I know it's boring to bring up Kingdom Hearts' public perception in conversation about ANYTHING tangentially related to the series, but I can't stress enough that I really didn't expect to ever dedicate so much of my time and mind to these games. Like, if I didn't have friends who held this game specifically in such high regard I probably never would've gotten around to it. And really that's kind of a blessing, because there are so many incredible works of art that I'd have missed out on had I not been introduced to them through someone close to me. Kingdom Hearts 2 is a clear example of that.

Coming off of my honestly mixed feelings regarding the first game, KH2 immediately hit me as a stronger, more confident vision. I've said before that I'm way more into the original lore and characters than any of the crossover elements; so seeing how this game cold-opens on Roxas--a character we've never seen or heard of before--and molds his complexities, the central threat, the narrative themes, and how this all emotionally relates to our main cast of characters in just a few hours was genuinely impressive.

It all feels incredibly purposeful; and whenever the game DOES focus on the world it's been building and the emotional stakes for Sora, it works beautifully. There was even a moment near the end of the game--after a long-running goal had finally been completed--where he and another character shared a brief exchange that felt so tender and cathartic, and it honestly got to me a bit. It just gave me an overwhelming feeling of "This is what it was all for;" and the whole ending is filled with scenes like that so that's what comes to mind first when I think back on my time here.

But just like with the first game, most of those elements (imo the best stuff in the game) only accounts for about half of the whole experience as so much time is dedicated to exploring all the varies Disney worlds. And just to put it out there right now, I enjoyed them all for the most part. Outside of Atlantica, Pride Lands, Land of Dragons, and (to a lesser extent) Agrabah I thought pretty much every single world had enough going for them to be engaging. Even the worlds I mentioned aren't that harmful, as the first two are totally optional and the others are just slightly more tedious than normal. But I'm sorry, I found it so difficult to care about anything going on in the Disney worlds.

It might be from some combination of the worldbuilding/lore being so much better and the fact that you have to traverse each of these levels twice, but there were times I felt as if I was dragging my feet through the mud just to get to the good stuff. And what's strange is that I don't remember that feeling being so strong in KH1, even though I think it's writing is significantly less interesting all-together. I don't even care that they ditched that game's maze-like, platformer design philosophy here, especially when the combat has seen such a drastic upgrade that it appropriately became what everything was designed around.

Yet I can't help but wish that there was a Kingdom Hearts game that was solely original. I understand that misses much of the point and appeal of the series in the first place, and obviously it's unreasonable to ask for a KH game without Donald, Mickey, or Goofy; but there's a part of me that thinks that the strong adherence to being a Disney/Final Fantasy crossover series at its core is at least narratively limiting. And they could really push the series to further emotional heights if they tone that back ever so slightly. I don't care if I sound hyperbolic or even if I'm just wrong, that's what I'm feeling right now.

Regardless of all that though, I do think this is a truly great game. I put way more hours into it than I expected (completed all of the worlds and got the Ultima Weapon btw) and even writing about it now I'm tempted to go back and try out some of the secret bosses. The writing is obviously what hooked me, yes; but had this game's combat system/gameplay loop not be as addicting I sincerely doubt I would've felt as compelled to play for as long as I did. Kingdom Hearts 2 really is just that good, above all else.