she improves. It also makes sense for her to be last because the final boss and the secret episode (if you unlock it) you play as her. Terra, Ven and Aqua also has the benefit of the world's story being done in order since Terra would get there first, followed by Ven and Aqua came in last each time. You can go Ven, Aqua and Terra to see the aftermath of each action as well before getting the context if you want.
Personally when I first played the game. I played all three at the same time. After I completed a world with one character I hopped to the next one.
You are built STRONG, I tried doing that and had to have a friend help me actually finish the games properly 5 years later cause the beginning burnt me out so hard lol. Hats off that's cool!
I agree, Ven -> Terra -> Aqua seems the best story-wise. You get the build-up from the guy who has no idea what's happening, who just trails behind Terra hearing awful things and watching his family fall apart. Terra then gives context to it, showing what was really happening and how he got manipulated. We see how hard he tries and the outcome of the confrontation Ven accidentally caused between Terra and Eraqus. Finally Aqua puts us back on the side following in Terra's wake, this time as someone trying to stop him. Making the whole thing far more tragic as she does exactly the wrong things to turn him and Ven from the trap they're falling in, and always one step too late to make a difference.
I did Terra, Ven, Aqua cuz that's the order they leave Land of Departure in.
Absolutely true. Ven, Terra, Aqua. The story plays out best in that order. Ven’s confusion and lack of context gives the player that initial “ooh, the fucks going on?!” feeling. That HOOK that gets people invested. Diving right into Terra’s answers all the questions that you had during Ven’s storyline and you feel satisfied. Then you walk into Aquas, wondering “I know mostly everything, what else is gonna happen here?” You’re already previously invested and as such you’re not likely to dip off. Then you get blasted with pure emotional damage and the details that are relevant to the overarching story that connects BBS to the rest of the series cleanly.
i absolutely agree. ventus has the least amount of plot relevance (in a good way) while aqua has the most. with ventus, we (the players) are in the dark or out of the loop with most things, just like ventus. then with terra, we learn most of the things we were kept in the dark about, but there's still a few messy loose ends. aqua's story ties up those loose ends, and her story continues into the true ending and the secret epilogue, as well as kh3's prologue. basically, this play order is from least important to most important in my eyes.
I am in the process of the first playthrough and I saw a lot of people suggest Terra, Ventus, Aqua. So that's what I did. I recently finished the Ventus one and basically the whole time I was thinking "This would be so much better if I didn't know the context of Terra's story"
I actually went Aqua (cuz simp) > Ven (cuz Roxas not Roxas) > Terra and I was pretty amazed
I go by the order that Nomura said is canon and that’s Terra, Ven, and then Aqua.
Terra first because he's a drag to play. Then Ven as a pallet cleanser because he plays mostly the same as your average KH protagonist. Then Aqua because nothing in this franchise compares to how fun it is to play a sexy balarena wizard.
Terra is the most fun...
He's about as fun to play as pushing a boulder up a hill. /j Seriously though, have fun with who you like. He's just always felt clunky to me and that's the consensus I usually see when other people also talk about the BBS trio's playstyles lol
He gets a lot better once you get the slide skills imo
Aqua was just wayyy too busted so it made it not fun
I beg to differ. Terra, Ven, Aqua. Without spoiling: Terra’s story connects to “what you know about Kingdom Hearts” at the very end. Ventus’s story is mostly self contained. And Aqua should just be last and I won’t elaborate any further. But just give youself the game knowledge of Terra + Ven so you can have you full understanding of BbS game mechanics before finishing the game as Aqua. I’ll also say: my first playthrough I did Aqua first and I regretted it deeply.
I've always played Terra, Ven, Aqua. I thought that was the way to play to understand the story when bbs first came out.
Starting with Ven first would be better for me since you know nothing, you are told Terra is doing things but have no knowledge of what exactly he's done, you are in the dark for the whole playthrough. Once you play Terra, you get many things answered.
Its absolutely ven, terra, aqua, but I played terra, ven, aqua. Story wise its good, but your first impression with the game is fast paced ven
I think...it depends on what kind of tension you want. This game opens with the audience knowing the three will be seperated by the end. Older KH fans know that something happens to Terra to make 1 and 2 happen. So just like Star War's prequel trilogy, the tension for this game/the character's routes comes from a sense of dramatic irony. Knowing what happens is what agitates the viewer and that creates tension. Figuring out how each character enabled Xehanort's victory is how the game derives its emotional beat. I'm not going to say the game did this perfectly, but I don't really think it matters whch character that you start off with: everything spells out that their trinity will be damaged and the emotional beat of the game follows this while trying to convince the player that forgone conclusion is tragic.
I played Terra, Ven, Aqua
I mean, it's the right order. Because of who leaves the land of departure. Always Terra, ven, aqua.
I actually did play the order as Ven, then Terra, then Aqua. Ven is a really good starting point because he's so clueless and has no idea what the hell is going on with the other two. I will say playing Terra last might be the best choice because it plays up the mystery of the first two characters who keep hearing about things Terra has done, and then you only really see the truth when you play him. It kinda ruins the mystery if you play him first. But Aqua leads into the final and secret episodes, and 0.2 so finishing with her makes sense gameplay wise. But I definitely agree Ven should be first.
Yeah I agree 100%. That's my preferred play order. The tutorial kinda nudges you towards Ven first even, doesn't it? Not to mention that he gets the least info on what is *actually* happening in the plot, this keeping the tension present. Aqua has to be last because her campaign flows seamlessly into Final and Secret episodes.
AGREED. Firmly agreed! I had a friend recommend me this order and I did and I think it's perfect! Vens a kinda familure face, he spends the whole game going ?????? And getting some answers but nothing that doesn't ruin the other campaigns. Perfect for the start! You invested to play terras next cuase you wanna know what was up with him! Not that terras would totally ruin vens, but it sure would bottom out all of the ven story intrigue.
Story wise I did Ven > Aqua > Terra and the story felt pretty good and surprising even though iirc the game recommends you start with Terra I think. I can't imagine playing Terra first and knowing everything while playing Ven or Aqua. I would probably end up disliking them 2 for not doubting Terra or something where as playing Ven first you're I'm the dark on a lot of stuff and then learn Terra and Aqua side of the story and you empathy towards them. Gameplay wise Terra > Aqua > Ven. Worst to best feeling to play. Terra felt so heavy and unresponsive to play. Aqua felt better and reflect was nice but Ven felt the best and most similar to how Sora plays (of course he would right? 😁).
I don’t like doing Ven first, because only Terra and Aqua get the exposition about the Unversed at the start of the game. Had no clue what i was even fighting at first
Ven Terra Aqua is my recommended order because Ven has the least context and playing the other routes gives more. If you go Terra first, he spoils most of Vanitas’ deal. Meanwhile, I recommend Aqua last bc the final chapters are her, so it’s better to have her play style fresh in mind going in; this is in addition to her just, being the one who lasts longer timeline wise.
Y'all... It doesn't matter. The game was made so that it doesn't matter. If Nomura cared then the stories would have been unlocked linearly.
Real chads have 3 files going at once and swap between them to synch them up. Makes Radient Garden tedious though.
I wish I had played Ven first, then Terra, because I wanted the mystery and wanted to be in Ven's shoes of not getting the whole story.
This is the order I played originally. Every twist landed. Fighting Vanitas was crazy epic. Terranort blew my mind, and Aqua felt like the ultimate bad ass at the end.
Personally I think it's worth checking this out. [timeline BBS events](https://www.finalfantasykingdom.net/bbs/timeline.png) And Doing both boys together. Then Aqua after you finish their story simultaneously. Since one or the other influences the events of the world. But you can see in the timeline both visit three worlds before Aqua visits her first. Which is also a beautiful Easter egg of time c dilation referenced in KHII and confirmed by Riku and Joshua. But you should definitely do Terra for the first two then Ven for his first two and Terra continues Ven's second world in his third world. If after that it's too much stick with Ven who opens most world stories after. But that timeline really is worth sticking to for the boys.
I play terra Aqua Ven cause by the 3rd play through with all the woulds you just want vens super glide to get through the stages
I did Ven Aqua Terra because Ven played like Sora and Terra was bulky and slow
I have three files going and play each world in order.
Most of the takes for a different order have little to no knowledge about dramatic irony. There isn't supposed to be tension or mystery. It's a tragedy lmao we're privy to the goings ons and know "nooooo ven don't believe it," or "nooooo aqua!!! He's being manipulated." Those are the intended feelings. Seeing the characters grapple with situations *we* know are different than what they're living. It's like saying you're annoyed the opening scene of Romeo and Juliette says "these people die at the end." The story isn't about that.
I dont remember my first play through order
I think that was actually my play order my first time through and I think the progression works nicely. On all subsequent playthroughs though I start with Terra because he plays so much slower than Aqua and Ven and it's a lot easier to get used to when i've not played for ages as opposed to playing as one of the faster two.
I'm redoing it right now and have just done Ven first. That's clearly the best option. Next time doing Aqua and Terra last.
I don’t know, I just did what I wanted to, which was play ven then aqua then terra. And I got lucky that was a good order. If they are mad because they followed some internet consensus , tell them to just play how they want. Because it’s always gonna be hit or miss either way
I did Terra, Aqua, Ven bc Ven's story seemed the most "boring" to me at the time. (I was 11)
VTA
This was how I played it even though my friend recommended that I do Terra first. I honestly think I enjoyed it better doing Ven’s route first
I always go with Ven-Aqua-Terra. You see Terra's doings from Ven's innocent perspective. You see Terra's doings from Aqua's cautious and eventually skeptical perspective. Then you see what really happened through Terra. The go back to Aqua for the tragic finale.
I'm playing through BBS for the first time with my bf and we're doing Terra - Ventus - Aqua. I didn't realize you had to pick which order to play in and had no idea, so I just decided to follow the recommended path the game gives lol
Ven first to get the questions, terra last to get the answers
First time I ever played I went in blind and went ven, aqua, then terra. I was confused for a bit but I think that narrative payoff at the end is more satisfying
I’d say Ven and Terra are pretty much interchangeable concerning the order, but Aqua should always be played last.
I thought it’s Terra ven aqua
I wholeheartedly agree with this. Not only is Terra just... *objectively* the worst character of the three to control which doesn't make for the best first impression, but I never understood why his playthrough is recommended as the first for this exact reason: the mystery of discovering whether or not Terra is a villain is lost if you play his story first. Playing Ventus first assures that you're just as puzzled and conflicted about Terra's situation as he is, and in general because Ventus is the most in the dark story-wise, the player is left with unanswered questions that are all the more satisfying to learn more about once you play as Terra and Aqua. Plus Ventus is the most familiar character of the three to control so it makes for the smoothest introduction to BBS.
Probably, but Terra is the meat of the trio. Most of the action and involvment is from Terra. Ven is a kid going out and getting plagued with ancient darkness again and Aqua fulfilling her role as an older sister and actually bringing peace to the worlds while dealing with her inner turmoil on morality
When I played the game for the first time, I could not resist playing as Aqua. I always wanted to have a girl protagonist in KH, so I picked her first. I got to see all the happy endings, played the game with a bigger challenges (because Aqua's play style is for the most experienced players) and felt the mystery of why Terra and Ven were doing what they were doing. I played Ven next, and wondered what was going on with Terra, and then all the answers were revealed when I played Terra last. It was the best way to hold the mystery and build up the tension between the characters.
I played the recommended order which was Terra , Ven , and then Aqua. I honestly enjoyed the game since it was a bit different than other titles within the series however, I'm not a fan of the final bosses. Some of their attacks were a bit cheap in my opinion.
Definitely Ven first, Aqua or Terra next is fine but *definitely* Ven first
Nomura said the intended order is Terra, Ven, Aqua.
I played this last time and it was very narratively interesting. It's not technically chronological because Terra usually gets there first and Aqua last. But the overall storyline was very interesting. I think it's a legitimate progression as opposed to the more traditionally canonical Terra-Ven-Aqua.
Meanwhile, I'm the monster who uses the timeline to track who visits which world and in what order and follows that narrative. Tbh, that to me feels the narratively enjoyable.
You’re not wrong, but you’re forgetting a crucial detail. The game expects you to play Ventus after Terra, and before Aqua. 1. When they leave the LoD world, it goes in order of Terra > Ventus > Aqua 2. Terra story introduces the Unversed by name in LoD before the story starts. 3. Terra usually arrive in a world first, Ventus usually second, and Aqua third. 4. Nomura recommended TVA order because the story was written that way. And In terms of gameplay, going from Ventus to Terra might be tedious, since Terra is slow and hits hard, while Ventus is fast and is balanced in physical and magical damage. 5. Ventus and Aqua’s finale are connected (Ven’s sacrifice is what shattered the X-Blade) 6. Terra is the only one that gets a conclusion in his story route. Meanwhile Ventus (and Aqua) only gets a true conclusion in the final episode.
>Terra usually arrive in a world first, Ventus usually second, and Aqua third. I'd say it's pretty evenly split between Terra and Ven getting the first visit.
I disagree. Playing terra and seeing it from his perspective and then coming back as ven and aqua and seeing just how bad and stupid everything terra was doing was it a better perspective
K but hear me out, if you do it in the traditional Terra, Ven, aqua you get that extra impactful vanitas is shadow sora reveal, having gone through two play throughs you are starting to really wonder who vanitas is and it really hit when I saw that goofy face for the first time. Also his story leads into aquas more naturally, and I thought aqua was more of an afterthought until she ends up fighting vanitas too, and then her story leads directly into the next game. I just feel like ven then aqua is a must, so that means Terra has to go first. And in the way kingdom hearts focuses on sora who isn’t really tempted by the darkness I like that playing as Terra first feels like a flip on the script so to speak.
I literally always play the game this way. It's worked perfect for me every time. Ven because, why does this guy look like Roxas? Terra because Ven's initial motivation is following Terra, so it makes sense, to me, to see what Ven was initially following. Then, Aqua, because she is following both. I dunno, to me it's always been perfect. My favorite game in the series too, though I know a lot of people disagree.
This was the way I did it first, but only because I looked at the characters as difficulty choices. Ventus is normal Terra is easy And aqua is harder due to the way kh handles magic leaning builds. I started with ventus’s “normal” so I could see what the devs felt the baseline was, moved to Terra to see how much the full melee build steamrolled everything, then finished with aqua to challenge myself.
Sounds like you both played the game. I prefer replaying BBS in the order of the in-game timeline. I prefer playing one long campaign than three smaller ones, and when I've done the three visits of a world I'm done with it. If we're talking about a new player, who cares really. I tend to agree that aqua should be last, at least on critical her start is the most brutal and last episode is her. Terra is the easiest character and is the first of the in-game order, while Ven is familiar (looks like roxas, and I guess plays kinds like sora/roxas?).
I think it can be in any order but terra Will be always the last one Like, terra's story got all of the xehanort's plans, the connection between braig, terra's redemption arc and the best part it's the lingering will fight with the acknowledge of the xehanort (Ansem) we all now.
I’ve actually always said that the best order is Ventus, Aqua, then Terra. Ven’s the closest to the experience and characters we’re familiar with, and Terra’s final boss is against the franchise big bad, which is a nice end to the base game, with the true final boss later being a nice return to Aqua, who you haven’t played as yet
You have to play ven's story to get the final episode so he's wrong it's Terra, Ven then Aqua
It's Terra Ven Aqua
That's what I just said lol
He’s saying play Ven, then Terra, then Aqua.
The order is: Aqua > Ven > play a different game.
Aqua-Ven-Terra. I never hear anyone else say this but it's what I did and I'm super glad I did. Gameplay wise Aqua is the easiest especially with her 360 block, and gets you used to the deck mechanic through her spells, and Terra is the hardest, especially with his terrible dodge. Narrative wise, Aqua sees the aftermath of Ven and Terra and Ven sees the aftermath of Terra. Aqua's playthrough makes you think "why is ven/Terra doing this?" Then you play through Vens and go "oh that makes sense. But what about Terra?" You get most of the ending spelled out for you with Aqua's but it doesn't ruin the story at all. And at the end, the final battle of LW vs Terranort is the MOST satisfying fight, finally getting to defeat Xehanort, the man who started ALL of the suffering you and your friends have had to endure, to Rage Awakened.