Last week, after 13 long years, Kingdom Hearts III was finally released. I can tell you right now that it was one of the most fun and nostalgic experiences I’ve had in such a long time.
I grew up with the Kingdom Hearts series and this wasn’t just simply a great sequel, the game added so much more mechanically and to the story.
Now first off, if you have never played a Kingdom Hearts game before the story is going to make almost zero sense to you from this point. However, Square Enix knows this and tries their best to give a little bit of an understanding of how the story works with five videos (each about one – two minutes long) about major points in the very long story for each character.
However, I would still recommend going back and playing at least the original two games if you can because that will help you somewhat understand this very complex story. Even I sometimes think I follow the story and then ten minutes later it gets confusing again.
But don’t worry, if you just came here to hang out with Disney characters then fear not, for there are all kinds of worlds for you to explore from Disney movies. From a certain ice queen to the captain of a particular Black Pearl.
There are plenty of fond memories of all types of Disney characters and to see them and be a part of their stories is amazing. I had a lot of fun hanging with some particular olds toys from my childhood in one of the worlds and it was without a doubt my favorite.
Complex story aside, this game is beautiful to look at and mechanically is so smooth. It added a new twist to the original game’s formula by changing it to an array of new fighting styles. Gone are the drive forms of older games and in its place are keyblades that transform to new weapons when you hit a certain button.
This was such a amazing idea because it made me want to try all the keyblades and see what kind of power they had in store. Another fighting mechanic they added was attractions. This is a summon you could activate whenever the game would allow you to do so to actually hop on classic Disney rides and use them in your fight against the Heartless.
This had to be one of the most awesome experiences ever in the Kingdoms Hearts series. The attractions were always fantastic to look at and ride. Not only that, each of the attraction’s attacks did massive damage in the game. My personal favorite is Astro Blasters. It is so great to see all these rides being used as part of Sora’s arsenal in the game.
With all this being said, Kingdom Hearts III is a great send off to one of the best JRPGs series that I grew up with as a kid. Leaving room for a sequel as well but not ruining the ending either. It was great to play for the roughly 30-hour runtime and leaves me wanting more just like it always has. With that, I’m giving Kingdoms Hearts III a 10/10 for being a great return to such an incredible series.
Currently playing: Dragon Ball FighterZ
