By Wesley Eaton
Thinking about Kingdom Hearts nearly 25 years after it first graced our PlayStation 2 disc trays, and now amidst renewed excitement with the finally firm 2027 release window for Kingdom Hearts 4, I'm reminded of exactly how formative and magnetic this IP truly is. This is a franchise that brings so many different kinds of people together, and it seems equally special to all of them. Fans of action games, fans of RPGs, Disney fans, Final Fantasy fans, fans of zippers, they're all here. As for me, this was my first JRPG of any sort outside of Pokèmon, and my first introduction to Final Fantasy characters. Aerith, Squall, Yuffie, Cid, and the rest were all Kingdom Hearts characters first and foremost to me for a long time, and I think that really shows how truly magical this mashup ended up being. Contrary to what some are saying lately, I don't think you can have one without the other.
The overall plot and characterizations lean more on the Disney side of things. It's simple (a first and last for the franchise), but the major themes and motivations are crystal clear. It's a battle between light and dark, with everyone's "hearts" on the line. Sora is a naive yet loveable protagonist, and pairing him with Donald and Goofy remains a match made in heaven for both banter and camaraderie. I actually didn't care for Sora as a kid, but replaying the game as an adult has made me appreciate him much more. He is the hero you can't help but root for. There are plenty of other characters in this universe with a bigger cool factor, but Sora's pure-hearted determination and selflessness is the anchor of the series.
The greatest strength of Kingdom Hearts really is the premise. As much as we bemoan "nostalgia bait" or the overuse of cameos, they work because deep down they still excite us, and what Kingdom Hearts does is offer a sort of guilt-free approach to that. The camoes are justified from the start, and they're internally consistent (unlike the lore). You're going to meet Tarzan, Peter Pan, Aladdin, Hercules, The Beast, Cloud Strife, Mickey Mouse, and Yen Sid because that's the whole point. It's a poignant story of lost adolescent set against a backdrop of childhood fairy tales. It's like having the realization that you're growing up as you sit cozied up in your parents' arms reading a bedtime story. There's melancholy, but the familiar characters guide Sora graciously through it.
Next to a stellar premise, Kingdom Hearts' secondary triumph is the disarming rhythm and simplicity of its gameplay. You enter a new and exciting Disney world, meet its iconic characters, explore a curated section of its charming world, defeat the boss, and then do it all over again in another world. It's just so buttoned up, and yet it still has a breadth of content to offer. Minigames galore, secret bosses, secret endings, item grinding, and collectibles. In many ways, it feels like a stripped-down Final Fantasy game with its endgame content. It's almost like Kingdom Hearts was built to be a comfort game, or the perfect beginner RPG, and it excels at both.
As is the case with age, there are of course some rough edges to the game. Combat is weighty and deliberate, but not very fluid. This would definitely be a huge improvement and differentiating factor in the sequel, but for now Sora is still stumbling over his giant yellow Mickey shoes. He just feels slow. Regardless, your patience and strategy are definitely rewarded, and the magic system and command-based actions that serve as a highlight of the entire franchise for me started here. I also love collecting every Keyblade until inevitably settling down with Divine Rose. If you know, you know.
Traversal of the worlds feels flat, but it's very obvious that it's due to technical limitations. Each Disney level is a series of consecutive boxes that you mostly platform in. There's still a certain charm to this, but it's a trick that's on its last leg. If the game were any longer, it would be too much. Speaking of tricks, the camera can be hilariously bad at the worst moments. The number of times over the years that I've found myself stuck in a corner unable to see Sora through a horde of heartless or whipped around by a giant boss is innumerable. But still, I always go back because, despite any of these shortcomings, Kingdom Hearts never ceases to be fun.
Even in its flaws, I can say that Kingdom Hearts makes the most of what it can afford to do. The Gummi Ship crafting system and arcadey rail shooting minigame that takes you from world to world serves as a prime example of this. It enssures that, despite each world feeling very boxy in its construction, you still feel like each is its own place that actually has to be traveled to and not just another room in a big "house" that you can teleport into. I think that gamified level of separation is important, and besides, it's fun building your own little fruit snack spaceship.
FINAL VERDICT
Kingdom Hearts combines heartfelt childhood merriment, a strong yet simple life lesson, and rock-solid combat to create one of the coziest action JRPGs I've ever played. Its premise is pure gold, and it has nearly everything you would want from similar games, yet executed with a timeless efficiency.
If you've never played Kingdom Hearts before, I can easily recommend this game even if it's the only entry in the franchise you ever play. Its story is fairly self-contained and there's a lot of value in the Disney theme park feel of it all. You'd have to be Heartless not to appreciate it.
Kingdom Hearts - 9/10 - MUST-BUY