Gaming Target - PlayStation 2: Kingdom Hearts

Written by Matt Swider on October 25, 2002

Full Review: I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but the adventure concludes with Sora returning to Halloween Town and Halley Joel Osment whispering: "I see dead people."

The idea of staging a crossover may not be anything new to the television or comic book business, but the concept is still relatively unheard of within the world of videogames. Other than a monotonous collaboration of Capcom fighters, the notion remained at large until the day that Square and Disney sought its advantages and brought us their joint project of Kingdom Hearts. Sure, most crossovers are commonly associated with shallow efforts to revive a dying series, and to be honest, that exact thought came to mind following the 1999 announcement. However, the final product has dashed any such doubt and that same opinion will surely be shared by every gamer able to experience Kingdom Hearts first hand. As odd as the alliance may sound, Squaresoft and Disney Interactive have something that appeals to just about everyone. For starters, Square has been known to wield some of the best adventures through its renowned Final Fantasy series. Many of the signature RPG elements remain intact, giving Kingdom Hearts that same epic feeling. Disney on the other hand supplies fantasy filled environments and character inspired charm to produce a scenario that brings back memories from the ages. As a result, we're treated to a game with a range of brilliant themes and mechanics that run along the lines of the Nintendo 64 based Zelda adventures.

For those who have experienced the latest lineup of Disney based games, it's not difficult to notice the lack of polish several have contained. Many of the problems are a direct result of rushing titles onto store shelves before the animated film releases in theatres. Kingdom Hearts not only avoids the dilemma of meeting a movie deadline, but it also takes an entire chain films instead, from the most recent movies to the ones we've cherished for years. Another uncommon trait comes as Square has opted against using a turn based fighting system, a long time characteristic of the Final Fantasy series. This slow paced style of battling foes has been replaced by real time actions that boast plenty of intense and thrilling moments for players. Since Kingdom Hearts still retains all of the other RPG aspects, the game shouldn't discourage long time Squaresoft fans. More than likely, it will open up new doors and further the enjoyment of casual RPG gamers often turned off by the sluggish pace of typical role playing games.

Much of Kingdom Hearts is played behind the shoulders of its lead character, Sora. Growing up on an island all of his life, Sora and friends Riku and Kairi venture to other worlds only to be split up along the way. At the same time, Donald Duck and Goofy are in search of King Mickey (Mouse of course) who appears to have vanished. The obscure message left behind tells Donald and Goofy to go in search of Sora, who holds the power to something called the Keyblade. The three join forces, each with the intent of finding their friends, and battle the enemy heartless before they are able to devour any more worlds. The storyline unfolds as the trio travels to different realms where they join forces with a wide range of Disney character in an effort to overcome the heartless. As always, Sora grows closer to reaching his goal by helping out Tarzan, Aladdin, Peter Pan and many more classic animated heroes. But, behind every world threatened by the heartless is a Disney villain. Each is bent on capturing one of the seven movie maidens and teaming up to unlock unknown secrets in their own evil fashion.

Sora's everlasting search for Kairi and his undying attempt to convince Riku from siding with the heartless wears thin. However, the use a dozen Disney settings takes full effect by putting you in a state of awe. A longing to explore the surroundings of each level is alive with the ability to almost tour what we were once limited to seeing in the movies. Plus, each battle sequence is so exciting that it almost makes one forget the fantasy and live the tale with a burning desire to defeat the heartless.

Most of the game is fought alongside CPU controlled partners Donald and Goofy or even a local Disney characters whom you assist in whipping out the heartless. However, an odd portion that veers from the main stage comes when traveling in the Gummi Ship. To get around from world to world, the trio uses this ship, which pits players as its navigator. The process almost looks as if Iridion 3-D or Star X for Game Boy Advance was ported onto the original PlayStation. The retro design quite interesting at first and won't become overly tedious since players aren't required to pass along the same route twice after achieving the warp ability. The thing that seems unnecessary is the fact that Sora goes around collecting gummi blocks helping enhance the ship. Building up the ship doesn't have a great impact on completing the game and can be both boring and tiresome through its configuration steps. By skipping over this, the unique gummi ship experience becomes limited to its traveling segment, which is a throwback to the days when flying titles first pioneered on the home console.

The rest of Kingdom Hearts takes place in real time and therefore doesn't utilize a turn based fighting operation we experienced in Final Fantasy X. Nonetheless, all of the other familiar RPG elements can be found in the game, and even has a handful of Final Fantasy character appearances as well. Collecting certain items to unlock hidden treasures is a must and side quests are just as frequent. When it comes to battling a set of heartless, the Keyblade and use of magic serve Sora best. Luckily, everyone earns experience points with each kill so there's no lagging behind in skill when Goofy goofs or Donald ducks out.

Skimming further along the lines of the Ocarina of Time, Kingdom Hearts also uses a lock-on target to help adjust the camera angle during fights. It focuses on the closest enemy and the simple whack of the Keyblade usually does the trick. In fact, even when the camera does run away with itself, players can still go unscathed by using the Keyblade relentlessly. Finding this out belittles the skill level until you progress further where it's no longer viable against more powerful enemies. Defeating the final Disney villain of a level always ranges from easy to difficult. Certain bosses take a couple tries to beat while others can be overcome in one sweet attempt. This is probably where the camera is the most cumbersome, but any experienced gamer should be able to handle the fight. The boss levels are filled with a couple surprises, but overall what anyone would normally expect. And, of course, just when you think each is defeated they regain their evil powers forcing you into a second wind. In its entirety, Kingdom Hearts will take quite some time to complete and shouldn't be completely over until 30 or 40 hours go pass on the in-game counter.

For once, it's the visual aspects that keep me coming back to this game. With its Final Fantasy foundation and Disney essentials reigning supreme, Kingdom Hearts is brilliant in design. The environments flourish from the start by taking gamers down the rabbit hole and into the world of Alice in Wonderland. The entire 3D level is complete with bright colors that enable a smooth shift from its original two-dimensional state on the big screen. Though very lame, even more so than piloting the gummi ship, players get the brief chance to fly the magic carpet exactly like in Aladdin. Additionally, battling Captain Hook is done on the deck of the Jolly Roger and by flying around thinking happy thoughts. It's amazing how all of the Disney elements fit together. Everything is so well crafted and Square definitely took the time to retain even the smallest storybook characteristics through the initial world and the all of the rest.

Accompanying the Disney illustration and feel of Kingdom Hearts is an impressive soundtrack. Each song compliments its surroundings with a harmonious melody, but will begin to fade if any heartless approach. The more sinister tone sets the mood and alerts unsuspecting players at the same time. Kingdom Hearts delivers not only delivers voice acting throughout a majority of the game but is also lead by Haley Joel Osment. He proves to be a perfect fit for Sora and the array of other voices alongside Osment work without a hitch. Taking the time to cast the right voices was definitely taken and will hopefully be noted by other developers who always attempt to muddle through this area.