Square Enix and Disney have to be commended. Not only do they represent one of the most distinguished collaborations in videogame history, but they’ve also combined their talents masterfully to create one of the most unique franchises available today in Kingdom Hearts. The first title in the series has already proven the franchise’s staying power, in addition to having introduced the world to wildly inventive concepts and ideas. With the arrival of its console sequel, those same concepts and ideas are expanded on to tremendous degrees. Plainly and simply, Kingdom Hearts II surpasses its predecessor in every way imaginable.
"Kingdom Hearts II surpasses its predecessor in every way imaginable."
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It’s difficult not to be sucked into Kingdom Hearts II immediately, and you can thank the game’s fantastic intro sequence for that. What’s more, the game doesn’t give you control of Sora right away, either—instead, you’ll start out in a new place called Twilight Town while being introduced to a new character named Roxas. Sure, this may not be the Kingdom Hearts II we’ve been expecting as of yet, but you’ll soon find yourself forgetting all about that.
There’s simply so much to do in Twilight Town: exploring the town’s numerous nooks and crannies, participating in a competition called the Struggle, and doing various odd jobs such as delivering mail, performing tricks for an audience, putting up posters, and swiping at bees. You’ll become acquainted with the combat, which feels similar to that of Kingdom Hearts. You’ll be introduced to the "Reaction" commands, which allow you to perform special moves by pressing the Triangle button at correct moments. And you’ll be relieved once you see for yourself how effortless the camera seems to move compared to the old one.
While the world’s inclusion may seem puzzling at first, there’s a certain allure of Twilight Town that just grabs hold of you and never lets go. Everything about the place—the serene setting, the incredibly detailed and stunning visuals, the insightful and touching music—just makes you want to stay there and never leave, to just stand still and do nothing else but gaze at the majestic sunset.
After about three to four hours’ worth of play, however, the game will find an excuse to tear you away from Twilight Town through its mysterious but intriguing plot. The game has created a connection between Roxas and Sora, between Twilight Town and the worlds beyond, which it develops during the course of its 30-plus-hour adventure. Once you’re given control of Sora, you’ll begin to see what has changed.
"...the incredibly detailed and stunning visuals, the insightful and touching music..."
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First of all, you’ll notice that Sora has gotten taller, his voice has deepened, and he looks and acts a bit more maturely than when we last saw him in Kingdom Hearts. Then you’ll discover that most of the enemies are slightly tougher—they won’t just prance around you and wait for you to strike at them. In addition, once Sora gets a new set of clothes from Master Yen Sid (yes, that’s "Disney" spelled backwards), he’ll be able to use the Drive feature, which allows him to utilize different sets of abilities while being decked out in flashy outfits. He’ll eventually be able to move at faster speeds, shoot projectiles from his Keyblade, and to use two weapons at the same time. Drive, coupled with the Reaction commands, while not adding a huge layer of variety to the combat, are enjoyable additions to the game.
Not surprisingly, Sora, Donald, and Goofy will again need the help of the Gummi Ship to travel to all of the worlds. The good news, however, is that the Gummi Ship sequences are vastly improved from those of the previous game. They contain more enemies to shoot into oblivion, give constant action, and are downright more engaging. Granted, they’re fairly simplistic and provide more spectacular eye candy than actual solid gameplay, but props still have to be given for such a drastically magnificent overhaul.
The Gummi Ship segments aren’t all that have been changed, though—you’ll travel to some of the worlds from Kingdom Hearts, including Halloween Town, Agrabah, Hollow Bastion, and Atlantica. Don’t expect the same adventure, however: each of the included old worlds has been refaced, and there will be new tasks to accomplish. Agrabah feels like a completely different place now, and Hollow Bastion actually serves as your home base this time around. Also, who knew you would have to take a trip over to Christmas Town instead of spending more time in Halloween Town? Furthermore, here’s a surprise—there’s no exploring whatsoever in Atlantica. The play time of the world is composed purely of music-based games where you have to perform single-button presses in sync with corny tunes with corny lyrics. And don’t get me started on Sora’s dancing—I’ll only describe it as "unbelievably scary."
"...the real emphasis is placed on the exploration of the worlds you’ll discover, and that aspect of the game is handled impeccably."
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Thankfully, that’s all the dancing I’ve seen from Sora throughout the game, but I can’t speak for the possibility of him doing so privately with Mulan, Belle, or even Queen Minnie. That’s right—several new worlds have been added to the picture, and with them come new characters and allies, all with distinct quirks and personalities. You’ll meet Captain Jack Sparrow, with his sultry voice and his witty and sarcastic remarks (just one of the many examples of superb voice acting in the game), roam the Pride Lands with Simba, and attempt to dissuade Jack Skellington from taking over Santa’s job. With the allies that can join your party, you can also perform special Reaction commands, as well as trigger the Limit features that unleash devastating attacks against enemies. You could end up racking up combos totaling in the hundreds, which just goes to show how powerful those attacks are.
While traveling around and meeting new friends (including a score of characters from the Final Fantasy titles), there’s always the possibility of upgrading Sora’s abilities by leveling up. Although Sora will start out only being able to slash away with his Keyblade, he’ll soon learn advanced moves to better decimate his foes. As with Kingdom Hearts, however, the combat still feels fairly simplistic, and the blocking feature (in other words, the "Guard" ability) isn’t consistently useful. In addition, the summons this time around (Genie, Peter Pan, Chicken Little, and Stitch) aren’t terribly helpful, and some of the bosses come off more on the cheap side rather than give challenging but reasonable fights. Nevertheless, the combat definitely isn’t annoying, and while it could be deeper, it stays fun throughout.
But the real emphasis is placed on the exploration of the worlds you’ll discover, and that aspect of the game is handled impeccably. The worlds now have more of a linear feel, translating into less time aimlessly wandering around (especially with Jiminy Cricket’s journal as your guide). More importantly, the worlds are designed on such a grand scale and are just so interesting to explore. Their atmospheres are simply spot-on, making it a pleasure to traverse through them. Coupled with the wonderfully deep story, coming along with an abundance of side quests and peppered with magnificently grand and exhilarating moments, there are few places I’d rather be than in the brilliant world inspired by Tron and in the breathtaking Timeless River from the Steamboat Willie cartoons.
All said, Kingdom Hearts II expands and improves upon its predecessor not just in a few respects, but in every possible way. This isn’t just the massively successful follow-up adventure we’ve been waiting for—it’s also the assurance that the series can only get better from here.
