When I was 8 years old I was introduced to a new game series called Kingdom Hearts. It was simple at first and then became something else entirely, I’ve loved it every step of the way. I could go and tell you everything about the series and I just might but I first wanted to talk about it’s latest entry : Kingdom Hearts 3 and I also wanted to talk about why so many people have had issues with this series and why I ultimately didn’t.
When I finally started playing Kingdom Hearts 3 late last month, I was honestly blown away by the updated graphics and just how good finely tuned the combat was. With a solid mix of the Flowmotion Combat and the updated Magic Combat I was very impressed with even just the first few fights but then it gets better when you add in the Disney Attractions(A special move that allows you to summon certain famous rides from Disney World and Disney Land) and the form changes that happen every so often with your Keyblade combos and you have a fairly complex fighting system that I thought was a fantastic addition to the series. Also, the attractions made for some really funny moments in the final fight scenes cause you’re having this epic battle with an evil mastermind and then a giant tea cup or a magical carousel comes out of nowhere and just wrecks everyone. It’s great.
Now the story is where things get a little iffy for a lot of people. For some reason it makes perfect sense to me but for some people it’s just too convoluted and hey, I’m not here to tell you that you have to like this game. If you don’t like it that’s fine but for me, it was worth the 15 years that I’ve waited to see it’s conclusion. It ties up just about everything from the previous games very well but there were a few things that they left open so that they can continue the story and trust me, there will be another one. The only real issue that I have with the game involves pacing. A lot of people have complained that the disney levels seemed to just be filler until they finally get to the last 5 hours of the game. Admittedly, I understand that complaint. Even as a massive fan of both Disney and Kingdom Hearts the first few hours were really good but they wait way too long before they give you any real hints towards the main story. However, the updated graphics and level design can’t be overstated cause each level looks and plays in such a unique and interesting way that each one feels like you stepped into a new game in a lot of ways. The only thing I would’ve done differently is put in a few more things about the overarching storyline throughout the earlier levels so that we have something to keep us interested. The pay-off is definitely worth the set-up but it feels like it’s a really long set-up to get there.
The only major complaint that I have is that there are no Final Fantasy characters in this game besides Moogles and that just upsets me. I love all of the Disney characters and all of the ones created for this series but could we not get a single scene from Squall or Cloud or Vivi?
The only other complaint that I have is that there’s a few scenes featuring things from the Mobile games and it was cool to see but I wish that they set it up a bit more during the game for people who hadn’t played the mobile games or were unfamiliar with them at all. Also, the fake-out at about 20 minutes into the final battle was unnecessary to me. It had some interesting moments but I would’ve put it earlier in the game because it kills the pacing of the final fight. That being said, the last 2 hours of this game were worth everything that they set up. Every second was either a gasp or a cheer. It maintained it’s emotional poignancy from the older games while still having a bunch of moments that were just plain cool to see.
My final words are this, this is not a game for newcomers. Yeah, the combat is good but it doesn’t break any new barriers and the design of the new worlds is something that is absolutely worth seeing but when it comes down to it, this is a game for people that have waited to see the finale and have played through all of the major games and yes, if you haven’t played Birth By Sleep or 358/2 Days then none of the more emotional scenes of the game will hold any weight for you.
I’m not sure that this game is for everyone but I know that for the 8 year old in me who still believes in the power of magic and the power of our own hearts this was just what he needed to see.
May Your Heart Be Your Guiding Key.
