By Andrew Alfonso | Jan. 10, 2006
After one successful run with Disney, can Nomura and Square-Enix pull it off one more time?
SpiffyIffyAmazing graphics and a battle system that's both enjoyable and fast-paced; the story is also quite good.The camera has the same problems as in the first game, and the music isn't as good as before.
Square has always been known for delivering visual tour de forces in the past, but its most recent efforts haven't been up to par with the level of greatness that we've come to expect from them. Titles such as Code Age Commanders and Musashi Samurai Legend are all fine titles, but they were missing that special touch that most classic Square-Enix games possess. But with Kingdom Hearts II, Square-Enix went to extremes to ensure that this game will become its next big money maker, something that's of such high quality that it deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Final Fantasy, or Dragon Quest.
One thing about Kingdom Hearts II that you need to know is that the game isn't the second game in the series at all. It would've been more accurate to say that this game is actually Kingdom Hearts III. This title follows the events after Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories for the GBA, which is the sequel to the first Kingdom Hearts. Basically, if you think you could play the first PS2 game and then dive into this, you're in for a surprise, because you won't know what the hell is going on. Even if you don't have a GBA to play Chain of Memories with, it's best to brush up on the storyline just so you have an inkling of where the story in KHII will be headed.
Played to the music of Utada Hikaru's "Passion," the opening video is absolutely gorgeous and reintroduces Sora, Goofy and Donald to the game as well as giving you a glimpse of the new characters that you will be able to use.
The first couple of hours of the game aren't like a traditional RPG, but it does give new players a short introduction of how the game is played. There are two new features in KHII that will please fans of the first title. The first thing is that there is a new context-sensitive button, called the Reaction button that allows you to do everything from dashing in battle to dodge attacks, to picking up items on the street. The second and most important change is the camera system. In the first game, you had to change the camera angles by using the trigger buttons, which was a pain in the ass if you were comfortable with using the right analog stick instead. Square-Enix has changed it so that it now uses the right analog stick, making it much easier to change the camera in the heat of battle. I still believe that the camera is a little too close for comfort, especially during battles, and it makes it really hard to fight larger opponents, but making the camera easier to control makes battles more tolerable.
I'll try not to reveal too much of the game's plot or character appearances, but to get it out of the way, you'll meet up with several Square-Enix characters in the first couple of hours in the game. Once the game begins, you'll be controlling Roxas, who is a new character in the game and someone you're probably not familiar with if you haven't played Chain of Memories. He seems eerily similar to Sora -- right down to the same fighting stance -- but he lives in Twilight Town with his group of friends. The first four or five hours of the game is divided into six days, and revolves around Roxas and his connection to the rest of the cast in the game, and features a huge amount of flashbacks and scenes from Kingdom Hearts that will refresh your memory on has occurred previously.
A good example of this happens in the first hour of the game, where you have to do battle against a giant mini-boss. Right from the start, the giant will trap Roxas, and attempt to attack you when you are powerless, but by pressing the Reaction button at the right time, you'll be able to block his attack and deliver a mighty counterblow in return. He'll then try to attack you again, which you can counter using the Reaction button. Sequences like these occur several times in the game, and makes the game much more cinematic while still keeping you in control of the fight.
If there was one thing I had to criticize KHII for, it would be the music, which doesn't seem up to par with the first game. While "Passion" is indeed a quality song, it doesn't compare to "Hikari" from the first game, and a some of the music has been recycled too, which is disappointing simply because this is the biggest game for Square-Enix this year, and it's obvious that with all the delays that they could've done a little bit more in this aspect.
However, the graphics simply do not disappoint. I have to admit that while I finished the first Kingdom Hearts, I wasn't a fan of it, but I have to give credit where it's due, and KHII is one of the most stunning games on the platform. The real-time 3D renders for characters like Beast, and Mulan are absolutely spot on. They not only look like their animated counterparts, but they move with such fluidity and grace that you will wish Disney uses the KHII cast for their next movie! The environments in the game are also well designed, although they do have the same problem as Kingdom Hearts in that they're sometimes a little too small, but it's not as much of a problem as before. Many areas are much bigger than the first game, but there are still many that seem way too tiny.
Those looking for a new RPG from Square-Enix will have to proceed into Kingdom Hearts II with caution, despite its easy accessibility due to the inclusion of the Disney characters. If you didn't like the first game, then you probably won't like KHII, because while the game shows a marked improvement over the first title, little problems that gamers had before (bad camera angles, small environments) are still there. But, if you were a diehard fan of the first title, or you just love Disney and Square-Enix characters, then you'll find that this game is Kingdom Hearts squared. There's more content, more characters, and simply put, more fun.
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