I honestly could say a whole lot of shit about Kingdom Hearts as a series but especially the first game. I've been playing KH1 very specifically pretty much since the original game released back in 2002. I have so many fond memories, so many hours spent wandering the levels, getting acquainted with the worlds and their gimmicks, platforming and ideas.
There's something tangibly there in KH1 that really doesn't particularly permeate the rest of the series. Like yeah, the combat mechanics absolutely improve, the series finds its identity in a lot of differing ways but there's something about the raw experimental edge and janky nature of this first entry that really isn't felt in the rest of the games.
The atmosphere here is almost uncannily eerie at points, especially in locations like Destiny Islands, Traverse Town, Hollow Bastion and End of the World. A kind of unsettling hint of darkness that unsettled me more as a kid (that Ansem in the cave scene genuinely scared the fuck out of me as a child I hated that shit lmao I always used to think that dude was like hiding in my closet about to call me a stupid bozo who didn't know anything) but some of the visuals, haunting gothic styled architecture and offness isn't felt to me in a number of later entries like it is here. Like some games do get closer to it again (0.2 is MAYBE the closest in years with 1 section in 3 getting a little closer too) but it's not really to the same level and degree that I feel this game really nails.
Like I adore the implications with stuff like the secret boss cutscene being really fuckin creepy and weird and off! The game is full of moments and ideas like that, the false Destiny Island in the end with the dead palm tree and no waterfall, the secret experiment room you uncover, all of Hollow Bastion and its gothic tones. It's so fuckin cool!
I like how this game integrates the Disney worlds with the actual overarching plot generally rather than just being flat out recaps most of the time (Atlantica having King Trident know what's up and shit talk the MC's is genuinely fantastic), I dig how this lays the groundwork for the rest of the series to build its world and concepts and ideas off of (even if they don't always work out the best in some of them DDD I'm looking at you).
I dig the gameplay systems and what they were going for with magic being more of a resource you have to build and manage, encouraging you to be more aggressive in order to build it back up. Though I do wish that being a purely magic focused build/character was a little more doable but whatever. Final Mix does add good additions like a camera that makes some goddamn sense and having Triangle be for opening chests and stuff like some of the moves you unlock like Sonic Blade and stuff to more reflect games like 2 and what they were going for more there. Though a Final Mix change I don't particularly enjoy is the color changes to the Heartless, I think the way its handled takes away from a l o t of the atmosphere and art direction of this game specifically and some just aren't good recolors like LOOK AT THIS
Potential hot take as well maybe possibly or maybe I have 2002 brain worms but honestly I really love the platforming in this game. I love how much they kinda messed around with it and while a bit slippery at points felt like something that could've been built upon or made a bit more interesting to do! Maybe made more interesting challenges or anything with it but I feel the series kinda just gives up on that aspect after this and that's kind of a shame. I really find it fascinating how much of that identity and idea permeates a loooot of this first game and how immediately 2 does away with pretty much the rest of that, with some lightly coming back in bits and pieces as apart of fights and some light exploration but otherwise nowhere near the same degree as explored in 1. I feel like that does make 1 stand out a little more in the kind of shit they were throwing at the wall to try out and everything too, same with the colored health bars idea that I honestly really fucked with!
Also something specific with this HD edition is I think some of the music is slightly just a little worse than the original. Like the original Night of Fate has a particular intensity to it that STILL to this day gives me fuckin goosebumps. The new version of Night of Fate does NOT hit in the same way at ALL. Something about it feels almost dulled? Like parts of it just aren't mixed how they originally were and I think it massively dulls the impact and effect of the track. Multiple songs in this version are like this and its kind of a bummer that there's still no kind of option like in the later releases of the Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster that let you choose the OG OST if you prefer that. I know the remaster process for this was a bit of a mess due to supposedly all of the original assets being lost and having to essentially remake it all from scratch but I feel like the music out of all of it would've been the easiest to reimplement. But maybe they didn't have the original files of the tracks or something like that who the fuck knows. It's a bummer to me either way!
Overall though, this game will always stick with me, I will pretty much come back to this game forever for the rest of eternity. I could completely burn out of this series or hate some entry or whatever and still be all into playing KH1 all over again because it's so utterly special to me. I could go on and on about little strats for fights or what worlds can be completely skipped or how to get through world's quickly or fun facts about certain inclusions and ideas within the game itself. It's a personal heartfelt favorite that makes me feel a lot of things and I absolutely can talk about to absolute fuckin death man.
Kingdom Hearts opened my mind to the possibilities of what video games could be. More than just the Mortal Kombat 2's and Super Mario 3's of the world. It was the first game to really get me into its narrative, to really hook me and never really let me go. Even now I'm still invested in this series, its characters, its secrets, its fun goofy nature and its heartfelt messages and ideas. I love Kingdom Hearts for everything it is and while I wish certain elements of the series were carried forward in ways I am still happy overall with where things have gone since 2002.
There's something tangibly there in KH1 that really doesn't particularly permeate the rest of the series. Like yeah, the combat mechanics absolutely improve, the series finds its identity in a lot of differing ways but there's something about the raw experimental edge and janky nature of this first entry that really isn't felt in the rest of the games.
The atmosphere here is almost uncannily eerie at points, especially in locations like Destiny Islands, Traverse Town, Hollow Bastion and End of the World. A kind of unsettling hint of darkness that unsettled me more as a kid (that Ansem in the cave scene genuinely scared the fuck out of me as a child I hated that shit lmao I always used to think that dude was like hiding in my closet about to call me a stupid bozo who didn't know anything) but some of the visuals, haunting gothic styled architecture and offness isn't felt to me in a number of later entries like it is here. Like some games do get closer to it again (0.2 is MAYBE the closest in years with 1 section in 3 getting a little closer too) but it's not really to the same level and degree that I feel this game really nails.
Like I adore the implications with stuff like the secret boss cutscene being really fuckin creepy and weird and off! The game is full of moments and ideas like that, the false Destiny Island in the end with the dead palm tree and no waterfall, the secret experiment room you uncover, all of Hollow Bastion and its gothic tones. It's so fuckin cool!
I like how this game integrates the Disney worlds with the actual overarching plot generally rather than just being flat out recaps most of the time (Atlantica having King Trident know what's up and shit talk the MC's is genuinely fantastic), I dig how this lays the groundwork for the rest of the series to build its world and concepts and ideas off of (even if they don't always work out the best in some of them DDD I'm looking at you).
I dig the gameplay systems and what they were going for with magic being more of a resource you have to build and manage, encouraging you to be more aggressive in order to build it back up. Though I do wish that being a purely magic focused build/character was a little more doable but whatever. Final Mix does add good additions like a camera that makes some goddamn sense and having Triangle be for opening chests and stuff like some of the moves you unlock like Sonic Blade and stuff to more reflect games like 2 and what they were going for more there. Though a Final Mix change I don't particularly enjoy is the color changes to the Heartless, I think the way its handled takes away from a l o t of the atmosphere and art direction of this game specifically and some just aren't good recolors like LOOK AT THIS
Potential hot take as well maybe possibly or maybe I have 2002 brain worms but honestly I really love the platforming in this game. I love how much they kinda messed around with it and while a bit slippery at points felt like something that could've been built upon or made a bit more interesting to do! Maybe made more interesting challenges or anything with it but I feel the series kinda just gives up on that aspect after this and that's kind of a shame. I really find it fascinating how much of that identity and idea permeates a loooot of this first game and how immediately 2 does away with pretty much the rest of that, with some lightly coming back in bits and pieces as apart of fights and some light exploration but otherwise nowhere near the same degree as explored in 1. I feel like that does make 1 stand out a little more in the kind of shit they were throwing at the wall to try out and everything too, same with the colored health bars idea that I honestly really fucked with!
Also something specific with this HD edition is I think some of the music is slightly just a little worse than the original. Like the original Night of Fate has a particular intensity to it that STILL to this day gives me fuckin goosebumps. The new version of Night of Fate does NOT hit in the same way at ALL. Something about it feels almost dulled? Like parts of it just aren't mixed how they originally were and I think it massively dulls the impact and effect of the track. Multiple songs in this version are like this and its kind of a bummer that there's still no kind of option like in the later releases of the Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster that let you choose the OG OST if you prefer that. I know the remaster process for this was a bit of a mess due to supposedly all of the original assets being lost and having to essentially remake it all from scratch but I feel like the music out of all of it would've been the easiest to reimplement. But maybe they didn't have the original files of the tracks or something like that who the fuck knows. It's a bummer to me either way!
Overall though, this game will always stick with me, I will pretty much come back to this game forever for the rest of eternity. I could completely burn out of this series or hate some entry or whatever and still be all into playing KH1 all over again because it's so utterly special to me. I could go on and on about little strats for fights or what worlds can be completely skipped or how to get through world's quickly or fun facts about certain inclusions and ideas within the game itself. It's a personal heartfelt favorite that makes me feel a lot of things and I absolutely can talk about to absolute fuckin death man.
Kingdom Hearts opened my mind to the possibilities of what video games could be. More than just the Mortal Kombat 2's and Super Mario 3's of the world. It was the first game to really get me into its narrative, to really hook me and never really let me go. Even now I'm still invested in this series, its characters, its secrets, its fun goofy nature and its heartfelt messages and ideas. I love Kingdom Hearts for everything it is and while I wish certain elements of the series were carried forward in ways I am still happy overall with where things have gone since 2002.
Eu não to chorando com um joguinho da disney e final fantasy não né kkkk
Emoções, muitas emoções com Kingdom Hearts, nunca pensei que eu ficaria tão pegado com esse jogo entrei nele esperando nada e recebi TUDO, simplesmente um dos melhores ou se não o melhor RPG do PS2, história cativante CROSSOVERS MARAVILHOSOS e um humor que não envelhece nunca! É impossível você jogar Kingdom Hearts e não se apegar com os personagens que obviamente, já são conhecidos por quase todo mundo do mundo
Eu até ia fazer essa review aqui sem dar nenhum ponto negativo, só que claro que o 1 deu uma envelhecida na questão dos cenários, então caso tu vá jogar fique em mente que o jogo não é nada intuitivo e você vai se perder MUITO em cada level que entrar, mas não desanime, use detonado se for possível vale muito a pena experienciar KH1 mesmo com essa chaticezinha dele
Mas enfim, jogo muito lindo em todos os aspectos, trilha sonora, personagens, história, GRÁFICO meu mano os gráficos disso aqui é de arrepiar todo mundo mesmo sendo simples, ele é tão colorido que transborda alegria só nos detalhes dele! JOGUEM KINGDOM HEARTS POR FAVOR!
Emoções, muitas emoções com Kingdom Hearts, nunca pensei que eu ficaria tão pegado com esse jogo entrei nele esperando nada e recebi TUDO, simplesmente um dos melhores ou se não o melhor RPG do PS2, história cativante CROSSOVERS MARAVILHOSOS e um humor que não envelhece nunca! É impossível você jogar Kingdom Hearts e não se apegar com os personagens que obviamente, já são conhecidos por quase todo mundo do mundo
Eu até ia fazer essa review aqui sem dar nenhum ponto negativo, só que claro que o 1 deu uma envelhecida na questão dos cenários, então caso tu vá jogar fique em mente que o jogo não é nada intuitivo e você vai se perder MUITO em cada level que entrar, mas não desanime, use detonado se for possível vale muito a pena experienciar KH1 mesmo com essa chaticezinha dele
Mas enfim, jogo muito lindo em todos os aspectos, trilha sonora, personagens, história, GRÁFICO meu mano os gráficos disso aqui é de arrepiar todo mundo mesmo sendo simples, ele é tão colorido que transborda alegria só nos detalhes dele! JOGUEM KINGDOM HEARTS POR FAVOR!
this game or rather this series is not for me at all, the writing is way too corny and i dont care about 90% of the characters especially donald and goofy. the platforming is annoying especially in atlantis where the game tries using the water controls and they just really fucking suck. the gameplay itself is actually not so bad but it's also nothing special, the camera sucks dick though. this game is clearly intended for a specific demographic and people who grew up with disney in general and im neither so this does not appeal to me whatsoever. keeping it shelved as i may continue it again someday since id like to see if 2's a better game or if it's more or less the same.
The first opus of one of Square Enix's most famous franchises, Kingdom Hearts FINAL MIX, in its remastered version for PC, is a particularly strong disappointment. The public, despite the effects of nostalgia, agrees on the structural and technical problems of the title, since its original release. The camera is one of the title's most notable flaws and exacerbates other weaknesses, such as the combat system and its rigidity. On the other hand, the remaster is a rare indecency, as it does not correct any of these problems. Its interest is supposedly an HD upscale of the title and a 60 FPS framerate, but this hardly hides the misery of the art direction, which is even more glaring. Worse, the high definition makes the lack of lip movement and other concessions that could be accepted in the PS2 era laughable. Generally speaking, the title retains all its archaisms. They are legion: beyond the graphics and the combat system, the writing remains particularly cryptic and mediocre, struggling to interest the player or even to properly mobilise the borrowed worlds. Apart from Winnie the Pooh, the different worlds are not very interesting, especially as they summarise the events of the various Disney films at lightning speed, in a sort of detestable fan service. Similarly, the use of Final Fantasy characters is pure cameo and doesn't seem to make any sense. It is this impression of futility that comes out of the whole title. This one tries to be varied, to mix genres that don't usually cohabit well together (action-RPG, platformer, shoot'em up, various mini-games), but doesn't excel in any of them. One would be hard pressed to find a gameplay element that works at all. The combat system is abysmally poor and the balancing doesn't help the title stand out, so it has no choice but to multiply the number of enemies to try and bring some dynamism; yet the floating targetting can't handle that many enemies. The platforming is not helped by the camera, nor by the particularly limited jumping palette. The gummi-ship sequences are miserable and the customisation system is one of the most unreadable in this medium. This is without counting on the aberration of the controller setup, which places buttons in a completely illogical way (in flight, Y to descend and B to climb). The problems multiply and you come out with few positive remarks. Some sequences are not too unpleasant, but the veteran player will find much better elsewhere. It's hard to recommend this title to anyone and the nostalgia goggles wouldn't even seem to be enough to bring salvation to Kingdom Hearts.
Kingdom Hearts is a very charming game, both in its graphics and in the design of the game in general, the gameplay is also good, the soundtrack is spectacular, the story (as far as I understand) is very good, I will even have to watch some video explaining the lore lol.
Not much to say, it's a classic. Throw it.
Not much to say, it's a classic. Throw it.
The story is kind of all over the place and the gameplay feels a little dated but it’s still a fun experience and a good way to start the franchise. It’s pretty cool seeing old Disney worlds too.
I do however think the words “heart” & “darkness” are used at an astonishingly high level
I do however think the words “heart” & “darkness” are used at an astonishingly high level
This game honestly was an excellent opener to the franchise but...
I really think I dodged a bullet playing on the standard mode, because it felt incredibly inconsistent in terms of the difficulty for me, from one moment a boss would be easy to destroy and the next I'd be overwhelmed out of nowhere. It was hard to strike a balance, and I'm still glad I could beat the game without having to farm hefty amounts of exp.
Donald pls stop dying
The overall plot of the game though, was actually really nice. Going into it I was really cautious because I always heard its a convoluted mess and I can happily say that the first game at least isn't and pretty easy to follow.
But yeah I just think some of the worlds are a mess and especially in some of them in terms of navigation, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out where to go a lot of the time because it was not very clear that kind of came as a slog
Overall: I am happy with this opener to the franchise and looking forward to the next one.
I really think I dodged a bullet playing on the standard mode, because it felt incredibly inconsistent in terms of the difficulty for me, from one moment a boss would be easy to destroy and the next I'd be overwhelmed out of nowhere. It was hard to strike a balance, and I'm still glad I could beat the game without having to farm hefty amounts of exp.
Donald pls stop dying
The overall plot of the game though, was actually really nice. Going into it I was really cautious because I always heard its a convoluted mess and I can happily say that the first game at least isn't and pretty easy to follow.
But yeah I just think some of the worlds are a mess and especially in some of them in terms of navigation, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out where to go a lot of the time because it was not very clear that kind of came as a slog
Overall: I am happy with this opener to the franchise and looking forward to the next one.
That was pretty good. I sure hope this series doesn't turn into the most needlessly convoluted, illogical, cringey and fucking stupid story ever made.
Yeah that would be dumb.
Yeah that would be dumb.
It took me my entire life to finally complete this game xd
Game is pretty solid .w.
Though you probably shouldn't play on the hardest difficulty, because the difficulty curve is funny. It starts off hard, then becomes easier with each boss and then all of a sudden you get practically one-shot by literally anything xd
Game is pretty solid .w.
Though you probably shouldn't play on the hardest difficulty, because the difficulty curve is funny. It starts off hard, then becomes easier with each boss and then all of a sudden you get practically one-shot by literally anything xd
Holy shit I cried so hard during the ending credits.
Please PLEASE play Kingdom Hearts this is such a great game.
Please PLEASE play Kingdom Hearts this is such a great game.
fills me with the utmost of wonder and whimsy and joy
This game is magic.
Everything about this game is so special to me, the characters, the plot, the combat system, everything. Kingdom Hearts has something that makes it unique, that captivated me from the beginning and that has made me continue by its side to this day. And I believe that no matter how much time passes, it will continue to be so, having a special place in my heart.
In the end, it doesn't matter that the camera is the hardest boss in the game, that the controls are a little bit that way or that the worlds in between don't add much. It's about adventure, about the clash of worlds, about light and dark, about people. And it also doesn't matter how deep this plot is in the game, the important thing is that it's there and it's understood (KH plot memes aside).
It's a game that I always recommend, that I always talk about, and that I'm always happy to keep in mind.
And I don't give it 5 stars because I think Kingdom Hearts 2. has everything KH1 did have potential and improve it even further.
Everything about this game is so special to me, the characters, the plot, the combat system, everything. Kingdom Hearts has something that makes it unique, that captivated me from the beginning and that has made me continue by its side to this day. And I believe that no matter how much time passes, it will continue to be so, having a special place in my heart.
In the end, it doesn't matter that the camera is the hardest boss in the game, that the controls are a little bit that way or that the worlds in between don't add much. It's about adventure, about the clash of worlds, about light and dark, about people. And it also doesn't matter how deep this plot is in the game, the important thing is that it's there and it's understood (KH plot memes aside).
It's a game that I always recommend, that I always talk about, and that I'm always happy to keep in mind.
And I don't give it 5 stars because I think Kingdom Hearts 2. has everything KH1 did have potential and improve it even further.
Do not play this on the Nintendo Switch. I love Kingdom Hearts but goddamn is it impossible to play this game with input delay from the required internet collection from the cloud version of the game. I got this for free and I still want a refund lmao.
I did however 100% this version of the game out of sheer willpower and masochism and I will forever hold that as a trophy over those who doubt me.
I did however 100% this version of the game out of sheer willpower and masochism and I will forever hold that as a trophy over those who doubt me.
It’s a very fun garbage. Donald is my best friend, is too anime, the menu in combat feels weird and I hang out with my other Disney friends.
I dodged two of Ansem's "Submit" attacks in a row during the second fight. I feel like Himothy
This was my first time playing any Kingdom Hearts game and it was definitely a great experience. The age of the game really shows at certain points but in other ways it enhances the gameplay with its charm. I found the boss fights to be surprisingly challenging at some moments, but it made defeating them much more rewarding.
This is a game series I never expected to like but as dated as it is games aight Halloween town and Hollow Bastion are the best worlds and if you disagree you are a bad person
Born to play The Bouncer
Forced to beat Kingdom Hearts
Forced to beat Kingdom Hearts
I do respect that they had the balls to make this more than the game itself honestly. Its fun on some weird level, but the choices in the begining and how heavily they effect your progession is not explained at all, to the point where it can make the game impossibly difficult if you happen to pick wrong. The levels are just boxes and the writting just didnt click with me. I honestly have no better way than describing it as: it is very gay. Its honestly respectable that a PS2 game leant so much into that specific audience. And judging by the huge fanbase, it seem to have done alot of things very right for people.
I'M THE CHAMP!
I loved this game more than i should, when i first gave it a try i dropped it because i didn't like the combat, yes, i know that was a very stupid reason to drop a game but consider that that was 2 years ago, my mind has changed a lot since then, and after i played the rest of the series i decided to give it a try again, and oh boy, What a amazing game, the soundtrack itself is not better than 2's but it's still amazing and i can notice why a lot of people love it, the combat is not the best on the early game but it catches on way later, a amazing experience better than a lot of games nowadays, that's for sure.
Fuck it.
I can't hate you at all. You're special.
I can't hate you at all. You're special.
Excellent opener to the KH series with a bunch of additional expanded content. Not the most well-rounded as far as combat and balance go, but really fun and comfy nonetheless. I recommend modding this to restore the original music tracks and Heartless colorations.
This review contains spoilers
Kingdom Hearts is a game, or a series of games that has touched many. Me in my case I've never ever thought about giving it a proper try, mainly because I just didn't feel I was interested enough for me to try it, I haven't ever touched a Final Fantasy game so jumping straight to a spin-off of this one was pretty much the reason I never thought I was going to be playing it, but thanks to the labor of social pressure and people around me who have played it, I have decided to give it a go and see how it is.
What awaited me was a pretty alright game, nothing too groundbreaking or special to me personally as I see it as a very flawed experience, but I can't deny that the game has some real charm to it especially around the era that it was released in, so there is some stuff to talk about after all.
So, Kingdom Hearts is this amalgamation of a lot of different stuff, it's an ARPG with(very shoehorned in) platforming and puzzling that is mainly starred by Disney characters and features prominent appearances of Final Fantasy ones but it is also its very own story that is pretty much not canon to everything else in it and has its own characters to build off of.
I have a slight issue with this (and I know that it's just the first game and it kinda was just pitched in to be a crossover between Final Fantasy and Disney and not much else) and that is the fact that it is a crossover video game doesn't really let its core story shine, a lot of the original concepts from Kingdom Hearts itself aren't put at a priority a lot of the times and with that ending it really does feel like there is so much more to be explored and explained but at that point the game is pretty much over, whatever it was building up to just kind of happens in a flash and you really don't get any explanation or anything of an already convoluted system and story. I think if the game wasn't trying to be so damn "cool" with its story, taking the first part or flashbacks for example where you really don't understand anything that goes on, but you kinda have to shake your head and move on because there is a very big chance that they won't tell you directly. There's a lot of lore tidbits that are hidden away in the journal instead of being properly exposed which is not really all that good, but whatever.
The Disney world themselves often range from being plainly bad, suffering from poor layouts, being riddled with pretty bad platforming or straight up having a boring story which makes it sluggish to get through it, and then sometimes they are okay. There isn't any exceptional part in this video game that makes you think of how good it is, but there is a flow of moments that are just better or worse than other moments but not anything to reign over them all.
Talking about poor layouts, this all mostly has to do with some of the pretty poorly planned out platforming aspect of this video game, Sora is a floaty fellow and in concept this wouldn't really be too bad for the aspect of platforming and it really isn't but for some god damned reason when you touch the ground after a jump there is a very annoying animation that plays that pretty much interrupts your movement, and how there's a way to jump a lil' bit higher swinging your keyblade in the air and this locks you into the animation and doesn't let you do anything else until you actually fall to the ground. This also goes with the casting of spells as there's no animation cancelling or if somehow you get interrupted (like if you do it mid-air) the falling animation will indeed interrupt spells or attacks that you might do. Often times under a lot of pressure and in very importantly timed moments you have to use spells like Cure in order to not die in battle, but if you don't time it correctly with the peak of your jump you will be defenseless for a while. And I think it is kind of bad that you only really get to have a better platforming experience once you unlock the ability to jump higher, I think locking basic movement options like this kind of sucks and this game does that a lot to the point of hiding literal enemy health bars behind an ability like this.
The combat is not really as intuitive as one would gather from this being an ARPG. There are still menus and things you kind of have to do on the fly, and clawing your controller over because this game uses a lot of buttons but honestly the one thing that sticks out to me the most is that for a lot of the game unless you are a God at building magic or something, you'll just be fine with physical attacks and doing combos of the sort and giving yourself AP abilities that help you combo enemies with the occasional Fire spell here and there. And even if you really wanted to use spells then you're going to have to go to the sub-menus and have a blast there, since you cannot really do any physical attacks anymore and can only fend off with the spells you cast which can take a bit to actually take off and you can't tech with them, making it not really be a reliable option for newcomers to play with since the Final Mix version didn't bother adding more ways to add more shortcuts that you can assign your spells to.
Only complaints left would be that the damn Gummi Ship system is very unnecessary and you can get by without doing any of that stuff at all, the fact that you cannot change your party members permanently(I just wanted Jack Skellington to accompany me during the entirety of the game 😭), a couple of balance issues as I felt like I was reaping through overworld stuff and then bosses would actually kick my butt unannounced, and that the final sequence kind of sucks because putting 5 final bosses one after the other, with the issues, the movement and spells listed above and the fact that more and more they artificially inflate the difficulty of it by not letting you fight with your party members or have a little break every so often to restock on items that might be needed as MP depletes so damn fast, a lot of these fights took me many tries to actually beat and at that point I was so damn over with the game I didn't even try to complete the Hades Cup or the Sephiroth boss fight because I knew that in order to do that I would have to grind and grind for more HP and stuff like that because that boss fight is hell and you have to tank it anyways, so I simply didn't bother because I didn't want to spend 50 hours playing the game. Not now at least.
As I said earlier, and leaving behind all the drawbacks you can see that the game was really made with some love and in the process, it has warmed the hearts of many as one really charming experience. I can't deny that while the story and gameplay might not be the best, the tale being told is a pretty lighthearted one with actual childlike wonder, I can totally see how someone who grew up with Disney might get a hold of this and like it a lot, and that's seen even today because of its massive following, they must've done something right for it to have gotten so many games over the past few years.
Fine game overall, but that Simple & Clean remix is a crime to the original song though.
What awaited me was a pretty alright game, nothing too groundbreaking or special to me personally as I see it as a very flawed experience, but I can't deny that the game has some real charm to it especially around the era that it was released in, so there is some stuff to talk about after all.
So, Kingdom Hearts is this amalgamation of a lot of different stuff, it's an ARPG with
I have a slight issue with this (and I know that it's just the first game and it kinda was just pitched in to be a crossover between Final Fantasy and Disney and not much else) and that is the fact that it is a crossover video game doesn't really let its core story shine, a lot of the original concepts from Kingdom Hearts itself aren't put at a priority a lot of the times and with that ending it really does feel like there is so much more to be explored and explained but at that point the game is pretty much over, whatever it was building up to just kind of happens in a flash and you really don't get any explanation or anything of an already convoluted system and story. I think if the game wasn't trying to be so damn "cool" with its story, taking the first part or flashbacks for example where you really don't understand anything that goes on, but you kinda have to shake your head and move on because there is a very big chance that they won't tell you directly. There's a lot of lore tidbits that are hidden away in the journal instead of being properly exposed which is not really all that good, but whatever.
The Disney world themselves often range from being plainly bad, suffering from poor layouts, being riddled with pretty bad platforming or straight up having a boring story which makes it sluggish to get through it, and then sometimes they are okay. There isn't any exceptional part in this video game that makes you think of how good it is, but there is a flow of moments that are just better or worse than other moments but not anything to reign over them all.
Talking about poor layouts, this all mostly has to do with some of the pretty poorly planned out platforming aspect of this video game, Sora is a floaty fellow and in concept this wouldn't really be too bad for the aspect of platforming and it really isn't but for some god damned reason when you touch the ground after a jump there is a very annoying animation that plays that pretty much interrupts your movement, and how there's a way to jump a lil' bit higher swinging your keyblade in the air and this locks you into the animation and doesn't let you do anything else until you actually fall to the ground. This also goes with the casting of spells as there's no animation cancelling or if somehow you get interrupted (like if you do it mid-air) the falling animation will indeed interrupt spells or attacks that you might do. Often times under a lot of pressure and in very importantly timed moments you have to use spells like Cure in order to not die in battle, but if you don't time it correctly with the peak of your jump you will be defenseless for a while. And I think it is kind of bad that you only really get to have a better platforming experience once you unlock the ability to jump higher, I think locking basic movement options like this kind of sucks and this game does that a lot to the point of hiding literal enemy health bars behind an ability like this.
The combat is not really as intuitive as one would gather from this being an ARPG. There are still menus and things you kind of have to do on the fly, and clawing your controller over because this game uses a lot of buttons but honestly the one thing that sticks out to me the most is that for a lot of the game unless you are a God at building magic or something, you'll just be fine with physical attacks and doing combos of the sort and giving yourself AP abilities that help you combo enemies with the occasional Fire spell here and there. And even if you really wanted to use spells then you're going to have to go to the sub-menus and have a blast there, since you cannot really do any physical attacks anymore and can only fend off with the spells you cast which can take a bit to actually take off and you can't tech with them, making it not really be a reliable option for newcomers to play with since the Final Mix version didn't bother adding more ways to add more shortcuts that you can assign your spells to.
Only complaints left would be that the damn Gummi Ship system is very unnecessary and you can get by without doing any of that stuff at all, the fact that you cannot change your party members permanently
As I said earlier, and leaving behind all the drawbacks you can see that the game was really made with some love and in the process, it has warmed the hearts of many as one really charming experience. I can't deny that while the story and gameplay might not be the best, the tale being told is a pretty lighthearted one with actual childlike wonder, I can totally see how someone who grew up with Disney might get a hold of this and like it a lot, and that's seen even today because of its massive following, they must've done something right for it to have gotten so many games over the past few years.
Fine game overall, but that Simple & Clean remix is a crime to the original song though.
I went into this expecting to hate it. Honestly, I did hate it at first, taking a year and a half between the first couple of worlds and playing the rest. I'm so happy I gave Kingdom Hearts another chance because I think I accidentally fell in love with this game. I don't like Disney at all, but what I love is corny JRPG antics and Kingdom Hearts is a wonderful mix of a lot of the good, and admittedly a lot of the bad that comes along with it.
For starters, the dialogue in this game is kinda awful. Sincerely, I don't really care for the story a ridiculous amount at all, but where this game shines is its ridiculous early 2000s PS2 charm, and some shockingly fun combat. When I started Kingdom Hearts, I vowed to interact with as little of the game as possible, because I really just wanted to get through the story and get past the early games in the series. I didn't bother touching the gummi ship, I didn't do any side quests, I really didn't want to explore all that much. But as the game kept on going, I kept getting more and more involved in actually experiencing what this game has to offer.
Like I mentioned, I really like this game's combat. Its seeming simplicity, combined with the surprising depth of customisation makes it ridiculously satisfying to pull through boss fights. Though I think the magic system is slightly underwhelming, with offensive spells being relatively useless, and only cure and aero ending up being really useful. But undoubtedly one of my favourite things about this game is the feeling of progression throughout it. As each world passes by, you feel Sora growing a little bit stronger. You get more Keyblades, new movement options, the stupid looking health and MP bar loop a little further around your icon. It's little things like this which make you feel like you're genuinely progressing, and Sora's genuinely growing.
To cap it off, I adore the game's finale. Gameplay wise, Hollow Bastion and End of the World were so much fun. I expected the Disney RPG to be braindead easy, but I actually struggled a bit against Ansem and Riku, and had to play pretty carefully to beat them. The closing setpieces and cutscenes just feel so grand. This game, corny and flawed as it is, is so laced with love. I never thought I'd see the day, but I get where Kingdom Hearts fans are coming from, and genuinely looking forward to taking on the rest of this franchise
For starters, the dialogue in this game is kinda awful. Sincerely, I don't really care for the story a ridiculous amount at all, but where this game shines is its ridiculous early 2000s PS2 charm, and some shockingly fun combat. When I started Kingdom Hearts, I vowed to interact with as little of the game as possible, because I really just wanted to get through the story and get past the early games in the series. I didn't bother touching the gummi ship, I didn't do any side quests, I really didn't want to explore all that much. But as the game kept on going, I kept getting more and more involved in actually experiencing what this game has to offer.
Like I mentioned, I really like this game's combat. Its seeming simplicity, combined with the surprising depth of customisation makes it ridiculously satisfying to pull through boss fights. Though I think the magic system is slightly underwhelming, with offensive spells being relatively useless, and only cure and aero ending up being really useful. But undoubtedly one of my favourite things about this game is the feeling of progression throughout it. As each world passes by, you feel Sora growing a little bit stronger. You get more Keyblades, new movement options, the stupid looking health and MP bar loop a little further around your icon. It's little things like this which make you feel like you're genuinely progressing, and Sora's genuinely growing.
To cap it off, I adore the game's finale. Gameplay wise, Hollow Bastion and End of the World were so much fun. I expected the Disney RPG to be braindead easy, but I actually struggled a bit against Ansem and Riku, and had to play pretty carefully to beat them. The closing setpieces and cutscenes just feel so grand. This game, corny and flawed as it is, is so laced with love. I never thought I'd see the day, but I get where Kingdom Hearts fans are coming from, and genuinely looking forward to taking on the rest of this franchise
Quite a good game for a series finding it's footing. At least, apart from some quite bad bosses. Atlantica sucks
Replayed it finally while also finally beating this games super bosses and honestly I liked it more than before. It takes a different aproach to its combat than most action games or even later KH games. Its cute its fun the story is easy to follow in this one. Everytime I go back to this game I feel right at home.
One of the video games of all time.
Game holds up well, but its flaws are more apparent nowadays. KH2 is legendary, though.
It's a classic hero's journey kind of deal wrapped up in a pretty solid action RPG with some weird platforming. The story isn't nearly as insane as it would get in later games (KH basically turning into a vessel for wild anime fights definitely has its own charm, though) and the Disney worlds don't feel nearly as pointless as they do in later games since Sora's experiences in them all help him grow from a kid who kind of fell into wielding the Keyblade into being a real hero. The music is phenomenal as it is for the whole series, and the game struck a pretty okay balance between Final Fantasy influence and being its own thing.