Corporate crossover combines creativity for a kickin’ good time in ‘Kingdom of Hearts II’
Corporate synergy is a wonderful thing. When Square Enix’s hotshot character designer Tetsuya Nomura announced that he would be collaborating with Disney on a role-playing game project that would incorporate characters and locations from beloved Disney films and cameo appearances by popular Final Fantasy characters, gamers reacted the same way they might with any other product that sounded like the result of perverse fanfiction. But despite the fact that the game featured one of the most bizarre corporate crossovers in the history of console gaming, “Kingdom Hearts” delivered a solid action RPG experience despite in-game camera problems and an oversimplified narrative.
Four years later, “Kingdom Hearts II” has become one of the most highly anticipated titles to grace the Playstation 2 and the game’s insurmountable hype has reached fever pitch online – making “Kingdom Hearts II” the most searched gaming topic according to Gamestats.com. Considering the fact that the wait for “Kingdom Hearts II” has been longer than the colossal line to Splash Mountain, was it really worth the wait? Well, much like a vibrant, well-oiled Disneyland attraction, “Kingdom Hearts II” will take players on an exhilarating, twist-filled odyssey brimming with memorable characters, an engaging narrative, and a captivating interactive experience overall.
Gamers unfamiliar with Sora’s previous adventures might want to brush-up a little on their “Kingdom Hearts” lore, particularly with the events of the Game Boy Advance spin-off “Chain of Memories.” Much of this sequel’s storyline expands upon on the knowledge players should have gleaned from the otherwise forgettable handheld title, and it introduces many of the franchise’s most important characters and concepts. Surprisingly, Sora warms the bench for the introductory portion of the game and players assume the role of Roxas, a Jesse McCartney knock-off dressed in oreo-colored emo duds.(McCartney actually provides the voice of Roxas, oddly enough). The segments featuring this blonde, spikey-haired keyblade wielder serve to immerse gamers in the cameo-laden amalgam that is the “Kingdom Hearts” world once more and the entire mini-game-heavy Twilight Town sequence is surprisingly effective.
Final Fantasy fans will recognize a bevy of familiar faces in Twilight Town, including fan favorite black mage, Vivi Ornitier. But the game really picks up once Sora makes his triumphant return, and Nomura and his crew have pulled out all the stops for the game’s tremendously varied locales. From a “Pirates of the Caribbean” inspired Port Royal dripping with haunting realism to the full, pixel-perfect reimagining of the Space Paranoids digital expanse from “Tron,” “Kingdom Hearts II” has stage design variety in spades.
This prolific sequel also features a storyline that is darker and much more complex than its lighthearted predecessor. Sora and company are fleshed out in much greater detail this time around, and the top-notch voice acting from the game’s star-studded cast (including everyone from Haley Joel “I-see-dead-people” Osment to “American Beauty’s” Mina Suvari) really strengthens the game’s more melancholy moments.
Unfortunately, the rollercoaster analogy is all too apt, as “Kingdom Hearts II” retains the same lack of player control and gameplay depth that plagued the original. The game is not a total button masher like its faulty forerunner, however, and the addition of Drive Forms, context sensitive Reaction Commands, and team attacks adds enough combat variety to satisfy more experienced gamers. As many of these action-based monikers imply, players will be able to merge with Donald and Goofy to gain more powerful forms, utilize special moves unique to specific boss fights and create powerful attacks by combining forces with characters like Mulan and “Final Fantasy X’s” sake-downing samurai, Auron.
In addition to the game’s various combat system tweaks, the much-maligned Gummy Ship mini-game from the original has gone through an exhaustive makeover and now plays more like a classic Sega shooter in the same vein as “Space Harrier” or “Panzer Dragoon Orta.” With a significantly deeper storyline, improved gameplay features that serve to initiate the appropriate evolution of the franchise and an affecting charm missing from most contemporary console games, “Kingdom Hearts II” is a sequel that expands on the series’ numerous strengths in every conceivable way. Plus, where else are you going to find a product that includes the voice talents of both Christopher Lee and Zach Braff? In closing, its interesting to note that the combined effort of two companies that have fallen in prominence due to their newfound penchant for sequilitus (Final Fantasy X-2, anyone?) could so fully redeem themselves with another sequel. Long live the Kingdom!
Mack Perry is a critic at the Utah Statesman. Comments and questions can be sent to him at
mackp@cc.usu.edu.