Kingdom Hearts Retrospective

The iconic cover

Where to start? How ‘bout conception? Legend has it a Disney executive and Shinji Hashimoto got into an elevator when Squaresoft and Disney Japan used to share a building and, on the ride, came up with the idea. It was pitched to their companies and eventually Tetsuya Nomura was appointed Director of the game. Nomura had been at Squaresoft for nearly a decade having done everything from debugging to character designs for the company. Especially notable were his character designs for Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and X. This was his first time directing a game though. Along with general directing duties, Nomura also handled character designs (noticeable in the abundance of belts and zippers), story, and concept design. He has done every cover for the games as well. 

Now, let’s get into the game itself, shall we? A quick run through for anyone that does not know: Sora, Kairi, and Riku have grown up on Destiny Islands, but they dream of leaving and exploring other worlds. One night, a heavy storm hits the islands during which Kairi is kidnapped, Riku is swallowed by a puddle of darkness, and Sora is given a HUGE KEY (the legendary Keyblade) with which he will learn to fight the darkness. Sora ends up in Traverse Town where he makes some friends and fights some Heartless (creatures created when a heart is consumed by darkness). He leaves with Donald and Goofy to explore worlds and find his friends. Along the way, he repeatedly encounters and defeats a cabal of classic Disney villains (i.e.. Maleficent, Hades) controlling the Heartless for nefarious reasons. After defeating the cabal, it is revealed (in true shounen style) there was a villain behind them all: Ansem, Seeker of Darkness (a transcendent Billy Zane). After defeating him, Riku is trapped in the Realm of Darkness, Kairi is safe on Destiny Islands, and Sora is with Donald and Goofy on a quest to find Riku and Mickey and return home. 

There is a lot going on in this game, so let’s start with the characters. The Disney characters all the same as in their respective films, TV shows, etc. Most of them are voiced by their film or direct to video/TV series actors. The Final Fantasy cameos are nice. They are nice for everyone that has played their games, but don’t confuse those of us who had never played their games. Although many Cloud fans will say they got his character completely wrong. Where this series really shines is its original characters, although not necessarily in this game. I love Kairi and Hayden Panettiere does a good job with what little she is given to work with, but I don’t particularly care for her design in this game and she is little more than a damsel in distress. Riku (played by David Gallagher) is alright, but he is very much the angsty, self-serious best friend/rival. He has some interesting story beats like when he takes Sora’s Keyblade because it turns out he was the chosen wielder before falling to darkness and the Keyblade moved on to Sora. He too wants to rescue Kairi, but with darkness which eventually corrupts him and starts his character arc for the series. 

 

Pant Legs held up by belts attached to a belt, covering full pair of pants/shorts. Belts on his ankles, shoes, and chest too

Sora though is the star. He is the carefree friend. He is willing to go with the flow no matter how fun or dire the situation is. And he will do anything for his friends, including stabbing himself with a evil Keyblade to release Kairi’s heart from within himself (look, its complicated) and turning into a Heartless. Which 8-year old me thought was FUCKING BADASS. Of course, he gets better, but that willingness to protect those he cares about is Sora’s signature trait and deeply influenced me growing up(more on this in a later article). Also, let’s talk about Sora’s character design: puffy red shorts, and HOLY CRAP LOOK AT THE SIZE OF HIS FEET. I actually love how his design is kind of exaggerated like an actual Disney character, but with just enough Final Fantasy, unlike Riku who is just a Final Fantasy character. 

 

At least 2 zippers, a belt, and a pocket chain.

I would be remiss if I didn’t give a shout out to Utada Hikaru who does the theme songs for every game. While the original version is not my favorite, Simple and Clean (and Japanese theme Hikari) is a song I come back to all the time. It has been almost 20 years and I still listen to sing, including as I write this. The English lyrics don’t make complete sense, but there is enough there to get the point and the beat is incredible. Yoko Shimomura is the composer for this game and is absolutely incredible. The battle theme in particular is one track that I will never forget. 

One more thing I want to talk about is the combat because this is the only series I have ever seen with it. If you have played a JRPG before, you have probably used a menu. Now imagine if you had to use that menu while running around in a Action RPG setting. It is incredibly strange, although it works well even if it is a little rough around the edges. The menu includes such options as Attack, Magic, Items, and Summon. It's pretty straight forward, although later games will streamline it a bit and change it up, especially in the “spin off” games. 

In short, Kingdom Hearts is very solid game that was clearly expected to be a one off with the door left open for a sequel. Itt them. In the meantime, enjoy this gorgeous Tetsuya Nomura cover the the enhanced re-release: has good characters, good (mostly) writing, a gorgeous aesthetic, fun combat, and the chance to explore the worlds that some of your favorite classic Disney films take place in which is truly incredible even 17 years later. This is a solid beginning that I honestly do not have much to say about. It is a fairly basic game with enough charm and magic to make you want more. When we come back to this series, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and its 3D remake Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories will be our subjects and I have so many thoughts about. In the meantime, enjoy this cover from the enhanced re-release: