Disney Squared (Kingdom Hearts (PS2))

Member Name: 3rd Rock Satan

Product:	Kingdom Hearts (PS2)
Date:	16/07/04 (118 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Combination works well, Looks the part, Good story

Disadvantages: Camera

A combination of one of the worlds leading RPG developers and a company with some of the most recognisable characters around was bound to be interesting. A partnership between Disney and Squaresoft could have gone either way. There is no denying each companies quality but whether the pairing could actually work was another thing. Thankfully the combination seems to have paid off making Kingdom Hearts one of the standout RPGs of recent years.

In the game you play young hero Sora. Living on a secluded island him and his two friends Riku and Kairi long to visit new worlds and explore. Meanwhile in Disney Kingdom, King Mickey is missing and Donald and Goofy are sent off to try and search for him. Back on the island a storm breaks and The Heartless invade. These unpleasant creatures are invading worlds in an effort to drown the world in total darkness. Sora soon becomes an unwitting hero in sealing the darkness for good. The storm separates himself and his friends and he soon meets up with Donald and Goofy. With them by his side they travel to a multitude of different and recognisable different worlds in an effort to seal the darkness, find King Mickey and track down Sora?s friends.

Kingdom Hearts strays from your traditional RPG structure and goes for something a bit more free form. Exploration is, of course, a staple but like Dark Chronicle combat isn?t turn based but performed in real time, which helps keep the pace up, and have you constantly on your toes. The game is split into various worlds and most will consist of a boss and the mission of locking the keyhole. Getting to these worlds is done via your Gummi ship, normally by driving manually and then later on being able to warp right to your location. Each location has a different set of Darkne
ss enemies, which get slightly tougher as the game goes on. Luckily you have your faithful companions Donald and Goofy at your side, then.

If you?ve played the 3D incarnations of Zelda then the combat system will be fairly familiar as Kingdom Hearts uses a lock-on system during the battles. You can let the combat system automatically lock on for you or you can do it yourself by pressing the R1 button assuring you are always facing the enemy. You can also cycle through enemies and interactive points by pressing R2. Attacking simply done by pressing X. While this is normally just a case of hammering away you can, later on, acquire combos and also special moves. Special moves can be used via the menu system which can be used in battle by cycling through it with the left analogue stick. Here you can choose special attacks and also magic attacks by selecting and then simply confirming with X. There is also a chance to select three spells for quick use. At first this can be rather hard to do, cycling through the menu can be hard to do when you are also fighting enemies and getting attacked but it more or less works well. Fighting enemies yields experience points and these can always be tracked via the uncluttered menu system. You can also, along with increasing magic and health points, learn new abilities such as gaining magic points when hit, attacks and other bonuses which can be equipped and removed whenever you need to. There are also numerous items you can collect to boost certain stats and you can also synthesise items to make new ones with the help of the Moogles.

Don?t expect the visuals of Final Fantasy X. Kingdom Hearts has an entirely different graphical style altogether. While environments are not as detailed and effects not as lavish they wouldn?t have suited the game. As the game takes place in the world of D
isney a realistic design wouldn?t have looked right. Squaresoft?s visual style is bright, bold and basic yet still manages to impress. Disney environments are recreated just like in the films as well as the characters; the evolution of seeing your 2D characters step into 3D actually looks decent and not weird like any of the Simpson?s have in their games. Seeing your favourite films of Disney turned into a game environment is very pleasing. You will find yourself in the jungle with Tarzan, Neverland with Peter Pan and Jack Skellington awaits you in Halloweentown.

Never one to disappoint with their in-game soundtracks Squaresoft provide a great score to accompany the adventure. Most is original music made for the game but some levels will feature recognisable music from their Disney films, which is a welcome addition even if they have a tendency to loop over again and again. Disney characters have been voiced over well and, while not getting all of the original voice actors involved (Hades and The Beast are the only originals), they have been mimicked to the best ability though some do sound more authentic than others. As well as this recognisable talent such as Haley-Joel Osmant, Mandy Moore and David Boreanaz lend their voices to characters. Disney buffs will also be pleased to note that throwaway lines from the films they are in also feature in the game.

Despite its visuals and the content do not expect this to play like a Junior RPG. This game is a proper RPG and has actually got quite a high level of difficulty. Those thinking that they will have an easy ride will be surprised at the toughness of some enemies and strategy really does play a part. For example you only have a limited amount of space to carry items such as heals or magic increasing potions once you run out in
a battle that?s it, you cant quit to the menu and use them from there so there is always the thought of having to plan just when you need to use them. Also some bosses, especially early on, can give you a tough time if you are not prepared.

However the difficulty is there for another reason and it is one of the biggest flaws of the game. The camera system is simply awful. It will get caught up in scenery, leave you blind to where Sora is going and doesn?t always face the person you want to face, even with you locked on it can be troublesome thanks to enemies erratic movements. In the heat of battle you really don?t want to turn around suddenly, have the camera change to a useless position and have to hack away anyway in the hope you are making contact with the enemy. It doesn?t just annoy in combat, there are numerous platform sections of the game and the camera sometimes just plain refuses to face the way the next platform is, forcing you to jump anyway and cross your fingers. It really is a shame the camera is such an annoyance because it really does take fun out of the game having to repeat battles because you were struck suddenly behind from an unseen enemy. You will get used to its quirks eventually but during the start it can be tough going. However the camera is pretty much the only big flaw in the game. Others are minor. Sometimes the action can get too hectic on screen, which makes casting spells a risk due to you being unable to defend attacks. Also the way you progress to levels is also a hassle. While an obvious effort has been made to make it a bit different it just doesn?t seem to hold up, the graphics are awful compared to the relative polish of the rest of the game, there is no real challenge and no incentive to build up your Gummi ship via a very complicated tutorial.

You can expect to get a fair amount of play out of the game. The actual main quest can be fairly
short with you reaching the potential end within around 25-30 hours. However there are many side quests that you can do such as looking for all the Dalmatian puppies, getting through all the rights in the Coliseum (including an tough battle with FFVII?s Sephiroth) and also finding all trinity marks to give you bonuses. Combined with these levelling up will also play a part towards the games end as bosses will become a main staple from then on. Luckily levelling up isn?t too much of a chore thanks to the Coliseum matches giving you experience but for those that hate having to be made to level up be wary of the fact that you may need a bit more experience to be able to see off the enemies at the end of the game.

Any person with a passing interest in RPGs will find Kingdom Hearts enjoyable and this is also a great introduction for those that haven?t or people who are tired of turn-based battles. It is a shame that the camera system brings down the game as much as it does because otherwise this could have been a very accomplished game. That said this is still a great, polished and (for the most part) enjoyable game and it also picks up during the end of the game to make it one of my most personal favourites. While it wont be as highly regarded as its big brother Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts is good enough in its own right.


[7 out of 10]


KINGDOM HEARTS IS:

A perfect partnership
A good challenge
High quality

KINGDOM HEARTS IS NOT:

A Disney cash-in
Just for the children
Blessed with a good camera

Summary: