Kingdom Hearts Updated Preview

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.

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.

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.

Two Great Tastes

In addition to the main quest of fighting the heartless, you'll also come across secondary quests that make use of Disney franchises. For example, you'll have to collect the 101 dalmatian puppies who are scattered throughout the various worlds and track down the pages to a book containing Winnie the Pooh and the gang from 100-Acre Wood. The game will also have a healthy share of minigames, such as tournaments held in the coliseum seen in Hercules and a shooting game you'll play as you travel to a new world in your Gummi ship. The Gummi ship also plays a part in an optional gameplay element that allows you to build your own custom ship to tool around in. Item synthesis, another creation-style component of the game, should be familiar to fans of Square games. You'll be able to create a variety of new items by visiting the local moogles in Traverse Town, who've set up shop there and will whip up whatever they can out of whatever ingredients you have on hand.

If it sounds as though the game is packed to the gills with gameplay options and things to do, it is. Fortunately, the game's pacing is pretty good at easing you into everything. You'll only be able to perform physical attacks at first, but as you progress, you'll unlock the other abilities at a good pace. In the end, despite the game's cute exterior, the gameplay in Kingdom Hearts seems as deep as anything Square's done, if not more so.

Graphically, Kingdom Hearts is an impressive achievement, not just in terms of the game engine's solid use of the PlayStation 2 hardware, but also in terms of the game's overall style. Generally speaking, the graphics are very well done, featuring a generous overall polygon count, very detailed textures, fluid animation, large environments, and a nice assortment of special effects. On a smaller scale, the game is quite an achievement in terms of style, as Square has managed to successfully fuse a disparate array of art styles from the various Disney flicks, as well as its own unique style, into a cohesive visual package. You'll see appearances by just about every heavy hitter in the Disney canon, and there will also be some cameos from some of Square's Final Fantasy crew. Excellent use of color, gourad shading, and careful polygon modeling on the characters results in impressive 3D re-creations of the Disney characters. Furthermore, all the different characters retain their distinctive looks, so the differences between the characters in Alice in Wonderland and those found in Tarzan or Aladdin are taken into account. On Square's end, the various Final Fantasy characters who appear in the game are carefully rendered in a mold that fits the game's overall art style. The end result is a slick package that is a fine showcase for the best of what both companies have to offer.

The game's sound will be one of its most scrutinized aspects due to the amount of high-profile voice talent gathered for the game. Our build of the game featured English voices, and they all fit pretty well. Haley Joel Osment does a fine job as Sora, and the rest of the game's voice cast acquit themselves nicely. The Disney characters are all pitch-perfect, while the Square character, silent until Final Fantasy X introduced voice acting to the Final Fantasy franchise, are given voices that suit them well. In terms of the game's soundtrack, the score is typical of Square's previous games. Variations on the different Disney movie themes are complemented by more sweeping pieces of music that reflect the game's scope.

Even though Kingdom Hearts pretty much "had us at hello," we have to say the game is coming together quite nicely for its upcoming US release. The US voice fits in well with the polished gameplay and impressive graphics. The only minor gripe we have is the game's camera, which can get a bit sketchy in places, but it certainly doesn't break the game. If Square could tighten that one aspect of the game up a bit before it ships, that would be great, but other than that, the game is looking good. Kingdom Hearts ships this October for the PlayStation 2. Look for more on the game in the coming weeks.