It's difficult to argue the position that Kingdom Hearts 2 continues to maintain its top tier spot among the rest of the series, even if individual players may have their own personal favorite title. However, as great as much of the game and its many encounters are, there are naturally some blemishes here and there that causes it to fall short as the top tier Kingdom Hearts experience for some players.
In the case of Kingdom Hearts 2, one of the stronger examples of a moment that becomes a point of contention, even for longtime fans, is the fight against the Hot Rods in the Timeless River world. To make matters worse, this frustrating Heartless appears during what is otherwise a major highpoint for the game, as players travel through a world that acts more as fanservice than as an actual urgent element of the plot.
Mickey Mouse in the Timeless River
Setting the scene for the moment that the Hot Rods appear in, the Timeless River is often elevated as one of the best worlds in Kingdom Hearts 2. This mostly comes down to the clever ways that Square Enix went about development of this world, giving extensive focus to every aspect from sound design to the character dynamics between Pete and Mickey. The whole area acts as a loving callback to classic Disney cartoons, most notably paying homage to the Steamboat Willie cartoon that most fans think of as the introduction of Mickey Mouse.
On top of the references to classic Disney, the level also has a short, but intriguing plot, as the characters mistake the older versions of Pete from before he was established as an antagonist in cartoon canon as the villain from the game. It's a simple enough point of contention that most fans would generally see through right away, but it still gives a level of nuance to the characters that most Kingdom Hearts 2 worlds don't have the freedom to explore. However, this whole experience has a habit of getting cut short when players are pitted against the Scene of the Fire mini section in the middle of exploring the world.
The Timeless River Fire
The Timeless River as a level is split up into three major sections: the starting point where players first run into Pete, a middle section where Sora is tasked with saving four cartoon locations, and finally the two-part confrontation against the actual Disney villain Future Pete. It's during this middle section that Sora has to defeat Heartless in Mickey's House, Scene of the Fire, Lilliput, and Building Site, all of which return for the final fight against Pete. In Scene of the Fire specifically, the player has to fight off multiple heartless as they try to save a building from being burned to the ground, with the encounter introducing Hot Rods as a frustrating obstacle.
As an encounter, having to defeat Heartless while on the clock to save the burning building isn't a terrible task on its own, and certainly isn't the first time this mechanic is seen in Kingdom Hearts 2. The problem comes when the Hot Rods refuse to take any kind of damage while performing their charging attack, while there is little the player can do to stop the fire in the meantime. It makes for such a difficult section that more Kingdom Hearts related guides have been written about timing magic and outlasting the Hot Rod's attack than most other challenges in the second game.
Hot Rods Reappear in Olympus Coliseum
Unfortunately, the Hot Rod isn't only limited to this one specific section of the game, where they might be forgotten as the player moves on from Disney Castle and the Timeless River to start the second visits of most worlds. These enemies also appear in one of the sections of Kingdom Hearts 2 with the most replay value, the Olympus Coliseum and its Underdrome. To be fair, most Heartless reappear in this extra challenge, but the Hot Rod shows up during what would already be the most difficult section of the Hades Paradox Cup as a wall for player progress.
Specifically, these enemies show up in Match 46, the last fight before the final gauntlet of respawning Heartless, boss fights, and encounters against Kingdom Hearts 2's Final Fantasy characters. While the fights to come are the ultimate challenge of the fifty-round tournament, putting two enemies that have the potential to remain completely invincible almost indefinitely can wear the player down fast. Well timed magic or proper use of the Counterattack ability can reduce the frustration that Hot Rods cause. So, finding them later in the game when the player is more likely to have the correct tools at their disposal can help get through the fight a bit easier than when facing them in the Timeless River.
Mad Ride Variants Causing Struggles in the Cavern of Remembrance
On the subject of facing off against the Hot Rod during the later parts of the game, a variant was added to the Final Mix version which appears during the Cavern of Remembrance. This is an endgame location that grants access to some of the most challenging platforming and combat available, with the single exception of the Lingering Will in Disney Castle. However, this high-level location is first available to enter early in Kingdom Hearts 2, with one of the first rooms greeting players with a Heartless known as the Mad Ride.
For the most part, the Mad Ride is little more than a variant of the Hot Rod, though it is notable in being more powerful and aggressive, as well as having a desperation move at low health. Regardless, at the point that players can first run into this enemy, it acts as an imposing force that tells them to leave immediately and come back after reaching a much higher level. So, while taking these enemies out doesn't exactly reach the same heights as some of Kingdom Hearts 2's boss encounters, the Mad Ride and Hot Rod still act as a frustrating wall at times, due almost entirely to their ability to become invincible.
Kingdom Hearts 2 is available now for PC, PS2, PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.