[singlepic id=76 w=310 h=230 float=left]Review written for Acegamez.co.uk
Disney and Squaresoft join forces to show you A Whole New World

From a misunderstood street rat, a little mermaid who longed to escape the confines of her underwater kingdom and the lion cub who just couldn’t wait to be king, Disney has given birth to some of the most memorable characters ever conceived, securing their place in the hearts of generations. As a child, I spent more time than is healthy turning my back on the “real world” and escaping into a realm of magic, fantasy and adventure… and I’m not ashamed to admit that my first crush was Ariel (maybe just a bit, actually). At some point however, I was forced into “growing up,” and coming to terms with the fact that mermaids were mere fiction and jumping out of the top floor window with my mother’s favourite rug in tow was not a good idea. As much as I didn’t want to believe it, one can’t argue with a broken leg; my lesson had been learnt.

For many and myself included, video games were the next step in escapism, offering a more mature experience in completely interactive worlds and deeper, darker storylines. Games such as Squaresoft’s Final Fantasy revolutionised the way tales were told, with vast worlds to explore, thousands of colourful characters to meet and interact with and narratives ranging from the political to high school drama. With hours to invest into its endearing and captivating characters, imaginative settings and plots with more twists and turns than a rollercoaster, the world of Final Fantasy was set to entice me away from those fond outings with Simba and co.

[singlepic id=68 w=330 h=250 float=left]Having seen the error of its ways, Squaresoft has finally decided to share the love and bring back the Disney of old into the limelight along with its own host of characters. Kingdom Hearts is the lovechild of Disney and Squaresoft with the two joining forces to create an experience melding the best of both. In one corner we have the ultra cutesy world of Disney that enthralled us once upon a time and in the other, characters usually attempting to prevent a meteor crashing into the planet and wiping out all signs of life whilst wielding gigantic swords and hairstyles that defy gravity. It’s the kind of idea that sounds so out of this world, so polarising and would most definitely serve only as the Frankenstein’s monster of fan service.

Considering the concept, it’s safe to say Squaresoft is indeed a mad scientist that has taken an incredible risk with our dearly beloved Disney friends, but somehow, they pulled it off in a way that will appeal to young and old alike and reintroduce many to that sense of wonderment and adventure as a child.

The story begins on the sun-kissed Destiny Islands, home to protagonist Sora and best friends Riku and Kairi. Their innocent games to hopefully set sail to new worlds and a few play fights with miniature versions of Final Fantasy’s Tidus, Wakka and Selphie take a twist as the island comes under siege by creatures known as the Heartless. Tearing the island apart, Sora awakens in another world before meeting Donald Duck and Goofy, searching for their missing king, Mickey Mouse. Now chosen to wield the a sword fashioned in the shape of a key and imaginatively named “the Keyblade,” Sora embarks on a journey to find Riku and Kairi, locate King Mickey and defeat the Heartless.

[singlepic id=71 w=320 h=240 float=left]Gameplay consists primarily on fast paced combat sequences, in which Sora is frequently outnumbered by wave after wave of Heartless. To begin with, the combat appears overly simplistic in terms of being confronted by the same enemies and being equipped with a standard three slash attack, although the presence of Donald and Goofy tends to keep things fresh. Donald serves as the wizard of the team, able to use magic of the offensive variety such as fireballs and lightning bolts, whilst Goofy is equipped with a shield for a more hands on approach to battle and protecting the party. Although control is limited to Sora, both support characters can be customised in their approach to battles and weapons and items equipped. The AI does a fairly good job of taking care of what the two do, and the game can be played without paying them much attention should they be near death, although it’s handy to keep them in top condition as they repay the favour in rescuing you in critical situations. Or perhaps I’m just not a big fan of watching Donald being beaten to a pulp.

The combat progressively becomes deeper, as defeating Heartless gains the party experience points to level up and gain new skills and abilities, allowing Sora to juggle enemies in the air, throw his Keyblade like a boomerang for long ranged attacks, and chain several attacks together at once. Gaining these experience points to power up the party becomes an addictive process and also a necessity as the Heartless later come in different shapes and sizes, becoming more aggressive and requiring a more tactical approach to battles. Some enemies can only be harmed by certain types of magic, and at times become so difficult to take head on that managing items and party members becomes a process of trial and error making strategy critical.

[singlepic id=75 w=320 h=240 float=right]Alongside the inclusion of its most popular characters, the battle system itself has a distinctly Final Fantasy flavour to it. In the bottom left corner of the screen is a command menu, giving a choice between standard attacks, magic spells, special abilities and summoning characters for help. Although intended for a quick and easy access to a range of commands whilst fighting the Heartless, it has a tendency to be quite clumsy and cumbersome in the middle of heated battles. Rather than quickly switching from using items and going on the offense, you’ll often find yourself running for cover in order to select the right item whilst left wide open for punishment. However, this adds an element of strategy and tension into the mix and magic can be assigned to hot-keys for swift spell casting.

Breaking up the combat heavy sections are the Gummi Ship levels which allow Sora to travel to and fro from different worlds. Before jetting off for new levels, building Gummi Ships is encouraged with pieces found in the main portions of the game. Similar to Legos, you can attach weapons or defensive units to the ship before beginning an on rails sequence, shooting down enemy ships as you race towards your destination. Finding pieces and building ships is initially fun and can become addictive, however the appeal soon wears off and little challenge is presented. Designed to resemble the excitement of a Disney World attraction, the lack of tension, boss battles or any real motivation other than to gain more Gummi Ship blocks for the sake of it renders the experience stale. Combined with the option to warp instantly to previously visited worlds, it becomes more of a distraction and hindrance from the compelling story and frenzied combat.

[singlepic id=69 w=323 h=243 float=left]It’s a small price to pay for arriving at the light at the end of that tunnel, though; landing in a new world is always a complete joy. All the favourite Disney worlds and characters have been crammed in, from Aladdin’s Agrabah, The Little Mermaid’s Atlantica and even Halloween Town from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Touching down in these worlds evokes a huge level of anticipation and nostalgia at the same time; meeting those familiar faces feels like seeing old friends after a long time apart, and seeing how their personalities fit into the grand scheme of things of a new story is wonderful. You’re never quite sure how things will play out, who you’ll bump into next and the sounds, setting and the opportunity to play a part in these stories is a treat. Many of the original voice talent are in place to add authenticity to the experience including James Woods as Hades.

Sora, Donald and Goofy even go the extra mile and will don different outfits to fit in with the themes of different worlds, such as transforming into mermen in Atlantica and monsters in Halloween Town. The overall approach to gameplay mixes and matches to suit the world visited also;  solving puzzles takes precedence in the world of Alice and Wonderland, whilst Tarzan’s Deep Jungle level requires a more aggressive approach to battles.

The worlds are definitely a highlight, but similarly to the Gummi Ship sections the appeal quickly wears thin and is a definite missed opportunity. The initial reaction is one of excitement and expectation at the prospect of exploring these “worlds,” that are actually extremely small in scope. They usually take on the form of a building, a market, a town with areas all looking similar and empty and serve only as arenas for fighting the Heartless. Although exploration is encouraged as many treasure chests and prizes lie in the most unexpected of places, there’s extremely little variation in the presentation of these worlds and getting lost and confused amongst the countless identical rooms becomes commonplace. “World” in fact, is quite a deceptive description of the various stages of the game, and although the levels are quite large and much time is spent in them, it’s a case of smoke and mirrors in that actual progression is spread out over continuous battles with the Heartless. Environments feel recycled and there are few characters to interact with… I suppose in the event of my locale being invaded by foreign creatures, I wouldn’t want to hang around, but the worlds present very little life and activity in them apart from fighting, which can wear thin.

Cinematic sequences moving the narrative along are few and far between the constant grinding against enemies and samey backdrops, but the solid combat and opportunity to recruit characters into the party relevant to that world and exploring their abilities keeps things fresh. The story progression, new spin on familiar stories and final showdowns with famous villains will keep you hooked and determined to see how each level plays out.

[singlepic id=67 w=325 h=245 float=right]As for graphics, Kingdom Hearts is a mixed bag. Character models look beautiful and despite being rendered in three glorious dimensions, they represent their animated counterparts perfectly. A great level of care has been put into the presentation of the Disney characters right down to their animation and movements; Ursula’s disgustingly yet somewhat seductive demeanour of squirming about the seas is captured perfectly. Facial animations and mouth movements have been remodelled for the English localization to avoid inaccurate lip-synching, adding even more depth to the characters. However, much like the environments, outside of the characters the game falls short in this area. Backgrounds are flat, water effects are dull and coupled with the gorgeous looking characters, the surrounding elements appear unimaginative and dull. This does highlight the colourful and detailed protagonists however, and creates a polarisation between them and the simplistic and dark Heartless creatures.

Perhaps where Kingdom Hearts succeeds most off all is in that it perfectly captures the essence of what Disney is all about. For many, that sense of adventure, fantasy and wonder may have become but a distant memory that the game never fails to bring back to the forefront of the mind. Taking on the role of Sora, we are given the opportunity to inhabit an avatar to explore those worlds we once let ourselves get lost in, meet and interact with the characters we were so fond of and relive the memories of magic carpet rides, of song and smiles and happily ever afters. Kingdom Hearts presents a myriad of faces you’ve known for years and identified with, made you laugh, cry and sang and danced with.

For all its flaws, there’s an undeniably overriding charm to the game. There’s nothing overly complex or innovative in terms of gameplay or storyline, but what it does, it does well; it’s the classic tale of good versus evil, black and white, but there’s so much going on without being distracting that you can’t help but feel the pull and want to see it through to the end. There’s the foreboding rivalry between the two protagonists, the corruption that power brings about, a love triangle and recurring mystery, which I’d hate to spoil. Kingdom Hearts represents the innocent childhood lust for adventure and fantasy, with Squaresoft’s input of more mature themes. There’s something for everyone, whether you’re young or old.

Kingdom Hearts is escapism at its finest, an experience you won’t want to end…  but when it eventually does, try to remember where you stored all those dusty video tapes. You’ll need them.