My Kingdom for a Mouse

Seven years ago the company behind the Final Fantasy series of games, Square (now Square Enix), had the rather bizarre idea of working in collaboration with The Walt Disney Company in order to create a game featuring elements of both Final Fantasy and popular Disney characters. The result should have been a bewildering and disjointed mess, but instead what emerged was Kingdom Hearts, an amazingly playable, visually stunning action RPG. Following the original game's release in 2002, several more spin-offs have followed and the series has, to date, sold more than 12 million copies worldwide.

Sora Subject

This new DS chapter, oddly entitled Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, is not so much a sequel as an exploration of events taking place between the original game and Kingdom Hearts II. Here we follow the adventures of Roxas, a character we met in Kingdom Hearts II, and start to learn about his involvement with the mysterious Organization XIII. During the course of the adventure players will learn about Roxas' relationship with Sora from the original Kingdom Hearts game, discover the 14th member, and find out why Roxas left the Organization.

The original Kingdom Hearts was created by a Japanese fella called Tetsuya Nomura, who was a mere character designer on the Final Fantasy games but, for reasons known only to himself, decided to step up to the plate and become a games director. And what a stunning move it turned out to be. Fortunately, Tetsuya and his team have stuck with the franchise and are responsible for this latest game, which is why it's such a corker.

Quickfire Combat

If you're unfamiliar with the Kingdom Hearts games, the deal is this: unlike the Final Fantasy series, whose games are pretty heavyweight affairs, Kingdom Hearts is much more action-based and this is apparent in the combat system, which plays out in real time and has been simplified somewhat for play on the DS. Essentially when you encounter enemies they are auto-targeted and you can perform melee attacks and jump with a few well-timed button taps as well as being able to perform more elaborate attacks by accessing a pull down menu.

This latest game also boasts a number of new and interesting features. First off it looks and sounds beautiful thanks to fully 3D environments and characters and a full-on orchestral soundtrack. There are also some pretty epic Boss battles. Additionally, there's a new Limit Break system brought over from the Final Fantasy series that allows players to pull off amazing attacks when they're staring death in the face. Also a new panel system enables you to strategically plan how best to utilise your various weapons, spells and abilities.

Party Time

But it gets better. Kingdom Hearts games have, in the past, been a solitary pursuit but now, for the first time, you can team up with other players. In this latest game you and three other players can each select an Organization XIII member and work cooperatively on a set of levels designed specifically for group play.

If you haven't tried a Kingdom Hearts game before, it really is time you did. 358/2 Days is a stunner, not just visually but thanks to its engrossing storyline, the combination of Final Fantasy and Disney characters and the accessible, but deeply satisfying gameplay. It might also be time to dig out your old PS2 and bone up on the previous games as it's a series that's worth knowing inside out.

Review by: Simon 'Mickey Mouse' Kirrane
Version Tested: DS
Review Published: 07.10.09