I FUCKING HATE KINGDOM HEARTS FUCK YOU
this was probably my first game alongside some atv racing game, can you guess which was more formative to me
Maybe I would like this more if I re-played it now but I played this at a time of my life where I only cared about games for their mechanics. There's great art direction and storytelling here but gameplay-wise I hate KH1, just doesn't feel good at all and drags like hell
it's dated to all hell but i love it. no i don't ever wanna play it, but it still slaps
"Regardless of warnings, the future doesn't scare me at all."
Kingdom Hearts is a game that shouldn't work. The mesh of action and JRPG combat mechanics is imperfect and at times deeply frustrating; diversions like the Hundred Acre Woods and the Gummi Ship feel half-formed; companion characters Goofy and Donald are rarely useful members of the team, and the various guest companions never make up for what they lack; the Disney worlds and Final Fantasy characters feel like hollow, weightless versions of their points of origin; and the platforming is an absolute mess nearly all of the time.
And yet I love it. I love designing janky, colorful Gummi Ships, totally unsure of whether what I'm doing will meaningfully affect my performance in those sections; I love the feeling of finally becoming good at, say, swinging across vines in the Tarzan world; I even love how much I hate Donald and Goofy. I genuinely love it all, even acknowledging how much some of it kind of sucks. Is this nostalgia speaking? Did I, upon replaying it this year and finding it genuinely delightful, get tricked into having a good time with an awful game? I genuinely don't think so.
Another game I'm currently playing, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, is full of systems -- a fishing minigame, a cooking system, at least 3-4 interlocking systems that define the minutiae of character progression, a whole host of side quests, the Dragon Balls themselves, and far, far more, but the truth is, none of it really matters: before any major boss battle, the game automatically gives the player enough XP to instantly ascend to whatever level the developers had in mind for that fight. None of the systems matter at all, and they all represent essentially meaningless extra content. I don't mind having it there -- things like unique voiced interactions between characters that can be unlocked by placing two to four tiles with related characters next to each other on a grid is enough of a small thrill that I don't mind that the extra stats or what have you that can be accrued through the placement of tiles on that grid or items used to level up the tiles prove ultimately pointless.
Part of the reason for this is that Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is an adaptation of an incredibly long-running franchise, and the developers felt an obligation to include as much far-reaching content as possible. In the very first episode of the Dragon Ball anime, we see Goku catch fish using his tail in a manner that is essentially identical to the gameplay in the fishing minigame; the fact that the developers felt that this was worth building a whole game mechanic around shows an admirable devotion to every single facet of the franchise. But I can't help but wonder if I might like the version of the game that's an almost pure action game more; would a hypothetical version of myself who doesn't know anything about Dragon Ball enjoy it more if the game simply did away with the completely pointless systems that are only there to satisfy my urge to point at the screen and say "ah, I know what they're referencing there!"? I might.
Kingdom Hearts is a game full of weird, broken systems, and it's clear that every one of them is the product of a development team that genuinely wanted it all to matter. It is in every way the exact opposite of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. To play Kingdom Hearts is to fly the Gummi Ship; to play Kingdom Hearts is to struggle with difficult jumps between rooftops; to play Kingdom Hearts is to experience perfect moments where Donald Duck manages, just this once, to come through in a pinch and heal you at a critical moment. Kingdom Hearts is a game where every system matters. And yet, at the same time, it's a game where all the pre-existing lore being referenced is absolutely worthless. What's the plot of Peter Pan? Kingdom Hearts doesn't care, and it doesn't bother letting you find out more than the absolute sparsest details. How does Hercules learn to become a hero? It would be absolutely pointless to even get into that, apparently: the important thing is there's a whole bunch of Heartless in a tournament and also Cloud from Final Fantasy is there, and maybe later Sephiroth too if you're really good at the game (I am not).
Where Kingdom Hearts really luxuriates plot-wise is not in callbacks to the media from which it is derived (is the sum total of all the core Disney movies shorter or longer than all the Dragon Ball shows combined? I'm honestly not sure, but I'd suspect the run times are close), but in its original characters. While the sequels, Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts 2, would introduce dozens of new people for the player to care about, the first game introduces four main characters -- three protagonists and a villain. There are a couple other figures who one could argue count as substantive original characters, but including them feels reductive, especially given how well the ones we get mesh together. We don't meet the villain of the game until nearly the very end, but his influence is felt from the very beginning in how it affects Sora, Riku, and Kairi.
This trio of characters, the first we're introduced to in the game besides a few Final Fantasy inclusions, are perfectly formed in very little space. One can imagine a less confident version of this game where we spend ages watching Sora and pals on an island, learning about their personalities and relationships in a more piecemeal fashion, but Kingdom Hearts wisely just gives us a few basic tutorials designed to introduce the combat, platforming, and exploration along with a few short scenes before ripping the trio apart. It's stunning how much the absence of Riku and Kairi is felt throughout the game despite how little time we got with them at the beginning. During those brief moments where they are reunited, it's an absolutely joyous feeling.
As the beginning of a long-running narrative-heavy franchise, Kingdom Hearts bears a lot of weight; for many players, it will be the thing that decides whether they bother continuing with the franchise or give up on it without giving it a second chance. While it's not perfect, it's remarkable how much it gets right. Later games in the series would improve on everything it gets wrong, but it would be a landmark achievement even if it was the peak of the franchise's quality.
Kingdom Hearts is a game that shouldn't work. The mesh of action and JRPG combat mechanics is imperfect and at times deeply frustrating; diversions like the Hundred Acre Woods and the Gummi Ship feel half-formed; companion characters Goofy and Donald are rarely useful members of the team, and the various guest companions never make up for what they lack; the Disney worlds and Final Fantasy characters feel like hollow, weightless versions of their points of origin; and the platforming is an absolute mess nearly all of the time.
And yet I love it. I love designing janky, colorful Gummi Ships, totally unsure of whether what I'm doing will meaningfully affect my performance in those sections; I love the feeling of finally becoming good at, say, swinging across vines in the Tarzan world; I even love how much I hate Donald and Goofy. I genuinely love it all, even acknowledging how much some of it kind of sucks. Is this nostalgia speaking? Did I, upon replaying it this year and finding it genuinely delightful, get tricked into having a good time with an awful game? I genuinely don't think so.
Another game I'm currently playing, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, is full of systems -- a fishing minigame, a cooking system, at least 3-4 interlocking systems that define the minutiae of character progression, a whole host of side quests, the Dragon Balls themselves, and far, far more, but the truth is, none of it really matters: before any major boss battle, the game automatically gives the player enough XP to instantly ascend to whatever level the developers had in mind for that fight. None of the systems matter at all, and they all represent essentially meaningless extra content. I don't mind having it there -- things like unique voiced interactions between characters that can be unlocked by placing two to four tiles with related characters next to each other on a grid is enough of a small thrill that I don't mind that the extra stats or what have you that can be accrued through the placement of tiles on that grid or items used to level up the tiles prove ultimately pointless.
Part of the reason for this is that Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is an adaptation of an incredibly long-running franchise, and the developers felt an obligation to include as much far-reaching content as possible. In the very first episode of the Dragon Ball anime, we see Goku catch fish using his tail in a manner that is essentially identical to the gameplay in the fishing minigame; the fact that the developers felt that this was worth building a whole game mechanic around shows an admirable devotion to every single facet of the franchise. But I can't help but wonder if I might like the version of the game that's an almost pure action game more; would a hypothetical version of myself who doesn't know anything about Dragon Ball enjoy it more if the game simply did away with the completely pointless systems that are only there to satisfy my urge to point at the screen and say "ah, I know what they're referencing there!"? I might.
Kingdom Hearts is a game full of weird, broken systems, and it's clear that every one of them is the product of a development team that genuinely wanted it all to matter. It is in every way the exact opposite of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. To play Kingdom Hearts is to fly the Gummi Ship; to play Kingdom Hearts is to struggle with difficult jumps between rooftops; to play Kingdom Hearts is to experience perfect moments where Donald Duck manages, just this once, to come through in a pinch and heal you at a critical moment. Kingdom Hearts is a game where every system matters. And yet, at the same time, it's a game where all the pre-existing lore being referenced is absolutely worthless. What's the plot of Peter Pan? Kingdom Hearts doesn't care, and it doesn't bother letting you find out more than the absolute sparsest details. How does Hercules learn to become a hero? It would be absolutely pointless to even get into that, apparently: the important thing is there's a whole bunch of Heartless in a tournament and also Cloud from Final Fantasy is there, and maybe later Sephiroth too if you're really good at the game (I am not).
Where Kingdom Hearts really luxuriates plot-wise is not in callbacks to the media from which it is derived (is the sum total of all the core Disney movies shorter or longer than all the Dragon Ball shows combined? I'm honestly not sure, but I'd suspect the run times are close), but in its original characters. While the sequels, Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts 2, would introduce dozens of new people for the player to care about, the first game introduces four main characters -- three protagonists and a villain. There are a couple other figures who one could argue count as substantive original characters, but including them feels reductive, especially given how well the ones we get mesh together. We don't meet the villain of the game until nearly the very end, but his influence is felt from the very beginning in how it affects Sora, Riku, and Kairi.
This trio of characters, the first we're introduced to in the game besides a few Final Fantasy inclusions, are perfectly formed in very little space. One can imagine a less confident version of this game where we spend ages watching Sora and pals on an island, learning about their personalities and relationships in a more piecemeal fashion, but Kingdom Hearts wisely just gives us a few basic tutorials designed to introduce the combat, platforming, and exploration along with a few short scenes before ripping the trio apart. It's stunning how much the absence of Riku and Kairi is felt throughout the game despite how little time we got with them at the beginning. During those brief moments where they are reunited, it's an absolutely joyous feeling.
As the beginning of a long-running narrative-heavy franchise, Kingdom Hearts bears a lot of weight; for many players, it will be the thing that decides whether they bother continuing with the franchise or give up on it without giving it a second chance. While it's not perfect, it's remarkable how much it gets right. Later games in the series would improve on everything it gets wrong, but it would be a landmark achievement even if it was the peak of the franchise's quality.
O jogo é bom, inovador e tem um enredo relativamente bem construído, trazer personagens da Disney e fazer com que cada um desempenhe um papel decente dentro do jogo é realmente muito legal. Toda a história de Kingdom Hearts em si é bem feita, passando pelos Heartless, vilões, Keyblades, a investigação de Ansem, o desaparecimento do Mickey.
Os problemas são as Gummi Ships e aparição dos personagens de Final Fantasy. Não sei qual a necessidade das Gummi Ships e também não vi necessidade de coletarmos peças e blueprints para aprimorar as naves. Me parece que a ideia era sempre ter um minigame entre mundos, mas na verdade era muito chato e uma verdadeira perda de tempo melhorar as naves. Já os personagens de Final Fantasy eu sequer sei porque eles estão lá, foram simplesmente lançados no jogo.
Os problemas são as Gummi Ships e aparição dos personagens de Final Fantasy. Não sei qual a necessidade das Gummi Ships e também não vi necessidade de coletarmos peças e blueprints para aprimorar as naves. Me parece que a ideia era sempre ter um minigame entre mundos, mas na verdade era muito chato e uma verdadeira perda de tempo melhorar as naves. Já os personagens de Final Fantasy eu sequer sei porque eles estão lá, foram simplesmente lançados no jogo.
kool
Magical. Also the combat is very satisfying.
Hasn't held up well. I wish the worlds were more free and open, and the combat was less mash one button for half the game until more options open up. The game also spikes in difficulty at the end which is always unfun. Maybe I'm missing something with combat, don't know, but flying like peter pan was cool. Story was also quite meh
this is the worst idea for a video game ever
The game really shows its age and I don't think a lot of players might be willing to adapt to that. I personally recommend looking for a let's play to watch as you go along it. It can make the experience easier to get through
An absolute gem. I can gaze at the cover and listen to "Dearly Beloved" all day.
Everything about Kingdom Hearts is pure magic. You can tell Nomura put all of his craft into making something special. He had something to prove with his mash-up of Disney and Final Fantasy. Sometimes the weight of that crossover hits me unexpectedly, like "Yeah, that was a thing. And it was incredible!!"
Also. "Deep Dive." 'Nuff said.
Everything about Kingdom Hearts is pure magic. You can tell Nomura put all of his craft into making something special. He had something to prove with his mash-up of Disney and Final Fantasy. Sometimes the weight of that crossover hits me unexpectedly, like "Yeah, that was a thing. And it was incredible!!"
Also. "Deep Dive." 'Nuff said.
there's something a lot more tangible and earnest and adolescently painful about kingdom hearts 1 than anything else in that franchise in a way that makes it feel really fun for me to revisit. I also like the platforming and the combat and stuff the game is just crunchy and weighty and cool, I wish future KH games had this dedication to level design
Mickey Mouse? Cloud Final Fantasy? No it's these three stupid kids going on some fever dream ass adventure about hearts and light and darkness. And which one of those is Kingdom Hearts? Beats me, but in this game it's light. A fun and adorable time with voice acting that'll give the original Speed Racer dub a run for it's money that anyone who likes Disney and/or Final Fantasy can and should get behind at least once.
Clunky, often annoying, but still its high points both in story and gameplay shouldn't be missed
I honestly couldn't get into this franchise at all.
You know how I sometimes say a game is jank but it's ultimately fun? Conflicting feelings on that statement with this game.
best game that should've never gotten sequels
just play kh2 final mix instead
This is the game that really got me into the RPG genre. While the Disney/FF characters are mostly window dressing, it's a whimsical time capsule of a time when this franchise (kinda) made sense.
Eu não fui tão longe no jogo enquanto eu queria, mas eu joguei mais de 6h nesse negócio, então eu acho que mereço pelo menos dois dedos de prosa depois de passar umas noites com KH.
É bom já deixar meio claro que um action JRPG tá longe de ser um estilo que eu goste e realmente curta, mas o problema de Kingdom Hearts é que a única coisa que ele é realmente bom é em ser estranho. A mistura que não faz sentido, estar no meio de um papo sério e aparecer o Pateta falando uma idiotice... O problema é que ele ser estranho não sustenta um jogo desse porte.
A parte de plataforma dele é estranha e travada, o sistema de batalha é sem graça e confuso, a exploração dos mapas é perdida e em ambientes minúsculos, a história nunca fez sentido, os diálogos menos ainda.
Acho que se você gosta do estilo do jogo, talvez seja mais fácil pra você, mas eu acho que já valeu pra entender o que é o jogo e que eu não vou ficar feliz continuando ele. Me disseram que KH2 é bem melhor, quem sabe?
É bom já deixar meio claro que um action JRPG tá longe de ser um estilo que eu goste e realmente curta, mas o problema de Kingdom Hearts é que a única coisa que ele é realmente bom é em ser estranho. A mistura que não faz sentido, estar no meio de um papo sério e aparecer o Pateta falando uma idiotice... O problema é que ele ser estranho não sustenta um jogo desse porte.
A parte de plataforma dele é estranha e travada, o sistema de batalha é sem graça e confuso, a exploração dos mapas é perdida e em ambientes minúsculos, a história nunca fez sentido, os diálogos menos ainda.
Acho que se você gosta do estilo do jogo, talvez seja mais fácil pra você, mas eu acho que já valeu pra entender o que é o jogo e que eu não vou ficar feliz continuando ele. Me disseram que KH2 é bem melhor, quem sabe?
Combat is satisfying af
awesome
Feels so nostalgic but not the camera. Damn how f*cking shitty is the camera.
Fun time.
aged like ass
This game is jank. It reaally is jank. It has not great platforming, primitive combat, and honestly all the recipes to not be a good game, right? That's where KH1 pulls the rug under you. This game is pretty decent! It's charming, the presentation is still really nice for a 2002 game, and despite the sometimes messy, and confused world design, I always pushed through because I wanted to see it through to the end, and I think that's KH1's biggest strength.
playing this game feels like being a hobo sitting around the dumpster fire, i mean yeah it smells bad but at least im warm
This is the best Kingdom Hearts and I'll die on this hill. No other game nailed the synergy between FF and Disney as well as this one. Overall 1, CoM and 2 create a solid trilogy. The rest don't need to exist.
thank you nomura