Three and Out – ‘Kingdom Hearts III’
Thirteen years since Kingdom Hearts II and two years since Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue we have arrived to the day that has constantly been teased and joked about never truly arriving. Kingdom Hearts III is the final entry to the series’ “Dark Seeker Saga” and follows the same formula as its predecessors: travel to the worlds that are mostly Disney licensed and right the wrongs done to them, while also creeping towards the final showdown toward which all the other entries have been leading. And while I know that I’ve been playing Kingdom Hearts III for almost a week now, I still can’t shake the surreal feeling that I’m just playing a demo or something that explains the sensation that I still get when I boot the game up and am greeted by the title screen. The answer was just as obvious as the joy that was welling up in me in each day leading up to the release of Kingdom Hearts III. It is a dream come true.
The gameplay in Kingdom Hearts III is best described as an evolution from what was done in Kingdom Hearts II, but with a combination of many additions from Birth By Sleep and Dream Drop Distance such as Flowmotion, shotlocks, links, and formchanges. On top of these changes, there is also the introduction of the Attractions new to the series where Sora summons rides straight from Disneyland, ranging from spinning tea cups to a rollercoaster with missles. Kingdom Hearts III is the most involved game in terms of combat and mobility with respect to everything they’ve put in Sora’s arsenal, and it all looks beautiful. From the animations to the gorgeous score gifted by Yoko Shimomura, Kingdom Hearts III is a game that proves to have flourished in the development time capsule and never denies anyone who is looking for a great time.
It’s not a secret that the story of Kingdom Hearts is a mess-and-a-half and that, as the release of Kingdom Hearts III was inching nearer, close to 80% of the people hoping to play it began watching the multitude of “Kingdom Hearts Explained” videos out on YouTube, hoping to be able to at least understand the twenty hours of plot development that frequently interrupts the gameplay. People love to hate the convolution that encompasses the series, but I absolutely love it. I’m in love with how Kingdom Hearts III decided to tell its story, as well as the story itself. I can’t count the number of times I had to pause a cutscene or how many times I almost died because I was literally bawling my eyes out as the story was drawing to a close. This is a game that knows its fans better than any entity I’ve ever been blessed to wish upon.
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Score:
Out
Never have I played a game that ever made me feel the way I do about Kingdom Hearts III. People can call it hype, they can call it bias, they can disregard everything I saw about this game because it doesn’t matter. No other game has made as happy, sad, and angry in a single playthrough, and Kingdom Hearts III is a treasure whose appraisal will undoubtedly vary a great deal in every spectrum, but this is a game that I truly love. And that love will never waver.
