is a 2002 action role-playing game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation 2. It is the first game in the Kingdom Hearts series and is the result of a collaboration between Square and The Walt Disney Company. An expanded re-release of the game featuring new and additional content, Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, was released exclusively in Japan in December 2002. The Final Mix version of the game was later remastered in high definition and released globally as part of the Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix collection for the PlayStation 3. The game was later ported and released as part of the bundled Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix collection for PlayStation 4 in March 2017, Xbox One in February 2020, Windows in March 2021 and Nintendo Switch in February 2022.
The game combines characters and settings from Disney animated features with those from Square's Final Fantasy series, in addition to original characters and worlds created for the game. It follows the adventures of Sora, a cheerful teenager who fights against the forces of darkness alongside his allies, including Donald Duck, Goofy, and other Disney characters. The game was a departure from Square's standard role-playing games, introducing a substantial action and hack and slash element to the gameplay. The score was composed by Yoko Shimomura, with an all-star voice cast including many of the Disney characters' official voice actors. It was longtime Square character designer Tetsuya Nomura's first time in a directorial position.
Kingdom Hearts was a critical and commercial success and received praise for its unusual combination of action and role-playing elements, its unexpectedly harmonious mix of Square and Disney elements, and Shimomura's music. It is considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time, and was a large presence in the 2002 holiday season, receiving numerous year-end game awards, and went on to achieve Sony "Greatest Hits" status. The game's success spawned a franchise and numerous sequels, with the Kingdom Hearts series going on to ship over 36 million copies worldwide and becoming one of Square's most popular franchises. Kingdom Hearts is one of the best-selling PlayStation 2 games and the best-selling Disney videogame.
Gameplay
Kingdom Hearts is influenced by its parent franchise, Final Fantasy, and carries gameplay elements over into its own action-based, hack and slash system. The main battle party consists of three characters: Sora, Donald Duck, and Goofy. Sora is directly controlled by the player from a third-person camera angle. All other party members are computer-controlled, though the player can customize their behavior to an extent through the pause menu. Donald and Goofy comprise the party in most areas, but many levels feature a character who may replace them. For instance, Jack Skellington joins Sora's party in Halloween Town, but cannot accompany the player elsewhere. In some worlds, the party changes its appearance, has abilities unique to that world, or both; the characters can fly in Neverland, gain aquatic forms in Atlantica which enable them to survive underwater, and wear Halloween costumes in Halloween Town to blend in with the locals.
Like traditional role-playing games, Kingdom Hearts features an experience point system that determines character development. As enemies are defeated, the player characters gain experience and grow stronger, gaining access to new abilities. Unlike other games of its genre, Kingdom Hearts allows a degree of character development customization through a short tutorial found at the beginning of the game. The tutorial allows the player to select from one of three main attributes―strength, defense, or magic―for Sora to excel in and one to lack in. By choosing certain options, the player may manipulate how Sora learns abilities, grows statistically, and gains levels. Donald, Goofy, and additional party members are assigned specific areas of strength from the outset. Donald excels in magic, while Goofy excels in defense and special attacks.
The game progresses linearly from one story event to the next, usually presented in cutscenes, though there are numerous side quests available that provide benefits to the characters. Players may also choose the order in which they tackle some areas. Most of the gameplay occurs on interconnected field maps where battles take place. Combat in Kingdom Hearts occurs in real time and involves pressing buttons to initiate attacks by the on-screen character. An action menu, similar to those found in Final Fantasy games, found at the bottom left of the screen provides other combat options such as using magic and items, although players can also assign selected magic spells that can be instantly used whilst holding the shoulder button. As players progress through the game, they can receive certain Disney characters as summons, including Dumbo, Bambi, Mushu, and Simba, who are unlocked through summon gems found in the worlds, and Tinker Bell and the Genie, who are unlocked after clearing the worlds of Neverland and Agrabah respectively. There is also a context-sensitive option at the bottom of the menu, usually used for interacting with the environment or performing special attacks. This menu is manipulated by using the right analog stick or digital pad, while movement is controlled by the left analog stick, allowing the player to navigate the menu while avoiding or approaching enemies.
Sora, along with his allies, possesses a Hit Point (HP) meter and a Magic Point (MP) meter, which increase as they gain experience and level up. The MP meter is divided into various segments that are used up whenever a character performs magic, with more powerful magic consuming more MP, and can be replenished by performing melee attacks or using items. The HP meter determines the character's health and reduces when they take damage, although it can be replenished by using healing items or spells. If one of Sora's allies runs out of health, they will be knocked out temporarily until healed. However, if Sora loses all of his health, the game ends and the player must resume play from the beginning of an area or boss. Defeating enemies causes various orbs to fall: green orbs which replenish health, blue orbs which restore MP, and yellow orbs which represent Munny, the game's currency, and can be used to purchase new items.
Gummi Ship The Gummi Ship is the mode of travel between the various worlds in the game. The gameplay for piloting the vessel is different from the rest of the game, switching to a rail shooter format in which the player controls the Gummi Ship from a rear third-person perspective as it travels in an outer space setting. While traveling, the player must avoid obstacles and defend against enemy ships that attempt to destroy the vessel by firing missiles or ramming it. Surviving the route allows access to the next world. Once the player's Gummi Ship is destroyed, it will have the option to either return to the world selection menu or retry the level. At the beginning of the game, there are few options available to customize the vessel, but as the game progresses, new weapons, engines, and armor become available. Different pre-designed blueprints can be found throughout the game that can be used to quickly construct Gummi Ships. Geppetto also gives the player different Gummi Ship designs based on the number of Heartless defeated. From the start, the player can travel between worlds by using "Normal Drive", which initiates the rail shooter-like minigame. Later in the game, Sora can acquire a "Warp Drive", which allows instant travel between previously visited worlds without having to play the minigame. However, worlds that have not been visited cannot be accessed with Warp Drive and must be discovered normally first.
Plot
Setting
The universe of Kingdom Hearts is a collection of various levels, referred to as "worlds", through which the player must progress. Fourteen worlds are featured, out of which thirteen can be accessed; one, Disney Castle, is shown in cutscenes, and additional worlds are mentioned by various characters, but are inaccessible due to being destroyed by the Heartless. Ten worlds are based on films from the Disney animated features canon, and the other four were created by Square specifically for the game.
The graphics and characters of each world were designed to resemble the artwork and style of the Disney film they are based on. Each Disney world is inhabited by characters from the film: for instance, Hercules and Philoctetes appear in Olympus Coliseum, and Aladdin, Jasmine, and Jafar in Agrabah. Each world is disconnected from the others and exists separately, and with few exceptions, most characters in the world are unaware of other ones. Players travel from one world to another via the Gummi Ship.
The worlds created specifically for the game mirror the overall appearance of the other worlds and feature either new characters or ones from several Final Fantasy games. These worlds include the Destiny Islands, the home world of Sora, Riku, and Kairi, and where the story opens; Traverse Town, which serves as a hub world and refuge for those whose worlds were destroyed; Hollow Bastion, home of several Final Fantasy characters; and the End of the World, a large, dark world created from the remnants of various worlds consumed by the Heartless. The main characters, Sora, Donald, and Goofy, travel from world to world to seal each world's "Keyhole", which protects it from the Heartless and from destruction, while trying to minimize their interaction with characters of other worlds to maintain a balance of separation, which sometimes requires them to change their physical appearance to blend in with the world's inhabitants.
Characters
The collaboration between Disney and Square resulted in a mixture of familiar Disney and Square characters, as well as several new characters created and designed by Tetsuya Nomura. The primary protagonist of the game is Sora, a 14-year-old boy chosen to wield the Keyblade—a weapon which is a cross between a key and a sword—to battle darkness. The game also features two friends from his home world, Riku and Kairi. For most of the game, Sora is joined by Donald Duck and Goofy, who are a court wizard and captain of Disney Castle's royal guard respectively, and were sent to find the Keyblade wielder, joining forces with Sora to search for their King, Mickey Mouse, while Sora searches for Kairi and Riku. The primary antagonist is Ansem, who seeks power and knowledge by using the Heartless, while Maleficent (from the 1959 film Sleeping Beauty) leads a group of Disney villains that seek to use the Heartless for their own gain.
As a game meant to explore the fictional universes of various Disney films, over one hundred Disney characters are featured in various capacities. While many serve as major characters in the story, others appear in cameo roles, such as the One Hundred and One Dalmatians being part of a side-quest where the player receives rewards for collecting and returning the 99 puppies to Pongo and Perdita. Most worlds also feature a Disney villain whom the player must defeat.