(PS2, Square, 2002)
The Walt Disney Corporation has a crazy reputation. Filled with urban myths and underground whispers, the long running billion dollar franchise specialising in animated feature films and merchandising has been the subject of various rumour due to its history and controversial founder, Uncle Walt himself.
Whilst the Walt Disney corp. it can be argued, have questionable ethics and a dark history, we cannot lose sight of the fact that they are responsible for some of the finest feature films ever made. This legacy, in my opinion, has been tarnished in recent years, with more of their films appearing to be churned out, souless, stereotypical CGI crap. For me, the Disney dream is over.
The idea of Square creating an RPG which hybrids Final Fantasy with Walt Disney and places the cast in a completely new universe is kinda horrible. I can't really see the characters working together well and the idea of an intelligent RPG with such a twee child-friendly cast seems doomed to failure. But I shouldn't have bet against Square.
Kingdom Hearts is a very good action based role-playing game. The player controls Sora, an idealistic young boy who is pulled from his desert island home with his friends to a mysterious series of planets that are under attack from "The Heartless" dark, shadowy and soulless creatures. Sora chances upon two knights, Donald and Goofy, who are looking for their king (Take a guess) This trio team up to search for their respective friends but will quickly become part of a much bigger plot that affects everyone in the colour-drained universe.
Kingdom Hearts is a hack-n-slash brawler, but features an identical magic and equipment management system to most Final Fantasies, along with all the levelling up, story twists, summons and item synching you'd expect from your average RPG. The game features beautifully realised worlds based on various Disney features and has a classically orchestrated music score. The game also features an all-star voice cast and many of the Disney characters have their original voices.
A huge array of hidden items and side-quests await any player wishing to explore beyond the main storyline. These players will be rewarded in kind with special items, weapons and XP. The game has a intelligent but not confusing storyline which occasionally succumbs to Disney cutsey-ness, but not so much to make me vomit or anything. As Sora and friends "lock" each world from further invasion, I personally got a real feeling of satisfaction, but this is probably more due to my OCD than anything else.
Variety is provided with interchangeable characters, an underwater world and a mini-game filled Winnie the Pooh novel. Each world must first be travelled to via a colourful schmup-style sequence, for me these didn't work and were a dull chore to deal with. Cameos from Final Fantasy characters are nice but its odd to hear some of them actually speak. Aerith is not only alive but sounds, no other way to describe it, mentally ill.
The Kingdom Hearts series has created a universe many have fallen totally in love with. Just enter "Kingdom Hearts" into YouTube or DeviantART to be drowned in fanart/fiction and homemade tributes, music videos and trailers. Clearly for many, Kingdom Hearts isn't a videogame franchise, it's a way of life.
Being an RPG, there are far too many features and quirks to discuss than I can fit in here. Kingdom Hearts was a joy to play through and whilst hardcore RPG fans may balk at the idea of levelling up Goofy to do battle with Sephiroth, the less precious of us (or those who are crapper at RPGs) should find Kingdom Hearts a pleasing, exciting and more than satisfying adventure.
Most importantly, The Incredibles aren't in it.
Sold.
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(Sadly I must take time out to comment on the fact that Kingdom Hearts II sucks hard. A terrible voice cast, bad script, mismatched worlds, confusing plot and almost complete lack of side quests, tactics and variety make it a button-bashing mess. Apart from its great "Tron" level, it is an insult to the game that came before it. Don't let the superfans fool you, KHII is a pretentious cash-in that loses all the magic and wonder of its predecessor. It's the videogame equivalent of "Aladdin IV: Jafar may need glasses")
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