Let me start off by saying that I'm a huge Kingdom Hearts fan. I love the games and it has captured me from its very first entry as a young child. September 16th, 2002 was a huge year for me when I heard about a Square Enix RPG featuring Final Fantasy and Disney characters; it blew my mind and when my older brother bought it and we loaded up our PS2, we took ourselves on an unforgettable journey. A journey that has lasted for 14 years, spanning across the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS and 3DS and our cell phones. I've gone on to play each game in the series to keep up with the series and I eagerly await the next entry, Kingdom Hearts 3. For now, let's focus on the latest game in the franchise, Kingdom Hearts Unchained X.
Kingdom Hearts Unchained X is made for mobile phones, so if you've got iOS or Android, then you've got access to the game and it is free to play save for optional microtransactions. It can also be played in web browsers. This game is the North American re-release of the same Japanese version Kingdom Hearts X, which released three years ago. In the overall timeline of the series, these games take place before Birth by Sleep. Unchained X sets up the events of the infamous Keyblade War which lays the foundation for the present day events of Kingdom Hearts. You take control of your player created character who is chosen to become a Keyblade Wielder and you travel to well known Disney inspired worlds to defeat Heartless and collect Light.
Combat is turn based and attacks are performed by using a style similar to Chain of Memories card system. Instead of worrying about having card values and combinations, you use medals which can be upgraded and evolved to more powerful forms and each has different effects and element damage. Heartless enemies have different element weaknesses, so planning your load out for each level will be important to deal massive damage and adapt to each situation. As far as customization goes, your player character can wear various Disney or Square Enix inspired costumes and each has a upgrade board to which you can spend Avatar Coins; gained through leveling up and completing objectives within levels to get stat boosts and upgrades. Doing missions consumes your AP, which acts as your stamina and this can be restored by simply waiting or using potions which can be earned or bought. Keyblades are also earned the classic way by progressing through the world that it is tied to and they too can be upgraded to get stronger bonuses. There is multiplayer in which players can team up together and take down powerful raid bosses to earn rare items. It's nothing to shake a tail feather at; you'll often get paired up with players at much higher level who could solo the boss themselves.
Kingdom Hearts Unchained X is fairly simple and sweet. The microtransactions aren't annoying and unfairly balanced to make a player weaker for not succumbing to them. Most of them can be bought with in game currency but the grind for that currency is stale and quite long. The game overall is fun and worth a try, but the smaller scale of the worlds and gameplay mechanics makes it feel a little hollow.
