I have to say that I myself was not excited about this meshing of worlds. Being a fan of Disney, which tends to be more geared toward children, and a fan of Final Fantasy where a more adult audience is targeted. I thought there was no way that they could combine these two worlds and make a good story. In all actuality I don't think I picked up the game till mid 2003 maybe even 2004! Truth be told I went on a weekend to look for a new game, bored with the games I was playing at the time. Not being able to find anything on my way out of the game store, Kingdom Hearts caught my eye, having heard about it and having my doubts, I picked it up. I took it home, not being able to play it yet as I had a full day still ahead of me. But as it just so happens I got the flu and was bedridden the next day. And back then I was not one to waste a day just sleeping, even though I was sick. I popped in Kingdom Hearts, and from the opening CG movie sequence with a hot techno theme song, Simple and Clean by Utada Hikaru, to go with it I was hooked!.
Plot
The game begins with a movie dream sequence, it begins with the main character Sora floating in darkness, he states " I have been having these weired dreams lately, like is any of this for real? Or not?" as he floats he suddenly awakens on the island beach where his friend Riku is waiting in the water with his back to him. Sora calls out to him and begins to run, Riku turns around as a giant tidal wave begins to form behind him, Sora stops now scared for his friend and calls out, Riku just smiles and holds out his hand. The wave crashes down over Riku and Sora just as Sora gets close enough to grab his friends hand. But is pulled away by the tide, while Riku makes no attempt to reach Sora, just floats away and smiles, continuing to hold out his hand. Sora surfaces and is called by his other friend Kairi, who is waving at him from the beach. He begins to run to her and just as he reaches her she looks to the sky, where another Sora is falling into the ocean. The main Sora then sinks below the surface and back into darkness where the dream began, with Kairi reaching out for him but unable to follow. Sora then lands on a unseen surface surrounded by nothing but darkness. He takes a single step forward an thousands of white birds fly from the surface revealing that Sora is standing on a stain glass tower (an area which has been referred to as the Deep Dive into the Heart, or Awakening Station). On the Top of the flat surface of the Stained glass tower we see a single woman surrounded by designs and people Sora has never seen before (the Stain glass is actually of Snow White and the seven dwarfs). This is the beginning of the actual game.
It is hear that a mysterious voiceless voice begins to lead Sora in the needed direction. Sora continues through the awakening station, where he is given a weapon (a sword, staff, or shield depending on what you pick) and is confronted by creatures seemingly made up of darkness its self. To which end he is confronted by a giant monster, while the voice tells him to not be afraid for he is the one who will open the door. Once the battle is finished, the monster collapses on top of Sora, swallowing him in darkness, while the voice reminds him, he is the one who will open the door. Sora then awakes to find himself on his beach, in Destiny Island's where he has been his whole life. With his best friend Riku, and Kairi.
We see from the beginning of the story, that this trio is working on a raft that will take them away from the island to visit other "worlds". It is Riku who has come up with this idea, being inspired from Kairi, as it is later revealed that she is not originally from Destiny Island, but a different world, on that which she has no memory of. Feeling like a prisoner on the island and wanting to explore the worlds out there, Riku comes up with the idea for building a raft to take them there.
While gathering supplies, Sora has a confrontation with a cloaked man, in the secret area he and his friends discovered (a cave) in which resides a strange door with no windows or handles, who tells him the door is open. Sora not understanding the mans nonsense, Sora, who is the happy go lucky type, ignores the cloaked man and continues gathering supplies for his friends.
We then switch to a new world, Disney castle here we see Donald Duck, the court mage, enters the throne room to great King Mickey for the day, upon arriving at the throne, King Mickey is no where to be found, only his faithful dog Pluto, with a letter in his mouth stamped with the Kings seal. Donald reads over the letter and becomes agitated, and runs to find the Captain of the Guard, Goofy who is actually sleeping in the court yard. Donald informs Goofy that they have a problem but they can't tell anyone not even the Queen who, ironically is standing right behind them.
We return to our trio who are almost ready to set sail, one last day of gathering supplies and they will be ready to cast off. As the day comes to an end we have Kairi and Sora sitting on the dock watching the sunset. Kairi informs Sora that she thinks Riku has changed and that they should just sail off the two of them (obviously a special friendship). They decided to wait for Riku and sail the next day as planned.
We then switch back to Disney Castle, where Queen Minnie, Daisy Duck, Goofy, and Donald are reading the Kings Letter which states:
After reading the letter Minnie, now standing ruler of Disney Castle while King Mickey is gone, decided to heed the Kings request and send Donald and Goofy to look for the person with the "Key". So they embark on a mission to travel to other worlds.
the game actually means this in the literal sense, they have created individual worlds, the only way of traveling to is to use a ship to travel between them. For example Donald and Goofy leave Disney Castle (a world on its own) and travel in space to reach Traverse Town (another world created specifically for this game).
They blast of in a space ship called the Gummie Ship, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, and assigned to chronicle there journey, Jimminy Cricket, who's world has disappeared, its people scattered, Jimminy ended up at Disney Castle.
We now come back to Destiny Island (also a world on its own), we see Sora awake in bed thinking about leaving the island. When he realizes a storm is hitting and the raft can blow away! He takes his boat out to the smaller island the children native to the islands play on, upon arriving on the island he sees Riku and Kairis boat as well, and sets off to look for them. Not getting very far, Sora is attacked by the same creatures made of Darkness he was facing in his dream! Being unable to fight them off with his wooden sword he retreats and finds Riku on another part of the island. Sora asks where Kairi is, Riku responds "the door is open..." not understanding Sora asks what hes talking about to which Riku responds "the door is open Sora! Once we step through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see our parents again. There's no turning back. But this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us! I'm not afraid of the darkness!" Sora responds, "what are you talking about, what about Kairi?" Riku "KAIRI'S COMING TOO!" He then reaches out just like in Soras dream, while reaching out its not water that attempts to swallow them but pools of darkness surround both boys, holding them in place. Sora, like in his dream tries desperately to reach for his friend unsuccessfully becomes enveloped in darkness. The voice from his dream then returns telling him to not fear for he holds the greatest weapon of all. At this exact moment a bright light appears in the darkness and Sora is now back in the spot where Riku was confronted and now nowhere to be seen. Sora is now holding a strange looking weapon, the voice (that which we cannot hear only Sora can) returns and tells him the weapon is called the Keyblade, which is very fitting as it looks like a key.
The Kingdom Key (as it is titled) :
Sora's Keyblade The Kingdom Key
Upon receiving the Keyblade the creatures of darkness reappear, but now Sora can defeat them using his new weapon. Sora fights his way through to the secret cave where he discovers Kairi, who appears to be in an almost catatonic state. She turns slowly reaches out and says " Soo...rraah", just as the strange door in the cave bursts open a flood of darkness pouring through, hits Kairi and carries her towards Sora, just as she reaches him, prepared to catch her, she vanishes and he is blown back outside. The only thing left of his island is on patch of beach surrounded by an ocean of darkness. There he fights the giant creature of darkness from his dream, after defeating him, Sora is sucked into a black hole.
And here is where is journey begins.
Sora ironically enough ends up in Travers Town, excited about being in another world he begins to explore the town, and tries to find Riku and Kairi, thinking they might have ended up there too. It is here also that Donald and Goofy are looking for Leon, and the someone with the key. Leon ends up finding Sora and decides to test him in battle as the chosen wielder of the keyblade. (In the game you can either defeat him or loose but it always ends up the same way.) Sora after the battle faints and its brought to a hotel by Leon (who is actually Squall Leonhart from Final Fantasy VIII, for some reason he has chosen a different name, and we see this by Yuffie slipping and calling him Squall instead of Leon) and Yuffie (Final Fantasy VII). Donald and Goofy have been approached by Aerith ( Final Fantasy VII).
Its here we learn the FF characters are also castaways, looking for reports from the ruler of there world Ansem. These reports were his research detailing his findings on the creatures of darkness who we learn are called Heartless, aptly named for their lack of hearts. We learn that only a person with a strong heart may wield the keyblade, and the keyblade chooses its master by this trait. But as the heartless are after "hearts" the keyblade wielder is a target for them.
A battle erupts and Sora takes up the charge against the heartless in Travers Town, where he ends up meeting with Donald and Goofy, who have found there "Key". Sora decided to go looking for his friends on other worlds with Donald and Goofy in there Gummie Ship, as Donald and Goofy need him to help find King Mickey as well.
*From here the "world traveling system" opens up and we travel to many other worlds. In which I will do a brief synopsis of the occurrences of each world, more detailed when it pertains to the direct storyline.
From her we travel to Deep Jungle, which features characters from Tarzan. Tarzan himself can actually team up with your newly formed party of Donald and Goofy. Here you basically go through some of the movie, you meet Jane and Clayton the hunter in there attempt to study the Gorilllas. Tarzan gives a tour of his home as Sora realizes his friends are not there. Clayton finds the Gorilla breeding ground, gets stopped by our party of heroes from shooting one, and Jane bands him from going near them again, it is here that a Commander Heartless (in each world a boss fight occures, usually with a giant Heartless known as a Commanderr Heartless). Takes over Clayton and Sora and the team end up defeating them, Sora is then granted access by Kerchack (the Silverback Gorilla leader) to explore the nesting grounds where a great tree appears. Sora's keyblade then reacts to this tree, making a keyhole appear in its trunk. Sora's keyblade then shoots a beam of light and locks the keyhole.
Deciding there friends are not there they venture forth.
Next world we travel to is Wonderland. It is here that we attempt to clear Alice's name as she is on trial for attempted theft of the Queen of Hearts, heart. We prove her wrong and face a Heartless commander, it is also revealed that a strange keyhole is in this world as well, this time appearing in the mouth of the famous talking Doorknob. Sora's keyblade seals this one as well and the party moves on after realizing Alice has been kidnapped from Wonderland.
Its here we are taken to a dark room where a conference seems to be held, and if your familiar with to movies, Disney villains can be recognized in this conference. They banter back and forth about they Keyblade wielder sealing two keyholes and defeating heartless. Its here that Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty), steps out of the darkness and reveals that it will take him ages to find the other keyholes, and there plans were well under way. In which Alice is pushed into the light as well.
Next the heroes travel to Olympus Colosseum, its here we run into Philloctities (aka Phill the sayter and trainer of heroes from Hercules), and Hades (God of the underworld). A tournament is being held in which the heroes wish to fight in to prove they got what it takes to be true heroes. Hades also has a plan for the tournament and enters Cloud (Final Fantasy VII, who has been tricked and taken over by the powers of darkness by Hades) to fight in the tournament to attempt to kill Hercules. As our heroes enter he also sees this as a chance to stop our keyblader, so he tells Cloud to fulfill his contract he must kill the kid to get to Hercules. They fight and our Heroes win, Hades then looses control and sends Cerberus into the match, at which point Herc shows up to take over. Our heroes decide not to let him fight alone and run back into the ring to take him on. With Cerberus then defeated our crew is granted Junior Hero status and the tournament is shut down, the heroes say they will return to compete when the mess is cleaned.
After this we return to Travers Town to talk to Leon. We find out that each world has a Keyhole, this keyhole if left open can let the Heartless into the Heart of the world, in which at that point the world will be covered in darkness and in the end the world disappears. Our heroes also run into Riku who makes an appearance during a battle with heartless. Sora asks Riku come with them on there ship, this ignites an argument between Donald and Sora (a common occurrence in this game), during which Riku disappears. Sora decides hes just glad hes ok. After a battle with a Commander Heartless and sealing Travers Town's Keyhole, Leon requests they travel to other worlds not only to find there friends but seal the Keyholes, and Sora agrees.
We also see while Sora is talking to his new friends from the outside looking through a window we see Riku, who's being spoken to by Maleficent telling him Sora has replaced his old friends with new ones.
Next is Agrabah, here we see Jafar has taken over and is using the heartless to search for the keyhole. We meet Aladdin who already has the magic lamp. Jafar steals the lamp and Jasmine, uses his wishes to find the keyhole, in which our heroes show up to stop him just in time. He uses his second wish for Gennie to fight our party. Then finally his last wish to turn into a Gennie him self like in the movie. After defeating him we seal the keyhole, and we see that Jasmine has disappeared.
On our way to the next world our Gummie Ship is swallowed by Monstro the whale. Here we meet Pinocchio and Gepetto. Riku also shows up telling him he wishes to know more about this puppet with a heart, to help someone who has lost theirs and kidnaps Pinocchio. We chase Riku down through Monstros insides where not even there is safe from Heartless. We face a Heartless Commander, rescuing Pinocchio and forcing Riku to retreat, as we see him us a portal of darkness to disappear. The ruckus causes Monstro to sneeze out our heroes and Pinocchio and his father, who end up in Travers Town as there world has disappeared. Were then free to travel to the next world.
Ending up in Atlantica, our trusty magician Donald has transformed our crew in to water breathing creatures. Sora becoming a Merman, Donald have Duck and half Octopus, and Gooffy turns into a Sea Turtle.
We meet Ariel and her friends, and ask King Triton where the keyhole is, to which he responds to with anger and ask our heroes to go back to where they came from. This leads to our party exploring a sunken ship and finding a strange crystal trident. They take it back to Ariel's grotto and there just happens to be a spot in her grotto where the crystal will fit. They place it there but before anything can happen the King has discovered them and destroys the crystal. This prompts Ariel to leave on her own, when Ursula the Sea Witch approaches her. As Ariel longs to go to other worlds, Ursula informs her that Sora and the gang are from another world, and there is a way she can see other worlds too. She convinces her to steal the Trident from King Triton. This leads to a battle with Ursula, after her defeat the King is thank full and shows our heroes the keyhole.
After sealing we travel to Halloween Town (Nightmare Before Christmas). Here we see Jack Skellington attempting to get the Heartless to dance. Sora and the gang help with a device to help control the Heartless, a fake heart, which ends up getting stolen by Lock, Shock, and Barrel, who steal it for Ooggie Booggie, Ooggie uses the heart and the contraption is deemed a failure. After defeating him, and the Darkness infatuated house version of him, the keyhole is revealed in the giant moon.
Once sealed we travel to the next world only to be attacked by a Pirate ship. The crew encounter Peter Pan and Tinkerbell in the hold of the ship where they get locked up, after Sora is confronted by Riku, who is taking the now Heartless body of Kairi somewhere, but Sora now sees Kairi, and thinks she is ok as well. Our heroes fight there way through the Pirate ship, and end up in confrontation with Captain Hook, once defeated Riku, escapes with Kairi through another portal of darkness, and Tinkerbell informs that there is something strange going on with the clock tower. Our crew then head to the infamous Big Ben, where the keyhole is discovered and sealed.
The crew return to To Travers Town inform Leon of what they have learned and inquire as to where they should go. Although they know the danger of sending them, Leon gives them the coordinates of there home world of Hollow Bastion, a dangerous place close to the darkness, Maleficent has conquered this castle and uses the Heartless to keep anyone from trying to take it back.
Upon arriving at Hollow Bastion they come upon the Beast, who followed Belle here after she was taken and his world dissapeare, fighting with Riku, and Riku has beaten him. Sora not recognizing the person his friend has become faces off with Riku, but before the fight starts Riku reveals that the Keyblade was actually meant for him, and that Sora was just meant to carry it for him for the moment he will need it to open the door. As this is revealed the Keyblade leaves Sora, who now has doubts in his heart, and Riku then wields it. As Donald and Goofy were ordered by there King to follow the "key" they desert Sora and follow Riku. Sora then decides to continue on, he is here to save Kairi, and as Beast is also there to save Belle he fights with Sora (now once again using his wooden sword) to try and save those they care about.
Once reaching the entrance hall to the castle Sora is once again confronted by Riku, who asks why he keeps trying. Sora informs him that he has friends relying on him, promises made with his heart. And he states that no keyblade is needed to fight, his friends are his power! and with this statement the Keyblade abandons Riku and Returns to Sora. Here Riku is defeated.
After vanishing through a portal of darkness he appears in deeper in the castle where Meleficent is waiting for him to unlock the sleeping darkness inside him, where Riku actually speaks with a different voice.
After fighting his way through the castle and defeating Meleficent, Sora and the gang reach the Castle Chapel, where here we find all the kidnapped princesses. Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora, Jasmine, Belle, Alice, and last but not lease in middle of the room Kairi, who at this point we have also learned is from Hollow Bastion as well, and was there Princess. It is then learned that these seven are know as the Princesses of Heart. When all Seven are together there hearts of purest light open the door, but as Kairi is heartless the door cannot be complete. It is here that Riku is also waiting for our heroes, now wielding a Keyblade made of the captive princesses hearts, a Keyblade capable of releasing hearts, and he intends to use it on Sora. Sora finally realizing that this could not be his best friend demands to know who he is, an for him to give Riku his heart back. It is revealed that Riku has been possessed, the man possessing him calls him self Ansem (the king of the Final Fantasy characters who wrote the reports on the heartless) Seeker of Darkness. Riku/Ansem tells Sora that Kairi needs her heart to complete the door, and her heart rests within Sora, and he intends to take it back, by force if necessary. Riku and Sora fight and Sora wins, forcing Riku to vanish. Sora then begs Kairi to wake up, when she doesn't respond Sora sees the Keyblade Riku/Ansem left behind. And before Donald and Goofy can stop him, he uses it on himself, releasing Kairi's and his heart. As her heart returns and she regains consciousness, Sora fades away. Donald and Goofy now protecting Kairi flee, as the heartless are pouring into the room. As they run we are left with a lonely Shadow, a type of heartless:
Shadow Heartless
The player then takes control of the Shadow, and makes its way to the castle entrance following the crew. Once in the entrance they are surrounded by heartless, but Kairi notices there is one acting differently actually stating out loud "Sora?" she then takes a protective stance and states this time "I will protect you". And as the heartless all jump to attack, Kairi grabs on to the Shadow and a bright light envelopes them both. Once it fades we see Kairi, standing and holding on to Sora (returned to normal) and embracing her back.
They return to Travers Town to keep Kairi safe, and then return to Hollow Bastion to seal the keyhole. After completed, the Final Fantasy characters return to thank Sora for giving them there home back. They also state that they believe that Ansem still lives and is the one responsible for the heartless and the worlds disappearing. They also state that once Ansem is defeated the worlds should return exactly back to the way they were, with the walls up protecting them and everyone will forget about other worlds.
Sora decides to go and take on Ansem and he and Donald and Goofy fly to End of World, where there is a collection of worlds that have disappeared. Finally reaching then end, they face Ansem in what little remains of Destiny Islands. You face Ansem three times, the last time in a world of complete darkness with one giant door. The door is revealed to be the door to the ultimate heart. Kingdom Hearts, and has been Ansems ultimate goal. You face Ansem in a giant monster form, once defeated he cries out to Kingdom Hearts, " Kingdom Hearts fill me with the power of Darkness." To which Sora responds after learning about the light in all hearts, " Your wrong, I know now without a doubt that Kingdom Hearts is LIGHT!" To which the door cracks open and light envelopes Ansem, destroying him completely.
The crew run to close the door, as we now see inside is actually the world the Heartless hail from, the Heartless are moving fast towards the door. They try and try and cannot close it, as there about to give up, Riku (the real Riku no longer possessed) appears to help stating, "Come on Sora, together we can do it!" They attempt to continue to close the giant doors to which Donald finally states, "Its HOPELESS!!!" In that moment with giant heartless close to the door all of a sudden they disappear and a light appeares. King Mickey appears in this light holding a Keyblade a lot like Sora's and states "Now Sora, lets close this door for good." To which Sora begins "but.." and the King interrupts "don't worry, there will always be a door to the Light. Donald, Goofy thank you." They close the door and with the combined powers of the two keyblades the door seals and locks with King Mickey and Riku on the other side.
With this the worlds begin to return, Sora sees Destiny Islands and Kairi, he runs to her and grabs on to her hand and they are slowly being pulled apart as Destiny Islands, slowly coming back into existence. And as they made a promise in Traverse Town before he left for the final fight, Sora states "Kairi, remember what you said before, I'm always with you too. I'll come back to you, I promise!" to which she replies, "I know you will!" And with that they are separated.
Here we have the ending movie CG sequence of Destiny Islands returning, Kairi begins walking around, sad for her lost friends. She wanders into the secret cave where she finds a chalk drawing Sora drew on a boulder before the attack on the island took place. This drawing was a continuation of one he and her drew as kids in the cave. He drew her face and she drew his, and before the attack he added his hand feeding Kairi a Poupou fruit, a fruit native to the Destiny Island, it is said that if two people share this fruit there destinies will be intertwined forever. As she begins to cry she decides to draw something as well, and we leave Destiny Island we are left with a visual of the boulder of Kairi and Sora, feeding each other a Poupou fruit.
After the credits we see our three heroes wondering a empty road in a field that goes on forever, there mission has not been completed, the worlds are still in danger, and as such they cannot go home.
Donald states "well now what do we do?"
Sora responds " we gotta look for Riku and King Mickey."
Goofy asks "but where do we start looking for that there door to the light?"
to which they all let out a huge sigh.
But just then Pluto appears out of nowhere and in his mouth a letter with the Kings Seal.
And we are left with our gang chasing Pluto to retrieve the letter as we look into the sky, the voice from before states. Remember you are the one who will open the door... to the light.
Man what an amazing story right!!! I am always amazed by the complexity of how well they made these two worlds mesh.
With Disney worlds, and appearances by Final Fantasy characters it actually works quite well!!
And this is proven by the huge fan base this game has received.
And for being a new title, Square spent a lot of money on it, in making it and procuring famous names for the voice acting done in the game.
Sora is voiced by Haley Joel Osmond (the Sixth Sense)
Kairi by Hayden Panittier (Heroes)
Riku by David Gallagher (7th Heaven)
Ansem by Billy Zane (Titanic)
Leon by David Boreanez (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and later his own show Angel)
Yuffie by Cristy Carlson Romano (Even Stevens)
Aeirith by Mandy Moore (Singer Songwriter, A Walk to Remember)
But the characters and the intricacy of the story just stupendous!!! And it all worked out so well!!!
If you like fantasy and Disney, then I highly suggest this game, it only gets better from here!!!
Next up Pictures of Kingdom Hearts 1, followed by my review of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.
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