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BATTLE SYSTEM
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INTERACTION
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ORIGINALITY
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STORY
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MUSIC & SOUND
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VISUALS
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CHALLENGE
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Easy to Medium |
COMPLETION TIME
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30 to 45 hours
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OVERALL
4.0/5
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Rating definitions
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In reality, a kingdom of hearts would likely be a rather messy,
bloody affair with random spurts of bodily fluid cascading down
upon an ever thumping landscape consisting of naught but grossly
misshapen organs.
Luckily, Squaresoft and Disney opted for a more figurative approach
to their joint effort RPG, Kingdom Hearts. While it may seem
an unlikely combination - the perennial RPG powerhouse teaming up
with the company that has defined American animation - the result
is a surprisingly fun, light-hearted romp through many of Disney's
most beloved intellectual properties juxtaposed with the signature
Squaresoft-style storyline. Add in an action RPG battle system and
a few Final Fantasy cameos, and it becomes obvious that the two
giants have created a magical kingdom.
The story tells the tale of three kids from the Destiny Islands:
their journey as their world is torn asunder, what happens as they
are thrown into a brave new world, and finally the tie that binds
their hearts together. Kairi is the object of affection for both
Sora, the main protagonist, and Riku, Sora's friend and rival. When
they are separated, Sora and Riku search for her, but their methods
are worlds apart.
In another land, far far away, King Mickey has disappeared, leaving
only a cryptic instruction: find the one with the Keyblade and follow.
The royal wizard Donald and captain of the royal knights Goofy set
out to follow the king's message. It is early in the story that
these two find Sora and discover him to be the bearer of the Keyblade.
The rest of the story involves an overall progression toward finding
Kairi and unraveling the mystery of the Heartless, black beings
who are attacking and swallowing whole worlds. Sora et al will travel
through a dozen different environments, most based on Disney stories:
Agrabah from Aladdin, Wonderland from Alice in Wonderland,
Neverland from Peter Pan, etc. Though each world is self-contained
with its own problems for Sora to solve, each also furthers the
overall plot progression.
Are you absolutely certain
that we HAVE to jump in? |
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Kingdom Hearts is an action RPG, resembling the later Zelda
adventures. For much of the journey, Sora will have two traveling
companions, usually Donald and Goofy, but they can be switched out
for local heroes while visiting particular worlds, e.g. Ariel will
lend a fin while in Atlantica, but she won't be accessible anywhere
else. Players have direct control only over Sora but can adjust
the character AI to suit the situation. While the AI may not be
beating Deep Blue anytime soon, it does a respectable job of keeping
party members alive and attacking.
Sora has a variety of actions at his command, but only two basic
types of attack: physical and magical. While the physical starts
off very basic, Sora can gain abilities as he levels that will enhance,
extend, or add to his physical attack repertoire. Magical attacks
include a variety of elemental magics combined with a few all-purpose
spells; these are gained during the progress of the story. Kingdom
Hearts features a lock-on system to keep targets in check, but
the camera has definite issues in keeping the player in view at
all times.
Beyond the camera issue, controls are solid and take just a short
while to get used to. Similar to the .hack franchise, playtime
is divided in between battle and normal modes. During battle, the
player will not be able to access most of the main menus and is
stuck with whatever configuration (items, abilities, AI) that started
the battle. After an enemy is defeated, it may expend HP balls,
MP balls, munny, or items. Given the limited item inventory, it
is essential that characters pick these up in order to stay alive.
Unfortunately, the AI does not always pick up on this fact, and
any excess above a character's max is wasted.
While Kingdom Hearts has a lot of great features, it is
not without its detractions either. Notably, the Gummi Ship is used
as both minigame and sidequest: the ship is used to travel between
worlds and can be upgraded at times. In practice, however, the Gummi
Ship sequences are horribly degenerated clones of the original Star
Fox, and the building menu is exceedingly complex. Fortunately,
it is possible to keep the original ship throughout the entire adventure.
As Bender says, "Oh
man. We're boned." |
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The magic system is underdeveloped and underpowered in comparison
to the physical attacks; most players will opt to use magic sparingly
and spend most of the time hacking and slashing. Unfortunately,
this leads to a simply repetitive battle sequence of continually
hitting the same button. Also, the specific environment of two worlds
lends itself to an awkwardness of movement, especially in battle.
Graphically, the game exhibits a perfect combination of Squaresoft
and Disney talent; characters are detailed and life-like, and environments
are true to their original settings. It is clear that no expense
was spared in creating a believable atmosphere. Aurally, the game
also shines. The soundtrack is as varied as the worlds, often sounding
so similar to Disney movies that it adds the perfect touch. Voice
acting consists of top-level actors, many of whom are the actual
voices for their respective Disney characters; needless to say,
the result is dialogue that is a cut above most RPGs.
Kingdom Hearts features a number of sidequests, end-game
tournaments, and extra bosses to add to replayability. Completing
certain requirements unlocks bonus features, and players can opt
between two levels of difficulty each with their own reward.
Overall, Kingdom Hearts is a solid effort and collaboration.
While not without flaws, the game showcases the better aspects of
its progenitors. Recommended for Disney fans and action RPG fans
alike.
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