Releasing in North America on September 17th, 2002, the game Kingdom Hearts initially received excellent reviews and instantly established a large fan base.
It was the game which, 14 years later, has spawned numerous sequels and prequels (the series currently includes, counting re-releases and games currently in production, 13 games) and has won numerous awards, as well as holding the position of 10th best-selling PS2 game of all time. The game includes a slew of influences from other franchises, being a child of parent-franchise Final Fantasy (several characters from that series make appearances throughout Kingdom Hearts) and basing many of the various worlds on Disney universes. The game follows protagonist Sora and his companions, Donald and Goofy on their never ending quest to find Sora’s friend Riku, as well as King Mickey, and restore their home. Along the way many battles, complications, and other plotlines arise, making this a game that is relatable and accessible to everyone. I firmly believe anyone, whether you’re an avid gamer or know nothing of the medium, should play Kingdom Hearts.
The lessons taught in this game are universal. With an over-arching lesson that light and darkness exist in every heart and a person’s destiny is what they make of it, the game also manages to touch on the morals of various Disney movies in that movies specific world. Whether it’s “appreciate what you have” from The Little Mermaid or “everyone has the strength of a hero if they try hard enough” from Hercules, everyone can find a lesson they relate to presented by relatable characters. Even the main characters of Kingdom Hearts find themselves in situations that arise in the real world, such as Riku’s constant struggle between the light and the darkness within himself, after initially believing the darkness to be stronger. Donald, Goofy, and Mickey Mouse (referred to in-game as King Mickey, or simply The King) spend most of the game having shed their Disney personas to become part of the larger plot, while maintaining proper voicing and temperament. The manipulation of Disney characters and worlds into a Final Fantasy-child franchise is a fascinating occurrence that manages to flow beautifully and yield a beautiful final result.
The animation found both during gameplay as well as in the cutscenes is absolutely breathtaking, despite there being a few mini-scenes that feature less than appealing mouth animations. The attention to detail in certain Disney characters, such as Oogie-Boogie or Dragon-Form Maleficent is a wonderful homage to those character’s original universes while still maintaining legitimacy in the new universe. The combat in game is never once hindered by environmental issues and the controls are easy to pick up and get used to, but take dedication and practice to truly master. The difficulty curve is a perfect mix of slowly but progressively upping the challenge, and the game does a good job of offering player-choice in terms of how difficult they want to make the game for themselves (even if starting with a more powerful world and grinding makes the easy levels a breeze). What’s better is the first game in the series did all of these things well, yet still continued to refine them even more making these features better in sequels (with the obvious exception of Chain of Memories, because no one liked the card based battle system).
With Kingdom Hearts 2.8: A Fragmentary Passage being regularly teased and Kingdom Hearts III well into development, it’s a wonderful time to be a Kingdom Hearts fan. Many have denounced the series simply for its story, with Master Xehanort becoming something of a time-travelling god (vaguely reminiscent of the Spongebob episode where EVERYONE IS SQUIDWARD), but those of us who appreciate originality, fun gameplay, and story that’s unafraid to tug at your very heartstrings will stick to the Kingdom Hearts franchise until our very last day. If the aforementioned sounds like you (or even if you’re just looking for something new to play), Kingdom Hearts comes with the highest of recommendations.
