Reflections: A look back at Kingdom Hearts

[Hyunickel]

Hey guys!

I wanted to take a look back at the original Kingdom Hearts and discuss why it has always been my favorite of the series.

Below are several reasons as to why I love the game so much:
-It tried to do something very different and interesting. Mixing up Disney & Final Fantasy together in this brand new original world was a concept that was certainly not easy to pull off.

-The worlds of the game felt very interesting and well knotted. My personal favorites were Agrabah, Deep Jungle, & Traverse Town. I still play the Traverse Town theme all the time. It's brilliant.

-Combat at the time was kind of a new take for Square-Enix (Squaresoft at the time). It moved away from the traditional turn-based RPG system to a much more action-based one. This was pulled off pretty well and ,in my opinion, was at times better than KH2 and beyond.

-The story had a lot of interesting things to explore. Things like the Ansem reports were pretty great reads.

All in all, I just loved the direction behind the original. It was clearly very ambition and its success spanned a massive franchise that is still adored by many.

I also put up a video tackling the subject further, so be sure to check it out!

[video=youtube;TUynH9tNmys]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUynH9tNmys[/video] ​

What was your experience like with the original?

 

[Xblade13]

Hi, Hyunickel! ^^

I loved the first game. KH was something new, fresh, and fun.

I got it for Christmas in 2004. My family knew I was a huge fan of Disney, and I had been playing FF VII at the time, so they got me it. I was in love at first sight. The art style, the music, everything, drew me into the game. Sora was a hilarious character to play as. And the Disney worlds were gorgeous.

I spent forever playing through it, searching everywhere for the Dalmatians, and killing every Heartless in sight. I was really interested in the story, with all it's plot twists and memorable characters. I still remember the scene before fighting Riku in Hollow Bastion, in front of the Keyhole, perfectly. I died so many times in that fight.

It was wonderful!

 

[Gexus]

I still remember the scene before fighting Riku in Hollow Bastion, in front of the Keyhole, perfectly. I died so many times in that fight.

It was wonderful!

"Ka-Kairi, Kairi's a princess?"

 

[ajmrowland]

I know all that there is to know.


No, seriously, I've played this game so many times since I first rented it at Hollywood Video(remember that chain?) that there's no surprises left for me in this game, even in 2005-2006(except for those little alternate scenes, which I didnt know about until later, but I felt that way). Not that I have much against the rest of the series, but this was a really special game when it came out. Even to the point where it reestablished mickey mouse as the center of the Disney universe. I had seen so many movies, but not so much of him in years up to that point, and that legal issue regarding his use really made the second coming of Christ scene at the end a genius move.


I played the game to death. While I certainly didnt beat sephiroth until like 2009, nor did I even beat the other two at first, I collected everything I could/would, enjoyed every cutscene, and unlocked the "secret featurette", naturally. Initially, I was disappointed that it was simply a trailer as when the guide said "Featurette", I immediately thought of Behind the scens DVD bonuses and interviews. Those are something I still like to see in a game.

 

[Hyunickel]

@Xblade13 So many great memories with the original! Nostalgia :'D!

@ajmrowland Sephiroth was crazy insane. I was literally jumping when I finally beat him haha!

 

[Cutsceneaddict]

I was first attracted to Kingdom Hearts by the beautiful, and mysterious, opening. The motion of the camera really caught my attention, as did the silent emotion in each scene. The characters looked intersting and the story looked deep and gripping. I borrowed my friend's Playstation 2, and, well, the rest is history. The story kept me hooked until the very end.

And Ansem is one of the absolute hardest final bosses I've ever fought. I think I might have been a bit under-leveled my first time through, but still. It was intense I had the pre-boss battle scene memorized, I died so many times.

 

[Bobjam]

I think the fact that you started on Destiny Islands made me (as a much younger kid) wonder like Sora and the gang what was actually out there for them. That was a mystery that none of the other games ever touched or came close to because you really didn't know, down to the basic facts, what exactly you were going to encounter. That for me makes the first game better than the rest in my opinion =).

 

[Azerty]

Even to this day, the first Kingdom Hearts is my favorite in the series. Birth By Sleep is my 2nd. But nothing can beat the look and feel of the first Kingdom Hearts. The fact that Squaresoft and Disney were able to come together to make this magical adventure was something that really impressed me. When I saw the commercial, I knew I had to get this game. Back when I was renting games, I actually was able to get near the end of the game in about a week. Imagine my reaction when I found out I got the game for Christmas so that I could finish it off. I'll always love the first Kingdom Hearts, and the series in general, and if Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix does make its way to America, I would definitely considering buying it. I want to experience Kingdom Hearts Final Mix in HD!!!

 

[doortolight]

I baught it after getting my ps2 for christmas one year (didn't look that good at the time but nothing else did either), got home played it got hooked NEVER looked back. KH is my favorite game series ever! I don't know why exactly its a simple story that anyone can pick up and play, and those who have dived DEEP into the story trying to figure it out are still entangled in its majesty no game has ever grabbed me like KH. It made me love disney again, and started me on final fantasy. shoot after 3d I wanna try this TWEWY

no one disses kh infront of me and gets away with it!