One thing that I enjoy is when something on paper that should not work works perfectly in execution. There are not many times I can see this. In 2002, I read dumbfounded as Square Enix was going to release something called Kingdom Hearts. The worlds of Disney mixed with Final Fantasy? No way this would work. It turned out to be the beginning of a series and one of my favorite games of all time.
Sora, Riku, and Kairi are kids living on Destiny Island. They have a yearning to explore and see what else is out there. Their wish is granted in a unexpected way when their world is attacked by the Heartless. Separated from his friends, Sora comes across Donald Duck and Goofy, who are looking for their king. (A certain mouse we all know). Their journeys will take them to many different Disney worlds as well as cross paths with some mighty familiar characters.
The idea of separate worlds is what makes the blend of Disney and Square Enix possible. You can be running through Halloween Town and then battling alongside Hercules in the Coliseum. The Final Fantasy characters never seem out of place whenever you find them. The battle system is easy to learn, but hard to master. Building your Gummi ship seems like a task at first, but you soon want to get all the parts
The voice acting in the game is second to none. Even some of the weird choices (Lance Bass as Sephiroth??) work out. The best is the cast of Disney villains who have formed their own sort of Injustice League. Everyone is voiced by who voiced them in the movies. James Woods as Hadas and Kenneth Page as Oogie Boogie are my personal favorites. The music is perfect and the opening song, Simple and Clean, stays with you long after the game is over.
Kingdom Hearts works because of the care and respect given to the characters and the player. Some fights are hard and you have to figure out how to get past them. The story is top notch, with themes of love and loss. The game would be the first step in a universe that, like Sora discovered, is much bigger than originally thought.
