A good portion of the conversation surrounding Kingdom Hearts is focused on its blatant absurdity. The concept alone is so appalling that it obscures a lot of the series' more interesting qualities. It's like a rhetorical black hole. I wonder if, in a theoretical future where Disney loses the copyright to many of their characters, this series will take on a whole new meaning. Will future players see this game's retellings of classic Disney films in the same way we see ancient myths today? How about how we feel about more recent creations like Sherlock Holmes? A lot of weight to be putting on the shoulders of the funny car key sword game, I know, but I found it an interesting thought experiment.

I'm focusing more on the concept of the game, rather than the actual content of it, simply because I don't love any specific parts of this first entry. The combat is fun and challenging if you choose to play on the hard difficulty, and the levels are fun to explore. The story is cute, blazingly earnest, and surprisingly simple. There are some sore spots to be sure, but I don't think it's fair to judge a game off of uncharacteristically poor parts.

In retrospect, I probably should have expected this. I’m a middle-aged man (with almost zero Disney nostalgia) playing Kingdom Hearts for the first time. I’m so far removed from this game’s core demographic, I might as well reside on an entirely different planet. And yet I played it... and yeah, it just wasn't for me.

So yeah. I found this one to be an interminable slog, with mind-numbingly repetitive combat, clunky mechanics, miserable platforming, claustrophobic level design, and a camera that skittered around in a nausea-inducing loop that often sent me to the medicine cabinet, looking for Dramamine. I admire how earnest and genuinely affecting some parts of it are (particularly the ending, which had me blasting “Simple and Clean” on repeat for weeks), but getting to those moments (and hell, finishing the game) often felt like an absolute chore.

At the same time, I'm vaguely curious about picking up Kingdom Hearts II sometime soon? Maybe that's a dumb idea.

CUM GUARDIAN



Cum.... open your heart....

I dare you to explain why this game doesn't let you shine a flashlight at Darkness

No seriously, if the average Kingdom Hearts fan can describe an entire generational storyline consisting over 13 games worth of lore that explains a war between light and dark, they can probably tell me why Darkness would die to what is assumed to be light

So let me ask again. If light is what "seals the darkness," then what happens if I shine any form of light at their face? What if I turned on my phone flashlight and they just Thanos snap dust away? Just saying, we really could've avoided so many wars, so many lives lost, so much trauma, all of this if we kept our nightlights on.

Open your heart. I didn't grow up with this game series like a lot of fans did; I played my first KH game in 2019. This first installment is a solid entry into the series that will leave you with so many questions soon to be answered in its many, MANY sequels. With Disney and Final Fantasy characters to lift it further, Sora, Kairi and Riku all go on a journey that will last a lifetime. If you are looking for adventure, Disney worlds, magical music and childlike wonder, then you should play Kingdom Hearts. Rating: 7/10

i love this game dearly. there is a "but," though, and that's its gameplay. i love this game when i am NOT playing it, and then when i get the bad idea to replay it, i hate it.

the gameplay is, in a word, clunky, and that unfortunately drags down the game as a whole. however, the story and characters are so, so, so wonderful, and so charming. the story is a simple one about friendship that then goes on to define the series (although with added complexity), and it is in its purest form in the original game. however, there are several moments that can surprise you, even with such a simple tale as this one. characters are excellent, and the development they go through even in this title is heartwarming.

i really, really love this game. i really do. but it is a game, and boy howdy is it hard to play such a clunky one.

esse jogo é maravilhoso. talvez a reputação dele e o simples conceito possa afastar muita gente, mas kingdom hearts é feito com tanto carinho e cuidado q eu n consigo n amar ele.

é doce, é divertido, é tudo de bom. ele tem mais respeito pelas propriedades intelectuais da disney do q a própria disney teve em toda a sua existência. os personagens são surpreendentemente engajantes e a trama, por mais q boba e as vezes complexa demais pro seu próprio bem, te pega. eu chorei no final, o q eu n esperava q fosse acontecer.

o gameplay é simples e meio repetitivo, mas pelo menos as boss battles são memoráveis e conseguem fazer vc usar tudo o q está a sua disposição. só preferiria q a AI do pateta e do donald conseguissem reagir melhor aos chefes, pois em algumas das lutas eles são incapazes de se defenderem ou desviarem de qualquer ataque.

mas essa é meio q a minha única crítica real ao jogo. eu amei ele de paixão, e acho q pelo menos esse primeiro jogo merece uma chance caso vc ainda n tenha dado. muito bom muito lindinho.

I fell in love with gaming from this game. I'm not sure if I'll ever find a game series that means more to me. the platforming issues and some general roughness make it harder to play than more recent titles, but it's still worth it.

Please remember that you can bind magic and potions to the shortcut/quick commands so you don't have to dpad down the menus in combat. it's always been here. I hear one more complaint...i swear.

All of the characters are my babies. I grew up with them for a while, watching my sisters play before they would let me have the controller. Warm, gentle memories come to mind from this game.