Kingdom Hearts Praises

[kaseykockroach]

As much as I love giving this series a delightful thrashing now and then, I've felt a contrasting thread to Nitpicks was overdue.
Sing your love for this series, in any aspect! Little moments you're fond of, characters, story or gameplay aspects, anything at all! This is a happy thread, y'hear?

 

[ImVentus]

Nice change for sure let's keep this thread alive

I always adored how Kingdom Hearts as a series re-captured the look and feel to the Disney IPS they were tributing. I mean look at how well made the characters look. The attention to detail and care, they've always proven to stand out from other Disney tied games in the character designs. You recognise the characters immediately and the fact that most of the time the VA have returned, always brought a smile to my face. Since they are a part of the characters. For most of the time they have used 2D films and managed to adapt the characters from 2D to similar 3D style. And now with what they can do with their future engine, makes their models and rigs look even more like that of film quality.

Their CGI openings & endings ever since KH2, has always amazed me. Seriously the sharp & clean graphics was ahead of it's time. The way that Kairi's hair was blowing in the wind just looked so unreal back in 2006.

 

[Neo_]

Captain Hook's cabin was an awfully cozy area for a boss battle with Anti Sora... I quite enjoyed that.

 

[DarkosOverlord]

To be clear, just like the nitpick thread you can sing your praises about the franchise without having people putting you on trial for them, right?
Right.

The entirety of KH1 happened.
Larxene happened.
Master Xehanort in the Keyblade Graveyard cutscene battle is a badass and seeing the TAV trio getting their butts kicked is never going to get old.
Edgyboy Vanitas happened.
Kairi's KH III getup is A D O R B S

 

[FudgemintGuardian]

Little details like this always amaze me.

Diggy says hello, This is one of Demyx’s hit animations and yes, he...

Sometimes it sucks when you're so focused on the battle that you can't notice stuff like this.

 

[Seadrin]

The music. I really love the connectivity certain pieces of tracks have with one another. Every song is well cared for, creative, interesting, excellent. As a musician, I really love this part of the series. I am always finding myself finding my way to playing one song or another whenever I sit down to play, especially Wonderland Surprises and of course, Dearly Beloved.

The story, all of it. I love the deep connections the characters share. I love the relationship between Sora, Donald and Goofy. The comedic tension between Sora and Donald. You just have to love the way they bring these characters to life every time. I do at least. I really enjoy the unexpected friend and mentorship between Mickey and Riku, too.

The anticipation. I love the not knowing about the next 2 and a half months. Do we have any more worlds? What will they be? Theres something just so fantastic about this franchise, Kingdom Hearts, that there is just some excitement about knowing a Disney property that you really love and enjoy (Wreck it Ralph for example) might be crossed over with another property you really love, Kingdom Hearts. And just to see how those characters from each would interact.

So much to love!

 

[blank points]

For me, I think the biggest praise for the series is how seamless all the elements are. When you think about it, Kingdom Hearts really is a very strange series, but in a good way. It is a crossover between Disney and Square Enix, as well as adding anime-like characters and story elements. Basically, you have this very complex and serious story, with Disney plotlines thrown into the narrative as well. KH is the only game series where you can play mini-games with Winnie the Pooh, and then immediately go and fight Sephiroth, as well as the only series where you can see Donald and Goofy interact with Cloud, and be involved in battles with characters like Marluxia and Ansem, SoD. And yet, somehow it all works. MDG fit right in with the main cast of characters perfectly, and the Disney aspect never feels out of place with the more serious anime-like storylines happening. This is what really makes the KH series what it is. They took what was a odd idea for a crossover, and ran all the way with it, and made it all work very well together in the end.

 

[That_one_Sora]

Timeless River was so Cool to play in. i feel like i'm supposed to be in a actual cartoon!

 

[Grono]

As creator of the Nitpicks thread, I'd be happy to pitch in and help get this thread up to the same amount of comments

I just love the simple combat of the first game. Sure, it boils down to just smack what you have to and win the battle, but that's all we really needed back then. That and the keyblade's weight NEVER felt as good as it did in Kingdom Hearts. The controller somehow made you feel like you were really a 15 year old kid holding this super heavy key and dropping it on enemies.

 

[sephydark]

I lovethe animations in the KH series. 1 and especially 2 were so expressive for PS2 games, even more so than a lot of games I played on the PS3 and later. I really feel like they lived up to the Disney standard in that department.

I also have to give them credit for making it all work. Like, just hearing it described, the premise sounds ridiculous and the plot sounds insane, but somehow Kingdom Hearts pulls it all together to make something good, that is enjoyable on its own merits.

 

[That_one_Sora]

i would also praise the realtime battle status images for Sora if he got hit in battle or when he has low hp

 

[kaseykockroach]

As creator of the Nitpicks thread, I'd be happy to pitch in and help get this thread up to the same amount of comments

I just love the simple combat of the first game. Sure, it boils down to just smack what you have to and win the battle, but that's all we really needed back then. That and the keyblade's weight NEVER felt as good as it did in Kingdom Hearts. The controller somehow made you feel like you were really a 15 year old kid holding this super heavy key and dropping it on enemies.

It helps that combat wasn't THE only element of the whole game.
KH2's combat system was certainly more refined and expanded, but KH1 offers more variety as an experience.
But I get the impression KH3 might just be a 'best of both worlds' case!

 

[TheMostRad]

I will always hold the KH2 Xemnas fights in my heart as my favorite boss fights of all time.

Two friends, close as brothers, reunited to take down a Hollow King upon his jagged throne. Each stage of the fight felt massive in scale, and I'll never forget that final stage. Constant reversals to air-dodge, having to take over as Riku at a moment's notice to save Sora, "Darkness of the Unknown" hitting the peaks of the piece, and that final cathartic moment of having to mash X and Triangle to deflect the 360-degree revolving laser-dome of death, culminating in that dope coup de grace by Sora.

Also, I listen to the music from this series regularly, and it never fails to warm my heart when the world feels cold and cruel (which seems more often than not these days).

 

[kaseykockroach]

End of the World remains one of the most beautifully atmospheric final levels in any game I've ever played.

 

[TheMostRad]

End of the World remains one of the most beautifully atmospheric final levels in any game I've ever played.

I've always taken End of the World for granted, but in retrospect, that was a well-composed venture into an amalgam of lost worlds.

Drive Forms blew me away in KH2, and the fact that you could earn special platforming abilities through leveling up your forms was immensely satisfying for me. Add on the special challenge of the Cavern of Remembrance in KH2FM and I was over the moon.

 

[DarkosOverlord]

A lot of people sleep on End of the World, but in all its simplicity and purpleness is actually quite clever. Pure atmosphere and references to the final dungeon in jrpgs at its finest.

Little details like this always amaze me.

Diggy says hello, This is one of Demyx’s hit animations and yes, he...

Sometimes it sucks when you're so focused on the battle that you can't notice stuff like this.

Didn't expect the thread to peak at the 5th post.

 

[Grono]

Hollow Bastion is one of the most iconic levels in any video game I've ever played. The music, the areas, the boss fights, EVERYTHING. What a perfect world for the original game. It's tense, high stakes, and immensely satisfying.

 

[kaseykockroach]

In turn, I always found it clever that it went from one of the most dangerous areas in the first game, to the second game's hub world!

 

[Grono]

Naminé in every game she's part of is a perfect little bean and I love her

 

[KH_Is_Light_999]

I'll start off by saying that I missed out on Kingdom Hearts when it first launched on PS2. I am so glad I decided to give the series a try when they were remastered for PS3 and PS4. Kingdom Hearts quickly became one of my all time favorite video game franchises after I finished playing each one, and I wondered why I hadn't decided to give it a try earlier. Kingdom Hearts is so magical, and powerful in its storytelling, gameplay, music, and design. Sure, the story isn't perfect in every single way, but it doesn't have to be. Kingdom Hearts tells an absolutely beautiful story with powerful messages. And the inclusion of a variety of Disney franchises helps give Kingdom Hearts even more magic and wonder. As a fan of other Square Enix properties, I have really enjoyed the cameo appearances of characters from games such as Final Fantasy and The World Ends With You. I think it helps bridge the gap between the younger, lighthearted feeling of Disney and the serious, more grown up aspect of Final Fantasy. On paper it doesn't sound all that great, but once you actually play the games you start to see just how well it all works together -- especially if you're a Disney fan and a Square Enix fan. I've heard lots of people bash the story of Kingdom Hearts for being "corny", "childish", and "ridiculously convoluted". I can't help but think that those people are only seeing the story from a certain, limited perspective. The story of Kingdom Hearts doesn't have to be perfectly written in order for it to be amazing. Despite it's imperfections, the series somehow manages to overcome those minor flaws with all kinds of other amazing attributes in the beautiful designs, outstanding gameplay, beautiful music, and powerful, really touching stories surrounding a variety of unique and likable characters. I am so glad I played the Kingdom Hearts games, even though I was late to the party. I am proud to call myself a Kingdom Hearts fan, and I think many people are. That's why websites like this even exist; Kingdom Hearts Insider wouldn't exist without the many, many fans who absolutely love Kingdom Hearts.