By Well… it’s finally here. Over a decade of wishing, waiting, baiting, and switching has led to this moment. The supposed end to a beautiful Square/Disney mashup, started with a game no one knew they wanted or were embarrassed to like, has now blossomed to saga countless millions view as their most heartfelt gaming experience. You know it, you love it, you cringe to it. It’s KINGDOM HEARTS III.
Suffice to say, this ridiculous series holds a special place in many people’s hearts, regardless of the “hot mess” label it’s received over the years. For fans, it’s a blend of two loves: the complexity and RPG flavor of Final Fantasy, and the childish charm of Disney, all slapshot together in glorious fanfiction fashion. And just like many cherished franchises before it, Kingdom Hearts has notably shifted from its Simple and Clean beginnings. As time has marched on and the Kingdom Hearts universe has grown more complex with every new installment, people the world over find themselves compelled to try and gauge whether this thing even retains what made it special in the first place. And while evaluating the game based on how well the Disney qualities hold up is a definite talking point, I’ve decided to tackle the the part of KINGDOM HEARTS III that’s kept me enamored with the series since I first left Destiny Islands: that Final Fantasy influence.
Sora’s strapped with the power of friendship
We should start by addressing the elephant in the room: there’s not really much straight-up Final Fantasy presence in this newest Final Fantasy/Disney crossover. At least, not like there’s been in the past. There are still traces of the iconography still kicking it in KINGDOM HEARTS III: Moogle shopkeepers, a commercial in the Toy Story world suspiciously similar to Nomura’s canned FINAL FANTASY VERSUS XIII, and implications of the “secret” ending maybe-sorta tying to THE WORLD ENDS WITH YOU seem to be the main holdouts. But, that’s generally all the direct material you’re gonna get.
Sorry Square fans: there are no brooding Clouds here to poke fun at, nor is there a nigh-invincible Sephiroth hiding in the corner. This apparent phase-out may feel like a dismissal of the series’ origins, but with as dense a cast as the one KINGDOM HEARTS III has accumulated and the effort taken in keeping them thematically in line with their FF inspirations, it’s probably fair to say KINGDOM HEARTS III chooses to keep the spirit of its Final Fantasy origins more so than retain its actual presence. And if that feeling is kept while allowing KH to flaunt its own unique identity, I guess I’ll manage.
“The Anime-Boy-to-Disney ratio must remain in balance.” – Mickey, probably
With KINGDOM HEARTS III’s character quota situation covered, we move on the other component tying the game to the house that built Final Fantasy: its notorious plot. Frankly, anyone going in blind or has only stuck to the “main” games, namely KINGDOM HEARTS and KINGDOM HEARTS II, are going to have no clue about what the hell’s going on for anything non-Disney-related.
This is not hyperbole, nor is it to deter new audiences from joining in on this experience. But unless you’ve been on Donald Duck’s Wild Ride for the 10-ish stories this game culminates, chances are you’re going to be lost right out of the gate, and it will only get worse from there. No matter how many hour-long YouTube summaries or in-game synopses you consume, none of this shit will make sense unless you sit down and play the games (even then, results will vary).
There is just so much in-universe logic you need to wrap your head around to try and get a foothold in the plot: monsters that steal hearts, monsters that are born without hearts but can develop new hearts, reincarnation, clones you can put hearts in, living data, time-traveling, horcrux soul-splitting nonsense, and how basically every character is somehow inexplicably tied to Sora or some old guy that wants to bring about the Disney apocalypse. Sifting for info through the series if you’re not already invested isn’t for the faint of heart or weary of mind. It’s a rabbit hole that goes so deep and in so many odd directions that it feels like you’re making things up half the time. And, believe it or not, that ludicrous level of depth and baffling lore is kind of what makes KINGDOM HEARTS III, and the rest of the series, so enjoyable.
I still have no idea what’s going on here, but I love it
I won’t pretend that KINGDOM HEARTS III’s story is high art or that there aren’t headscratchers even for people like me who live and breathe this junk. But for as much as everyone loves to riff on how convoluted it gets or the sheer amount of times the word “darkness” is used, that’s most of the appeal for this series. And once you step past the preconceptions of outright nonsense that is often attributed to the series, KINGDOM HEARTS III’s actual narrative turns out to be both fun and pretty competent, especially by Square Enix standards. The massively-intricate story threads (mostly) tie together and reach satisfying resolutions, emotional storytelling indicative of both Disney and Square Enix is essentially this game’s bread and butter, and the rollercoaster of a plot even becomes introspective in select moments, for those who’d like a little rationality once in awhile.
It’s a far cry from the first entry’s relatively simplistic beats, but it’s complex in the right kind of ways. If anything, the material we’re given shows an evolution of the series, maturing from being “baby’s first Final Fantasy” to being comparable to any modern-day FF entrant, despite the obvious decision of tailoring itself to a younger audience. And assuming we ignore the game’s “secret” ending feeling like pure sequel-bait, the game easily serves as a solid, emotional end to Sora and his heart-fueled adventures.
Emotional, indeed
KINGDOM HEARTS III becoming a reality is a desire that millions of fans have been yearning after for a very long time. The series has changed a lot over the years, fluctuating wildly between which fanbase it actually wants to tap into. But if one thing’s stayed consistent with the series, it’s its Final Fantasy roots. And ultimately, even without the direct tie to the the JRPG juggernauts the series has had in the past, KINGDOM HEARTS III proudly wears the spirit of Final Fantasy on its sleeve. It’s not so simple and clean anymore, but this odd crossover’s still got its Square Enix heart deep down.
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