Kingdom Hearts III

It's hard to know where to start reviewing a game like Kingdom Hearts III. From the time I played the first two back in 2002 and 2005, a lot has changed. 

Back then I was in my preteens/teens and playing on my PS2. I arguably had much more time for videogames and the landscape of gaming was much different than it is now. Even then however, Kingdom Hearts weren't exactly my "type" of game. I often strongly dislike JRPGs and their turn-based combat but strong reviews, Disney affiliation, and an actual combat system turned me on to the Kingdom Hearts series. 

Fast forward to 2019 and after over 10+ kinda-sorta sequels and a handful of collections (none of which I ever played because...c'mon) we finally got the proper sequel of Kingdom Hearts III. Having remembered looking back on this series with fondness I took the plunge, eager to capture some of that Disney magic mixed with a quirky JRPG-esque style. 

While I enjoyed my time with aspects of Kingdom Hearts III - mainly whenever you're actually playing it - it feels like a game stuck stubbornly in the past in many, many ways. A lot has changed for gaming and me personally since the older ones and while one could argue this is a game for children (yes and no), it's a game that is honestly just more frustrating than anything. 

Keep smiling, Sora. This review does
not go well for you

For those that may be taken aback by the JRPG + Disney (and Pixar) combination, don't worry, it's as weird as it sounds. But it's also endearing and allows for this series to have a bunch of fun in a variety of different Disney worlds. It's honestly the most exciting piece about the game to see where we're going next and what world I may get to visit. More on that later, but as is the case with most JRPGs too, the story is - at least to me who has only played the 3 major Kingdom Hearts titles - absolute rubbish. I even watched all the backstory reminders and what not and there's just so much going on here, with none of it really ever feeling that important, that it's clear this series has lost its way from a storytelling arc since the original games where it basically boiled down to good vs. evil. Now there are replicas and copies of people in hearts and multiple evil organizations and other than our core three characters of Sora, Donald, Goofy (and Mickey) I literally had no idea who anyone was. And worse? I didn't give a s**t either. There's so many different names and backstories and subplots thrown at you throughout KHIII that none of it even matters anymore and it's a huge detriment to the game that it couldn't have presented a much more self-contained story for those of us that wanted to skip out on Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, for example (yes, that's an actual title of a non-sequel game they decided to make instead of releasing Kingdom Hearts III timely). With the release of so many subpar are-they/aren't-they sequels, the creators of this franchise have made it almost entirely inaccessible to those that haven't been along for the ride, which, I imagine is a majority of players.

What's worst about the story is that it's shoved down your throat incessantly via cutscenes. And it's these cutscenes that effectively killed Kingdom Hearts III for me. To give you an idea of how annoying and constant they are, I'll interrupt the next several paragraphs to prove my point. Aside from the quantity, which is potentially [cutscene!] worse than any Metal Gear game, the quality of these scenes are often lacking too. Far too many of them are completely superfluous to the story, which wouldn't be [cutscene!] such a big deal if there weren't so many. Tons of them have awkward moments where Sora over exaggerates a reaction, we get a 3 second pause, [cutscene!][cutscene!] and then Donald and Goofy start laughing. Part of that stems from the inherent "weirdness" of the Japanese culture from these games, but again, it's exponentially worse because of the quantity. Then most the rest of the cutscenes are about the bogus story and character upon character that you have no clue of who they are. [cutscene!][cutscene!][cutscene!][cutscene!][cutscene!]

Elsa comin in hot!!

Just a Disney ride...in the middle of the block

As if that frustration couldn't get worse, it's compounded by the fact that it regularly is interrupting gameplay and hindered by an archaic save functionality. [cutscene!] If I go to play Kingdom Hearts for an hour and nearly 20-30 minutes of that is taken by a cutscene [cutscene!], I'm no longer enjoying myself. And many of my play sessions were extended because I had to wait through cutscenes and keep playing until I found a save [cutscene!] area. About midway through the game I got burned thinking the game surely autosaved after beating some big bosses + 20 minutes of cutscenes only to find out it hadn't and I would need to do it again (don't worry I skipped those scenes so fast...). One gameplay session I had was [cutscene!][cutscene!] extended from the 60 mins I wanted to spend to nearly 120 because of scene after scene and lack of save points. It's a perfect, frustrating picture of a game stuck in the past in a lot of ways. *Side note* I'll stop with the [cutscene!] now, but you get the point. 

Despite all the things that Kingdom Hearts does poorly, it still manages to be a lot of fun, particularly when it lets the player actually play. The combat system is as silly and magical as I remember it being and while it has dated itself too, it actually doesn't suffer too much. There's something whimsical and joyous about defeating enemies with a sword that looks like a key alongside Donald, Goofy, and other Disney characters. The various moves you can pull are wonderfully designed and look fantastic whether they be team-up moves with your comrades (Goofy Bombardier became a favorite of mine), ones that are specific to the Keyblade you're using, or splashy theme-park rides that call back to the actual Disney parks in fun ways. It could use a little refining (there's apparently a block button but it barely works) and it's arguably too easy of a game, but out of all the areas where this game blows it, combat was the main piece I enjoyed the most. 

Okay, but this is pretty awesome

Also lots of fun are all the various worlds you can go to from Disney films of the past. Each has a very distinct look and feel, with some even changing the way Sora, Donald, and Goofy look. It's cute to see common faces from the likes of Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Frozen, Tangled, Big Hero 6, and Pirates of the Caribbean (I'm missing a couple). Obviously there are highlights throughout - my favorite was Pirates of the Caribbean as it felt the most appropriately epic - but getting to change the game visuals and location up that drastically several times is always a treat.

To call Kingdom Hearts III a disappointment would mean that I had to be expecting something in the first place. I was really just buying & playing it out of fond memories I had from the first two, expecting it to recreate the magic (damn you nostalgia!). Perhaps this isn't all that different from those games in terms of what it fails so hard at, but the fact is that games and gaming is different than it was 10 years ago. Those who play them expect certain efficiencies now - like a good save system - that Kingdom Hearts III feels like it wants to ignore. It's one of the first games in a while that I had a hard time actually finishing it as it turned from fun with "wow this is a lot of cutscenes" to a total slog with a non-existent story. It's not all so bad and a lot of the magic that made the first games memorable is still here, but there's a definite turning point where that magic wears out and the game, with all its issues, outstays its welcome. 

CONS

• Definitely has to be the most confusing, nonsensical story I've ever played in a game. Seems like it assumes that you played one of the multiple other prequel/sequels that were only available across specific gaming platforms. I imagine that I'm in the majority when I say that I did not and despite the game's efforts to "catch me up" it's clear that the story in this entire series is out of control
• Cutscene after damn cutscene after damn cutscene. With so many of them being useless, painfully acted/weird, it makes this tedium even worse
• Archaic save system that left me a few times with having to replay sections, usually because I didn't know if it counted a save yet as I was entering my 20th minute of cutscenes
• Packs in a lot of useless junk that I never used or was not needed. Traveling to a from worlds in a poorly crafted spaceship stick shooter, a bunch of apps on your "gummiphone"...it feels like a shotgun approach that doesnt work
• Some worlds selected are better than others and they're all decently aged. Example, why did we select Tangled if Inside Out was an option?
• Gameplay, while a highlight, grows stale after a while

PROS

• Gameplay is a treat while it's still fresh, and it stays that way for a while thanks to changing keyblades, characters to fight with, and finishing/power moves
• Often looks great and colorful. The graphics are well done considering it's all animated
• Features a fun cast of Disney characters that can sometimes get a genuine laugh 
• While they wouldn't have been the worlds I would have chosen, many of them are unique in their presentation and fun to explore

Rath's Review Score | 5.5/10