User Score
9.0

Universal acclaim- based on 1489 Ratings

User score distribution:
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  1. Sep 8, 2023
    10
    Treasure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  2. Aug 25, 2023
    10
    Kingdom Hearts 2 may very well be one of if not the best game of all time. The story is infinitely better than the first, and same goes for the gameplay. One would be unable to revisit the original after playing this. The storytelling is amazing in the way that everything is explained by the ending, and everything is wrapped up in a perfect bow. This game is true greatness.
  3. Jul 23, 2023
    10
    PS4 version here. This game is a huge step up from Kingdom Hearts 1. They improved everything including combat, story and characters. Took me about 40h. I only did the main story plus several side quests, but I'm very far from full completion (and will not do it).
  4. Jul 21, 2023
    9
    A truly incredible sequel. Arguably better than the original, but to me the story of KH1 was better & overall was the more profound/groundbreaking game. Still, a true classic.
  5. Jul 14, 2023
    10
    Perfect sequel to the first chapter, it does not only build a great story with some good twists, but the gameplay is so good and so much better than kh1, after so many years it is still very funny and so much responsive. An absolutely must for everyone who played the first chapter!
  6. Jul 1, 2023
    9
    Nearly perfect game. The only issue is the Disney worlds not having any substance and feeling like filler episodes of rehashed Disney movies plots
  7. Jun 29, 2023
    10
    I'll say this with all of my heart. Kingdom Hearts 2 is the best game through it's 20+ year history! The combat, the music, the characters, the story. Holy moly it's so good. The game is so good that I've played it twice on a harder difficulty.

    If you have a PS2 around your own home, go get it and play Kingdom Hearts 2.
  8. Jun 17, 2023
    9
    Best game in the franchise, fun gameplay and walkthrough, the plot is still hard to follow, but we love the saga just for that. THIS IS KINGDOM HEARTS.
  9. May 13, 2023
    10
    Simplesmente perfeito jogão da porra jogo que conheci a franquia e um god of War da Disney/Square Enix jogue por favor esse jogo gente não é sor 10 e sim 1 mil
  10. May 9, 2023
    10
    Simply amazing. Even if the playability is exactly the same as the previous game, the history is perfect.
  11. Apr 30, 2023
    10
    A upgraded version of KH1, but you also get Drive Form Sora, which doesn't get old.
  12. Apr 21, 2023
    9
    This is a much better game than the original in terms of gameplay I like that it was easier to follow as in the first game I got lost a couple of times and needed a guide to progress in the story. The only bad thing was the need to use a new mechanic to gain abilities. All in all, this is an excellent sequel that years later is still fun to play.
  13. Feb 3, 2023
    9
    If Kingdom Hearts was a good foundation for a series, Kingdom Hearts II was a near perfection of it. Practically every single aspect from the first game has been taken here and improved upon, with one or two exceptions.
    The story is a good follow-up to KH and Chain of Memories, introducing new elements and characters that flow very well throughout the campaign. Voice acting has been
    If Kingdom Hearts was a good foundation for a series, Kingdom Hearts II was a near perfection of it. Practically every single aspect from the first game has been taken here and improved upon, with one or two exceptions.
    The story is a good follow-up to KH and Chain of Memories, introducing new elements and characters that flow very well throughout the campaign. Voice acting has been improved upon, holding up even better than KH. The character models and environments still look good for being a PS2 game, similar to that of the first game. However, the facial animations are still the same mixed bag that they've been for over ten years, at least until Kingdom Hearts III came along. I've heard a lot of people complain about how Sora sounds in this game, but I have the opposite problem. i find Sora's voice slightly annoying in the first game, but in this one he sounds more mature and just better all around.
    The worlds in this game have both been improved and degraded from the first game. In one area, getting lost almost isn't a thing anymore, thanks to two new additions from Square-Enix: The Minimap and the objective bar. These were two of the smartest additions to the series as a whole. However, the worlds have lost some of the verticality they had in KH. everything is more flat, and less interesting. It's not to the level that Birth By Sleep is, but it's a little disappointing. However, in the grand scheme of the whole game, it isn't the biggest problem, and The World that Never Was (the final level) is incredibly fun to explore, so it hasn't all been lost.
    The combat in this game is one of the biggest improvements brought to this game. It blows KH's combat out of the water, with an improvement of movement speed, agility, and aerial combat. You have your standard stuff like the Keyblade, Magic, and Limits, but there are more skills for the Keyblade than ever before, making fights a beautiful dance of flying around the screen beating everything up with an oversized key. The best new addition comes in Drive forms: temporary powerups that change Sora's fighting style drastically, upping the style factor. Leveling up these forms also gets you new agility moves, like ground dashes, air spins, high jumps, dodge rolls, and flying. There is so much you can do, it may feel overwhelming at first, but once you get into the flow, everything falls into place.
    The bossfights are incredible. Each is distinctive from the last, bringing something new to the table. the Heartless bossfights are good as usual, but the ones that really stand out are against a group introduced in Chain of Memories: Organization XIII. Each member you fight has a new moveset, making them always feel fresh. Two of them in particular are immense challenges. You may be stuck on them for a very long time. You may feel like giving up, but they can be beat, and once you do, it's one of the best feelings in gaming. The final boss especially is one of the best I have seen in gaming. It's dynamic, interesting, full of cool set pieces, and a real challenge that once you get to the very end of, you reach one of the best moments (that I won't spoil) I have ever witnessed.
    This game is kind of hard to jump into if you don't know the stories of Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, but if you do or don't care about story, this game is a near masterclass of a game, one that would establish a baseline that every time a new Kingdom Hearts game came out, people would point to KHII as the golden standard it had to live up to.
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  14. Jan 31, 2023
    10
    Made me feel like a kid again, 10/10 would get confused about the story again.
  15. Jan 31, 2023
    10
    It's my childhood and still I can't get enough of this game, the best Kingdom Hearts, fun and it's a challenge in high difficulties.
  16. Jan 22, 2023
    10
    I’m currently playing this game for the 4th time. This game holds a special place in my heart and I will always remember the first time I played it. There is magic to this game that I just cannot explain. It has that old school Disney feeling. Magic….. The sprinkles of Final Fantasy is wonderful and is what was missing from KH3. I play this game on Proud mode because it’s not a buttonI’m currently playing this game for the 4th time. This game holds a special place in my heart and I will always remember the first time I played it. There is magic to this game that I just cannot explain. It has that old school Disney feeling. Magic….. The sprinkles of Final Fantasy is wonderful and is what was missing from KH3. I play this game on Proud mode because it’s not a button masher on harder difficulties. I owe my favorite game of all time a review and I hope anyone interested in finally playing this series, has an absolutely memorable time just as I had. 10/10 game for me. Every time I hear classical music I think of this game. It’s just wonderful. Expand
  17. Dec 25, 2022
    6
    60/100
    Kingdom Hearts 2's story is an enchanting chronicle that blends the dreamy-like mood of a fairy tale with the cheesy, spectacular epicness of an anime, sustained and tied together by a powerful emotional core elevated by unique memorable music. Superbly directed scenes that can deliver and convey the tender, melancholic drama amidst the wacky, bizarre concepts of its world and
    60/100
    Kingdom Hearts 2's story is an enchanting chronicle that blends the dreamy-like mood of a fairy tale with the cheesy, spectacular epicness of an anime, sustained and tied together by a powerful emotional core elevated by unique memorable music. Superbly directed scenes that can deliver and convey the tender, melancholic drama amidst the wacky, bizarre concepts of its world and lore, thanks to both being inextricably tied together. Alas, in gameplay, we instantly notice that Level Design got a massive downgrade. The intricate, fun maps of KH1 have been replaced with dull hallways and hollow rooms, with chests scattered here and there in esthetically pleasing but structurally barren environments, with only a single optional area providing any engaging platforming. The game experience is saved and recontextualized thanks to the absolute beauty of Combat: the already incredibly snappy and fluid base combos are the solid ground on top of which an exciting amount of engaging heterogeneous possibilities are stacked. On top of Abilities, Magic and Summons, Fusions and Limits have been introduced. Fusions especially significantly change the gameplay with different playstyles while also providing a new layer of strategic resource management to progression, as Limits offer an additional, tangential support. All these new additions are perfectly balanced, to be upgraded and unleashed against a strongly diversified army of enemies and bosses as the various levels countinuously add new twists and variations to the battle formula to keep things fresh through new attack patterns or external gimmicks, with the only serious flaw being the oversimplified, underdeveloped Reaction Commands (It must be also noted that enemy pose a meaningful, satisfying challenge only on Critical Mode). The game also offers an incredible amount of thrilling, greatly polished optional bosses to push the player's skills to their limit after the main campaign. Gummiship sections have been made much more enjoyable thanks to a faster pace and more visual flare.
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  18. Dec 22, 2022
    10
    This is one of the best games I have ever played. So many good memories from playing it when I was a kid. Story was fantastic and so was the game play.
  19. Nov 23, 2022
    9
    Kingdom hearts 2 is by far the best game in the series, its hard to not like it if you are a fun of disney and Final Fantasy universe.
  20. Nov 2, 2022
    9
    Of all the action RPGs I've played, this is among the unforgettable. This is the only game I've played in the series and I was still blown a way by heart and soul put into this game. A rare mix of old Disney movies, anime-style storytelling, and brilliant action RPG mechanics. It's a formula that never should have worked, but the writers and programmers gave everything personal attention.Of all the action RPGs I've played, this is among the unforgettable. This is the only game I've played in the series and I was still blown a way by heart and soul put into this game. A rare mix of old Disney movies, anime-style storytelling, and brilliant action RPG mechanics. It's a formula that never should have worked, but the writers and programmers gave everything personal attention.

    Not only am I playing through a soothing story with an anime setting, but I'm also experiencing the nostalgia of all my old favorite Disney movies, even the ones I haven't seen in ages. And that nostalgia is like meeting up with an old friend. I haven't played the first game in the series, but the flash backs tell me everything I need to know. I understand all these charters thanks to excellent emotion animation.

    It's a moving sensation, to feel connected to something you've only known for a little while. When my eyes caught those gorgeous levels, the creative designs of the villains and the Heartless...I was thunder struck.
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  21. Nov 2, 2022
    9
    Bueno personalmente es mi KH Favorito tiene una historia bastante buena, mejora mucho su gameplay la musica es memorable y epica lo genial que tiene doblaje castellano muy bueno, si te jugaste el primero y segundo te va a encantar.

    recomendadisimo
  22. Aug 26, 2022
    10
    my favorite game of all time
    i need to have 75 words so here we go
    jhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
  23. Jul 14, 2022
    8
    Todo, excepto la historia, es una obra maestra. Los qte son lo mejor. Recomendado.
  24. Jun 14, 2022
    1
    This game is so difficult All the bosses and enemy’s and I’m not even playing on proud mode or anything I had just Beaten three of the big headless in the cave of wonders chasm of challenges and once I had better it I had saved it but when I opener the game another time the save data was gone
  25. Mar 20, 2022
    8
    Kingdom Hearts II is a very strong, though somewhat inconsistent sequel to the surprise hit that was Kingdom Hearts. Kingdom Hearts II vastly improves on its predecessor's battle system to deliver the best pure gameplay thus far in the franchise, though its narrative goes a bit off the rails in the latter stages.

    Kingdom Hearts II is where the franchise really began to pull away from a
    Kingdom Hearts II is a very strong, though somewhat inconsistent sequel to the surprise hit that was Kingdom Hearts. Kingdom Hearts II vastly improves on its predecessor's battle system to deliver the best pure gameplay thus far in the franchise, though its narrative goes a bit off the rails in the latter stages.

    Kingdom Hearts II is where the franchise really began to pull away from a simple and fun story-line to something more convoluted and pretentious, though the game still thankfully finds its sense of charm. It also begins with the most infamously tedious tutorial section; a mind-numbingly dull three-hour story segment with boring mini-games.

    Furthermore, Kingdom Hearts II is relatively light on side content, and what is there is fairly bland. However, its vastly superior upgraded version, Kingdom Hearst II: Final Mix, solves this issue in spades.
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  26. Mar 16, 2022
    9
    A great aesthetic, engaging combat, and corny cut scenes that can surprisingly subvert your expectations at times. Also packs an absolutely beautiful soundtrack.
  27. Mar 10, 2022
    10
    I have no idea where to start with Kingdom Hearts II. What stands out is the excellent graphics, catchy voice actors, the amazing gameplay, and a wonderfully mysterious story.

    I will do my best to explain the plot of KHII. It's been a while since Sora, Donald, and Goofy defeated Ansem, and it appears that the Heartless are back to their old tricks, but before we learn of them, we see a
    I have no idea where to start with Kingdom Hearts II. What stands out is the excellent graphics, catchy voice actors, the amazing gameplay, and a wonderfully mysterious story.

    I will do my best to explain the plot of KHII. It's been a while since Sora, Donald, and Goofy defeated Ansem, and it appears that the Heartless are back to their old tricks, but before we learn of them, we see a new, and mysterious enemy: The Nobodies. Also different, the first 4 to 5 hours of gameplay are spent playing as a new character, Roxas. For a while, the story will seem confusing, but once you reach the end, it will ALL make sense. After a few hours of gameplay, you'll play as Sora once again, and you'll meet old and new friends alike. Also going on as a side story, Kairi has forgotten all about Sora, but is eager to learn more about 'the boy I used to have so much fun with', and Riku seems to be gone without a trace. Meanwhile, Roxas (who sounds eerily like Jesse McCartney *wink*) has been dreaming about Sora, and his past adventures, despite never having met him before, and while all this is going on, a mysterious new force called Organization XIII is taking shape....

    The gameplay behind KHII is phenomenal. Rather than the basic play behind KHI, the system has been overhauled with a new thing called drive form, which allows Sora to increase his power for a limited time. The MP gauge is also different, which isn't that great. It's the only flaw of KHII. You'll be hooked within minutes of playing this game.

    With appearances from the Disney classic characters Beast, Belle, Cogsworth, Lumiere, Mrs. Potts, Chip, Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann, Aladdin, Jasmine, Genie, The Peddler, Iago, Chicken Little, Peter Pan, Stitch, Mulan, Captain Shang, Simba, Nala, Timon, Pumbaa, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck, Chip and Dale, Hercules, Megara, Phil the Satyr, Ariel, Sebastian, Flounder, King Triton, Tron, Jack Skellington, The Mayor, Sally, Dr. Finkelstein, Lock, Shock, and Barrel. Disney's villains are also back, including Captain Barbossa, Jafar, Shan-Yu, Hades, Scar, Commander Sark, The Master Control Program, Oogie Boogie, and Ursula. Square's Final Fantasy heroes are back as well, including Squall Leonhart, Aeris (Aerith), Cloud, Auron, Yuffie, Tifa Lockheart, Raijin, Fujin, Seifer, Yuna, Rikku, and Paine, not to mention the most evil villain in video game history, Sephiroth is back.

    Kingdom Hearts II also has some cool voice actors, including Haley Joel Osment, Hayden Panitierre, David Gallagher, Sean Astin, Jesse McCartney, David Boreanaz, James Arnold Taylor, Tara Strong, B.D. Wong, Mena Suvari, and Robbie Benson.

    This is one game you cannot afford to miss. If you play one game on PS2 this year, Kingdom Hearts II should be that game. Don't miss this clever blend of fun, epic battles, romance, action, adventure, humor, and gripping suspense.

    10/10 --spy
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  28. Mar 7, 2022
    10
    When I thought kingdom hearts 1 was the Best game aver then i played this. Best game Ever
  29. Feb 16, 2022
    10
    10/10
    Favorite RPG of all-time. This game has a phenomenal story, and phenomenal everything.
  30. Dec 2, 2021
    9
    Well If I would give kingdom hearts 1 an 8 and If I think kingdom hearts 2 is better in almost every single way then I'd give it a 9 lol overall fun story, amazing and fun and smooth gameplay that ages very well, and it gives you so much more freedom and don't even get me started on the ost in conclusion very good game.

Awards & Rankings

8
2
#2 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2006
3
#3 Most Shared PS2 Game of 2006
Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 64 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 58 out of 64
  2. Negative: 0 out of 64
  1. An all around excellent game. It looks phenomenal and plays even better. What started out as a crazy fan based experiment for Square-Enix has panned out to one of the most entertaining titles of the year. [JPN Import]
  2. 95
    From the amazing opening cg cinema (oh god, I think I just soiled myself it was so good) with Utada Hikaru's newest song, Passion, to the kick ass ending, this game rocked and set itself a more than worthy successor to the first Kingdom Hearts. [JPN Import]
  3. It has an excellent battle system, more variety than almost any game out there, great graphics, and an interesting story. The title isn't perfect though. The story lacks a bit of cohesiveness and the auto-camera still can't seem to track everything that's going on. [JPN Import]