Kingdom Hearts 3

We have upon us the third installment in the beloved Kingdom Hearts franchise. There was a lot of hype leading up to this game for over ten years, and I was very happy to see that it did not disappoint. Playing through different Disney themed worlds with Sora, Donald, and Goofy never felt so fluid and clean as it did in KH3. Throw on top of that the bonus Disney ride themed move list in the middle of battle and you have a nostalgic, yet new, feeling game to keep yourself entertained for hours at a time.

I do want to mention that the opening scene and music to the game were some of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed within a game. It starts where the last game left off: helping Hercules defeat Hades and his three titans. Obviously, you’re doing all this while simultaneously battling Heartless. From there, you begin your journey to learn more about the different worlds, how you blend into them, and the alternate realities where some of your former friends currently exist. Once again, this is all while battling more and more and more Heartless of all shapes and sizes.

The battling mechanics were very fluid and easy to work with. You can set up shortcuts for magic and potions, and easily lock onto a specific enemy to take them out in your desired order. You can also either upgrade your keyblade through each battle depending on what its specific power-up is or activate a Disney-themed ride that can deal massive damage in its own unique ways. Donald and Goofy will also join you in doing specific power moves throughout the fight. I did find that adding all of these power moves together breaks up the monotony of simply smashing the same buttons over and over. You can also unlock unique “links” (for example, Wreck-it-Ralph) that show up during the battle to help sway the fight in your favor.

Some of the side additives, as I’ll be calling them, also added extra fun to the game. This includes finding food to take to Little Chef to practice making special delicate meals for extra boosts in health, magic, and power. I will add in that, for the harder dishes, you might want to stock up on a lot of ingredients because failing the mini-game you partake in while cooking can result in losing whatever ingredient you were cooking with. Unfortunately, I was not a huge fan of the gummi-games that could be played on the gummi-phone due to the simplicity, nor was I much of a fan of traveling with the gummi-ship. I always seemed to be caught up in side battles that seemed to take way longer than needed when all I wanted to do was travel to the next world.

Overall, Kingdom Hearts Three is a fantastic game with very little to complain about. You fight alongside your childhood favorites while being dished some good humor in the process. I am sure anyone with the slightest of interest in the series has already purchased the game and more than likely completed it – or is at least close. However, in the case that you have not completed it, I give the go-ahead to make the purchase and enjoy the experience.