The video game Kingdom Hearts is an action RPG produced by Disney and Developed by Square Enix (formerly known as Square Soft) for the Playstation 2. The game revolves around an original character named Sora. The game starts with Sora and his two friends, Riku and Kairi in their home world of Destiny Islands, building a raft to travel to other worlds. While this is going on, danger is brewing across all of the worlds. Mickey Mouse, king of Disney Castle, unexpectedly sets off to find the source of the trouble. Minnie Mouse, queen of Disney Castle, gives a mission to the royal Knight, Goofy, and the Court Wizard, Donald Duck, to find their king, along with the mission of finding the mysterious “Key bearer.” Meanwhile, back on the islands, a force known as the Heartless invade. Sora’s island is engulfed in darkness. His best friend Riku disappears in a pool of darkness while Kairi disappears like a ghost. After Sora witnesses his best friend disappear, he is chosen by a magical weapon known as the Keyblade.

After Goofy and Donald find Sora, the trio sets off on a quest to find The King and Sora’s friends Riku and Kairi. They travel across various Disney worlds, including Alice in Wonderland, Tarzan, Hercules, Aladdin, Peter Pan, and countless others. The game stays to true to the source material and each world looks like its respective Disney film.

Gameplay wise, defeating heartless with the keyblade is fluent and feels right. The game features an RPG system, including leveling, abilities, items, and even magic.

The story is a bit cheesy, the theme revolving around the heart and the power of friendship, the typical Disney formula. The one aspect that sticks out is the fact that there are multiple appearances by Final Fantasy characters. Before, the idea of a game with Final Fantasy and Disney characters interacting with each other was just bizarre, but Square created the right formula, as the only Disney characters that interact with the Final Fantasy characters are primarily Donald and Goofy with characters from Final Fantasy VIII, and Hades interacting with Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII for a short time.

Overall, the game shows that strength of heart and the power of friendship can overcome any obstacle. With an amazing story, a well-mixed blend of Final Fantasy, Disney, and an original cast of characters, as well as fluent gameplay, this game is a must have for any PS2 owner.