July 28, 2009 -
Square Enix has traditionally been associated with the Final Fantasy franchise, but one particular series that began in 2002 took the gaming community by surprise. Kingdom Hearts combined the JRPG expertise of Square Enix with the rich worlds and characters of the Disney universe. Add in a few Final Fantasy cameos and you had one of the most unlikely pairs in videogame history -- but it worked. The original Kingdom Hearts was met with a tremendous amount of success and gamers everywhere were captivated by its unique charm and sincere emotion.
The action RPG revolved around a young boy named Sora and his two close friends: Riku and Kairi. The three children played together on an idyllic tropical island until one day a strange darkness invaded their surreal sanctuary and swept Sora up into a quest to find his friends. This journey connects Sora with Donald and Goofy, servants of the King, and the eager trio travels to many worlds in search of old companions -- all while battling the Heartless.
Kingdom Hearts would later be followed by a GBA game titled Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, which followed main character Sora and his adventures after the conclusion of the original Kingdom Hearts. With the launch of Kingdom Hearts II, the protagonists enjoyed a dramatic growth both physically and emotionally, as even more villains threatened the natural order of the worlds.
The most recent game in the Kingdom Hearts series to reach the US was Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories, a PS2 remake of the aforementioned GBA spin-off. With two more spin-offs on the horizon, little is known about the seemingly inevitable Kingdom Hearts III. As Kingdom Hearts is a very special series to me, I decided to put together this outline of what I'd like to see out of the third proper entry in the series. In my effort to shape this as-of-yet untold adventure, I called upon friends and readers alike to create original concept art for this dream project.
Welcome to an Older World
The best way to approach the third Kingdom Hearts would be to set it at least a few years into the future, if not further. The dramatic -- but still believable -- jump in time from the first game to the second game helped mature the story and coax more adult themes out of the characters, so jumping forward in time again would be the best natural step for the series. Clearly Square Enix is interested in telling a mature, edgier tale, as the classic imagery in "Another side, Another story..." presents a strikingly mature atmosphere in comparison to the rest of the original game. This aesthetic is expanded even further in Kingdom Hearts II and is a necessity for Kingdom Hearts III.
Sora's Grown up
As the story and world evolve in the Kingdom Hearts series, so do the characters. Seeing the dramatic change in Sora's character was one of the highlights of Kingdom Hearts II, but he needs to grow up even more if he's to properly reflect the character development of the first two games. In Kingdom Hearts III, Sora needs to be confident, collected and committed to the tasks at hand. Minor hesitations are great and help add to plot tension, but if Sora reverts back to his childish, immature self, it'll be a huge hurdle to clear for the experience as a whole.
Also, we need to see a real romance blossom between Sora and Kairi. It's what everyone wants, right? It can retain its innocent flair, but I'd like to see their relationship take a step forward.
Darkness Spreads
One thing I've always appreciated about the Kingdom Hearts series is the cast of antagonists. Organization XIII was filled with some fantastic characters (at least in terms of their actual design) and Kingdom Hearts III needs to build off of that phenomenal momentum. The antagonists need to be darker, more vicious and hell-bent on accomplishing their goals. The Heartless and Nobodies were just the beginning -- I want to see some truly nefarious forces at work to counterbalance the purity of Sora and his friends.
Stephen Butts says: The original Kingdom Hearts is the reason I bought a PS2. It had a strong story, an inventive approach to merging both franchises and a simple but flexible combat system. They weren't able to maintain those elements for the sequel, but if they can bring them back (and lose the tedious intro levels and pointless Gummi ship sequences), I'll be buying a PS3.