Publisher: Squaresoft, www.kingdomhearts.com
Ages: eight and up.
Parental
Advisory:
Lots of bloodless fighting
Disney characters seem to live in a sanitized world of their own. And it's almost unimaginable that Disney could license its beloved characters to appear in a game with those from the amazing Final Fantasy series. But here it is. Square's Kingdom Hearts successfully starts with Final Fantasy style action adventure and brings in Disney settings and some 100 Disney characters that include Donald Duck, Goofy, and Mickey Mouse. The result is a great game that appeals to both fans of Final Fantasy and Disney.
In Kingdom Hearts, you play Sora, a 14-year-old boy who's separated from his friends. While searching for his friends in a mysterious land, he meets none other than Donald Duck and Goofy who are on a mission to find Mickey Mouse. Mickey is the king of Disney Castle and has mysteriously disappeared as well. The odd trio learn of ominous creatures known as the Heartless, who are collaborating with Disney villains to bring evil to the land. It's up to Sora, Donald and Goofy to join forces and recover Sora's friends, return Mickey Mouse to his rightful position and save the world as they know it.
As you would expect in a Final Fantasy style game, Kingdom Hearts offers elements such as secret items, minigames, puzzles, and boss battles, and characters can gain spells, levels, and special abilities. The game features lots (and lots) of fighting, but it's the bloodless kind that has you knocking other characters and bosses out. And how serious can a game be when Goofy and Donald Duck are at your side battling the bad guys?
The game not only offers such Disney characters as The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Jack Skellington, Hercules, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and more, it offers settings that convincingly resemble those from the Disney movies. Throughout, the detailed graphics and fluid animation do an amazing job of recreating the Disney fantasy worlds and characters.
The voice talent is equally impressive with a stellar cast that includes Haley Joel Osment, David Gallagher, Hayden Panettiere, Sean Astin, Lance Bass, David Boreanaz, Mandy Moore, Christy Romano, and Billy Zane. And many of the Disney characters are voiced by the very actors that brought them to life in Disney's feature length movies.
The game can become a bit repetitious at times, and there's a strange shooter game that you play between worlds that seems out of place. But overall, Kingdom Hearts delivers a satisfying experience to those who love Final Fantasy, as well as Disney, or either one. It's a small world after all.
1/15/03 www.daytrum.com Editorial Staff
playstation - Kingdom Hearts
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