Played via the 1.5+2.5 collection on PS4
Kingdom Hearts is a game that is pretty special to me, I've played through the first game more than any other game in the series (Despite Birth By Sleep and KH 2 being my faves) because Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy X were my first PS2 games and the whole reason I wanted a PS2 to begin with in the first place.
Like most kids, I was big into Disney and grew up watching all the classics and at that point in my life I was also big into Final Fantasy so Kingdom Hearts was like a dream game for me as a kid. I used to be pretty obsessed with the series and replaying this game reminded me exactly why I used to love it so much.
Kingdom Hearts is a franchise so iconic that I feel the story needs no explaining. The first KH was a very simple narrative (Unlike some later installments), a tried and true tale of the battle of light and darkness and the balance between them, it can be kinda cheesy at times, but so are most Disney movies so it works. Also it's essentially Star Wars (So I guess Kingdom Hearts was Disney Star Wars before Disney even owned Star Wars) when you think about it.
I think the narrative and world-building have just enough detail and intrigue to keep the player interested, but what really carries Kingdom Hearts is how charming its characters are from the new OC characters like Sora's trio to all the iconic Disney characters and Final Fantasy cameos, all the performances (Which are done mostly by the OG Disney voices) really help breathe life into the game and make it so much more immersive.
Kingdom Hearts undeniably has a bit of first game syndrome and is certainly showing its age. The level design can be a bit labyrinthine at times and some of the boss fights are either too simplistic and easy or just annoying and damage spongy (looking at you Ursula), the movement feels stiff and the camera controls are actually the real hardest enemy in the game (Sorry Sephiroth), but it makes up for all this through the sheer heart and passion it oozes for the Disney properties featured and even when I was getting lost, exploring all the worlds was always a joy thanks to how faithfully they re-create the worlds of their respective Disney IP and the combat which starts out rudimentary and rough in the beginning gets faster, more fun and fleshed out as you slowly level up and unlock more moves to experiment with and chain together.
So while Kingdom Hearts can be rough around the edges, I still think it has held up very well through the years and it's an incredible game with some really cool bosses (Especially the optional end-game ones), fun, fast paced combat, rewarding exploration with tons of secrets to discover and a nearly endless amount of charm in the world and characters and even to this day it offers a truly unique experience that you just can't get anywhere else and after all there's a reason Kingdom Hearts has become so iconic and stood the test of time even after 2 decades later.
Kingdom Hearts is a game that is pretty special to me, I've played through the first game more than any other game in the series (Despite Birth By Sleep and KH 2 being my faves) because Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy X were my first PS2 games and the whole reason I wanted a PS2 to begin with in the first place.
Like most kids, I was big into Disney and grew up watching all the classics and at that point in my life I was also big into Final Fantasy so Kingdom Hearts was like a dream game for me as a kid. I used to be pretty obsessed with the series and replaying this game reminded me exactly why I used to love it so much.
Kingdom Hearts is a franchise so iconic that I feel the story needs no explaining. The first KH was a very simple narrative (Unlike some later installments), a tried and true tale of the battle of light and darkness and the balance between them, it can be kinda cheesy at times, but so are most Disney movies so it works. Also it's essentially Star Wars (So I guess Kingdom Hearts was Disney Star Wars before Disney even owned Star Wars) when you think about it.
I think the narrative and world-building have just enough detail and intrigue to keep the player interested, but what really carries Kingdom Hearts is how charming its characters are from the new OC characters like Sora's trio to all the iconic Disney characters and Final Fantasy cameos, all the performances (Which are done mostly by the OG Disney voices) really help breathe life into the game and make it so much more immersive.
Kingdom Hearts undeniably has a bit of first game syndrome and is certainly showing its age. The level design can be a bit labyrinthine at times and some of the boss fights are either too simplistic and easy or just annoying and damage spongy (looking at you Ursula), the movement feels stiff and the camera controls are actually the real hardest enemy in the game (Sorry Sephiroth), but it makes up for all this through the sheer heart and passion it oozes for the Disney properties featured and even when I was getting lost, exploring all the worlds was always a joy thanks to how faithfully they re-create the worlds of their respective Disney IP and the combat which starts out rudimentary and rough in the beginning gets faster, more fun and fleshed out as you slowly level up and unlock more moves to experiment with and chain together.
So while Kingdom Hearts can be rough around the edges, I still think it has held up very well through the years and it's an incredible game with some really cool bosses (Especially the optional end-game ones), fun, fast paced combat, rewarding exploration with tons of secrets to discover and a nearly endless amount of charm in the world and characters and even to this day it offers a truly unique experience that you just can't get anywhere else and after all there's a reason Kingdom Hearts has become so iconic and stood the test of time even after 2 decades later.