Kingdom Hearts (PS2) > Reviews (44)

Everyone knows Disney. The characters of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and co are loved around the world. Everyone who has an interest in gaming knows Square, their Final Fantasy games are as legendary in the gaming world as Disney is to cartoons. So what better than to bring the two together for a magical adventure game?

Enter Kingdom Hearts, a Role Playing Game that mixes action, Disney characters and Square’s magical formula for creating great games. The game starts by introducing Sora, a 14 year-old boy who, in the course of the story, has to find his friends after a storm separates them. Sora finds himself on a strange island, where he meets Donald Duck and Goofy, who are looking for their king, Mickey. The three of them work together to defeat the evil minions of The Heartless and save both Mickey and Sora’s friends. But it’s not just Goofy and Donald that you’ll meet, along the way you will also get to help out famous Disney characters like Tarzan, Alice and even Jack Skellington, as well as defeating some of the meanest Disney villains to boot.

The controls are so intuitive that you may even forget you are playing a game, it all helps to add to the atmosphere and create that magical world where the Disney characters need your help to find their master. On Sora’s home island you will learn how to fight, talk and use items and will have to solve a few simple tasks which lead you away from the sandy beaches and on to new and mysterious lands beyond. Talking of which, the graphics really make the places come alive, with some fantastic little touches in the background as you wonder around the lush looking Disney lands.

As you would expect from Disney, voice talent is of a very high standard. Not only do Donald, Goofy and the rest sound like you would expect, but guest voices include Haley Joel Osment (Sixth Sense and AI) but also David Boreanaz, better known as Angel! The cut scenes are amazing and up to Disney and Square’s usual quality, making this much more than your usual RPG or Adventure game.

Don’t be concerned if all of those stat based battles have put you off of Final Fantasy games either, this game has a unique way of fighting enemies which mixes easy to use magic with traditional fighting of arcade style games. This blends perfectly into the story without the long pauses of Square’s other games. In fact, between the fighting and exploring there is a much greater feeling of freedom than in most other RPG games put together.

If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to enter a Disney cartoon or wanted to live in Disneyland for real, then this game will make your dreams come true. Kingdom Hearts shares the magic of Square and Disney to come up with something so special and unique that you simply have to play it to believe it.