Kingdom Hearts III

 PlayStation 4
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2513 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,827 out of 2513
  2. Mixed: 328 out of 2513
  3. Negative: 358 out of 2513
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  1. ZeroSigma
    Feb 6, 2019
    4
    Boring story without any conclusion, lame worlds, stupid dialogues, silly mini games, awkward dumb jokes, no FF characters,long unnecessary cutscenes and the game lost its charm.
  2. DarkCrowI
    Feb 6, 2019
    3
    Too much Disney is the best way I can describe the game, most of the fans of this series are probably in their 20s or 30s and this panders to pre-teens to late-teens, there are almost no worlds compared to previous games, the game is too easy, the cutscenes are too long, the dialogue is painful, and the game feels like several steps backwards.
  3. ayegeorgie
    Feb 6, 2019
    10
    Just completed the game this afternoon. Need I say...WOW! First off, for most of my life, I tended to be the type not to complete video games, TV Series or Books unless it was really riveting. I get a game and before I can make significant leeway, I jump on to the next one. Out of the Kingdom Hearts franchise, I have beaten one prior to today (Chain of Memories for GBA.) I can't believeJust completed the game this afternoon. Need I say...WOW! First off, for most of my life, I tended to be the type not to complete video games, TV Series or Books unless it was really riveting. I get a game and before I can make significant leeway, I jump on to the next one. Out of the Kingdom Hearts franchise, I have beaten one prior to today (Chain of Memories for GBA.) I can't believe how motivated I was to get to the end of this one and was well worth tying up years and years of build up. Without any spoilers, the ending definitely makes you think hard about what or if anything is to come. Regardless of reviews, or your experience with the franchise before, the game welcomes newcomers with plenty of contexts to catch you up with — so don't be afraid if the series' complexity initially scared you off. For me, the franchise is not about the struggle to grasp its complex story at all. I find the complexity is purposeful as it makes you take a step back from your head and into the heart of it. If you have a heart and like Disney characters, this game is for you!… Expand
  4. Sjoerdt9
    Feb 6, 2019
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Contains SPOILERS.
    Game is fun. Lots of gameplay elements, worlds are varied.
    Long time KH fan here, but:
    - game is way too easy, even on Proud mode. One of the major reasons is the attractions which give you an invulnerability frame.
    - I feel the story could've been handled better. Spoiler warning: for example, they spend some time thinking on how they can bring Roxas back, they want to reconstruct his heart with the data in data Twilight Town. They also need a vessel to put it in though. When arriving at the final world, Roxas just returns out of nothing. So basically all that building up was for nothing. Ansem/Xemnas imply they have put Sora on a path again, but nothing of the sort is revealed. Lingering Will appears out of nothing without any real reason for him suddenly appearing. Several organization members helping Xehanort without having any motivation to do so (they even explicitly state so themselves), Xion reappears without any justification on how. Same with like the KH mobile game 'players' appearing to help Sora & co without any reason why that would happen.
    Xehanort does an entire 180 personality wise at the end, which is weird.
    Protagonists are about as dangerous as butter knives during cutscenes, which makes no sense whe you look at them in past games. They get knocked out right away at some points. Then, a few minutes later in the story they can suddenly hold out against multiple of the same bad guys again (while being outnumbered).
    - Story pacing isn't too good. You get a bit of 'real' story at the start, then you have to go through several 'filler' Disney worlds, get another tiny amount of 'real KH story', another few hours of random Disney worlds, then the ending. I like the Dinsey worlds in KH games, but the KH series could do with some more time being dedicated to its own story.    … Expand
  5. Ticeben2
    Feb 6, 2019
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I love this game, I have loved kingdom hearts since I was a child, and i think this is the perfect revival of the series. Theirs so much to think about with this game, which people don't think about. This is a sequel in the public's eyes to a 13 year old game. This game needed more Disney to sell copies, square did awful last year in terms of sales when it comes to just cause and tomb raider. Whatever kingdom hearts decides to do in the future will make sense. My only real complaint that I don't think they will fix later is the fact that sora runs too fast, which is the whole reason the game feels so fast. The worlds feel like they fly by because you're moving faster than sonic does in his own games sometimes. Almost all of the 100 bad reviews of this game are people who are mad because it does not have the content that they expected because they had only played the final mixes of the games. DLC will most likely make 95% of the bad review's touched upon topics irrelevant. Play kingdom hearts, enjoy life, smile.… Expand
  6. AndersonBrito
    Feb 6, 2019
    10
    This game is amazing. All the details are awesome. I really love each world, speachs etc...
  7. Aizuri
    Feb 5, 2019
    10
    KH3 gives me everything that i expect. Warm atmosphere, creativity combat and locations,
    exciting gameplay...Well done SE! I can't wait to see the bright future of Kingdom Hearts series.
  8. megatom
    Feb 5, 2019
    10
    This game delivers everything you want and more. This game is just such a delight to play. The combat is the best it has ever been. The graphics are mind blowingly good. I'm 35 hours in and every second of it I've just been smiling through. Pure Joy is the words I would use to describe this one. I would consider myself a more casual Kingdom Hearts fans. I was really worried about this oneThis game delivers everything you want and more. This game is just such a delight to play. The combat is the best it has ever been. The graphics are mind blowingly good. I'm 35 hours in and every second of it I've just been smiling through. Pure Joy is the words I would use to describe this one. I would consider myself a more casual Kingdom Hearts fans. I was really worried about this one since Final Fantasy XV was such a disappointment. But I can firmly say that this one delivers what you would want Kingdom Hearts 3 to be. I will say that don't expect this game to rewrite the book on what Kingdom Hearts is. It is very much in line with with the previous games were but IMO that's a good thing. You can tell a lot of effort and creativity went into it. I will say that the story is mess, but never the less the likability of the characters and the entertainment of the disney worlds saves it. I highly recommend.… Expand
  9. ad11111
    Feb 5, 2019
    8
    As a huge fan of the series, I have enjoyed most entries. In fact, the second game is my favourite game of all time. Kingdom Hearts III is no different here. It's an enjoyable and fantastic rollercoaster of a journey that shows just how much the series has grown while still remaining true to itself. This end to the Xehanort saga was an end that did not disappoint in the slightest.
  10. CaptainSk0r
    Feb 5, 2019
    8
    Waited a long time for this one so I wasnt about to savor it, so i devoured it in a few days. WARNING: Even if you have played past games, its not a bad idea to watch a refresher video on youtube before picking this up. I personally didnt play any of the DS games and if youve only played 1 and 2, youre going to need it! I do have a few gripes. Ill do the bad stuff first and finish strong!Waited a long time for this one so I wasnt about to savor it, so i devoured it in a few days. WARNING: Even if you have played past games, its not a bad idea to watch a refresher video on youtube before picking this up. I personally didnt play any of the DS games and if youve only played 1 and 2, youre going to need it! I do have a few gripes. Ill do the bad stuff first and finish strong!

    1. The voice acting was awful. I know its not their fault and they're just following a script, but it felt like it was chopped and pasted all over the place. There were unnecessary pauses after quick sentences and it just didnt flow well.

    2. THE SHEER AMOUNT OF CUTSCENES. The toy story world was the most notorious for this. You take five steps and youre back in a 2 minute long cutscene. Unless you're a huge fan of toy story, chances are you just wanna continue with the story. The problem is, while they do give you the option to skip, the way the kingdom hearts story is so complex that you cannot afford to miss any information if you want to understand whats going on.

    3. The lack of Square Enix characters. Im not saying I want Cloud front and center, but none of the previous characters from square made appearances. I liked Kingdom Hearts not for Disney, but for the crossover and how silly it was. This along with the constant barrage of park themed rides just felt like someone was taking Disney in a fist and shoving it down my throat. (I know im part of a minority in this and im not hating on Disney, there was just no balance.

    Now for the good.

    1. The worlds felt great. Surprisingly the standout for me was the Tangled world. It was well built and had good flow. The Caribbean was refreshing and felt great, almost like playing AC4 Black Flag but on a scaled down version which was awesome. The sheer amount of map in a single world, I could have spent hours upon hours searching for treasure.

    2. The Keyblade upgrade system and number of Keyblades. KH has always had plenty of options in this department, but being able to upgrade them and have different focus abilities depending on your playstyle was awesome. I found myself using mainly the kingdom key throughout the game because I like the finishers and its not super fancy.

    3. The amount of side missions and mini games. Though some of them can be quite frustrating especially if youre going for all of the trophies, theres no shortage of things to do even after youve completed the game.

    4. The Ending. (NO SPOILERS) It was pretty much everything I could have wanted and more. It felt very satisfying, kind of on the level of playing through Final Fantasy 7 and having your showdown with Sephiroth at the end. It wasnt drawn out, there was no huge heartless star ship crap like in 1 and 2, but yeah. It was great. All the feels.

    TL;DR/ I loved it, it has its flaws, a couple that made me a little upset but overall it made me happy to have stuck around and wait.    … Expand
  11. TheFirm34
    Feb 5, 2019
    7
    The visuals, the worlds, the characters and the combat make this game a 8/10. The convoluted story and awkwardly music-less cut-scenes here and there make this look and feel kinda dated and overly "Japanese". By Japanese I mean; those moments in Square Enix games where charatcers are on screen staring at each other and saying "Huh?", "Whaa!?" and "Ohh..."

    If you can live with some of    The visuals, the worlds, the characters and the combat make this game a 8/10. The convoluted story and awkwardly music-less cut-scenes here and there make this look and feel kinda dated and overly "Japanese". By Japanese I mean; those moments in Square Enix games where charatcers are on screen staring at each other and saying "Huh?", "Whaa!?" and "Ohh..."

    If you can live with some of the small faults, it's a super fun game. Just don't expect God of War or Last of Us level of storytelling and presentation.    … Expand
  12. Ibanez89
    Feb 5, 2019
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As a long time fan of this series, I have to admit it and say this is not one of my favourites in the franchise. In saying that, I really enjoyed the story and the progression. The combat feels incredible and the story hit me right in the feels. Basically up until the nearing end of the game I was having the time of my life.
    Something shifted towards the end. It just seemed to go downhill from this point on a gameplay perspective. For a starters, the boss fight itself just felt very uninspired and lazy. The landscape shifts were clever, but they were nothing much more than cosmetic changes to the fight and served as a slight distraction. That isn't even the biggest disappointment for me.
    The things that upset me the most were:
    A) noticing that so many worlds could have either been added or simply made bigger. Twilight Town is so tiny and has practically nothing in it after the main story, no Traverse Town at all and 100 Acre Wood is literally ONE area with 3 mini games.
    B) There are barely any optional Ultra Bosses. To my understanding, theres only the dark inferno and the gummi ship boss.
    C) No critical mode and Proud mode was quite easy. I'm not exaggerating here, I beat the entire game at level 38 :
    D) My final and biggest complaint, boring end game. Most of the time, I was exploring these worlds knowing what I had to do, but with no drive to do them. I literally said to myself "I don't know if I want to do this". Unless you are going towards the ultima weapon and trying to platinum the game, there is basically no incentive or reason to do all the things that are optional. Compare it to KH1 & 2, everything you did gave you a sense of satisfaction and reward towards the next thing. Here, you tediously grind the same things in massive worlds and try looking for treasures which take far too long than they should. There is certainly stuff to do, but I dont think they are fun. The battle gates are decent and challenging, but thats the best you're going to get from my experience. Its just a shame and plenty of missed opportunities. Its as if so many things were scraped in development.

    Ok enough of the negativity. With all those things out of the way, I can still recommend this game to anybody whether you're new to the series or a long time fan like myself. Just like any other KH game, the core gameplay is fun as hell and always will be. Combat is great (apart from the situation command stacking), the emotions kick in hard, the music makes every battle feel so epic, the story telling while complicated is also very well written and heart felt. I think it started and ended nicely for the Xehanort Saga and I was extremely satisfied with the game progression.

    In a nutshell, buy this game. It is worth your time and it is worth your money.
    So much love has been crafted into the game and I'm sure there will be things you really like. Just don't get your hopes up on the end game. There's not much going for it there which is very sad to say.    … Expand
  13. Bulb29
    Feb 4, 2019
    7
    I've played every game and played the first one when it came out in 2002. I know well the story and I can say without a doubt it really holds the series back. It's style carries the game where it's substance lets it down.

    The gameplay is okay although way to easy which means you never really feel rewarded for beating any of the games challenges. Sora is overpowered which is ironic as he    I've played every game and played the first one when it came out in 2002. I know well the story and I can say without a doubt it really holds the series back. It's style carries the game where it's substance lets it down.

    The gameplay is okay although way to easy which means you never really feel rewarded for beating any of the games challenges. Sora is overpowered which is ironic as he is supposed to be "Regaining his lost strength" and as a main character now is really one dimensional (simple in a bad way) and most of the main groups dialogue is hard to get through. Some cutscenes are so long winded, filled with exposition, and badly written that it kills a lot of the moments between fighting. There are really nice charming moments here and there (Tangled world has some great moments in particular) but over all it feels like a constant info dump.

    Sometimes Sora, Donald, and Goofy don't even really feel like they are apart of the world (Frozen in particular). The story just plays out like normal with the gang slightly off to the side saying things while the main characters in the world just do the same thing they did in the movie. Another problem is some worlds really make you rely on your knowledge of the movie (Tangled is really bad with this) and sloppily deliver exposition just to get people to understand why characters are doing things.

    The first game was truly simple and clean, it really had an identity. This game doesn't know if it wants to cater to the standard hero's journey that anyone can enjoy or be the complex multilayered story we've come to expect from a Final Fantasy game. It tries to do both and falls short.    … Expand
  14. dbarrios2015
    Feb 4, 2019
    10
    I absolutely loved this game from the music to the story and gameplay. A great addition to a beloved franchise!!
  15. aderti
    Feb 4, 2019
    10
    Overall a wonderful game filled with fun content, satisfying story and wonderful music and graphic
  16. EvolvedMagic
    Feb 4, 2019
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The long-awaited Kingdom Hearts 3 has finally been released. And in my opinion, it has once again been released with an astonishing key blade swinging combat system, Truly beautiful and enticing Storyline. And an amazing view of what the best of Unreal Engine 4 has to offer for action role playing games for years to come. But while this game in my opinion truly being I believe to be one of the best action role playing games to have ever been released in the 21st century. It can not be excused from its flaws. Which it does have. Without further a do allow me to embark on my In depth review of Kingdom Hearts 3 although I am confident that I can type for days about this game I am going to break down this review into 5 simple categories 1. Gameplay 2. Graphics 3. Storyline 4. Emotional impact 5. Execution of emotional Impact. The gameplay in Kingdom Hearts 3 is truly phenomenal instead of your standard keyblade swinging infused with a casual magic move, block and dodge for the combat system like we have seen in previous kingdom hearts games. Kingdom Hearts 3 takes it to a completely different level by adding everything we love from the previous game while also giving new and amazing features like keyblade transformations, shot lock, flow motion dashes to close in on enemies never be foreseen extensions to combos and to top it all off we get to see all of this in an amazing the best unreal engine 4 has to offer experience which leads me to the graphics section of this review. Graphicly this game is truly breath taking and although graphics alone certainly does not define an amazing video game it certainly does wonders to immerse the gamer deeper into the experience and the world of a game it allows the video game to come to life while also making the gamer feel like he or she is not only a playing this game but truly inside of it. Whether it’s the chain of Sora’s Kingdom Key keyblade swaying back and forth, the lining on the seams of Riku’s clothing, or the beautiful and sometimes sentimental sunset of Twilight Town this game graphicly is breathtaking. The storyline of Kingdom Hearts 3 bring the finale of the Xehanort saga to an astonishing conclusion exploring Sora’s powers and the Nobody’s he has within him while also tying once again the malevolent intentions of Organization 13, Xehanort and a plot to truly slay the guardians of light once and for all and bring to life his dream of Kingdom Hearts and darkness conquering all is truly interesting and will keep your eyes glued to the screen. However, there are certain aspects of the world’s inside of Kingdom Hearts that could have done a better job with interacting with the characters inside of them. This does not apply to all of them. For example Monsters Inc. has plenty of interaction with the characters of that world same with Toy Story and Tangled but I feel like the world of Frozen specifically had very little to no interaction with Elsa besides seeing her in cutscenes we were not able to battle alongside her and although I do see how this was important to how they portrayed that story when Sora, Donald and goofy got there I do believe it is essential to at least fight alongside the main characters of that world in a couple fights it was modestly disheartening to not fight alongside her most of the time is spent saving her from her own powers instead of eventually having her learn how to use them and together taking down a final boss but it was not done that way. Besides this and other inconsistencies like lack of important worlds lion king, Incredibles, Final Fantasy or even Sora’s maturity as a character the storyline is the best we have seen in the series. Now for the emotional impact some of you might be wondering why this is important. In my opinion this is extremely crucial to any video game but even more so to a storyline like the kingdom hearts series. Emotional impact is not only the emotions the characters of a video game express but how real and impactful those emotions feel to the gamer this leads me to the execution of emotional impact. It is normal to feel a certain emotion arise inside of you when your favorite character of a movie or anime dies. The same applies to video games they create this impactfulness by voice acting, storyline and the movement of the characters. While the movement and storyline in my opinion being astoundingly impressive I feel like the voice acting of kingdom hearts 3 for the English dub in crucial moments lacked greatly what the Japanese dub had to offer this deeply affected the emotional impact of the game so much so that it questioned whether or not Sora truly was sad of full of rage in certain scenes. In comparison to the Japanese dub where the voice actor displayed a truly beautiful harmony between rage, disbelief with small hints of profound sadness in a scene where Sora had lost everything. In conclusion despite this do not think twice about getting this game it will be worth every penny.… Expand
  17. Kaged200
    Feb 4, 2019
    9
    My only concern is some of the gameplay which while amazing is somewhat floaty not on the levels of some kingdom hearts games but it's still somewhat obvious it's there and biggest challenge was not from the bosses or the enemies but from the minigames which is somewhat disappointing but this is by far one of the best kingdom hearts games ever from most of the combat and the gummi shipMy only concern is some of the gameplay which while amazing is somewhat floaty not on the levels of some kingdom hearts games but it's still somewhat obvious it's there and biggest challenge was not from the bosses or the enemies but from the minigames which is somewhat disappointing but this is by far one of the best kingdom hearts games ever from most of the combat and the gummi ship missions to the beauty and size of the worlds… Expand
  18. dimasok
    Feb 4, 2019
    0
    Absolute garbage. None of the charm of the previous KH games, dumbed down and floaty combat, no minimap, a cop-out conclusion, **** boss fights, no post-game, invisible walls all around made even worse by the expanded vertical corridors that showcase the limitations in all of its inglory.

    This is an abomination. It wasn't worth waiting for or the development hell. FFVIIR is doomed too    Absolute garbage. None of the charm of the previous KH games, dumbed down and floaty combat, no minimap, a cop-out conclusion, **** boss fights, no post-game, invisible walls all around made even worse by the expanded vertical corridors that showcase the limitations in all of its inglory.

    This is an abomination. It wasn't worth waiting for or the development hell. FFVIIR is doomed too under the horrible direction of Nomura.    … Expand
  19. Zenter
    Feb 4, 2019
    9
    A great game with a lot of hearts and time put into it, basically a love letter for the series' long time fans. Its main strength just like other KH games is its cast of characters and the ability of the characters and story to invoke a broad range of emotions which is a rarity for games in general.

    The story offered a satisfying conclusion to a saga while also setting for the stone for    A great game with a lot of hearts and time put into it, basically a love letter for the series' long time fans. Its main strength just like other KH games is its cast of characters and the ability of the characters and story to invoke a broad range of emotions which is a rarity for games in general.

    The story offered a satisfying conclusion to a saga while also setting for the stone for the next saga. It's not in any way a perfect story nor it need to be perfect. But when it hits, it hits all the right notes. Although many things still left unexplained and some parts of the story lacks coherence, I do not think of it as a major weakness. For the series it's just how the story is supposed it hook its target audiences, to keep the interest alive. The only thing I found problematic is how most of the plot is contained within the last quarter of the game rather than spread more equally throughout the game. But I kinda get it why they have to do that considering the fast-pacing of the endgame's story development (8.5/10)

    As for the characters, the main characters, especially Sora and the gang once again what makes the game so fun to play and watch. In KH3, it just gets better. The dialogue is better than ever, the comedy is spot on, each story cutscenes are a feast to watch and the voice acting is as good as the previous numbered instalments. Watching Sora and the gang are as fun as ever and watching their interaction often puts a smile on my face. The thing they can do better? Some characters were not given enough spotlight resulting in missed opportunities relating to emotional payoff of some characters and some ended up much to be desired in terms of character development. On a side note, although I understand the disappointment on the lack of FF character, I do not think they are much relevant to the story in KH3, therefore I am okay with the omission (8.5/10)

    Aside from likeable characters and interesting story, the game also has awesome graphics and smooth animation. Each world has been made to resemble the original source/movies as close as possible and the level of details put into the world design is just unbelievable. I have no major complaint graphic-wise (9.5/10)

    Music wise, KH3 is incredible. Although many of the ost are brought from the previous titles, most of them have been recomposed, enable them to invoke nostalgic feelings while offering a fresh take to some of the most beloved ost of the series. The new ost are equally awesome and some are very memorable. (9.5/10)

    The gameplay is very fun. They added so many new features such as keyblades transformation, so many minigames, attractions, new ability, etc into the game that add so much variations and options of what you can do. The map is bigger than ever and the gummi ship features has been improved into something more enjoyable. But with all the things they add to the gameplay, Square Enix seems to forget to balance it with the difficulty. With all the arsenals players have in their hands, the game felt easier than it used to be. The enemies' difficulty felt nerved compared to previous games. They are not as challenging as they used to be. The map felt a bit empty likely because the increase of the size of the map is not balanced by adding more enemies and content into some particular maps. I really hope they can fix this with future update. Overall the gameplay is still good, but with some tweakings and possibly a final mix treatment, the gameplay could be a lot better (7.5/10)

    Kingdom Hearts 3 is a great game. If you're a fan of the series who has been following the development of the series through many titles (not just KH1 and KH2) and has been waiting for so long, this game will likely offer almost everything you'd hoped for the game and you will have much fun playing it. Although it does have some cons, those cons likely will not ruin the experience you get from it. Is it a game worth buying? yes, especially for fans. Is it a game worth waiting for? Yes definitely. Overall 8.5/10. Extra points for the great effort put into every details of the game 9/10    … Expand
  20. MasterZonix
    Feb 4, 2019
    6
    All Final Fantasy characters, Gone!
    Everything could be easily obtainded
    Reaction commands? Gone! Replaced by overpowered, shallow, Disney World ride attraction cutscenes. This game's over casualized combat system values flashiness over substance. Which is most likely there so 10 year olds and idiots can actually finish the game without too much effort. It's more of a show you watch,    All Final Fantasy characters, Gone!
    Everything could be easily obtainded
    Reaction commands? Gone! Replaced by overpowered, shallow, Disney World ride attraction cutscenes. This game's over casualized combat system values flashiness over substance. Which is most likely there so 10 year olds and idiots can actually finish the game without too much effort. It's more of a show you watch, than a game you strategically play.
    the camera control is pretty chaothic, that makes really difficult to hit the target with the new skills
    7-8 worlds, downgraded from 15-16 that KH2 had. Cutscenes every 5 minutes to pad out the 30 hour experience. Piss poor keyblade selection compared to KH2 and KH1.
    KH2 had over 60 boss fights, this game has less than half of that.
    It's like Square Enix forgot that the fans of this game are a lot older now and wrote the dialog the appease 11 year olds, but the story is still as convoluted as ever.
    I hate that everyone is over rating this game because they are scared to get down votes and mean comments from abysmal Kingdom Hearts fanboys.
    Truth is, it's a downgraded, that lacks a lot of the magic from the first 2 main games.
    it kinda feels empty , after all these years, they did a good job in the game "per-se" enjoyable for sure but is that a 10/10? absolutely not! It's seems made for the fan, but it's not! I don't know why but it seems an over commercialized product with no souls    … Expand
  21. guybuzzcut
    Feb 4, 2019
    7
    (A lengthy-yet-hopefully-illuminating review)

    Okay, I'm going to start with this, however much it pains me to say it: Kingdom Hearts 3 is simply 'okay.' Unfortunately though, it falls short in multiple crucial dimensions that could have elevated it into a more comprehensive, satisfying, and structured game. I'll explain: I, too, was eagerly waiting the thirteen years for this game.    (A lengthy-yet-hopefully-illuminating review)

    Okay, I'm going to start with this, however much it pains me to say it: Kingdom Hearts 3 is simply 'okay.' Unfortunately though, it falls short in multiple crucial dimensions that could have elevated it into a more comprehensive, satisfying, and structured game. I'll explain:

    I, too, was eagerly waiting the thirteen years for this game. Having grown up with the KH franchise, with the original Kingdom Hearts easily being one of my favourite games of all time, I was not only excited to see how the story ended, but also how a next-generation console could evolve the worlds, gameplay, and combat to a previously-unrealized level. Just like Shadow of the Colossus' scale and beauty, for example, were brought to life by the PS4's capabilities, KH3 could fully realize the ambitions held by its creators.

    When it comes to combat, these abilities have created a definite success. The introduction of attractions creates a playful-yet-crucial mechanic that builds pace and power into each battle. The form transformations for each keyblade are all beautifully rendered and each feels distinct enough to offer enough variation for different types of KH3 players. However, the issue that arises here is that the enemies you face just don't live up to the depth and variation that we saw in previous games. Putting aside the point that there's no Olympus Coliseum in this game (which I feel is a major blow in its own right), most boss fights in this game feel like minor iterations of the same general concept, and the player can employ the same strategy in every instance. This makes for rather dull, anti-climatic encounters, especially considering, when you do win a battle, that's usually not how the enemy dies, but by some fluke cinematic after the battle takes place. This leaves you somewhat unfulfilled, and leads into one of the major issues with this game: the cutscenes.

    Personally, I cannot recall how long the cutscenes were in previous games, but rarely if ever have I experienced so many and such lengthy cutscenes in any game I've ever played. There's one particular cutscene mid-game that clocks in at a full fifteen minutes(!), and many are at least half that long. It leaves one to think you maybe be watching the actual movie the world is based on rather than playing KH. There is a real reason for why the cutscenes are this long though: the story's pace.

    We all knew the story of KH has been an ever-complicating pile for some years now, and KH3 doesn't attempt to remedy this. Off the bat, the game tries to introduce new players to the story with little success, and then throughout the game, distinct parties within the 'group of light' are so stretched out, that check-ins with each take up an increasing amount of time. Once I prepared and ate an entire dinner during a single cutscene of KH3, and I think we can all agree that's a problem.

    Furthermore, the pace becomes more and more disjointed as the game goes on. Little scraps of story are here and there, though they never really amount to anything until one finishes all seven (there's only seven worlds in this game! Scant compared to the previous two), and then it's as if it's all dropped on you in one moment. Interactions with different members of Organization XIII are only left to that––interactions––until a much later and unsatisfying point in the game. I won't delve into this, but will just say it leaves a lot to be desired.

    This erratic pacing really stifles the charm of KH3. We're never given enough time with each party to feel something for them. Kairi and Axel, in particular, become not much more than one-dimensional pawns that do little beyond standing a side. And this is a real shame because we were made to care deeply about Kairi up to this point, and it feels this wasn't acknowledged properly.

    All of these elements make KH3 feel like it had the bones, but little meat to survive off of. It felt more of a fan-provoked conclusion than an outright game for newcomers and series faithfuls alike.

    While there may be only seven worlds in this game, The Caribbean and San Fransokyo in particular show the scale and dynamism of what COULD have been. And reaching these worlds with the gummiship has become a lot more enjoyable and expansive. However, these are just shades of good thoughts that get bogged down by the poor pace, other narrow worlds, cumbersome cutscenes, and lack of satisfying enemy encounters.

    There is heart in Kingdom Hearts 3, it's just not full of it.    … Expand
  22. SOLIDSNAKEN64
    Feb 4, 2019
    7
    This is a hard one for me to review, I have been a fan since the 1st KH came out and have been patiently waiting for 13 years for KH3. There are a lot of things that KH3 gets right but also alot of things that haven't been updated since KH2. I haven't finished the game yet but have put enough time in with KH3 to give my review. I'm about 18 hours in and about a little over halfwayThis is a hard one for me to review, I have been a fan since the 1st KH came out and have been patiently waiting for 13 years for KH3. There are a lot of things that KH3 gets right but also alot of things that haven't been updated since KH2. I haven't finished the game yet but have put enough time in with KH3 to give my review. I'm about 18 hours in and about a little over halfway through the game. First I want to point out that the graphics look amazing, hands down the best visually looking KH. I feel like nothing has changed from how the worlds are laid out. Everything is funneled through corridors, the environments are beautiful at times and then also empty hallways that you just keep running through. Gameplay is great, smooth and easy to use. The theme park summons are awesome to look at but eventually get repetitive as they are easy to summon every battle. I'm playing on the hardest difficulty - proud mode and I feel like I'm playing on easy, there is not much of a challenge even for boss fights. I really want to enjoy the story and there is some entertaining parts, but its definitely cheesy and cringey sometimes, also the story just seems to get more convoluted then it already was. The damn gummi ship is something they could get rid of and I wouldn't even bat an eye, it's such a **** filler mechanic that's not needed or even better since KH2. Is KH3 fun? Yes it definitely is if you've played the series before. veterans need to take of their nostalgia glasses you'll see that there are alot of things that could have been much better especially after waiting 13 years. New comers to the series I believe will be asking them self's what the f is this game made for little kids. KH3 is an ok addition to the franchise but it definitely felt like the dev's rushed this game out.… Expand
  23. Xyphr
    Feb 4, 2019
    10
    I played it without many expectations but ... WOW! .. an absolute Masterpiece of a Game!
    The Gameplay is a 10/10 Rating worth.

    A Simple and Clean Game!
  24. TheRedHood1
    Feb 4, 2019
    10
    This game is amazing one of my favorite Kingdom Hearts games with such a fast paces fun combat which is the best in the series. This games also has an amazing story with one of the best endgames that I have ever place with a moment that I can only describe as magical. It has many moments where I even almost cried it is easily in one of my top five favorite games it was worth the hype andThis game is amazing one of my favorite Kingdom Hearts games with such a fast paces fun combat which is the best in the series. This games also has an amazing story with one of the best endgames that I have ever place with a moment that I can only describe as magical. It has many moments where I even almost cried it is easily in one of my top five favorite games it was worth the hype and the wait this is how you do a sequel.… Expand
  25. SavageReviews1
    Feb 4, 2019
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I have played every Kingdom Hearts game and i have been a fan since i was 11. After finishing the game i feel very conflicted. Every Pro i can think of has a Negative attached (I guess you can't have light without it casting a shadow).

    +Combat is frantic, varied, fun and flashy.
    -All the combat options makes the game way to easy on proud mode, enemies become punching bags.

    +The Disney worlds are mostly fun and introduce different mechanics.
    -The Disney worlds feel more tacked on in this game than In previous entries. Why is Sora even visiting these worlds? They feel less crucial to Sora's development and they don't really move the main conflict forward. The pacing in this game is off.

    +The final conflict was full of action and it was great seeing all the characters working together.
    -The final conflict also felt rushed, underdeveloped and introduced a ton of questions and plot holes. For example, the Final World did not make any since to me and the time travel elements were equally confusing.

    + The ending had all of our characters happy and reunited!
    -Sora and Kairi return but Sora pulls a Luke Skywalker without any explanation and it ripped the rug right from underneath me. It was discouraging to spend over a decade with this series and these characters just to have Sora not get a happy ending.

    This is where the darkness prevails...

    -Kairi and Axel had barely any development.
    -Cut scenes were way too long and the amount of exposition dumps were ridiculous.
    -No real surprises in the story (Besides the ending which felt more cheap than interesting).
    -Too much time wasted setting up a future for the franchise instead of developing the current story. (Ex: Maleficent and Pete searching for the Box)
    -The final Boss was super easy and anticlimactic.

    I had a lot of fun playing this game but the story was a mess and didn't resonate with me like the other games did. Raised more questions than it answered and the Disney to Square ratio felt uneven and poorly paced.    … Expand
  26. Chris_561
    Feb 4, 2019
    9
    Kingdom Hearts 3 is by far my favorite from the KH franchise, but that is not to say this game did not have minor issues. My biggest gripe was the camera in the game, it was a bit unsteady and made a fun boss battle almost annoying. The combat is a bit floaty but a huge improvement from the Osaka team original work like DDD and BBS. Also, they could have provided more variety with someKingdom Hearts 3 is by far my favorite from the KH franchise, but that is not to say this game did not have minor issues. My biggest gripe was the camera in the game, it was a bit unsteady and made a fun boss battle almost annoying. The combat is a bit floaty but a huge improvement from the Osaka team original work like DDD and BBS. Also, they could have provided more variety with some boss battles.

    Overall, This game plays as any other Kingdom Heart game, although, it does tend to be easier because as you begin your journey you are given so many options to use at your disposal with no consequences. But this game is beautiful and I found myself really enjoying it and loving it. The pros really outweighs the cons, as the cons are very minimal. I was pleased with the end of the Xehanort saga and excited to see where they decide to go with the next saga.    … Expand
  27. SamComedian
    Feb 4, 2019
    10
    Mi puntuación sobre Kingdom Hearts 3 es de 10, me explico;
    En cuanto a la duración del titulo, estamos entre 25 y 30 horas que dura el modo historia, una duración correcta a mi parecer, alargarlo más hubiera hecho el juego un poco pesado. La jugabilidad es espectacular como en cada Kingdom Hearts, pero en éste alcanzamos un nivel superior, que si magias, invocaciones, atracciones,    Mi puntuación sobre Kingdom Hearts 3 es de 10, me explico;
    En cuanto a la duración del titulo, estamos entre 25 y 30 horas que dura el modo historia, una duración correcta a mi parecer, alargarlo más hubiera hecho el juego un poco pesado. La jugabilidad es espectacular como en cada Kingdom Hearts, pero en éste alcanzamos un nivel superior, que si magias, invocaciones, atracciones, comandos de reacción, etc. Una infinidad de posibilidades que el jugador disfrutará como nunca antes en la saga. Una trama centrada en detener a Xehanort ( el antagonista ) y la búsqueda de los custodios de la luz perdidos, viajando a través de los diferentes mundos de Disney y Pixar ( destacar el mundo de Piratas del Caribe, es una maravilla ), hazaña que desemboca en Sora ( el protagonista ). Un juego hecho con mucho mimo sobre todo para los fans, un jugador que no haya visto o jugado anteriormente a la saga puede resultarle confuso o tedioso, ya que no entenderá nada de lo que pueda estar pasando. Personajes con mucho carisma y potencial como antes habíamos visto en la saga, Sora, Riku, Aqua, Axel, etc. En el apartado sonoro, como ya es habitual, nos encontramos con temas increíbles para cada mundo Disney, y una banda sonora de diez. Visualmente muy bonito y capaz, cuidado hasta el más mínimo detalle. En definitiva, nos encontramos con posiblemente uno de los mejores juegos de la saga de Kingdom Hearts sin duda, el 10 sobre 10 es justo ( comparándolo con juegos de su plataforma, PS4 y XboxOne ). Mi doceava crítica u/o review.    … Expand
  28. Miguelinform123
    Feb 4, 2019
    9
    Kingdom Hearts 3 it's the epic conclusion of one of the most beloved franchises of video game history. I wish this to be the last game of Kingdom Hearts to ever release, it's ending it's just perfect, heartbreaking and so beautiful... I still can't believe how amazing this game has been. It's worst than Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2, but it's better than any other Kingdom Hearts out there. ItKingdom Hearts 3 it's the epic conclusion of one of the most beloved franchises of video game history. I wish this to be the last game of Kingdom Hearts to ever release, it's ending it's just perfect, heartbreaking and so beautiful... I still can't believe how amazing this game has been. It's worst than Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2, but it's better than any other Kingdom Hearts out there. It does it's best to close each and every character plot and questions that Nomura has improvised though the years. What this game stills fails on it's the story telling, an usual mistake from Kingdom Hearts games; Lots of the dialogues are just extremely redundant. But, at the end, Kingdom Hearts 3 it's a great game, full of beautiful moments and it could be the definitive ending to this series that I love so much... But it probably won't be over yet... And that's a shame.… Expand
  29. kuehnau
    Feb 4, 2019
    8
    Fans of the franchise have been waiting almost two decades for Kingdom Hearts 3, so now that it's finally here, how well does it stand up against it's memory with an aging fan base?

    For all intents and purposes it's a Kingdom Hearts game through and through. It still has the same spirit and soul that the previous entires in the game have. The combat mechanics have been refined fairly    Fans of the franchise have been waiting almost two decades for Kingdom Hearts 3, so now that it's finally here, how well does it stand up against it's memory with an aging fan base?

    For all intents and purposes it's a Kingdom Hearts game through and through. It still has the same spirit and soul that the previous entires in the game have. The combat mechanics have been refined fairly well, without straying too far from the path. The game looks about as good as it ever did.

    With that being said, there are some flaws in this diamond.

    To begin with, there is a technical aspect to the game that can sometimes be borderline disappointing. When the Xbox One and Playstation 4 Pro made their debuts, both companies made a point to hammer in the fact that all games would work across all consoles, games wouldn't suffer on the older hardware, but instead, users could expect a better, more premium experience with the newer, updated models of hardware.

    Unfortunately, that doesn't appear to be the case with Kingdom Hearts 3. Playing on the original PS4 or the Slimline models, players are going to be faced with slightly muddier colors, jagged textures and a frames issue that can bounce anywhere from 60FPS, to 30FPS and in some cases, down into the low twenties. It's 2019, this game has been in development for 15 years, this kind of technical performance and occasional slow down isn't accetable anymore and I am surprised Square thought htis would be okay.

    While the graphics look great on the Playstation 4, many of the character models have a tendency to lack emotions in their faces. A lot of the times, they look like pieces of clay that are talking. This tends to lead to a lot of weird, uncanny valley moments where the dialog being spoken isn't being properly displayed on faces.

    The dialog and writing is another aspect really aren't up to standard. A lot of the English voice acting sounds off, not a lot, but enough for people to question what's going on. How characters talk and the inflection of their voices aren't always great and a lot of the dialog can come off as overly cheesy.

    One of the most early surprises in the game for many people familiar with the franchise is a complete lack of dialog from Phil. A character that is usually overly chatty and sarcastic is completely silent in the game, giving them an almost errie feeling. This was a terrible decision from Square and it's one of the most obvious glairing flaws early on in the game.

    Finally, for a game franchise that started off with quite a bit of darker undertones, more often than not, the game feels way too overly cheery and feels like Disney had a much larger impact on the development of the game, going as far as having special movies, skills and spells that actually mimic some of their well known attraction park rides. The game, writing and dialog feels overly optimistic to the point that it negatively impacts the game.

    At the end of the day, it's a great game with some flaws that I feel like, personally, could have been buffed out if Square simply had paid a bit closer attention to details.    … Expand
  30. arthurogrande
    Feb 4, 2019
    10
    "This is it, the epic, emotional and satisfying conclusion to one of gaming's most beloved series. Kingdom Hearts III is everything we could had hoped for (and even more), but its biggest achievement is that, even by today's standards, it's a one of a kind experience that can only be described using one word: magic. " - Hobby Consolas
    Thats just what I wanted to say.
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Awards & Rankings

23
#23 Best PS4 Game of 2019
11
#11 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2019
89
#89 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 88 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 81 out of 88
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 88
  3. Negative: 1 out of 88
  1. TheSixthAxis
    Jan 30, 2020
    80
    Kingdom Hearts III doesn’t go in the direction some RPG fans will no doubt have been hoping for. It’s unashamedly over the top in just about every way, from its barmy story and stunning presentation to its huge cinematic battles. There’s plenty of depth here too, though you’ll need to find your bearings first.
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  2. Gamersky
    May 31, 2019
    85
    There is no doubt that Kingdom Hearts III will make long term fans moved or even cry. As for those new to the franchise, I believe they also can be satisfied because of tons of classic Disney elements and solid combat system, even though they could barely understand the main story.
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  3. Riot Pixels
    Apr 20, 2019
    73
    If you like animated movies from Disney and Pixar, and you want to relieve some of the key moments, welcome to Kingdom Hearts 3.
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