Kingdom Hearts 2 is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and published by Square Enix and Buena Vista Games (now Disney Interactive Studios) for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console. The game won numerous awards and received high review scores from a variety of media outlets.
Kingdom Hearts combines Disney characters (Donald, Goofy, Mickey etc.) and worlds such as ancient China from the film Mulan; Beast’s Castle, from Beauty and the Beast; Port Royal, from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl; Pride Land, a great savanna from The Lion King; and Space Paranoids, a digital world based on Tron, with those from Square Enix’s Final Fantasy Series.
We agree with the ESRB rating “E10+” (short for “Everyone” 10 years and up), not only because of the cartoon violence, but mostly due to the complexity and skill required to manipulate inventory and character management menus.
The game progresses linear, one story event triggers the next, which is usually presented in the form of a video clip (cut-scene). Older players and RPG fans may find the linear game-play too restricting; however, novice and casual players benefit by not being able to get lost. Kingdom Hearts 2 clocks in at about 40+ hours of easy to medium difficulty. Players looking for more exploration and additional challenges can take on several side-quests, featuring an even more diverse mash-up of Disney and Final Fantasy settings and characters.
Like many traditional role-playing games, Kingdom Hearts II features an experience point system. As enemies are defeated, the player gains experience, which culminates in a “level up”, resulting in a stronger character and access to new abilities. All battles are in real-time and require only simple button-mashing. In addition, Players can also use a variety of magic and summoning to execute advanced combination attacks.
Our only real complaint is the slow and rather boring beginning of Kingdom Hearts 2. Players who are willing to endure the first couple hours can be assured that the game will indeed get better the longer they play. Kingdom Hearts 2 is currently available at Amazon for only $19.99 - and definitely worth it!