A game with a lot of heart (no pun intended) and charm that combine to make a suprisingly fun experience.
Graphics 9/10:
Graphics play a large part of how you will approach this game and thankfully, they don't disappoint. All the character models look very nice and really show off each characters personality well. The original style also helps to create a fun personality for the game. Enemies look good too, although there becomes less variety in the models as the game progresses. Scenery is beautiful and make you remember all those great Disney movies you watched as a kid.
Gameplay 9/10:
What can I say about he gameplay? It just works. All combat is in real time so as the main character; Sora, you can hack and slash away at the enemies to your hearts content. You can add on some skills and perform combos to make the combat never get boring. Alongside you, you also have Donald and Goofy, the Disney characters. Whilst this may seem bizzare at first you quickly get used to it and even begin to take it seriously! They also each have their own attacks to help the battles. As your journey progresses you will travel to different worlds, each with their own Disney theme. You will travel to the world of Aladdin, Alice in Wonderland, Hercules, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid and more! There is a gear variety in these worlds which does keep things interesting. Unfortunately, until you recive a certain upgrade, you are forced to peform scrolling shooter mini-games on your way between worlds. This is a tedious and boring event, thankfully it doesn't last the whole game.
The story, which I won't ruin for you, starts you off on a small island in the middle of nowhere. The main character Sora dreams of visiting other worlds with his friends Riku ad Kairi. Early on, mysterious powers takes them away and into another world. The three of them are seperated an are trying to find each other. Not the most original story, but it plays out well.
Kindgdom Hearts combines aspects of RPG, Adventure and Platforming to come up with some interesting challenges. A lot of the time you will be jumping around platforms to go places. This can be fun, but often it is just frustrating due to camera problems.
Sound 10/10:
Not much to say here. The Voice Acting, on the whole, is very well done and each character does sound real. Ocasionally something a character says might sound fun, but overall it is very good. To make it even better a lot of the people who voiced Disney characters in the movies are back to do it in the game. If they aren't they've hired people who sound very similiar and you mostly won't even pick it up! Sound effects are all nice, from Sora grunting and attacking to Donald quacking. Background music is all from Disney movies and, assuming you like Disney, is enjoyable and nostalgic.
Value 10/10:
To just beat the main quest you're looking at around 25 hours. To do all the side quests, find the power-ups, bonuses, weapons, trinity marks and summons you could easily add another 10-15 hours on that. There's plenty of replay value too such as levelling up differently, making different choices and playing just for fun!
Outro: 9.3/10
Kingdom Hearts is a fun game and it had me plesantly surprised. If the idea of crossing Final Fantasy with Disney appeals to you then you should definetly give this game a shot. If that thought makes you sick then you should probably stay away.