This game committed an unforgivable crime, making me question if the previous games were that good to begin with.

It amazes me how flat the KH formula falls in this game. The storytelling is so bland and uncompelling, the characters so wooden and underutilized, and the tone alternates between overly serious and self-parody. The game is dominated by filler, leaving 80% of the best and most plot relevant moments for the very end. I don't want to play a game that doesn't become good until 20 hours in.

The gameplay is also too flashy and shallow, I struggle to remember any combat encouter in the game, and I fail to care. The optional content is easily the best in the game: Though it may be an amusing distraction, it saves nothing in the long run.

The game looks great, there are a few compelling character moments in the last third, and finding Mikey emblems is fun enough, but these things aren't nearly worth the tedious trek to reach them. Group all this together with the worst DLC campaign I've ever played, and KH3 has soured the entire franchise for me. I can't look at KH 1 or 2 the same way, and I have no interest in playing KH 4 when it comes out. This, to me, is another tragic instance of an inspired franchise being torn down by pandering and pretention.

KH3 needed to check its engine before slurging on a paint job.

Reviewed on Apr 28, 2023


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