Not giving this a rating since I only played for a few hours. This game's combat is just weirdly unsatisfying, mainly I find that getting card breaks feels not fun, and actively makes me not want to learn the gameplay, along with making this already convoluted and weird combat even weirder in how combat is paced, having odd bursts of using cards instead of just more flowy combat that I felt when I played KH1.
I love deckbuilding, and from my short time playing and making some decks, KH:ReCOM still hits that mark in making fun preperations and decks. In general, this game has interesting concepts, but it just hurts to play, albeit it might just be me unwilling to rewrite my muscle memory after playing KH1. I'll just watch cutscenes and move on to KH2, don't think I'll revisit this game.

Didn't expect to enjoy this one as much as I did. really reminds me of all the games I used to enjoy as a kid and really brought me back to that period of time where games like these were like the peak of gaming to me, and this would've easily been at the top if I had played it back when I was like 10.

The combat of KH1 feels so fun and was a surprise to me when I started playing. Despite my button masher self, I still found it super engaging and satisfying to just hit enemies, and definitely ended up with me grinding a bit just cause I find it fun to hit stuff. The mix of magic also was done perfectly, as usually in hack and slashes I end up not caring about buffs or magic or anything of the sort and try to be as barebones as possible, but utilizing things like thunder and aero were fun as all hell and somehow got me to go out of my comfort zone. Its crazy how well they got it back in 2002.

Yoko Shimomura's compositions are so fucking incredible, and each song I hear is just entrancing or mood setting or just plain fun to listen to. "Dearly Beloved" might be one of my new favorite title tracks ever with how beautiful it is. Easily my favorite part of the game.

Thematically, KH1 connects to me personally through just the process of growing, and being thrown into a world and trusted to just figure it out, which definitely has reflected my current transition into adulthood. Connecting with the media I loved as a kid, and going beyond it and letting them stay in their bubbles and not interfere with those memories I had or the lessons I was taught, but rather enjoy those moments and apply said lessons was something I found reflected directly in the general structure of the game, and I love it for this. Might've been unintended, but I still find it such a personal and impactful theme that I think was presented excellently here, as I continue moving through adulthood, and as Sora learns how to live with these new friends in this new world. Even if some characters like Kairi lack character, the story was solid, and those themes it got to portray did really get to me personally. This game makes me wanna be a kid again, but like Sora, I have to move on and grow up.

Kingdom Hearts was a wonderful experience, revisiting childhood favorites and getting caught in this joyous area of fun and nostalgia was a welcome experience in this transitory period of my life, and I really appreciate it for that.