➤ Kingdom Hearts 3, the review 🎮

Kingdom Hearts III is certainly not a game that needs no introduction, also because in recent weeks we have been bombarding you with themed insights, and we will continue to do so in the days to follow. Instead, we want to introduce you to ours Kingdom Hearts 3 review with a more personal reflection on the meaning of the spoiler and on the sense of frustration that we feel in knowing the development and the ending of this very long saga without being able to discuss it. We would have a world of things to tell you, lots of answers to reveal, but after completing the game and saving the game, we fully understand Tetsuya Nomura's decision to lock down a small portion of the narrative until the game's official release. Some copies have also been around for several weeks, so the information is out there on the web if you know where to look for it: for our part, we have been very careful to write this review without giving too much away about the story. Let us tell you one thing, though: in all honesty, we didn't think Tetsuya Nomura would be able to untangle the complicated skein of characters and subplots he's been building all these years. We are happy we were wrong.

Disney characters and worlds, the heart of the game

Kingdom Hearts III has two hearts. The heart of the Disney are the worlds that we will explore in what we could call the first part of the game. Fans of the series should be prepared for the experience: each of the Disney worlds catapult the trio of characters composed of Sora, Donald and Pippo in the vicissitudes of its inhabitants. In this sense, Kingdom Hearts III partially reverses expectations, retracing the history of feature films in some cases and telling a completely new plot in others. Obviously Nomura summed up the scripts with a painstaking work of cut and sew, necessary to fit his creations into the narration, starting with the protagonists but above all the antagonists. From this point of view, the result is not exactly stellar, and at some point it takes on a not a little frustrating dynamic.

In the Disney worlds, in fact, the plot carrier of the saga makes very few steps forward in Kingdom Hearts 3 and Sora's nemesis, the members of Organization XIII, almost serve to make a summary of the previous episodes, clarifying some very specific dark points of the complicated mythology of Kingdom Hearts. Obscure points that, however, for a fan who really knows the series well, shouldn't be at all. So let's say that these scenes serve more than anything else to prepare the stage, reminding players with great clarity some details that maybe they might have missed. Kingdom Hearts III is, however, above all the story of Xehanort and the incredible chess game he has led all these years. We got the distinct impression that the Disney worlds have been treated in a less incisive way, on the narrative front, and also on that of the gameplay. It is evident that some have been devised and developed much better than others. The world of the Caribbean, which had aroused enormous perplexity at its announcement, turned out to be one of the most engaging and varied, especially in terms of content.

The worlds of Frozen, Big Hero 6 and Rapunzel also impressed us positively, while Monsters & Co.'s Mostropolis is undoubtedly the weak link in the chain, a world that is too linear and repetitive that is the sequel to the Pixar feature film. Even the world dedicated to Toy Story tells, without great enthusiasm, an unpublished story that is ideally placed between Toy Story and Toy Story 2, but which fortunately focuses all on the two iconic figures who have become, over the years, Woody and Buzz Lightyear. The fact that some worlds are characterized by specific features - the sailing ship in the case of the Caribbean, the free roaming component in San Fransokyo and so on - reinforces the idea that some have been worked on more than others, but in general this part of the game guarantees a remarkable variety of situations, contents and activities.

Rather, it leaves you speechless, without ifs and buts, the reconstruction of the worlds in question. Kingdom Hearts III is, at times, indistinguishable from related CGI movies. It is not only beautiful to look at, but maniacally cared for in every respect. What struck us above all was the work of texturing the garments and the modeling of the characters, absolutely identical to their cinematographic counterparts and even better in the case of productions that carry more than a few years on their shoulders, such as Monsters & Co. visual style it also changes drastically to better blend Sora and his companions into the universe they ended up in. If in the Toy Box Sora takes the square shape of an old action figure, in the Caribbean world we have opted for a much more realistic rendering so that not even Goofy or Donald looks too out of place together with the excellent reproductions of the actors who played Jack. Sparrow, Barbossa and so on.

La colonna sonora di Yoko Shimomura instead it seemed a little less inspired than usual, probably because the well-known composer had to rearrange the most famous melodies into pieces that only vaguely remembered them. Anyone who has played the previous Kingdom Hearts will have gotten used to this part of the soundtrack by now and knows very well that Shimomura, without constraints and restrictions, composes thrilling songs. It also happens in Kingdom Hearts III, but you have to get to moments when Disney steps aside to hear the real Shimomura in action.

Square Enix, a beating heart

Kingdom Hearts III has another heart that beats even more vigorously in its chest and it is that of the Square Enix. It's not there Square Enix of Final Fantasy: the extras of the very famous JRPG series, which have become increasingly rare, are simply absent here, except for the Moogle who manage the shops and some tiny references. This is the heart of Tetsuya Nomura's Square, of the story and characters he has written and rewritten over the past seventeen years. It is a heart that beats between one world and another, slowly developing the story that has remained dormant with Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, putting every piece in its place. One feels it gaining vigor each time a new world is completed. The story picks up momentum, revelations and clarifications follow one another at an increasingly frenetic pace, and then it explodes into what we could call the second part of the game.

Completed the last Disney world, Kingdom Hearts 3 immediately catapults us into a final long rush kinematics interspersed with parts played and increasingly spectacular boss fights. The decision to reserve the development of the main plot for the final part of the game could make you turn up your nose, but Kingdom Hearts III is a title that deploys dozens of characters between which there are complex relationships that branch off in various directions, through other games. By doing so, Tetsuya Nomura made sure to bring the player / spectator to the reckoning in a gradual way, without overwhelming him with information that, by structuring the script in a different way, could have confused even the most attentive. In this way, however, the close it maintains all its emotional charge, leaves few questions unanswered and conveys a beautiful and profound message about the strength of bonds. Tedious, perhaps, but in a dark and hostile world like the one we live in today, a little sugar doesn't hurt every now and then.

PlayStation 4 Trophies

Most of the Kingdom Hearts 4 PS3 trophies are unlocked simply by continuing in the story and visiting the various worlds, but for the more challenging trophies you will have to try your hand at the various minigames over and over again, sifting through every corner in search of secrets and completing the various sections of the Gummifono of Sora.

First the form of the substance?

As we have already said, Kingdom Hearts III is a real spectacle for the eyes and every fight is so full of particle effects, explosions and animations that even some small slowdowns can happen, albeit not worrying at all. Nomura was so careful to take care of the appearance of the product and the spectacularity of each fight that he sometimes forgot about the game. Fear not, we're not saying Kingdom Hearts III is an understated title on the front of the gameplay, indeed it lets itself be played which is a marvel, but it maintains that somewhat ignorant "button mashing" component that the franchise has been carrying around for a lifetime. The control system it is simple and intuitive: in fact it does not even use all the keys on the controller and most of the special actions are activated automatically or by pressing a certain key. Sora can attack enemies in various ways. First of all with his Keyblade: closing a combo triggers a special attack and the transformation of the Keyblade itself into a more powerful variant. Then there are the spells and the Bonds, the summons that are obtained by completing certain segments of the story.

Le special actions, such as Attractions or combined attacks with group mates, are activated randomly as you attack enemies; the Attractions, in particular, seem almost mini-games to be completed in a certain time limit to inflict as much damage as possible to the enemies. By leveling up or defeating certain bosses, Sora and his friends learn a bewildering amount of special skills that allow them to customize their repertoire, for example by increasing the range of Sora's shots or the power of his spells. Every ability has a cost in points which is deducted from a ceiling that increases with the level of the protagonist. This would involve strategically selecting the right skills to use depending on the circumstances, but in reality the role-playing component we are talking about is really very bland. Good or bad Sora can always equip every skill and since there is none that can be disadvantageous - apart from a couple designed specifically for those who want a more challenging experience - you always end up equipping them all.

We played Kingdom Hearts 3 on Standard difficulty and completed it in about 35 hours of play, without struggling too much with the optional contents that would probably extend its longevity a lot, and despite this we have never felt the need to level up to defeat a certain boss or to put more hand in theequipment of Sora, Goofy or Donald, if not choosing the best weapons and accessories as we found them or learned to synthesize them. We rarely resorted to the Potions and other consumable items or the dishes of the little chef Rémy, limiting ourselves to hitting enemies hard with the best Keyblades at our disposal. Sora gets a new Keyblade in each world and can upgrade it by consuming some very specific materials. The Keyblades are technically divided into three categories: there are those balanced, those that enhance magic and those stronger in hand-to-hand combat. Some Keyblades take the form of ranged weapons, providing an alternative to close combat, and Sora can equip up to three at the same time, switching between them during battle.

This game mechanic suggests a strategic element that the player should pay attention to, but in reality it soon becomes just a matter of numbers as it rarely happens to implement particular strategies in the din of battle. The same goes for the free-flow mechanics which allow Sora to use surfaces and structures as trampolines. There are simply so many mechanics, skills and variables, but you don't need to learn any of them to finish the game. Obviously i post-game content - which include secret bosses and other more challenging battles - require a greater knowledge of game mechanics, but until the end Kingdom Hearts III remains the chaotic "button mashing" that we all expected. From a certain point of view, it is understandable: the simplicity of the system guarantees even the less experienced player a fun and spectacular experience.

By repeatedly pressing the attack button, Sora automatically approaches the selected target, chasing him even when he moves. In this way, Nomura at least stems the player's real enemy: the camera. It gets used to it over time, but the way the camera loses sight of the player, forcing us to continually realign it to look for targets to attack, is extremely frustrating. The lock-on system does not help at all: by pressing a button on the back of the controller, Sora locks the closest enemy, but this is a function that leaves the time he finds in battles against small fish and even less when the boss to attack it is only one. It seems that the staff behind Kingdom Hearts III have a problem with the cameras, because even in the Gummiship shooter minigame - practically a game in the game - it is quite difficult to align the ship's course with the shot.

Fortunately, i space combat - let's call them that - they keep a fixed shot and belong to a "bullet hell" genre that requires strong nerves and a little patience. Again, we didn't have to put in too much effort to collect components and treasures among the asteroids, but players who want to sink their claws in this content will find their teeth. There Gummiship mode it is in fact very rich: the spatial stages that separate the worlds are full of hidden bosses, enemies to defeat and materials to be obtained to enhance the predefined Gummiship, perhaps rebuilding them from scratch. On the front of the secondary activities, in short, Kingdom Hearts III can boast a disproportionate and unpredictable amount of content. The most important thing is that it can be played by anyone with minimal effort: the series has never had claims of technicality and complexity, but thanks to the power of this generation it seems that Nomura has managed to finally realize every spectacular idea that he was whirling in his head and that the old consoles had never allowed him to fully realize.

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Tested version PlayStation 4 Resources4Gaming.com

9.0

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8.2

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Kingdom Hearts has literally accompanied many players throughout their lives. Today the fifteen-year-olds who were passionate about Sora's adventure are over thirty years old and have waited for this moment for half of their existence: it would have been absurd to drastically change a structure that, for better or for worse, has become iconic. So Tetsuya Nomura didn't do it. We would have preferred perhaps a greater depth on the RPG side, but at the end of the review it is clear that Kingdom Hearts 3 was designed to entertain anyone, allowing extreme visual spectacle by pressing just a few buttons. Most importantly, however, Kingdom Hearts III comes full circle with a satisfying ending and more answers than questions. Fans who have been waiting for him all this time will not be absolutely disappointed.