This game is so amazing to me because it manages to display that Disney magic while exuding that uniquely Squaresoft flair. The two unique visual styles never clash and in fact, mesh together quite well. Thanks to the amazing artistic team at Square you would never be able to tell that the two franchises were operated by two entirely different teams, one of American origin and the other of Japanese origin. It’s amazing how they really managed to capture the feeling that comes with Disney magic, you’ll notice all the little things that really make a Disney movie memorable. When Donald Duck blinks his eyes you don’t just notice the overdone animation, you’ll notice the over exaggerated sound effects that accompany the action. It’s the little touches and nuances that really make this game so amazingly memorable.
The other visual elements of the game are appealing as well. The textures are well done, featuring clean and crisp details that really show off what the Square artists can do. The characters are all very well crafted, remaining faithful to the Disney originals while containing subtle Square touches. Every part of the game's visuals are above par and live up to the standard that we have come to expect from Square and their games.
The storyline is vintage Squaresoft, while the game may feature young teens as its protagonists, there's nothing childish about the story. You'll get the usual themes that we have come to associate with Square games, "What's out there?" "What's the point to life?" and the other usual assortment of rhetorical questions. The game begins on the Destiny Islands, populated by children, including some Final Fantasy favorites. It serves as your basic tutorial as it gives you a chance to become familar with the basic aspects of the game. Then as you progress along, your party will eventually become separated with Sora ending up in a remote location. After being awakened by Pluto, you'll discover that the king of Disney, Mickey Mouse has gone MIA, leaving Donald Duck and Goofy to search for him. At the same time, the land is being overrun by the heartless, a group of baddies who want to control the land for themselves. This is when Sora discovers that he holds the 'key' (literally) to banishing the heartless for good. Through the game, you'll travel through plenty of different Disney locales that spans nearly every single Disney movie imaginable. This game is so large that well over 100 Disney characters make an appearance throughout the game, most of them in small cameos, some in supporting roles. I don't want to spoil anymore of the storyline for you but rest assured, it's full of twists and turns that will keep you glued to your seat.
A large problem that many of the hardcore gamer populous had with Square’s last offering, Final Fantasy X, was the voice acting. Due to the large amounts of dialogue, the lip synching could not be reworked and seemed to be quite a ways off throughout many of the game’s emotional scenes. Furthermore, some of the characters featured the worst voice acting performances of the year. I’m not sure about you, but my friends and I cringed every time Yuna opened her mouth to speak, her voice sounded so un-natural and forced that I elected to bypass her lines and read the text every time her lines would come up. As I feared for the worst in Kingdom Hearts, I actually got some of the best voice acting to ever appear in an American video game. The lines are spoken naturally and come through the speakers full of raw emotion and character. I really felt like I was hearing the original Disney characters speaking their lines instead of some next generation impersonator, the kids really felt like they were young at heart and full of awe and wonder. Best of all, the close-ups are no longer painful to watch; the extra months spent translating the game have really paid off. The all-star vocal cast really should be commended, as should the scriptwriters and the localization team.
Though this game is being billed as an RPG by some, it feels more like a third person adventure game that features a large dosage of RPG-like elements. You’ll retain sole control of Sora (the game’s main protagonist) as you venture through the game’s many environments and gain new abilities that will aid you in your quest. As you travel along your way you’ll be accompanied by two NPCs, usually Donald and Goofy but at times, you’ll have level specific characters such as Ariel or Peter Pan that will play the supporting role. While you can’t control them directly, you can control their behaviors and characteristics in a neat little sub menu. I found this to be a great way to balance out the gameplay without turning it into a horribly jumbled mess.
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