| Kingdom Hearts Series |
Article Index for Kingdom Hearts |
Website Links For Kingdom Hearts Series |
Information AboutKingdom Hearts Series |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT KINGDOM HEARTS SERIES | |
| kingdom hearts | |
|
''Kingdom Hearts'' is a series of Role-playing Game s made by Buena Vista Games (formerly Disney Interactive) and Square Enix (formerly Squaresoft ), starting with '' Kingdom Hearts '' for Sony PlayStation 2 . It is a Crossover of "alternate" Disney universes set in a Multiverse made specifially for the series. A number of '' Final Fantasy '' characters make an appearance in the series, as well. The three games have been directed by Tetsuya Nomura , who also made all the conceptual artwork for them. HISTORY The peculiar origins of ''Kingdom Hearts'' came about when the producer, Shinji Hashimoto , had met a Disney executive in an elevator. Square and the Japanese wing of Disney had worked out of the same Tokyo office. 1 2 REACTION Originally, news of such an odd pairing for a video game met mixed reaction. Squaresoft was already a well-established in the video gaming market with the Final Fantasy series (which had reached a landmark of ten installments by the time Kingdom Hearts was announced). Disney is best known throughout the world as an American feature film company with a reputation of making popular family films (notably in Animation ). Because many Final Fantasy games feature an emphasis on epic, sometimes mature and melodramatic storytelling (let alone a noticeable amount of violence) gamers were unsure whether or not the crossover would be successful. Numerous fans of the series were immediately displeased with the idea of a Final Fantasy game aimed at children. Other gamers, however, who were fans of the Disney franchise, waited for the game in anticipation. Upon release of the original Kingdom Hearts, many older video game fans still deemed the series too childish, while the game was praised by critics for its simple gameplay, novel idea and unique story. As the series has gained popularity, the notion that it is too "kiddie" has been less common among many gamers and it is now a well recognized franchise of its own. GAMES The series currently includes three games:
The first game in the series is ''Kingdom Hearts'', for Sony PlayStation 2. ''Kingdom Hearts'' introduced the majority of main characters for the series and set up the plot framework involving hearts and Heartless. The second game in the series is ''Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories'' for Game Boy Advance, and was touted as A Bridge Between The Two PlayStation 2 Installments , introducing and previewing plot elements that would be played out in the next game. The third game, despite the name, is ''Kingdom Hearts II'' for Sony PlayStation 2. It furthered the "heart" concept by involving the Nobodies and "bodies". Also, another Kingdom Hearts game developed exclusively for mobile phones was released without as much hype as the main games. It is unknown if there will be a ''Kingdom Hearts III'', however Tetsuya Nomura has stated {Link without Title} he already has ideas for another installment; a clip that appears to be a teaser trailer (called "Sunset Horizons") for the next adventure is shown at the end of ''Kingdom Hearts II'' if certain completion goals are met. However, Nomura did not state exactly what he would like to do with this newest installment. Nomura did state that the Kingdom Hearts team would be taking a break from Kingdom Hearts for a while and work on something else so it is unknown when news for this new installment will arrise. In a 2006 issue of Disney Adventures , Nomura has stated that he is very interested in experimenting with the PSP's technology. He also considers a game of Kingdom Hearts on the PSP, which will likely be like ''Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories'' for the GBA. GAMEPLAY AND DESIGN ''Kingdom Hearts'' and ''Kingdom Hearts II'' are touted as "action RPGs", that is, they contain elements from both action games and role-playing games. The player is usually in control of a character named Sora who can walk, run and jump freely in an interactive 3D environment, attack enemies and cast magic (among other abilities). Sora is usually accompanied by Donald Duck and Goofy , who are Non-playable Characters (NPCs) who aid Sora in battle. Their behavior can be altered to fit the player's needs. Defeating enemies results in gaining items, currency and "experience". The amount of experience is shared with all party members and each character grows stronger with the amount of experience gained. Many role-playing game aspects are very familiar to fans of the ''Final Fantasy'' series. Various items, magic spells and characters, as well as the grand and dramatic story, are well recognized to fans. Major Disney influences are also present, such as the detailed character models and animations. A major draw of the Kingdom Hearts series is also the numerous appearances of Disney worlds and characters. Though the series features some original locations unique to the ''Kingdom Hearts'' franchise, worlds from Disney films are heavily explored. Sora must visit these worlds and interact with popular Disney characters to protect them from enemies. Often, Sora's actions in these worlds follow closely to the storylines featured in their accompanying Disney films. For the most part, Disney characters (aside from Mickey, Donald, Goofy, the villains and the summons) from one film never interact with Disney characters from another (with the exception of Beast helping Sora fight Maleficent and Alladin seeing Maleficent in his world). For instance, Tarzan can interact with Jane (as they both inhabit the world from Disney's '' Tarzan ''), but he cannot interact with Aladdin , who is from a different "world". This was one of the limitations Disney originally made clear to Square. More often in ''Kingdom Hearts II'', however, certain Disney characters acknowledge other ones (Merlin is aware of Winnie The Pooh , etc.) Final Fantasy characters from different ''Final Fantasy'' games often interact with each other and Disney characters. In fact, compared to the Disney characters featured in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' franchise, ''Final Fantasy'' characters are least like their original counterparts. Many of the ''Final Fantasy'' characters featured have altered appearances and histories, a few even being much younger than their original counterparts. In addition, none of the Final Fantasy worlds are present in the series (and will never appear according to Nomura himself). Storylines from any of the ''Final Fantasy'' installments are almost never mentioned, although they are hinted at, however mildly. Despite this, the Final Fantasy characters' personalities remain the same. MUSIC The high standards set by Square for the Final Fantasy games were by no means relaxed for the Kingdom Hearts series. Background music was composed by Yoko Shimomura , of Front Mission and Parasite Eve fame. While some Disney-based world themes are taken directly from their Disney film counterparts, many are given entirely original musical scores. In addition to each world having unique background music, each is given its own battle theme, rather than a common music piece to cover all fights, which enhances each world's particular environment. Boss battle backgrounds are limited however, and are reused among the worlds. The boss theme used typically reflects the overall difficulty of the enemy. The main vocal themes ( Hikari / Simple And Clean for KH and CoM and Passion / Sanctuary for KH2) are composed and performed by Utada Hikaru . Both theme songs reached notable popularity in Japan (on weekly Oricon charts, Hikari hit #1 in 2002, Passion hit #4 in 2005). Both games feature orchestral arrangements of their respective themes. KEYBLADE The Keyblade is a weapon resembling a key with a handle. It is first seen with Sora on Destiny Islands. The first keychain Sora received was the Kingdom Key, and later received more from Disney Worlds. It is unknown when, who, or how the keyblade was made, but there has been some hints to it, such as the secret ending of Kingdom Hearts II, where armored people were seen holding keyblades. Also, there are some speculations that a sequal could be about a Keyblade War, seeing the words at the ending. In the game, the Keyblade is used to open up locked doors or locks, notably on chests throughout the game. It is also used to seal locks in Disney Worlds (Kingdom Hearts) and pathways for gummi ships with selected items in worlds (Kingdom Hearts 2). Keyblade holders introduced in Kingdom Hearts (excluding the secret ending) are Sora, Riku, and Mickey. In Kingdom Hearts II, more were introduced, such as Roxas, Kairi, and the three armored men in the secret ending. Mickey uses a Kingdom Key that has a silver handle and a golden blade. Riku uses a keyblade resembling the soul eater in Kingdom Hearts II. Sora uses not only the Kingdom Key notably, but also Oblivion and Oathkeeper. EXTERNAL LINKS --- Please do not add any more fansite links. We have enough. >
|
|
|