Kingdom Hearts III

Kingdom Hearts III is the reunion with our heroes. It is the end of the road. It is the return of magic.

So, has the decade long wait for this anticipated sequel lived up to all the hype? It’s hard to say. I did enjoy my 30 hours with it by the time the credits rolled, and can easily go back for another 50+ hours for bonus stuff should I desire in the future. It’s such an odd feeling to finally have some closure and finality to the series I’ve been enjoying for almost two decades, but it’s finally time to say goodbye to this chapter of Kingdom Hearts and await to see what comes next, hopefully with a much shorter wait this time around and a much more concise way of storytelling.

Kingdom Hearts 3 has been a long time coming, leading some fans to wonder if it would ever finally get there. The long wait proved to be well worth it though, with a satisfying ending they’ve been wanting for years, while also managing to setup the future of the franchise as well.

Fans of the series have been waiting for this game for a long time, and Kingdom Hearts III will not disappoint them. Both the new and old worlds are a joy to play through, and you are given the freedom to explore them as and when you want. The story is complicated, there's no denying it, and this is not an easy jumping on point for people new to the series. If you put your time into this game there's an abundance of rewards to get out of it, only tarnished by some minor gameplay issues. Sora's latest adventure is magical.

Kingdom Hearts 3 ends the current era of the series wonderfully. It ties many once-confusing parts of the narrative together. The story still has a few cumbersome points, but a lot of effort has gone into making the obtuse narrative easier to follow. The end result is the finest entry in the series in many ways, with stunning graphics and whimsical sound design. Kingdom Hearts 3 takes many elements from the first game’s structure and is better for it, with a greater emphasis on the Disney side of things that has been seen in over a decade, and some nice gameplay improvements.

The final chapter of Sora’s story is full of surprises, but it absolutely delivers something that fans have been waiting years for and Square Enix certainly know how to bring a person to tears in a very beautiful way. But the studio has gone above and beyond by giving players so much more to do then just the core story, with a variety of extras to jump back in to. Kingdom Hearts 3 is a thoroughly enjoyable experience that you’ll find yourself wanting to come back to for more.

Kingdom Hearts III is a dazzling display from Square Enix; the best game in the universe, and among the best from the legendary studio.

There’s a sense of finality to it – from the very start, it feels like the end of something epic and carries that feeling throughout the entire game. Superfans are going to be thrilled at every turn and newcomers will appreciate the bizarre, unmatched genre-blend of Disney and anime culture. Kingdom Hearts 3 is still some of the most genuine and wholesome fun I’ve had in thirteen years, and even though to some degree it is more of the same that we’ve seen from past titles with more polish, finesse, and technological magic, but in a way, that’s what makes it feel like home.

I thoroughly enjoyed Square Enix’s evolution of Kingdom Hearts’ gameplay and fidelity to Disney’s beloved animated movies. While the storytelling could use some punching up, Square has done a fantastic job of capturing the spirit of these worlds while giving us a massive toolbox for battles and exploration. Even as I watched the dust settle on the story I wanted to jump right back in to collect everything. But to see all of the events of the Kingdom Hearts games so far culminate is, frankly, weird. Having been given so much time to ruminate, its specific resolutions aren’t all that surprising, but only a marginal impact is lost as a result. I still loved seeing so many characters from throughout this series interact in new ways and rekindle old bonds. It’s nice to see that, even so long after the very first game, Kingdom Hearts 3 is so full of heart.

Kingdom Hearts III is a great game. Sure I had my issues with it, but the overall package is jam packed with things to do, a fun story, and a flashy and deep combat system all wrapped around a fun RPG. Fans of the series have nothing to fear here, and even newcomers can jump in and enjoy their time with it without having too much of a problem following the story, and even if the story is not your thing, the combat will keep action fans and RPG players entertained throughout. This is the best Kingdom Hearts game to date.

Kingdom Hearts III manages to answer many of the series pending questions, entertaining us with an immediate and maybe a bit too easy but very funny gameplay and wowing us with awesome graphics. Story and gameplay might have been better paced and we feel something more could have been made on the many series' pending plots, but this definitely is a game every lover of the series needs to play.

It doesn’t quite reach the level of quality found in Kingdom Hearts II (which I don’t particularly think is fair because I don’t like to compare a sequel to its predecessor when said predecessor was one of the best games ever made), but I find it hard to believe that any fan of this series would walk away from Kingdom Hearts III unsatisfied.

Inconsistent but entertaining, packed with likeable, iconic characters. [Issue#225, p.72]

As a pretext for a trip to the worlds of Disney, it is mesmerizing from start to finish, thanks to an exemplary artistic direction that adapts constantly to the subject. It offers a surprising variety of gameplay and constantly draws the eye, thanks to its dynamic fights. However, the redundancy of the confrontations and its ultra condensed scenario which is lost in uninvited dialogues will sometimes tend to annoy or tire.

There is so much game here in Kingdom Hearts 3, and it’s all coming from the mind of an auteur with far too much power. But if you dare to take that plunge, as much of an investment as it is, there is a great adventure to be had here. So much adventure. Probably too much. After all, this isn’t really Kingdom Hearts 3. It’s more like, seven, or ten, or something.

The pulsating heart of the product is in fact also represented by the wanderings of the hero through the brilliant licenses Disney and Pixar, capable of supporting and embellishing a fresco so undoubtedly epic but also imperfect, wounded by the gears of time.

The combat and traversal in Kingdom Hearts III is simply outstanding, with each massively in-depth system intertwining perfectly to produce a widely compelling basis that constantly excites. There’s a fantastic amount of variation as far as the game’s worlds, its enemies, and its activities are concerned, bolstering its already impressive value. Unfortunately, some sloppy development choices and a convoluted plot hold it back from greatness.

Kingdom Hearts III is a fitting conclusion to this Dark Seeker saga; and by fitting, I mean a hodge-podge of ideas and sub-plots that don’t always seem to work but still manage to muster something pretty decent.

Even despite its downfalls – its repetitive gameplay loop, its dense narrative and its lack of worthwhile adventuring – there’s something that makes Kingdom Hearts 3 difficult to resist.

However eye-glazing Kingdom Hearts 3’s overarching narrative may be, it’s worth stressing how easy it is to get swept up in the broad strokes of its gameplay and the more isolated story beats in the game.

A confused and confusing mess of terrible storytelling, simple action, and endless fan service that will delight existing players but baffle new ones.