As a big Final Fantasy fan and having a fondness towards Disney I really wanted to get into and like Kingdom Hearts but I just couldn’t make it happen.This was my 4th attempt at getting into the game. The first 2 times I couldn’t muster the enthusiasm to get past the first area where you need to collect items. The 3rd attempt I gave up in Wonderland due to the frustrating platforming and this time I got as far as the colosseum before throwing in the towel once and for all.

Final Fantasy and Disney is a perfect formula, one that would never happen today as Disney are now on a high with the amount of properties they own. The characters are a mix of ones found in Disney cartoons and Final Fantasy. The character you play is an entirely new character Sora who looks like a Disney version of Tidus from Final Fantasy X. The game looks and sounds like it was designed for kids but it becomes clear they are targeting a teenage audience instead.

At the start of the game you’re asked to pick between a Sword, Shield or Staff. Seasoned RPG players will know this is picking your class however a little later you’re asked to answer questions based on your personality and this decides how you level in the game which is far too cryptic for any one of any age with any experience. The tutorial makes the game seem relatively straight forward too.

When you get to the beach you’re asked to collect certain items to build a raft and then once again after. Yes the game tells you what you need to do but gives you zero guidance on where to go. One of the items, a cloth, is a flat texture on a wall that doesn’t look like in any way an item you can pick up.

The music for the game is beautiful, the Kingdom Hearts theme is a lovely piano melody. The intro cinematic however is a pop/dance number which fits neither Final Fantasy nor Disney, and it’s quite jarring.

The version I played was the HD Final Mix on the PS4. The graphics are clean and crisp and the game runs at 60fps. Unfortunately some of the character animation and dialogue is stuck in the early 2000s. The controls have been revamped for this version however there is still very little customisation. Being able to control the camera speed would have been very welcomed as the camera has one setting and that setting is slow.

The platforming in this game is just so frustrating. It’s like you’re playing an alpha version of a platforming game and the slow camera doesn’t make it any easier. The camera will refuse to clip into walls to give better angles on jumps. It’s hard to tell where Sora will land when jumping onto things. As platforming is an essential part of boss fights (well at least jumping is) so this can make battles more frustrating.

The battles are very basic. You have no sense of damage you are dealing due to lack of damage numbers on screen or health bars. Yes, I have just rated The Legend of Zelda: Link Between Worlds 4 out of 5 and does that have damage numbers or health indicators? No. However Kingdom Hearts will give you stats, strength, defence, magic etc so I’d expect to see this reflected in battle so I can gauge how effective my attacks are and if I need to switch them up. You have the ability to cast spells or use items but unlike more modern Final Fantasy games the gameplay doesn’t pause or slow down while you navigate through menus so you can end up dying while using healing spells or items.

Between areas or kingdoms you do an R-Type style flying level which seems so out of place in Kingdom Hearts. It’s like an optional minigame you’d expect to find in the Gold Saucer of Final Fantasy VII. However in Kingdom Hearts it's compulsory for the start of the game. I was getting frustrated having to travel back to the starting area to restock and do those bloomin gummi missions all over again. It would also take me a few attempts to do each mission adding to the frustration.

I tried to give this game the benefit of the doubt by googling “Kingdom Hearts games ranked” hoping to see it at the bottom of people’s lists, but nope, it was often near the top of their favourite Kingdom Hearts games. Then I learned about how many Kingdom Hearts games there actually are and how mental, confusing and twisted the story gets. Obviously killing my enthusiasm more to give this game as many chances as I could manage. I even listened to the Cane and Rinse podcast episode on this game to see if their love for the game could help encourage or convince me to like it too. Unfortunately everything they said just supported the reasons why I didn’t like the game.

One day I might give Kingdom Hearts 2 a go out of curiosity but the only thing that could make me play this game again is a ground up remake. The controls are too frustrating, you’re often left not knowing where to go or what to do, the platforming and camera speed are annoying and the story is convoluted.

KH1 is a game heavily carried by its charm. Despite the lackluster nature of a few of its worlds (like Deep Jungle) and some things that are a bit rough round the edges (the Gummi missions), there's a special magic to it-- from its combat, platforming, and exploration-- it's something that isn't quite captured by its sequels. Releasing during a period where 3D platformers were all the rage and JRPGs were more popular than they used to be, this game really is a good marriage between the two. It's also just a really good action game, even if it may not be as flashy or as challenging as others (it is a kid's game after all-- however pretty difficult fights do exist). KH1 is simply a fun game and a good time.