More Thoughts From Me #16: A Whole Lot of Disney

I’m a Disney fan. I won’t claim that I like everything Disney does, but I like a bunch of what they do. And one of my favorite things they did was with Square Enix. I’m talking about Kingdom Hearts of course. Specifically I’m talking about Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2. If you ever want to play a love letter to Disney fans, Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2 are for you! Lets take a trip down Disney memory lane.

There is so much to love about Kingdom Hearts. The first two games in the series were especially great. The graphics on both games are excellent and being able to run around in different Disney worlds is pure joy. The second game in the series really took things up a notch! You got to run around in a black and white Steamboat Willie cartoon for goodness sake! But overall, I enjoyed both games a lot. There is a bit of Final Fantasy in those games, but mostly, its Disney and the two companies did it right.

There is so much to find on every world you go to in those games. From easter eggs to new cool enemies, Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2 keep on giving. I really enjoyed the games battle system too. The fusion of menu and action based combat works well. I know some people have complained about the camera in the battles and yes its not perfect, but its not the worst I’ve seen either. Everything about Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2 is built to be accessible to a wide range of players.

There are rpg elements in both games, there are shooting elements, action, and adventure elements. The game’s story can appear very simple in the individual levels but the overall story is a bit more complicated. Is the main story too complicated? I suppose you could argue that, but I always enjoyed the mystery that surrounded Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2’s main story. The games made you think and feel. You cared about the Disney characters and the new characters that Square and Disney created too. Sora was the perfect protagonist. He was what we’d want to be if we went on a journey with Goofy and Donald: happy and excited! Are the two Kingdom Hearts games perfect? No, of course, they are not. But they are still a lot of fun! I wish Square and Disney’s efforts after those two games had been as good…

The Kingdom Hearts series after the first two games haven’t been quite as good. The portable experiences have been stripped down games. I would say that the most recent game, for the 3DS, was definitely better than the previous portable games, but it still felt off. It was a shame that Donald and Goofy were not along for the portable ride. I did  love that Fantasia world though and seeing the Three Musketeers with Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. So, there was some fun to be had, even though it wasn’t the same was the PS2 classics.

I know there is another Kingdom Hearts on the way. I doubt I’ll get to play it. As many of you know, I’m just a Nintendo fan right now. And Kingdom Hearts console games have never come to a Nintendo system. So its doubtful I’ll ever get to play the next Kingdom Hearts. I hope its awesome though! I hope the current generation gets to feel the same way I felt about Kingdom Hearts with the first two games! Maybe I’ll wish upon a star…

Are you a Kingdom Hearts fan? If so, which of the games is your favorite? Bonus question: what is your favorite Kingdom Hearts world and why?

Next week: back to the world of Nintendo! What will I talk about? I’ll leave it a surprise for now. (translation: I have no clue! But I’ll figure it out)