I decided it was time for me to begin reviewing the Kingdom Hearts games one by one. First, obviously will be Kingdom Hearts I. This decision came as the original "trilogy" of games is wrapping up. Next year, at some point, Kingdom Hearts 1.5 Remix comes out with Kingdom Hearts I, Kingdom Hearts RE:Chain of Memories, and cutscenes in theater mode for Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.
So, now for the review. The game is an RPG made by (at the time) Square Soft. It is a crossover of Disney, Final Fantasy, and it's own characters. The game follows Sora, a boy who's home is destroyed by creatures known as the heartless, as he searches for his friends. For this (and all subsequent video game reviews) I will break down the review.
Story: 9/10. The story itself is great, it has great moments and heroic monologues that make the game's message get through. I take off the one point because it begs for a sequel at the end and the dialogue, especially with Donald and Goofy, gets painful to listen to at times.
Graphics: 10/10. In its time, the graphics are the best they can. Load times are at a minimum and there are few, if any discontinuities in graphics.
Sounds: 9/10. The soundtrack is great as it helps to illustrate the mood. It also premiers Utada's "Simple and Clean" to America, a song that I know I will never get tired of hearing no matter how many games they put it in. However, I hope that Kingdom Hearts III will use "Passion" or another song.
Gameplay: 9.5/10. The game is well balanced with physical attacks, magic, and summons. To be honest, summons were not used much by me. The only one I actually used regularly was Tinker Bell because she restores HP and offers an extra life. The only issue was the one segment in Hollow Bastion where Sora loses his Keyblade and Donald and Goofy leave and, if you aren't reliant on magic, you are screwed at this point because physical attacks do nothing against heartless.
The major drawback of the game was traveling between worlds. The Gummi system is flawed, mainly because, in order to get to a new world, you need to warp to a nearby world and then travel there. On the same track, the fact that Gummi Parts are located in the worlds in chests is a waste because, in this game, there is very little purpose in doing Gummi battles. Also, the Gummi battles are too easy because you can easily win by just firing straight and dodging. It requires little skill to do.
Final Rating 9/10. A good way to start the series. Next week, I will review Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories.
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