Kingdom Hearts III Review

Genre: Action RPG
Players: 1
Playtime: 30 hours (Includes beating the game and a fair share of side exploration and mini-games; Played on standard difficulty on PS4)


Fourteen years have passed since the last numbered installment of Kingdom Hearts II in 2005, though the series certainly hasn't stood still during that time, releasing a slew of side entries to fill the gap.  With that however has also come ever rising expectations and increasingly growing loads of convoluted narratives to resolve.  Games with long development periods and frequent delays are often due to unrelenting levels of polish poured into the game or else on the other spectrum, a disjointed vision for the overall game design.  And never has this been more true than for the beautiful mess that is Kingdom Hearts III.  Are the breathtaking aesthetics enough to compensate for the game's narrative and gameplay shortcomings?  Summon your keyblades and get ready to mash "X" as we strike through the hordes of pros and cons in this review.

Art Direction / Visual Effects

Right off the bat, Kingdom Hearts III will assuredly stun and amaze the player with its gorgeous art direction and overabundance of flashy effects.  Coming from the likes of PS2 and handheld games in the series, the jump made onto modern HD / 4K consoles here is undoubtedly an impressive sight of vivid colors and crisp, seamless transitions between gameplay and cut scenes.  And as players travel from world to world, the flourish of snazzy title art and distinct visual appearances to each crafted space consistently pull players comfortably into the experience.

Like a brilliant display of fireworks, soak in the brilliant assault of colors and effects that is a standard battle.

And as if the grandeur of these decedent worlds were not enough, every battle sequence is filled to the brim with crazy variances of keyblade acrobatics and a plethora of particle magic on every inch of the screen.  While the over the top action lacks a degree of balance / pacing, the spectacle it delivers is never short of admiration.  Let its bombastic fireworks display fill your eyes with awe and wonder like a starry-eyed child looking upon a wide open night sky.

Music

The music of Kingdom Hearts covers a wide spectrum of whimsical Disney magic to transcendent calm, dramatic tension to catchy Japanese pop, and all things between.  And this latest entry in the series shows a considered level of care and attention to this department.  It may not be my favorite version of Dearly Beloved in the series, but it feels fondly familiar and welcome all the same.

World Design

The sheer attention to detail present in each and every one of these Disney worlds is a remarkable accomplishment to behold and really captures the essence and spirit of these beloved universes.  From the fictional toys and games scattered about in the world of Toy Story to the pinned wanted posters of Flynn Rider in the world of Tangled, there are so many clever touches to notice and admire.  The worlds also boast considerably more open and fluid design than ever before in the series that make each space a joy to run around in.  Although this flow is awkwardly interrupted by many a frequent cut scene and the odd invisible boundary, the world design of Kingdom Hearts III is overall an impressive feather in its cap.

Nothing is as magical as jumping out the bedroom window and out into the open world of Toy Story in seamless fashion.

Moments of Surprise / Wonder

Much like the mass assault of colors and effects this game delivers to the player's face, so too does the game continually throw in a barrage of various styles of gameplay mechanics and assorted mini-games.  As such, there is always a sense of surprise and wonder as to what will come next just around the corner (regardless to how much depth each of these scenarios should hold).  There are also other neat surprises to be found, such as an unexpected companion in the world of Frozen.  Or a sudden display of intensity in Donald that gave me newfound respect for this wizarding duck.  Or a neat little trick with the PlayStation controller come near the end of the game, enlightening me of a feature I didn't even know existed in the controller.  They may not be exceedingly noteworthy, but they still managed to create fond, little memories to be had and should be highlighted as such.

Narrative / Storytelling

Over the course of these fourteen years, the Kingdom Hearts series has developed a lot of baggage as it piled on convoluted plot line after plot line.  Still, I had hoped that as a main numbered entry, it would be able to tell a self-contained narrative that was memorable and unique.  If you'll pardon the pun, something Simple and Clean.  Unfortunately, such couldn't be farther from the end result in Kingdom Hearts III.  The game is a narrative mess of furthering convoluted plot lines and no new or memorable ideas.  Worse, what resolution it tries to provide for many of these characters are rushed, unsatisfying messes.

Xehanort teams up with himself to deliver antagonizing quips before disappearing into dark voids.

To add salt to the wound, even the means in which the story is presented is often just agonizing to watch.  Cut scenes that often awkwardly interrupt the flow of the game.  Stilted voice acting with drawn out, painful pauses.  The game itself even seems self aware at times just how asinine it has become, with fake-out title screens and characters pointing out how anyone is supposed to keep track of all this nonsense.  It's so unfortunate that this game doesn't seem to have a story worth telling, but even if it did, it might have not had the means to effectively tell it.

Shallow Combat / Gameplay

Because of the razzle dazzle and flourish of over the top action first presented in this game, the action and general gameplay leaves a strong initial impression.  As the game goes on though, you realize that it all feels a bit superficial, lacking any sort of thought or depth to it.  All can be achieved through an endless cycle of mashing "X" for keyblade swings, pressing triangle when prompted for special moves, and then curing yourself as needed.  That's the entire game.  There's no need for magic or special attacks as they just lengthen what are already drawn out processes.  And as mentioned earlier in this review, the game is constantly throwing in new mechanics or modes, but they hardly ever have any substance and are just as quickly dropped.  This game could have benefited greatly from pulling in the reins every now and then, rather than stuffing it to the brims and making everything feel all the more bland because of it.

Fetch Quests / Tutorial Screens

While on the topic of shallow gameplay still, there is nothing more disappointing than an uninspired, excessive fetch quest.  Find 9 scattered ingredients around town.  Find 300 crabs across the island port.  Find yourself 333 times (no joke).  It is all tedious, time-wasting busy work in a shallow attempt to pad out the game into an artificial, long "epic".

The tutorial screen - A guaranteed eyesore sure to sour any gaming experience.

Equally frustrating and an antiquated mechanic is the lengthy, text-filled tutorial screens, of which there are plenty to be found due to the plethora of game modes and mini-games.  This just adds to the already disruptive flow of game and creates unnecessary over-complications.  Also, how dare they diminish the entirety of Winnie the Pooh's world to an unremarkable matching mini-game.  Oh bother.

Disney / Final Fantasy Representation

Outside of Hercules and Pirates of the Caribbean, the few remaining Disney worlds (of which this game offers a considerably smaller sampling) all feel rather modern, almost too commercial picks.  All of the worlds date after 1989, most after 2008.  But some of the most fun surprises in Kingdom Hearts games come from digging deep into Disney's rich past.  Exploring the black and white river banks of Steamboat Willie.  Trekking in the cybernetic membranes of Tron.  Orchestrating a symphony in Fantasia.  Kingdom Hearts III misses the mark in delivering a more diverse and interesting Disney sampling.  Another sad miss is the severe lack of Final Fantasy representation, which had always made for fun cameos and side stories before in part because of what an unusual mix Final Fantasy and Disney were together.  This duality made for a strangely extra fantastical experience and with it missing here, some of that magical fantasy is lost in this game.

Gummi-Phone

Opinions may vary for this addition in the game, but I detest the Gummi-Phone and all that it brings.  It removes the fantastical charm that is whimsical JRPG menus and imaginative means of communication, and instead replaces them with selfies and the gag-worthiest of hashtag post loading screens.  It'd be like getting rid of owls and quills in Harry Potter and instead having him tweet on a cell whenever he saved Hogwarts #chosenone.  There is a right and wrong way in which to incorporate modern elements, and this is one that I believe very much negatively affects the magic of this universe.

The Kingdom Hearts series began with a novel idea and concept: The quirky and unusual unison of two magical properties to create an even more fantastical action-RPG.  Somewhere along the way though, it has lost sense of what made this original concept so interesting and compelling.  The yearning drive to reunite lost friends across distant worlds.  Exploring strange and intrinsic locations like Hollow Bastion.  The satisfaction of pulling out a second keyblade in a pinch during a dire boss battle.  Kingdom Hearts III sadly fails to capture any of these riveting feelings and instead chooses to focus its attention on other facets that fail to leave a lasting impression.  At the end of the day, Kingdom Hearts III is a stunning spectacle with little to no substance, and very little of the original magic it had once so expertly crafted.

If you have any questions or thoughts about this game, please feel free to comment and discuss below.  Thanks.  And happy gaming!