Reviewed by TL on 9/11/2004
Gameplay:
In short, gameplay is near flawless. It is original, intuitive, and highly rewarding. While this is, by pretty much any standard, an RPG, gone are the tiled or pre-rendered worlds and the infamous interruptions that battles have always been.
Instead, they have been replaced by a fully explorable (well, almost anyhow), highly vivid, highly detailed universe in which battle are mixed seamlessly with standard exploration. To relate this to previous titles, for comparison only, it is much like the Mana series games, where enemies appear in the environment. Running in this title, however, is a simple matter of proceeding to the next screen or backtracking the way your came.
Leveling-up comes with more than just stat bonuses. Depending upon a series of decisions made at the game's start, abilities (such as rolling, blocking, a greater reach for items, increased magic regeneration, and others) will also become available as levels increase in a certain order (though the end result at level 99 is about the same).
These abilities can be activated by temporarily allocating a number of points to enable each (and each ability requires a particular number of points).
Battles are well designed, with functions such as locking, a quick button setup for casting spells, and usually two supporting members that provide assistance in battles. By and large, though, supporting cast members do little to assault the enemy, serving more as meat shields and portable potion holders.
Of course there are many other nuances that become available later in the game, though these are introduced at a very reasonable pace as the story progresses.
Graphics:
Topnotch, I can't say anything negative about the graphics in this title.
Squaresoft has always had a very strong graphics department, and this game is no different.
The only, and this is a very very minor detail, nuance that I would cite as being a "problem" was something that occurred during speech.
In game cut scenes often utilize two different models. In one, there is a high level of detail, lips that are fully rendered and animated, mouths that sync the words. In the other, only the texture of the mouth changes (and the mouth itself is a flat plane) as the character speaks (much like anime).
Square, in what might be a laxity of effort, gave some characters only the ability to speak with a changing mouth texture, and this becomes a slight distraction to the discerning eye.
Spell and battle effects are superbly done, with no slow-down, and a great deal of color splashing across the screen almost constantly.
It is also a joy to see many of the Final Fantasy characters redone for this title. Their styles have changed noticeably, but they are still highly recognizable (though all of them have become several years younger).
Audio:
Again, another flawless execution by Squaresoft. Ever since Final Fantasy II (IV in Japan) I have been convinced that Square has always had the best sound in the gaming industry, and this title only served to validate it.
Everything from footsteps to water splashes, from spells to the clash of a keyblade against a wall, is not only highly appropriate, but perfectly timed.
Voice acting was on the level of film dubs, with lines delivered crisply, clearly, and audibly. The talent of the voice cast is evident throughout this game.
Music well embodies the various worlds being visited, and many tracks contain a very driving beat (though the J-Pop flair of its theme song may be a downer for some) that adds a lot to the atmosphere.
No problems in this department.=)
Except Donald Duck and Goofy, but even their stupid annoying personalities are so perfectly captured (that is, they sound so stupid and annoying) that I am not marking off for it.
Presentation:
By many standards, Kingdom Hearts deserves five stars. However, Square did two things to practically cheat their consumer base.
While the game itself was developed with wonderful genius, Square's marketing and PR department were even better.
The game was, from the very start, hyped up as a cross between the worlds of Disney and Final Fantasy. This is not to be believed.
Though Final Fantasy characters do appear, they are little more than cameos, and their role to the storyline went no further than delivering lines that could have been delivered by anybody. The exception was Cid, whose role was appropriate as the resident aerospace guru.
All storyline villains, important characters, and worlds are from Disney. I will repeat, there are *no* Final Fantasy worlds, despite whatever rumors and excitement Square bred during development and release.
Additionally, Final Fantasy characters are not fight-along characters; you can never have them as support in your party. You will be able to fight against a handful of them, however, including the hardest optional boss (and boss) in the game.
The second cheat is nothing less than an incomplete storyline. Square's released another version of Kingdom Hearts shortly after their North American launch called "Final Mix". In the Final Mix release, there are additional bosses, weapons, and additional cut scenes (including one during the epilogue. This, to me, is inexcusable)
For this reason, Square's presentation is incomplete and a good deal misleading.
Replayability:
Like any RPG spanning more than twenty hours (and completing optional material in this title can very easily boost that number past 100), it can be difficult to start anew. It is quite beyond me why Square does not include any kind of a New Game+ feature in many of their titles, as it is very difficult to (and this is basically what it is...) throw away twenty hours of work.
Also, there isn't really anything that can be permanently missed, as all the material of the game is accessible at the end. As such, no compulsive reason exists to play the game over again.
If one did start over, variable difficulty (ie. Hard mode) can add some changes.
However, extra material does make the title worth the additional time to really crush this game (beyond just beating the last guy). So while one may not choose to begin anew, it is very easy to simply keep playing.
Overall:
A very original, highly creative, involving, and well-polished game. While $50.00 may be a high price to pay for an incomplete experience, if you have access to the Final Mix version, I can see no reason to pass it up. Unless Square decides to release a Final Mix II, in which case I'll have to do my flat out best to firebomb their North American headquarters.
