Kingdom Hearts II

Just seeing the Square-Enix logo on a game's cover is enough to make a die-hard Final Fantasy fan like myself go berserk. Is it truly a spin-off from the greatest series of RPGs ever created? Well, the answer is "kind of...". Disney and Square-Enix created the project called "Kingdom Hearts" and the game has already reached its third installment and it isn't going to stop here. Everyone was surprised when the first Kingdom Hearts game surfaced, because no one expected to play a game where Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII is featured together with Donald Duck. Selling a million copies in just a month in the US, this game became practically an instant hit and one can only hope that there will be a Kingdom Hearts III to play in the near future.

Story The story picks up exactly where Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories left off and it is probably the most confusing plot I've ever seen in a game. KH II is impossible to understand if you haven't played the first two games of the series, although in the first four hours of the game, you'll be given details about the whole story. You'll play as Roxas, a kid that borrowed David Beckham's hairstyle, but he's otherwise the average big-eyed wuss. He will have to merge with Sora, the hero of the first Kingdom Hearts games.

An year has passed since Donald, Goofy and Sora were put to sleep in an attempt to regain their memories. Roxas is Sora's alter-ego and the two will merge after the virtual city called Twilight Town is invaded by Nobodies. You might remember the evil Ansem, the main villain in the first Kingdom Hearts title. Well, he's back and our brave hero, Sora will have to battle him, an evil Disney character called Maleficent and Organization XIII. During the game you'll explore dozens of locations from Disney's productions and meet characters that look familiar, especially to the gamers that played any of the Final Fantasy titles.

Concept 4 years was enough time for the producers to think it over and come up with a totally new adventure that combines the fantastic worlds of Disney and Final Fantasy. Kingdom Hearts II is a third person action RPG that seems to have solved all the camera problems that every Playstation game has had so far. By pressing the Select button, you'll be able to use the first person view, especially if you're having trouble with some puzzles. I know that this is not much of a feature, but I've rarely seen an RPG where characters can jump freely, let alone a role playing game produced by Square. Since the whole game can easily turn into a button mashing affair if you play it on the easy difficulty level, jumping will not be that useful. The main currency in KH II is munny and this is not a type-o, but just another way of Square-Enix telling us that they've created a game for the kids. Adults will find the game to their liking as well, if they won't lose their patience with the huge amount of cutscenes they'll have to put up with while playing KH II.

If you're not satisfied with the camera angle at some point in the game, you can solve this problem by using the right analog stick, that's been assigned camera angle functions. D-pad has not been left for dead yet, as it is used to bring up menus and sub-menus useful during the fights. Since this is an action game and the combat sequences are not separated from the game's standard flow like they were in the older Final Fantasy titles, you'll have the life meter and MP meter on-screen at any time. On the right upper side of the screen you can check out your party members' life meters as well, especially if you're engaged in a tough battle. The options that allow you to attack a foe or use magic on him appear only when the fight starts, but they'll surface in a subtle way that keeps the game's action flowing. Pick one of those options and it might be attack, magic, items, drive or party, each equally important in the combat's mechanism.

You should really prepare yourselves for battles, before they happen, as you won't be able to push the start button during combats to change the abilities settings and the stuff you've equipped so far. In case you get lost, the producers thought about a solution that comes as a journal filled with hints on what to do next and a re-telling of past events. Not that this would make the story more clear or anything....In the first part of the game you'll be needing some munny (who doesn't?) and Roxas will have to get a job. It will mostly be fun stuff like using a cool skateboard to go around delivering mail to the townspeople. There are not as many items you can find in KH II, if you compare it to Final Fantasy or any other modern RPG, for that matter. Usually, the little chests are well hidden, so if you want to get a potion or some weapon upgrades, you'd better keep your eyes wide open.

I found this game similar to Chrono Cross thanks to the multitude of characters that join you in your quest, each with their unique abilities. There are more of those to unlock, once you've gained enough experience points. The second Kingdom Hearts game is not a difficult one and if you've ever had trouble with any of the Final Fantasy battle systems, don't worry, as this is not the case. Speaking of the many characters I must say that it's rather fun to witness such strange combinations that make it all feeling half confusing, half amusing. For example you'll have the brave Hercules fight Auron from Final Fantasy X and while some of us might bet on the Greek hero, you'll see that they're both good guys and they'll join forces against the evil Hades. Since Mickey Mouse is the King in this adventure, you'll be going back in time to the black and white cartoons era to fight Pete and team up with the charming Steamboat Willie. If I were to make a list of famous Disney characters you can see while playing the game, it would be longer than the review itself.

You'll be having a party and by that I mean a group of heroes, that you can switch as you please, according to their abilities, weaknesses or your combat strategy. We're talking about 40 hours of solid gameplay and that means you'll surely want to save your game at some point. You should be looking out for some rotating shiny sprites that signal the presence of a save point. There aren't so many of those, but that has become a tradition in Square-Enix's RPGs. I mentioned before that neat letter delivering minigame, and that's only the tip of the iceberg considering that KH II features the return of the famous Gummi ship sequences. First of all it's a sort of space shooter taken to a more complex level and that will be your means of transportation throughout KH II's universe. Although the whole "Gummi" thing might seem ridiculous, the minigame is far better than the one in the first title, but it was added for commercial purpose only. That's not a flaw, nor something to compliment Square about, but when have they become sellouts for important candy brands?

We all know what "Gummi" are, but I don't want to get into details, because every producer has to make profit and naming the main character in FF IX Zidane didn't trouble anyone I guess. Since you're going to meet those famous Disney characters, I might as well mention those great locations you're going to visit: Port Royale with a very groovy Jack Sparrow, Atlantis or Arabia, the home of the famous Alladin and his blue genie. Being a fan of the Square-Enix games I noticed that character design has gone under with this title and the main characters act like spoiled brats that are bored and have nothing to do, especially in the first few hours of the game. Where have the days of the profound and quiet Cloud or Leon gone? It's the generation of Pokemon and useless enthusiasm it seems...

Gameplay Roxas or Sora, it doesn't matter, because they're one and the same and they'll be battling it out with the Heartless, Organization XIII and many other critters throughout Kingdom Hearts II. You will be able to parry while fighting and the AI won't be eager to hit you, unless you're fighting a boss and the difficulty level is high. Characters can cast spells and summon the most bizarre creatures, like Chicken Little or The Genie from Alladin. They'll do extra powerful attacks as the summons we all knew from the Final Fantasy titles and everyone can remember their devastating effects. Also, you'll use drives, attacks that make Sora become one with his party members, combining attacks and abilities into powerful combat moves. Don't just expect to see a couple of Disney characters hanging around doing nothing as each of them will use his or her special ability. Simba will have a killing roar that can destroy virtually any enemy and mulan will be able to use fireballs and you can only imagine what the Genie can do (except smiling).

The keyblade is the most important item in the game and Sora's main weapon, but keep in mind that this powerful tool comes in all shapes and sizes. Weapons can also be created and so can all the items, thanks to the synthesis concept. Such items can be used during fights, specially the classic potions, elixirs, hi-potions and many others. There's a cool feature in KH II that reminded me of the great God of War title and that's called "reaction command". It's basically an action triggered by a certain sequence during a battle, signaled by flashing green triangles. When those appear, it's time to do some combos and the name of the special abilities will appear next to the character's combat menu right before you can perform them. You can alternate these with drives to obtain a perfect strategy that will keep you going till the end of the game. Or, you can just mash the X button. Sadly, Square-Enix has delivered a pretty basic game that can be finished by pressing the X button in 80% of the battles.

There are even some hardcore gamers out there that claim that the game can be finished only by mashing the X button, from the intro cutscene till the end. If you're brave enough to make it through the endless chit-chat that happens during the so-called "dialog sequences" of the game you'll notice that there will be options to choose from when you're prompted to answer certain questions. These answers can change the following action, granting you access to new areas, items or even fights. There's not much variety in the enemy field as you'll be forced to fight Heartless from the beginning to the end, taking some time to fight famous Final Fantasy or Disney villains every now and then. You might expect some increase in the game's difficulty as the action goes along, but you'll find yourself in the last fights of KH II using the same tricks that saved your behind 40 hours earlier.

Having to interact with a 3D environment and the possibility to run around while fighting, you'll certainly need an auto-lock function, that's present here making the game easier than it already is. In case you're dealing with more enemies at a time or you're far from the opponent you might want to try using the R1 button to center the camera on the villain you want to finish. Square Enix's title contains a huge variety of abilities that you can unlock by gaining experience with each fight you win. They may be boosts, slashes, chains, aerial combos or the most insane tricks you've done in a Final Fantasy game, but when they're used a huge amount of eye candy and pure fun is released into your blood stream. That probably explains the game's fame and sales? It is true that you can get lost in the worlds of KH II, but there's a map at the upper right side of the screen that you'll have to follow if you want to spare a couple of moments of frustration. Speech bubbles are still present in this title, being the only way that character can deliver their messages, apart from the vocal dialogs, that will tend to get boring as they go along.

Teleporting has become a fashion and this technique will be used by foes, especially when their physical strength is not something special, or they enjoy taking you by surprise. To get to know what Kingdom Hearts II is all about you should play the game from the point where you'll have to battle no less than 1000 Heartless. Imagine that...1000 enemies to battle in the open field, tons of abilities to chain and only 3 party members to do that. What's worse, two of them are Pluto and Donald... However, by performing lots of Matrix-like moves, you'll get past this epic battle in no time. The gameplay doesn't disappoint that much, but there's not much innovation to be felt while playing this title and we're waiting for something really special in the third installment.

Video Final Fantasy games and Square-Enix games, for that matter have always been examples of top-notch graphics and beautiful eye-candy to watch. Kingdom Hearts II is more about the gameplay, than the looks and some gamers may be disappointed by the "Nintendo-ish" approach that Square-Enix used in the graphical design of this title. It was clear that Square didn't pay much attention to the visual department from the moment I saw that tram moving chaotically in Twilight City. It looked like a giant brick, with poor physics and sudden movements. Speaking of which, the characters are really funny, but this time, they don't intend to.

While Johny Depp really looks like his real counterpart when you encounter Mister Jack Sparrow, the main characters always wear those huge shoes and walk around funny, like they had something up their...shorts. The original designs of the Disney characters were kept and the kids will surely adore the verbal duel between Hades and our heroes, or the Genie's funny behavior when he's fighting along you. KH II is filled with eye candy and there's not one single move that doesn't cause sparks, colored stars, specially those groovy combos that involve chains done for a long time. While fighting, feel free to look around, as everything is changing around you. It's pretty normal if you consider that you're living in a dream world. Environments can be altered in superb ways, making the battles more fun to play. Characters can get tossed in the air, or dropped in the abyss, all in all, it gets pretty wild when you're fighting the bosses. Must I say anything about cutscenes? After seeing Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and playing Dirge of Cerberus, we all know that Square-Enix can do with a couple of well-drawn characters.

Sound Buying a game produced by Square-Enix and not buying the official soundtrack can be considered a sacrilege if you like to call yourself a true fan. In Kingdom Hearts II, you'll hear some of the most beautiful piano and violin works, stuff that can be compared to the OST of Final Fantasy VII. All the original Disney characters kept their voices and Donald is the best example, as without that hilarious talk he wouldn't have been half the fun that he is. Other than that dialogs are bad, characters seem to talk nonsense, but the villains have quite an arsenal of taunts and ways to prove that they rule and you're about to get wiped out.

Choirs are always nice to hear, especially if they're playing Sephiroth's theme when you're fighting him. It disappointed me to see that Final Fantasy characters sound less convincing than Disney characters and it really should be the other way around. What's the fun of having Leon and Cloud in the game if they don't behave according to the way we knew them in previous games? When it's time for a boss fight, you'll surely be excited, at least the first 10 times you hear the "get out of my way!" line. That will be the case when fighting the evil Pete and he sure can be annoying, but it's not just him, because all the bosses have repetitive lines during the fights.

Conclusion There is no gray with Kingdom Hearts II, it's either black and you hate the game and despise Square-Enix for their failure, or it's all shiny and white and you adore the game just like any other Final Fantasy, Vagrant Story or Kingdom Hearts ever created. I grew up watching Disney cartoons and so have most of the gamers nowadays and this title manages to take us back to the days when Playstation meant nothing and Beauty and the Beast was the most beautiful story in the world to be told through animation. On the Square-Enix side of the story, bringing all the Final Fantasy characters back to life means touching those fans that cried when Aeris died in the seventh installment or those that want another shot of playing with their favorite characters, be they Auron or Cloud Strife.