"Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep" was a game in the "Kingdom Hearts" series that I was very much looking forward to playing. Yes, I knew that it wouldn't be quite as good as "Kingdom Hearts II," the last game I'd played in the series (and one of my favorite video games), but I'd heard several people say that, of all the "Kingdom Hearts" games that are not numerical, "Birth by Sleep" is high up there as one of the best in the series. Furthermore, the fact that it even received a "Final Mix" version meant that it seemed pretty popular. And, yeah, I can understand why!
"Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep" is yet another beefy adventure in the "Kingdom Hearts" series that feels and plays extremely smoothly: the combat is enticing and fun, and it adds some nice features and subtle changes to what's been established in the first two entries. The game doesn't feel like "change for the sake of change" like we saw with the card-based mechanics in "Chain of Memories." The new characters introduced in the game (Ventus, Terra and Aqua) are all charming in their own ways, and they bring different things to the table from a gameplay standpoint. The story is very detailed in how it tackles three different perspectives at once, and aesthetically, the game is stellar. The visuals are gorgeous (especially when being played on the PlayStation 4 where the HD facelift really brings out the colorful environments), and the music is as stellar as you'd expect out of the "Kingdom Hearts" series.
Now, unfortunately, I did have some gripes with this particular game, chief among them being repetition. Even though the game allows you to play as three different characters, at the very end of the day, these characters all travel to the same exact worlds. All of these worlds have mostly the same designs, objective points, and structures to them no matter the playthrough, so you are essentially playing the same game two more times than you need to. Not only does this dull the game out a bit, but the character differences don't take away from the general repetition. If you play in the game's recommended order of characters (Terra, then Ventus, then Aqua), by the time you get to Aqua the game will already start feeling rather stale. Admittedly, I also found that Aqua was the least fun character to play of the three, so by the time you get to that last story, don't be shocked if you find yourself hoping for the game to end quicker.
Still, for all that it does right, "Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep" is an enticing prequel that certainly does better than you'd expect for a non-numbered entry in the "Kingdom Hearts" series. Even if you're a newcomer to the series, don't be afraid to give this game a whirl. And if you're a "Kingdom Hearts" fan who hasn't experienced this yet, it's certainly well worth your time.
Final rating: 8 out of 10 "Great"