Kingdom Hearts is a beloved franchise of many. It sits among many peoples’ favorite franchises and is wonderfully nostalgic for many peoples’ childhoods. So… It is almost embarrassing to say… I have never played a Kingdom Hearts game. Not for lack of trying! When I got my PlayStation 3 (my first ever PlayStation, don’t judge) I picked up the remasters of Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2. But… I never actually played them. Now, nearly seven years later, I finally played through the first game. So, with zero nostalgia for the series, Zero clue about the story, and zero interest in the characters, how did the game stack up for a newbie? Let’s discuss Kingdom Hearts!
Now, for full transparency, and in case the intro didn’t give it away, I want to say that I played on the 1.5 remix version of the game. I have no clue if this changes anything in the gameplay or what it did even change. But, this particular version is my first experience with the game.
So, with that said, let’s dive in!
Kingdom Hearts tells the story of impending doom. A group of children on an island get crossed up in a whole mess of trouble. They get thrown through a portal to a different dimension. Sora, our protagonist, loses the love of his life, Kairi, in the portal. The game follows Sora as he tracks down Kairi through different dimensions. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. Sora gets tangled up in a whole end of the world situation and must choose to chase Kairi, or save Kingdom Hearts. That’s the very minimal synopsis for Kingdom Hearts. The story is extremely convoluted and complex. And to my understanding, the story never really gets any easier to follow in the subsequent games. I understand how the story resonates with young people, because it is written for young people. But what does that mean for the 28 year old playing it for the first time? Short answer: I loved it! The story feels like it mostly just services the idea behind the game. They obviously wanted you to hop from Disney world to Disney world meeting different Disney characters. The theme and story of the game is extremely heavy handed and honestly… cheesy. But! I really don’t mind the cheese. It is all about friendship and the importance of never giving up. It’s cloaked in a dark vs light façade and it works well!
As I mentioned above, the game takes you through different Disney settings. Each setting offers different experiences and this is where the game really shines. The characters and worlds are all amazing. It was a truly magical experience playing through these worlds that most of us know vehemently. There is obviously some worlds better than others (Halloween Town is a personal highlight) but each offers something special.
But this is where the game gets weird. The game is obviously written for a younger audience. But when we get to the gameplay, the game is something VERY different. The combat system is very simple and easy to grasp. Which stays in tune with a Final Fantasy game made for a young audience (what I thought Kingdom Hearts was). But it has a very steep learning curve. The game is extremely hard. Even the first boss in Wonderland ran me over multiple times. And it just gets harder from there. I was able to power grind my way through the game. I power leveled in the Coliseum and really started to enjoy the game. I played through all the way to the final level. It was incredible. Then… I hit the final room before the final boss. The final boss wasn’t even difficult. But the room to get to him was excruciating. You have to fight through wave after wave of enemies. For nearly twenty minutes! It is extremely difficult and I tried for hours. I was forced to give up. I stopped playing the game and thought about just dropping the game all together. I already went my whole life without playing the game, who cares if I never finish it? I let it sit for a month almost. But the fun of the earlier game kept calling me back. I came back to the game and was determined to do it. I went and grinded nearly twenty levels in the Coliseum. This took hours. I decided that I would just complete everything in the game to level up. I found all the Dalmatians, did all the trinities, and completed every side quest. Nearly thirty levels later, I felt it was time to finish the game. I went back to the room and barely finished it. Barely. It was still incredibly difficult. Why is there such an insane difficulty spike in a child’s game? The answer is: I was wrong. Kingdom Hearts is NOT a child games. It’s tough as nails and wants to hand your ass to you. In fact, there are numerous optional bosses that might be some of the hardest bosses I have ever faced. This game is no joke. But… I’m proud to say; I finished it all! I did everything there was to do in this game, and I’m damn glad I did. Of course, there is an even HARDER difficulty on the 1.5 remix. Maybe one day, but that is future Gage’s problem.
That’s what my takeaway from Kingdom Hearts is. You do not get to just stroll through this game. You sort of have to jump into the deep end. You will not have a good time if you just take the game lightly. This game WILL kick your ass, and it’ll do it a lot. But, the experience is unforgettable. The battle system feels shallow at first, but becomes incredibly deep. You can feel yourself getting better at the game. As you rank up through the worlds, you see more and more of where this game really shines. It is loved by so many people, obviously it’s something special. I thought it was just from childhood nostalgia, but it’s not. The game is still incredible for a nearly thirty year old playing it for the first time. I loved most of Kingdom Hearts. The different worlds, the characters, the combat, the bosses, and even the story are all unforgettable. But so is the extreme grind. I loved 95% of my experience, but the other 5% really leaves a sour taste.
I would honestly recommend this game for fans of RPG’s only. I do not think this is a game for everyone. It’s tough as nails nature might not sit right for someone not familiar with the grind of RPG’s. I personally came away with an amazing experience, but I don’t think everyone will.
Because of that, I’m going to give Kingdom Hearts 1.5 a 3 out of 4. There is obviously something amazing here, but there is a ton that can be improved. I almost gave up on the adventure because I didn’t know if I cared enough to finish the game. But that made me experience the true magic of Kingdom Hearts. You should do everything you can, because the game truly shines when you do. It’s a wonderful start to a beloved franchise and I’m excited to play the other games in the franchise.
Just one last thing… I did not have an opinion on Donald Duck before this series, but man oh man does he need to step his game up. Sometimes I hated that God forsaken Duck.