Fans have been waiting a long time for Kingdom Hearts III. The game was first announced five years ago and has been the object of player anticipation for more than a decade.
I am not one of those people. I enjoyed Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts 2, but I didn’t follow the series down the spin-off rabbit hole on Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and 3DS in the decade that followed. I held out hope that Kingdom Hearts 3 would thrill me once again but, over time, I lost my faith.
Now that I’ve played 90 minutes of Kingdom Hearts III, I feel my enthusiasm for the series returning, though it doesn’t seem poised to offer the revelation one might expect from a game with such a storied development cycle. In many ways, Kingdom Hearts III seems very simple — It’s a beat-em-up action game with some RPG flair and a lot of cutscenes. Despite that, Kingdom Hearts 3 emanates the bright, joyful vibes that one expects from a Disney animated film, and comes jam-packed with fun, imaginative ways to beat up bad guys. Consider my faith restored.
From ‘Hercules’ to ‘Toy Story’
I am not a Kingdom Hearts scholar, so I can’t catch you up on the series’ plot in a meaningful or timely fashion. I can tell you that in Kingdom Hearts III, Sora, Donald, and Goofy are still fighting to save the worlds of Disney and Final Fantasy from the Heartless and a set of shadowy figures called “The Organization.” Our demo spanned two separate areas — Olympus, from Disney’s Hercules, and a “Toy Box,” based on Pixar’s Toy Story movies.
The Olympus section was limited to an encounter with a heartless “titan,” a gargantuan two-headed stone giant that throws boulders at you as you run up a sheer cliff face to meet him. It gives you a sense of the scale and spectacle the game seems to be looking for. The Titan sequence feels less like a boss fight than a series of set-pieces.
Once you scale the cliff, Sora and company chop away at the Titan’s feet until you’re given the chance to summon “Big Magic Mountain,” a train inspired by Disney World’s Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ride, which triggers an on-rails turret sequence where you fly circles around giant’s heads and pummel it with fireworks.
Kingdom Hearts III turns every fight and cutscene a little Disney magic.
In many ways, from an abundance of context sensitive combat to gargantuan bosses, Kingdom Hearts III takes more than a few mechanical cues from the original God of War trilogy. It’s a game primarily concerned with spectacle, ambiance, and mood. Unlike God of War, though, that mood is generally happy and fun, even in its most austere, melodramatic moments.
In the Toy Box, where we played through a portion of the world, you get a feel for how Kingdom Hearts III cultivates that mood. Sora teams up with Woody and Buzz Lightyear to find their owner, Andy, and the rest of the toys, who have gone missing. They journey from Andy’s room to a nearby toy store, where they fight toys possessed by the Heartless while looking for clues.
The game cycles from exploration, to combat, to cutscene frequently, so you can expect (and hopefully enjoy) the fact the game relishes the opportunity to get its Disney characters talking. Disney fan service is a big part of the game, and you’re supposed to revel in these moments. Kingdom Hearts III nails the speech and feel of Toy Story’s characters. It truly feels like you’re sharing a story with Woody and Buzz while exploring an interactive set from the movie. There’s a reverence for Disney at the core of Kingdom Hearts III, and if you can connect with that, the game will easily lure you in.
New, but not that new
Despite its long development, Kingdom Hearts III doesn’t stray from its predecessor’s path. You still run around as Sora, and still swing the iconic Keyblade. Like before, Goofy and Donald aren’t playable, but back you up in combat and help unleash powerful attacks. This time, though, Goofy and Donald are always present in combat. World-specific allies, like Woody and Buzz Lightyear, expand your active party instead of forcing you to choose.
You’re constantly bouncing around from one visually arresting super-powerful attack to another.
As Sora, you’ll find yourself building up 2 to 3 different types of special attacks, pop to attention above your health bar when ready. Sora can also transform his Keyblade into a more powerful weapon with a new set of attacks and a finishing move. Toy Story Keyblade summoned the Hyper Hammer, a two-handed mallet with slow, but powerful attacks and a ground shaking slam attack. Sora can equip up to three Keyblades at a time and swap between them on the fly.
Then there’s the team-up attacks with Donald, Goofy, and any other heroes in your party. In the Toy Story level, Sora, Woody, and Buzz Lightyear hopped on a rocket and flew around, crashing into enemies. Sora can further use “Links,” which summon characters like Wreck-it Ralph to cause havoc.
And yes, there’s more! Sora can also call on context-sensitive attacks inspired by Disney theme park rides called “Attractions” — like the “Big Magic Mountain” ride from the Titan boss fight. These attacks are not limited to boss fights, though. In the Toy Box, Sora could sometimes summon neon tea cups, inspired by Disney World’s spinning ride, which bounced around like bumper cars gone mad.
Shew. That’s a lot of options, which is where the game’s excitement lies. You’re constantly bouncing around from one visually arresting super-powerful attack to another. Even on the second and third go-round, each new power is a pleasure to behold and fun to control.
With that said, the primary combat mechanics are simple. You will spend most of your time jumping around and spamming the attack button until your enemies are dead. In the end, Kingdom Hearts III does not appear to be the kind of game you will play for its challenge, but to explore, reveling in its joyous ruckus and imaginative aesthetics.
Director Tetsuya Nomura said Square Enix is close to finalizing Kingdom Hearts III’s release date and that the publisher would announce its release date “early next month.” As of now, the game is currently on track to hit stores by the end of 2018. It will be available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
https://www.digitaltrends.com/game-reviews/kingdom-hearts-iii-review/Bagikan Berita Ini
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