This review contains spoilers
PLAYTHROUGH NOTE:FIRST PLAYTHROUGH DONE ON PROUD IN 2019 ON BASE PS4. REPLAY DONE ON CRITICAL MODE ON PS5
TLDR:A frustrating finale to the franchise, Kingdom Hearts 3 showcases the best and worst of the franchise. While there’s a ton of improvements from the PS2 Era of games, many more plague the game whether that be issues from more than a decade ago, or unique issues with the games' multitude of systems. Just play Devil May Cry 5 or Sekiro if you want an engaging action game released in 2019.
Longer review:
Kingdom Hearts 3 is a weird game to tackle since it has to appeal to two different audiences. The first being the more general fan base of the series that doesn't really care for the deeper mechanics of Kingdom Hearts (mainly KH2) and the other side that does care for said mechanics. With KH3, I don't really feel either side was really answered, but at the same time they were. Personally, the 2021 replay soured so many of my initial thoughts from two years ago, but I still feel there's a ton of bright spots in this game.
The Good:
-Easily the best looking Unreal Engine 4 game and potentially in the top 10 of the generation. Everything is brimming with so much charm and effects it is absolutely staggering (also tanks the frame rate so just play on PS4 Pro or PS5 for most consistency).
-Keyblade combat for the most part is done better than the Osaka Handheld games with many of the mechanics improved upon to a mirror shine. In particular found the keyblade forge worked wonders on extending the longevity of keyblades (alongside the improved forms and shotlocks)
-Party mechanics (having everyone) was an incredibly good change and made the worlds feel the best they have ever been (Toy Story and Monsters Inc. being the highlights in my opinion)
-When the story does get going the hype moments felt pretty good to experience and long term fans will certainly be entertained
-Crit Mode/NG+ adds some much needed combat abilities for Sora that alleviate some issues with the combat (lack of control) and being able to completely disable attractions is wonderful
The Bad
-While Crit Mode is nice it does not fix much of KH3s general issues besides the ability to turn off Attractions and the enemies more aggressive. The bonus abilities do not feel as good as those obtained in KH2 or even BBS
-UNBALANCED TO HELL. This is mostly because of Grand Magic and Shotlocks are some of the most damaging moves in the game. Mid to Late game combat boils down to casting the fully powered shotlocks to clear a game, than spam magic until a formchange occurs and continue clearing the room (THIS ALSO APPLIES TO THE ENDGAME BOSSES)
-In contrast to this, flowmotion is absolutely worthless because of the heavy nerfs it had from 3D (no jumpchaining and the damage for pulling off flowmotion never felt particularly useful). Also because of the amount of enemies on screen it is very easy to get interrupted while trying to pull off more complex techniques.
-Kupo Coin is an awful mechanic. Costs way too little to use and makes so many fights a clear victory because of how strong the safety net is (THIS APPLIES TO ENDGAME BOSSES TOO)
-While party members are overall improved, the same can't be said for controlling said party members, as the AI still does not feel the best it could be. Also the limits for these Party Members felt incredibly random and made fights that rely on said attacks feel like complete shitshows.
-Some worlds are the best in the franchise. Others not so much. Because of this KH3 suffers from an incredibly inconsistent amount of quality (personally it peaks 8 hours in out of a 20+ hour playthrough). Even the best worlds feel extremely padded because of an over reliance on gimmicks or dumb story beats to keep the plot going (Arendelle is extremely fond of this)
-Stories in the worlds feel incredibly repetitive and leads to the main villains not really being all too threatening until the finale world (even though they show up in every single world). Because of this the overall story of KH3 feels incredibly clunky when compared to the other games.
The Ugly
-While New Game Plus is always a welcome feature, LOCKING ABILITIES BEHIND IT IS FUCKING STUPID AND I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY. Also not sure why movement abilities are not fully given (Glide being a finale world unlock pisses me off to this same day)
-Overall this game feels like it barely improved from a game released over a decade ago, and certainly does not improve upon a ton of Osaka team mistakes (magic,combat feeling out of control,gimmicky systems).
-A ton of the end game story points felt like the lamest possible cop outs and made the growth of several characters feel like utter wastes of time (and some trailer moments were way less important than they appear to be in game)
-REmind is still an overpriced as hell DLC and Square should be ashamed of themselves for selling it (not buying it for 30 fucking dollars)
Final Thoughts:
After finishing KH3 for the first time in 2019, I felt many conflicting emotions with the game, but ended up having a positive mindset with the game and thought it was a satisfying conclusion to the franchise. Playing it two years later with everything that has come and gone with the franchise and I no longer feel that way. I know this will piss off some people but Kingdom Hearts 3 is one of the lesser games in the franchise and has so many stumbles I am very confused why many hail it as a return to form to the franchise I used to cherish deeply. REmind will not be played because why should I stomach more of a game I went from a reluctant good to a bitter mediocre? The answer is I won’t and with Kingdom Hearts 3 I’ll never play another second of Nomura’s ride
Final Rating: 5/10
TLDR:A frustrating finale to the franchise, Kingdom Hearts 3 showcases the best and worst of the franchise. While there’s a ton of improvements from the PS2 Era of games, many more plague the game whether that be issues from more than a decade ago, or unique issues with the games' multitude of systems. Just play Devil May Cry 5 or Sekiro if you want an engaging action game released in 2019.
Longer review:
Kingdom Hearts 3 is a weird game to tackle since it has to appeal to two different audiences. The first being the more general fan base of the series that doesn't really care for the deeper mechanics of Kingdom Hearts (mainly KH2) and the other side that does care for said mechanics. With KH3, I don't really feel either side was really answered, but at the same time they were. Personally, the 2021 replay soured so many of my initial thoughts from two years ago, but I still feel there's a ton of bright spots in this game.
The Good:
-Easily the best looking Unreal Engine 4 game and potentially in the top 10 of the generation. Everything is brimming with so much charm and effects it is absolutely staggering (also tanks the frame rate so just play on PS4 Pro or PS5 for most consistency).
-Keyblade combat for the most part is done better than the Osaka Handheld games with many of the mechanics improved upon to a mirror shine. In particular found the keyblade forge worked wonders on extending the longevity of keyblades (alongside the improved forms and shotlocks)
-Party mechanics (having everyone) was an incredibly good change and made the worlds feel the best they have ever been (Toy Story and Monsters Inc. being the highlights in my opinion)
-When the story does get going the hype moments felt pretty good to experience and long term fans will certainly be entertained
-Crit Mode/NG+ adds some much needed combat abilities for Sora that alleviate some issues with the combat (lack of control) and being able to completely disable attractions is wonderful
The Bad
-While Crit Mode is nice it does not fix much of KH3s general issues besides the ability to turn off Attractions and the enemies more aggressive. The bonus abilities do not feel as good as those obtained in KH2 or even BBS
-UNBALANCED TO HELL. This is mostly because of Grand Magic and Shotlocks are some of the most damaging moves in the game. Mid to Late game combat boils down to casting the fully powered shotlocks to clear a game, than spam magic until a formchange occurs and continue clearing the room (THIS ALSO APPLIES TO THE ENDGAME BOSSES)
-In contrast to this, flowmotion is absolutely worthless because of the heavy nerfs it had from 3D (no jumpchaining and the damage for pulling off flowmotion never felt particularly useful). Also because of the amount of enemies on screen it is very easy to get interrupted while trying to pull off more complex techniques.
-Kupo Coin is an awful mechanic. Costs way too little to use and makes so many fights a clear victory because of how strong the safety net is (THIS APPLIES TO ENDGAME BOSSES TOO)
-While party members are overall improved, the same can't be said for controlling said party members, as the AI still does not feel the best it could be. Also the limits for these Party Members felt incredibly random and made fights that rely on said attacks feel like complete shitshows.
-Some worlds are the best in the franchise. Others not so much. Because of this KH3 suffers from an incredibly inconsistent amount of quality (personally it peaks 8 hours in out of a 20+ hour playthrough). Even the best worlds feel extremely padded because of an over reliance on gimmicks or dumb story beats to keep the plot going (Arendelle is extremely fond of this)
-Stories in the worlds feel incredibly repetitive and leads to the main villains not really being all too threatening until the finale world (even though they show up in every single world). Because of this the overall story of KH3 feels incredibly clunky when compared to the other games.
The Ugly
-While New Game Plus is always a welcome feature, LOCKING ABILITIES BEHIND IT IS FUCKING STUPID AND I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY. Also not sure why movement abilities are not fully given (Glide being a finale world unlock pisses me off to this same day)
-Overall this game feels like it barely improved from a game released over a decade ago, and certainly does not improve upon a ton of Osaka team mistakes (magic,combat feeling out of control,gimmicky systems).
-A ton of the end game story points felt like the lamest possible cop outs and made the growth of several characters feel like utter wastes of time (and some trailer moments were way less important than they appear to be in game)
-REmind is still an overpriced as hell DLC and Square should be ashamed of themselves for selling it (not buying it for 30 fucking dollars)
Final Thoughts:
After finishing KH3 for the first time in 2019, I felt many conflicting emotions with the game, but ended up having a positive mindset with the game and thought it was a satisfying conclusion to the franchise. Playing it two years later with everything that has come and gone with the franchise and I no longer feel that way. I know this will piss off some people but Kingdom Hearts 3 is one of the lesser games in the franchise and has so many stumbles I am very confused why many hail it as a return to form to the franchise I used to cherish deeply. REmind will not be played because why should I stomach more of a game I went from a reluctant good to a bitter mediocre? The answer is I won’t and with Kingdom Hearts 3 I’ll never play another second of Nomura’s ride
Final Rating: 5/10