Since Disney and SquareSoft first announced their partnership a few years back, speculation has run wild as to what would come of it. On paper, the deal certainly held a lot of promise--Disney's vast animation heritage and Square's acclaimed history in games seemed like they'd make for a surefire hit. But if you've been gaming for a while, then you should be painfully aware that projects with that kind of talent attached to them can--and often do--go horribly wrong. Fortunately, it looks as though the fruit of Disney and Square's labor, Kingdom Hearts, is going to dodge that bullet by miles. The game has gone down well with the Japanese press and consumers alike since its release earlier this year, and, judging from the US version we've been playing, it seems poised to retain that appeal when it hits the States.

Sora gets a dose of drama at the beginning of Kingdom Hearts.

For those unfamiliar with the game's story, Kingdom Hearts tells the tale of a young boy named Sora who is charged with saving the whole of existence from an evil, shadowy group of folk known as the heartless, who have been claiming worlds one by one. When they reach young Sora's home, Destiny Islands, he is armed with a weapon capable of defeating the heartless-the keyblade--but he's swept away in the ensuing chaos to another world, Traverse Town. Although he's not quite up on current events, Sora is motivated to discover what's going on in order to reunite with his two other friends, Riku, a friendly rival, and Kairi, his secret crush. However, as he begins his search, he bumps into Donald Duck and Goofy, who are on a similar quest. It seems the pair have gone off in search of their king, none other than Mickey Mouse, who has set out on his own to stop the encroaching darkness. Recognizing the keyblade and its role in the fight against darkness, the two join up with Sora and go off on an adventure that will take them through most of the major Disney worlds and feature cameos from some of Square's best and brightest.

Donald and Goofy will be part of your posse in the game.

Despite the inclusion of the Disney element in its story, Kingdom Hearts' plot and gameplay is Square in fine form. Rather than tailor the game to the typical Disney audience, the Kingdom Hearts team has wisely opted to focus on the game's story and draw on Mickey's posse as needed. The end result is a role-playing game that features the charm of Disney's characters and the polished gameplay and impeccable production values of Square's games. In fact, the game really does seem to have the classic appeal of some of the Disney animated flicks that have managed to satisfy folks of all ages, which is a very good thing.

In terms of gameplay, Kingdom Hearts draws on some of the most appealing elements of Square's games and winds up being an engaging mix of old and new. The basic structure of the game is pretty standard: You'll travel to a certain world, interact with the natives, explore a bit, fight the boss, use the keyblade to seal off that world from the heartless, and move on to the next. The gameplay is an accessible hybrid of 3D platforming mixed with some very Square-specific touches, such as the magic system, summons, and earned abilities for each character. You'll even have a party of three to manage--in addition to Sora, who you'll be able to control directly, you'll be joined by Donald and Goofy. Not only will the pair be useful in combat, but they'll also be vital when performing special "trinity" moves that are designed to help you gain access to items and new areas. As you travel to the various Disney worlds, you'll have the option to swap in characters who are specific to that world. For example, you'll get to have Tarzan when you're adventuring in the Deep Jungle, or Ariel when going through Atlantica. And while you'll never be able to take direct control of the Disney crew, you will be able to set their AI behavior, which works well in the game.