It’s amazing to think that in 2002 the draw of nostalgia was so strong that a game featuring something so absurd as Disney and “Final Fantasy” working together could convince me to relive my childhood. Much to my surprise this stunning collaboration known as “Kingdom Hearts” featuring characters & worlds my mind & eyes had longed associated with my adolescent best of times with friends, family and even teachers. “Kingdom Hearts” became one of my favorite Playstation 2 games of all time with a sequel arriving on the Gameboy Advance a couple of years later. The then-GBA exclusive “Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories” began a running theme in the franchise where sequels would be released beyond consoles with the only console entry coming after the original iteration onto the PS2 being “Kingdom Hearts 2” in 2006. “Kingdom Hearts 3”, a game some thirteen years in anticipation for those who didn’t take the time to play all the smaller “KH” entries offered on various platforms including phones, was obviously meant to be the final chapter of a story full of more heart metaphors than the zippers on a member of Organization XIII’s attire. Just like it was 2002, then 2006, I powered on my Playstation with the intent of joining the heart-warming trio of Sora, Donald Duck & Goofy to take on Heartless creatures both large & small while other characters speak in the most winded way possible.
Did I Complete “Kingdom Hearts 3”?
Completing a “Kingdom Hearts” game has always been about filling out Jiminy’s Journal. Jiminy Cricket returns with a more 2019 relevant version of his old journal by giving Sora (and essentially the player) a “Gummiphone” featuring a checklist of all the collectibles available including playable mini-games a la the old LCD handhelds some uninformed parental figure would inevitably purchase for a kid in the 1990s. One of the most important collectibles in the game are “Lucky Emblems” – Mickey Mouse-shaped logos embedded into various objects across the nine main worlds that need to be photographed with the Gummiphone so the player can witness the game’s epilogue (the lower the difficulty chosen by the player the more Lucky Emblems they must photograph such as having to “collect” sixty of the ninety available in “Standard” difficulty). The trophies/achievement are greatly associated with level grinding & collecting with nothing being missable even after the final boss encounter. Yours truly simply wanted to play out the story and see the “secret” ending – a goal that took me thirty-nine hours to complete – with the intent of going back in the near future to 100% percent “Kingdom Hearts 3”.
Did “Kingdom Hearts 3” Live Up to the Hype?
As expected with a franchise so grandiose as “Kingdom Hearts”, the canonical tenth entry in the series known as “Kingdom Hearts 3” (or “Kingdom Hearts 2.9”) is full of call backs & fan service for those who have been so painstakingly dedicated to everything that has transpired thus far. The adventures of Sora, King Mickey Mouse, Sora’s old buddy Riku, and the corrupted Xehanort provide players a chance to revisit some old Disney worlds seen in the previous entries, be introduced to some new Pixar-created environments such as the impressive “Toy Box” based off of “Toy Story”, and even reach the Mecca of all keyblades by the game’s final act. Though convoluted in terms of lore (even with the help of a story summary available in the game’s main menu), the overall plot of “Kingdom Hearts 3” is relatively simple as Sora (accompanied by long-time pals Donald & Goofy) attempts to regain his “Power of Waking” all the while King Mickey & Riku search for their various friends who have been consumed by the darkness set forth by Xehanort as the villain gets closer to summoning Kingdom Hearts. For a series so rich with lore both relatable & nonsensical, “KH 3’s” story has very little momentum beyond a few cutscenes & character interactions following the completion of the aforementioned worlds with the rewarding story moments happening very late in the game. Like previous “Kingdom Hearts” games the worlds themselves have plots that are extensive with the intent of presenting isolated, fulfilling stories. Some are actually shortened retellings of what people have seen on the big screen such as “The Kingdom of Corona” essentially being “Tangled” with the inclusion of Sora & his friends. The stilted nature of certain world stories definitely hurts the overall narrative’s flow as stuff associated with the actual “Kingdom Hearts” lore feels like a forced inclusion or even unnecessary such as “100 Acre Wood” (though it is great to see Pooh again), while other worlds like “The Caribbean” and “Monstropolis” perfectly fit into the plot.
The world building in “Kingdom Hearts 3” wouldn’t be such a mixed bag if not for the majority’s size. Other than “Twilight Town” and the aforementioned “100 Acre Wood”, all the main worlds feel grandiose & bigger than anything seen in what was offered in the previous console titles. With its semi-open world style, each world is just begging to be explored for collectibles, enemies and even mini-games. The action also helps spending time in each world more entertaining as “Kingdom Hearts 3” takes from the franchise’s previous entries in grand fashion. The combat originally seen in “KH” is the basis for everything Sora does as he can simply attack with the player tapping the strike button to pull off impressive combos that can be extended with the abilities Sora gains by leveling up. By successfully attacking continuously, Sora builds up a meter that will allow for double and even triple team attacks; as well as activating special weapon evolutions specific to each keyblade Sora earns as the story progresses. Switching between Sora’s equipped keyblades (the player can equip three at a time) in the middle of battle to pull off dazzling environmental attacks is the best new implementation to the gameplay (though weapon transformation isn’t a new thing in the series). Keyblades can also be leveled up via the Moogle Workshop by utilizing certain items collected, purchased, or synthesized in the game to upgrade keyblades that will increase its stats & boosts.
Magic is back as the four elements usually associated with RPGs are here including Sora’s ability to cure himself & his nearby allies at the expense of his entire regenerating MP gauge. Utilizing a magical combo can produce “Grand Magic” that result in mega-magic such as “Flare” coming from Donald & Sora. Summons also return as “Link” commands that too use all of Sora’s MP when selected. Unlike the summons of old, “Link” attacks are controlled by the player when activated. Associated with summon attacks are the new “Attractions” that are just as grandiose & interactive as their “Link” companions, but only arrive at certain moments during a battle if the player is aware enough to strike an indicated enemy. These “Attractions” are ridiculously overpowered and with the player having a timer gauge associated with each magnificent maneuver, pulling off an “Attraction” at the right moment can wipe out even the toughest bosses. “Shot Locks” from “Birth By Sleep” come in the form of “Focus Attacks” as the player will hold down a button that slows down time to focus on a single enemy; resulting in spectacular attack if the player reaches “Max” focus. “Dream Drop Distance’s” “Flow Motion” also returns here as Sora can swing around certain polls & pillars to create a buzzsaw attack or spring off walls like some kind of human torpedo. There’s also the “Rage” transformation the player can activate when Sora reaches critical health, though utilizing the transformation’s most powerful attacks actually reduces Sora’s health that can turn an advantage into a disadvantage if the player tries to spam attacks.
A majority of the enemies work just like they did in the franchise’s previous iterations while newer enemies like minotaur heartless and the gigantic bosses that make up the conclusive battle in almost every world provide unique challenges when it comes to attack patterns. Unfortunately gameplay issues from previous “Kingdom Hearts” entries are still here including the archaic lock-on system that will stiffen the camera while focusing on a single enemy that can zip around the screen & create a whiplash affect that may cause something like a magic attack to hit nothing. Utilizing the soft lock-on/auto-targeting system is for the best, but may prove frustrating when Sora starts swinging at the enemy to his left or right even if he’s facing the adversary the player is intending to hit. The bosses themselves are mostly underwhelming outside of size as a majority feel like just bigger versions of the various heartless Sora must overcome in the lengthy worlds. Dodging works well, but blocking & countering can be frustrating as the camera and unpredictable enemy patterns will leave Sora open to combos.
One of the most divisive implementations to the various “Kingdom Hearts” games has been the usage of “Gummi Ships”. While the Gummi Ship creator is still incredibly deep, actually flying & fighting with the Gummi Ship is completely different compared to its predecessor for all the right reasons. Traveling around various galaxies, collecting gummi points, unlocking gigantic treasure spheres, and taking on adversarial ships in 3D “Space Invaders” style action all make up the intergalactic voyages. If there’s one major flaw with Gummi Ship travel it’s how slow the ships are without the player going out of their way to upgrade the ship. The Gummi Ship isn’t the only moment in the game where the player will control vehicles as “The Caribbean” actually provides ship battles similar to something seen in “Assassin’s Creed III & IV” that works incredibly well. Beyond that are a great amount of things to do outside of the main story including LCD games, some “Space Invaders” inspired action, and even a cooking mini-game that provides meals for temporary boosts in combat.
Visually and sonically, “Kingdom Hearts 3” is an enjoyable experience with unique battle themes attached to each world. The graphics are so impressive that cutscenes can actually bleed into the action without any effort. Character models are fantastic for the game’s majority with standout worlds such as “Toy Box”; though some of more carbon copy homes & buildings in certain areas pale in comparison to things like “The Caribbean’s” islands. The little things are what really make “KH 3” so much fun to enjoy when exploring the world like helium balloons warping characters’ voices when inside “Galaxy Toys”.
“Kingdom Hearts 3”, for all its positives, doesn’t feel like the satisfying finale to a lengthy saga spanning seventeen years due to the ambitious nature of its lore being too much for a single game to handle; especially when certain worlds the player must invest time in don’t help the narrative’s flow. The gameplay, thankfully, is a blast to play from beginning to end with the graphics & audio being exceptional. It’s hard to believe long-time “Kingdom Hearts” fans will feel whole fully satisfied with the game’s narrative outcome, but those who just want to have a good time playing a not-so-lengthy RPG full of stilted dialogue & some epic closing hours will forget about the plot holes & nonsense while enjoying fantastic moments like Baymax explaining what a fist bump is to Sora.
Should You Play “Kingdom Hearts 3”?
With so much of the previous “Kingdom Hearts” games influencing this iteration, “Kingdom Hearts 3” should be even more epic than it really is with fantastic gameplay and a story that struggles to attain the same type of magic its console predecessors produced. For those who only care about the gameplay this is the “Kingdom Hearts” game to play. But for gamers who enjoy RPGs for their stories, the wisest thing is to check out the “KH” game compilations available on the Playstation 4 & Xbox One before trying this out. Thankfully for those who don’t have the patience to play all the other games there are various narrative summaries out there to educate the player about what happened leading up to “Kingdom Hearts 3”. Though it may not be the classic offering people expected of it, “Kingdom Hearts 3” is a mostly whimsical experience that will leave fans both new & old smiling as they find their inner princess or try to determine what in the world Donald Duck is really saying.
