How did you fall in love with Kingdom Hearts?

[sora x kairi]

They say you fall in love at first sight that's what I did I fell in love with kingdom hearts at first sight XD

 

[13Rox]

I went to my grandparents when I was like 7 all the time. I played on the playstation a lot and one day Kingdom Hearts happened to be in the game system. Of course at that age I absolutely loved it but couldn't play it myself because it was too hard. I was 7 okay? So they let me take it home with me and I promised I would play it when i was older. Now here I am. A complete addict. Thanks younger self. <3 So I fell for the Original and just happened to stick through with it.

 

[Trinity Crews]

I got hooked by seeing kingdom hearts 358/2 days on the back of a comic book in second grade. I liked the idea of it and told my friend. She got it for me for christmas. I LOVED IT and started playing the others....!

 

[sora x kairi]

I fell in love with KH because one of my mates told me about it then I like have acupple of the games well epic but when first found out about KH I had seen I before when I think around 10 or less I don't know but I have seen it once but I found out about it of my mate so yh that is how I fell in love with it

 

[InboundPotato]

I remember when I first moved into my rural house in early 2005...I was ALWAYS bored! I mean I was a Six year old kid who didn't like the outdoors. My step-dad had his friend move into our garage sometime in late 2005, and I would visit him periodically to see what he was doing. (He was always playing a video game when I saw him) One time I went to the garage and saw him playing the first Kingdom Hearts...I was totally hooked by just watching it! (He was playing Wonderland) I played it with his help every few days on my PS2 (God rest it's soul [2000-2010 :,( ]) Sadly, sometime in early 2007, he moved out, but left me KH1 in my bedroom on my desk with a note saying "I hope you have fun, and learn a thing or two; I sure did" and I literally cried. It was a majestic moment in my life. I remember playing the shit out of that game in my late elementary part of life...(I couldn't get past the last Riku battle in Hollow Bastion for the life of me, but finally did, and beat the game a few weeks later) When Kingdom Hearts 2 came out, I remember begging my mom to get me that game. (Plenty of foot rubs for sure....) I remember saving sixty dollars in cash to go to GAMECRAZY to buy that game, expecting to buy it for full release price (60$...This was in 2009) and the attendant telling me it was only 20 dollars. Like any twelve year old kid would do, I obnoxiously screamed at the top of my lungs: OHHH YEAHHHH!!!, gave him twenty bucks, and for the rest of the car ride home, read the manual, and sifted through my remaining forty dollars. I played KH2 So much that I had burn rings around the first and second copy that I bought...It was so much more lighthearted than the first one, which drew me in INSTANTLY. Sadly though, I sold every part of my PS2 to a friend's dad sometime in 2011 to get an Xbox 360. I remember watching as he took all the games away, and seeing that silver case being carried away with my favorite game inside...(I shed a manly, thirteen-year old tear inside)...That was kinda it for about two years...I mean I always was looking up new news about the KH series, but no major playing...Until 2012, when I stumbled upon Birth By Sleep. I bought a PSP 1000 specifically for that game. Played the SHIYATTT out of that game. And then in 2013, when 1.5 was announced, I was ecstatic. I bought it in October this year...and still playing it (Trying to synthesize the Ultima weapon!)

Kingdom Hearts has stuck with me since the beginning of my memory...It's a part of me! Thanks for reading this!!!!

 

[Javelin434]

It all started with a music video of Linkin Park's Numb, but it was a piano version as various cutscenes of KH were used. Then I saw Kairi, and it just snowballed from there.

I still remember when I first saw KH1 Kairi in that music video. I felt my heart skipping a beat as her cute and beautiful face flashed on the screen, her beautiful blue eyes almost staring into my soul and awakening a once thought long dead emotion in my cold, shattered, broken and dusty heart as I found myself thinking about her quite often. I felt... happy, genuinely happy seeing her.

Then I remembered the flashbacks to a commercial long ago where I saw the same girl, and it felt as if I was seeing an old flame as the memories came crashing back to me. I remembered crying for no reason, the song Simple and Clean playing in my head from the commercial long ago as I began wondering who this girl was that has evoked such a powerful emotion and breathed life back into my neglected heart. Then I remembered my cousin playing this game when I was younger, and seeing her on destiny islands talking to Sora on the pier.

I soon found out her name and what videogame she existed in, and promptly got the game so I could see her again, know her universe and hear her voice. (the fact she's voiced by hayden panettiere was the best thing to have ever happened xD) I was hooked on the storyline and concept, and soon realized that I had missed a good chunk of memory that should have been part of my childhood. Up until this very day, I still regret not playing KH when I was younger.

All in all, I think it was my love for Kairi that I in turn fell in love with the game. It still saddens me that she's being neglected by the KH team though, something that I hope will change by the time KH3 comes around.

 

[drumstickwielder]

I kinda already wrote something about this, and if you have the time, you can read it here: http://forums.khinsider.com/kingdom...181966-coming-full-circle-kingdom-hearts.html. But here's the short version in answer to your question.

Note: The 'insurmountable obstacles' were the game's bosses, some of which I got stuck on for quite a while.

What always resonates with me, no matter how many times I watch it, is when Sora stabs himself with the keyblade. Here was my reference for this moment: from COM dialouge, I knew that Sora at some point became a heartless. I played through about half of KHII by that point, but the summary-by-way-of-memories from Roxas' introduction confused me as a deluge of information, and the fact of Sora's selfless sacrifice eluded me. So after laboring for what seemed like forever against insurmountable obstacles, my verison of Sora finally realized after so many years that the person he had been so long in searching for had always resided in him, and he didn't give a second thought at freeing her through his own demise. In short, I was absolutely floored. Never had a work of fiction delivered so powerful a moment as when the music cued, a duck cried out for his friend, and a girl ran to catch her savior only to have him fade away.

 

[The_Echo]

I honestly can't remember.

Kingdom Hearts was one of the first games I got with my PS2. I remember seeing the commercials on Disney Channel, but I don't remember if I was ever actually interested in the game until it was sitting there in front of me.

My mom had picked up a stack of PS2 games (this was to supplement my newly acquired PS2 from Christmas) and told me to pick a certain amount. And Kingdom Hearts was in there. It looked kind of odd, so I guess Kid Me just wanted to know what it even was.

Like just about everything else I love, I grew up with it. I never really had a specific moment where it 'clicked' with me that I loved this game; I just always have.

 

[Cloud2121]

I remember when I first set eyes on this majesty of a game. I was at wal-mart when I passed a crate full of video games. I picked up a copy of Re:COM and saw SE was in the cover and turned the box over and saw Cloud, Yuffie, Aeris, Peter Pan, etc. I took it to my dad who said I could have it. This seemed like a perfect match made by destiny because I was a huge FF and Disney fan. I played the game and fell in love with it within the first 20 min. I stopped playing it once I found out it wasn't the first, went and bought the first and second, played them in chronological order.

I will admit, being the dork I was, I played with the kingdom keyblade throughout the first game b/c I saw that Sora only had the KK in re:com. I thought it would change the story and I wanted the cutscenes I saw at the beginning of re:com to be the same ones I saw in kh. >_<

 

[rrabies]

OHHH When i was reeeally young, i rented the game with my parents.(that was the time you could rent games) I played it few days and fell in love and then i bought it and played it a whole lot. After that i bought KH2 and fell in love even more and that since ive played them over and over again discovering new stuff each time!

 

[タキヨリ フキシマ]

There was many things that led me to playing kingdom hearts, though being as young as I was, I would have to say the most obvious would be the cartoon styled graphics that they used. I remember the first time I played was back in 2003 at my friends house, we would always take turns playing the game and I loved it, though It wasn't until 2008 that I actually got into it seriously, since I had a broader outlook on the game as a whole and not just specific elements.

The main reason behind sticking with kingdom hearts and the like is because of my upbringing in jrpg/rpg gaming, I remember playing Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time as early as 4, but I definitely don't remember much of it, and watching my brothers play games like that throughout my childhood I just became accustomed to that genre.

 

[FudgemintGuardian]

When I saw a commercial for KH1 waaaaay back in 2002. I was just fascinated by it. Seeing Donald and Goofy and a kid who I for some reason theorized was a version of Pinocchio. Then the commercial ends with showing Ansem:SoD, and it was when I saw him that I wanted the game. He looked sooo cool! I didn't have a PS2 at the time but I got Chain of Memories for the GBA when the came out. (I could never finish that)
And in 2006 I got a PS2 and both KH1 and II. I was hooked.
No... Not was.
I am hooked.
While I don't have the crazy frothing glee that I had back then. I love it more now than I ever had.

 

[dubs-42]

The Commercial back in 02 caught my attention not to mention Simple and clean. I was not disappointed...the second I was introduced to Destiny Island it was it for me. My friends and I were 10 or 11 at the time and growing up, all of us living so close together, we would all go to this island and play...it was so identical. So naturally we had to made some wooden swords like Riku & Sora and beat the shit out of eachother lol.

 

[MarluxiaNo11]

I was handed a game that involved some Disney Characters which turned out to be COM on GBA. I played this and then I bought the first one. After that I was kind of hooked but it was Kingdom Hearts II that really did it for me. I think probably the song Passion or in my case, Sanctuary played a massive part - I fell in love with the song and the opening cut scene in CGI and then well yeah, here I am replaying the HD versions waiting to see how everything will pan out as we wait for KH3

 

[hemmoheikkinen]

Almost everyone here has shared their story, so it`s my turn now.
It is little similar like the others here. The first time when I was introduced to this game, was at my cousins house. I think I was 10 or 11 at the time being. The first thing that caught my attention was, not the graphics, not Donald or Goofy, but the thing that the playable character had a sword-like weapon. I loved beating the Heartless with the Keyblade! Then I started to realize KH had Disney characters and awesome graphics. I got the game for my next birthday and I was a really happy kid. Those were the times when I would call my cousin and we both would compare our progress and thoughts of the game
I even memorized my favorite KH quotes and constantly talked about the KH series in school. My friends would call me the KH kid or the Darkness kid.
Maybe the other nickname explains it, why I always feel embarrassed when the word darkness is mentioned in Kingdom Hearts.

 

[AustinKH]

I was 8 years old, my step father was showing me all the Final Fantasy games, and I was going through a big Disney phase. My step brother showed me the trailer on a gaming web site and as I was watching it I fell more and more in love with it. I ran up to my mom and asked her for the game I told her that I wouldn't ask for another game for the next two years. She accepted the terms and on opening day me and my mother went to Best Buy and got it. I was so excited to get that game. I have gone through many rages because of bosses and through many tears because of the beauty of the story line, I cried at the end of it my first time playing it, I still own my original copy of Kingdom Hearts 1 and I cherish it like no tomorrow. I have a daughter now and I will be showing her this game series. I love this game so much and I will never hate it. Kingdom Hearts will live on with me forever.

 

[Light]

I -- I'm not so sure exactly how I fell in love with the series. It was when I was at such a young age that it is difficult to remember and order what it was that happened. I remember seeing a short for Kingdom Hearts II on pay TV at my cousins, and it piqued my interest. I had Hercules, the PS game, and the Hydra fight was being advertised. I think that was the start of it.

I remember a time when I went down to the video rental, Video Easy, and was looking for a game to rent out for a bit. I could vaguely remember the commercial, and how it had looked decent. So, I borrowed it out. I think I got particularly frustrated with Twilight Town, as I couldn't beat the menial puzzles. Nevertheless, I did enjoy it, and when I ran bored and tired of Ratchet and Clank 3, I saw it was at a modest price of 20 dollars at my EB Games.

This time, I got stuck on that damned Demyx battle. I have never had so easy a fight nowadays, but back then it stumped me: focus on the ghosts, not the boss? What is this madness?

Later, after another break in other games (probably upon completion of Jak 3) I saw KH, and remembering how I enjoyed the second installment, I bought the game. Eventually, after much honing of my skills, I finished both games. I definitely finished KHII first, not having beaten KHI until a few years ago (that damned charge move of Ansem got me every time).

I was piqued. I bought every KH game I came across, and now follow the series with no small dose of passion.

 

[blksabbath74]

For me, very good question, as I was in my late early 30s when I started playing it.

I've always been a child at heart, and was always the last one to give up toys/cartoons ect.

I've always liked the purity of the clasic Disney toons.

Disney released their second gen animated movies when I was in high school (Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Alladin, Lion King) and I secretly loved them, and took my kid sisters to see them.

I was also into Final Fantasy. FF1 was probably the first Nintendo game I completed (Super Contra doesn't count ^^V V< >< > B A start) and got around to playing FF7 in my early 20s.

Anyway, the Xmas before my daughter was born, I finally picked up a used PS2, and KH1&2 came with the collection. I am an RPG guy, and while KH was a bit more arcade style than I preferred, I found it all enchanting. It was a very artfully created synthesis of my childhood Disney characters and the cool Final Fantasy games I'd played as a teen.

I stopped playing it for several years, and when my daughter was 3 or so, I let her try it, and she would run around in Wonderland or Traverse Town or the Destiny Islands for hours, and it just really stuck with her. Now she is 5 and can actually read and better understand it, and we have the whole collection of mangas.

She loves it, and I love that she loves it, and I love that it is something fairly pure and innocent and fun and a world full of toxic influences. I love that it is something we have in common and can spend time doing.

I also love, for reasons I cannot entirely put into words, the fact that Mickey is dressed all ninja whipping butt with a keyblade.

 

[x37rnu4]

I feel like this sort of question gets asked a lot, and every time I answer it, I can never pinpoint what it is exactly. I can't quite remember how I fell under Kingdom Hearts' spell. Like most others, I was only a kid when the first game came out (I was about seven). I thought it would be nice. I grew up watching my older brother play Final Fantasy, Metal Gear, and Devil May Cry. Kingdom Hearts felt like this intermediate step between the Disney games my mother rented me and what my brother played. It ended up being a lot more.

It was a completely foreign world to me. I wasn't aware a game could have so much story and magic to it before. It felt different from the times I simply watched my brother. It sounds a bit cliched, but Kingdom Hearts became the game I couldn't stop thinking about, couldn't stop wondering just how far this adventure went. It was amazing to me.

But then my mother broke up with her boyfriend and we moved, and lots of things happened. I lost track of the game. Saw the commercials for Chain of Memories and KH2. I didn't have any game systems anymore though. When I was around twelve I discovered the wonders of the Internet and spent hours on YouTube until I eventually got to some videos about Kingdom Hearts. The memories and wonder came back. And so much more was added since I last played! Luckily my mother saw my interest piqued and was extremely generous enough to get me and my sister a PS2 along with KH1 and 2 for Christmas one year. The magic continued straightaway.

Maybe it's because I love the wonder of my childhood combined with the adventures of RPGs under one roof. Maybe it was the intricate and beautiful storyline. Maybe it was the lessons it taught me, and even though I didn't know what they meant back then, I could think, "I have to be there for my friends like Sora. Believe like Kairi. Fight off my darkness like Riku." It could've been all these things and more, but one thing is for sure that Kingdom Hearts was definitely one of those things that helped shape my life and my mindset. It's helped me meet my closest friends. It's created wonderful memories for me. And the fact that the magic goes on, even twelve years later, is simply the most amazing thing.

 

[Gale Shadow]

I was in third grade at the time when I first heard about the game from my friend. I was huge Final Fantsy nut at the time and huge fan of Disney, (still am). He told me how you fought along side Disney and Final Fantasy characters and visted different places throughout the story in search of your lost friends. This naturaly peaked my interest and later that day I went home to tell my parents about it and asked if we could go get it. It took a lot of chores of begging but they eventualy got it for me. Ever since the first time I played I fell instantly in love with the series. I played it for an extremely long time not only upgrading my partys abilitys but also improving my gummi ship into an unstopable power house. The only thing I regret is not being able to beat Sephiroth in the coliseam (still can't to this day, Damn you Sin Harvest!). If it is one thing I was proud of it was beating Ansam on my first try. After I completed the first game I went on to Chain Of Memories, it would be years before I could ever get Kingdom Hearts 2 into my hands and the fillers after it. The first game did me in after playing it and its sequals I was officially hooked. Kingdom Hearts helped me discover right and wrong and standing up for what you belive in. I fell in love with the compelling story and its beutiful characters, I not only belive that the game is good influence, but a magically powerful one.