kh3d: first boss

[01habbo]

is freakin annoying i manage to pass it with Riku but with Sora the freaking monkey is getting on my nerves! I'm crap at the jumping and the wall to wall movement any tips with this guy?

[KoFF]

Honestly, after hearing what you said about him on MSN, I braced myself for a difficult battle. I also remembered him seeming slightly more challenging than usual early KH bosses when I played the demo, but... When I got the full game, it was like a breeze on Proud Mode. Maybe it's just a level-thing again. I hadn't grinded up to that point but I had definitely spent loads of time exploring so it might have added up, lol.
That said, after ending the game, Critical Mode was unlocked and I started a new playthrough - still playing it - and he really got a lot stronger, lol. Just a few hits and you're dead if you're not careful and strategic (or lucky?). Not painfully hard, but still dangerous.

Anyway, other than grinding levels and unlocking great abilities from Spirits, I don't know what more can be said. I usually employ all out offense, but if you wanna be on the safe side, maybe watch out for when he does his ground pummeling. That attack makes it hard to get in full combos and you get hit a lot, so try to stay clear of his berserk mode. You may also want to try using Shock Dive attacks through Flowmotion (the attack where you JUMP up from a wall and crush into the ground, causing a shockwave). It's easy to perform, keeps you in the air (making it easier to dodge attacks) and causes good and quick damage. It makes for a good evasive strategy.
You may also want to have some Cure magic on... Or Cura/Curaga. For your first playthrough, Meow Wow unlocks Cure magic early. Also make sure to make Cure your shortcut command so you don't fuck up the battle menu when you need to heal the most... Unless you already healed and have to wait for the command to fill up again o_O.

At least we can agree on one thing, it would seem. Sora's side is harder than Riku's. Imo, it kinda works like that for all worlds except the final bosses, where I find Riku's more challenging. Can't wait for those on Critical... OH! OH! And at the end you can refight old bosses at higher difficulty than normal. Combine that with Critical Mode. <3<3<3 (I haven't found any secret bosses in this game yet though?)

[Finisterre]

Ugh, Hockomonkey was a pretty tough customer. I think I had to hoard potions for both Sora and Riku to stand much of a chance. >_> Then again, I still haven't figured out how to set up shortcut commands....

I second KoFF's suggestion with Dream Eater abilities like Cure via Meow Wow--and if you have any spells like Gravity, they'll naturally be useless against bosses (AFAIK anyway, I'm fairly early in the game myself xD), so if you're crammed for command slots, that can afford to go temporarily. If you wanna be cheap about it, having two slots dedicated to healing--like say two Cure spells, or maybe one Cure and some potions--will usually mean you'll be ready to heal as soon as you need it. It's saved my hide more than once. xD There's also that Flick Rush mini-game practically beside the entrance to the boss...I believe it provides both Cure and potions if you collect points there. Said minigame also provides Water Barrels and such to help you level grind the Dream Eaters.

For offensive stuff, I tend to favor Fire over Blizzard as I believe the former homes in on foes, which will be great since the first boss jumps freaking everywhere. xD Balloon, or at least Balloonra (that's another Meow Wow spell I think), I've also found surprisingly good. Then there was a Keyblade attack, Drain Dive, and it's also useful since Sora/Riku will jump in the air and slam the ground at a fast rate, so it's almost like giving them an invincibility frame while at the same time doing some reasonable damage. The Komory Bat provides it. It's like the Flowmotion Shock Dive attack KoFF also suggests (and I also second :P), without needing to go into Flowmotion, so it should come in handy.

Lastly, if you plan to stay close to the boss, I'd recommend being ready to guard at any given moment, and listen closely for him--I remember as soon as he grunted was when he was going to attack, and that was when you needed to guard. You can even guard against the skill where he was going to kick you for a short while, so it helps for pretty much anything he has, barring one skill--the one where he puts ya in his box and whacks you constantly on the head. I forget what he'd do just before that to warn you, but fortunately, the damage that does can be healed off quickly.

[KoFF]

Ugh, Hockomonkey was a pretty tough customer. I think I had to hoard potions for both Sora and Riku to stand much of a chance. >_> Then again, I still haven't figured out how to set up shortcut commands....

It's a lot simpler than it sounds at first. Your shortcut command is whatever command you have listed in the top of your command deck. So if Cure is the top command in your deck, press left on the directional buttons during gameplay, and the command will skip right to Cure. You can also rearrange active commands in your deck by using the directional buttons in the deck menu.

[Finisterre]

It's a lot simpler than it sounds at first. Your shortcut command is whatever command you have listed in the top of your command deck. So if Cure is the top command in your deck, press left on the directional buttons during gameplay, and the command will skip right to Cure. You can also rearrange active commands in your deck by using the directional buttons in the deck menu.

Thanks again for the shortcut commands--I've been using them like crazy now that I've discovered them. Usually what's gotten me killed even when having two Cures is trying to use the Up and Down buttons searching for then like a madman, lol. But now? Bosses, look out!

As for secret bosses, not sure if the guy I found counts as one, but have you seen the whitish Sir/Chef Kyroo (frog with shield and sword/frying pan)? I first saw him with Riku in Les Cite des Cloches, at the north end inside the cathedral. He'll challenge you to a match if you talk to him, has tons of other Kyroo allies, has like...8 or 9 HP bars himself, though he eventually runs away after you've knocked out around two of them. I just found him again in Prankster's Paradise with Sora, in the Promontory, where he eventually ran off again. ><

[KoFF]

As for secret bosses, not sure if the guy I found counts as one, but have you seen the whitish Sir/Chef Kyroo (frog with shield and sword/frying pan)? I first saw him with Riku in Les Cite des Cloches, at the north end inside the cathedral. He'll challenge you to a match if you talk to him, has tons of other Kyroo allies, has like...8 or 9 HP bars himself, though he eventually runs away after you've knocked out around two of them. I just found him again in Prankster's Paradise with Sora, in the Promontory, where he eventually ran off again. ><

It's worth a mention, definitely. I don't see it as a "boss" per say, but it may(?) the only enemy in the entire game that offers an optional special battle. There aren't any real spoilers about the enemy but I'm still gonna put the rest in a spoiler.

Spoiler: What's the deal and where to find him? 

Like you said, you found him in 2 places. There's another place for him and here's how it works.

1. La Cité des Cloches = Riku
2. Prankster's Paradise = Sora
3. Symphony of Sorcery = Riku

After encountering him the third time, he resets to his first position again.

You can keep fighting him like this till you eventually are strong/fast enough to beat him.
The prize is his Spirit Recipe. Personally, I really like him on the team. He's very fast and deals good damage. I also think he's a good choice for Flick Rush, if you can get used to his quick speed.

Also note that whoever you beat Kyroo with will earn an HP boost. This makes it a kind of missable upgrade, since you have to choose who to beat him with. I think you have to beat him with Sora, if you want Riku and Sora to have the same amount of HP at the end of the game, but if you want Riku to be more healthy, beat it with him, lol.

EDIT: Oh, and you also unlock another Drop Bonus, Link Accelerator (it speeds up the Link Gauge). I just beat him again on Critical and forgot you earned that from him.

UPDATE: Okay, so there IS a secret boss in the game! It's KH so it would be stranger if there wasn't, lol. I randomly encountered him while hunting for a Special Portal in the Fountain Plaza of Traverse Town. Not gonna spoil who or what it is, but trust me, it'll surprise you. I don't really get surprised much but this one I really did not foresee at ALL. Wonder if there'll be more of his character in the future KH games, but I'm thinking this is a one-time appearance. Awesome nevertheless. Not typical KH at all.
Of course the boss is also pretty hard compared to everything else in the game, but imo he's not on the top 3 of hardest KH bosses.
As for the Special Portal, I was lucky enough to beat the secret boss with enough time on the drop clock to get it.