Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by InvaderSora (talk | contribs) at 04:48, 31 March 2007 (→Upcoming installments). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This article may need to be rewritten to comply with Misplaced Pages's quality standards. You can help. The talk page may contain suggestions.

Kingdom Hearts (キングダムハーツ, Kingudamu Hātsu) is a series of action role-playing games developed and published by Square Enix Co., Ltd. (formerly Square Co., Ltd.) and Buena Vista Games, for the Sony PlayStation 2 and Nintendo Game Boy Advance.

It is a crossover of "alternate" Disney universes set in a universe made specifically for the series. Alternate versions of characters from the Final Fantasy series also appear in the series, interacting with the player and Disney characters. The three main games have been directed by Tetsuya Nomura, who also made all the conceptual artwork for them.

As of January 2007, the Kingdom Hearts series has sold over 10 million copies worldwide.

History

The peculiar origins of Kingdom Hearts came about when the producer, Shinji Hashimoto, met a Disney executive in an elevator. Square and the Japanese wing of Disney worked out of the same Tokyo office. When A Bug's Life was released, Square president Yoichi Wada saw the movie and thought that after many years of watching Disney movies, he could make them more adult-friendly. Wada met with Roy E. Disney and they had many ideas to release a game involving a new Square-designed character and some classic Disney characters such as Donald, Goofy, and Mickey. They agreed that Buena Vista and Square would make a short demo and if the company gave a good reaction, they would start production on an actual game. The demo was met with a great impression, as if it was a new installment of the Final Fantasy video game series. At a second meeting, the two parties agreed to include some Square characters in the game. Two years later, the first playable demo was revealed at E3 and then released the following year.

Reaction

Originally, news of such an odd pairing for a video game met mixed reaction. Squaresoft was already 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 Square 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 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 first game in the series is Kingdom Hearts, released in Japan on March 28, 2002 for Sony PlayStation 2. Kingdom Hearts introduced most of main characters for the series and set up the plot framework involving hearts and Heartless. It also established the presence of previous Disney fiction, with character cameos from the Final Fantasy series, and the style of gameplay, a fusion of RPG elements and action games, where the player chooses an action from a menu, while being able to move around the environment. Kingdom Hearts was released in North America in September 17, 2002, having three optional bosses that were not in the original Japanese version. Released exclusively in Japan on December 26, 2002 was Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, which included the bosses not in the original Japanese version; another boss; and additional enemies, cutscenes, and weapons. Various added elements foreshadowed later plot elements in the series. As of January 2007, the combined sales of all version of Kingdom Hearts number 5,500,000 copies.

A Kingdom Hearts game was developed exclusively for V CAST, Verizon Wireless's broadband service. The game, developed by Disney Mobile with no involvement from Square, features the original Kingdom Hearts''s gameplay, modifed to the input method of mobile phones.

The second mainstream game in the series is Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, released in Japan on November 11, 2004 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 gameplay was based on a card system; player composed decks of cards, each card allowing the player to perform an action in battle, such as attacking or using magic. This card system used numbered cards to determine whether the player or the enemy's actions had higher priority; the higher the number on the card, the more likely that the card's action would be performed. As of January 2007, the combined sales of all version of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories number 1,500,000 copies.

The third game, despite the name, is Kingdom Hearts II, released in Japan on December 22, 2005 for Sony PlayStation 2. It furthered the "heart" concept by involving the Nobodies and "bodies". The gameplay is based on Kingdom Hearts's, with the addition of more options to attack enemies and the Reaction Command, utilizing the triangle button to perform preset actions in battle and mundane tasks such as speaking to non-player characters. As of January 2007, the combined sales of all version of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories number 2,210,000 copies.

Kingdom Hearts II was revised into Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, containing more material than the original release, such as more cutscenes and bosses. Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix was released with Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories, a remake of Chain of Memories for the PlayStation 2, containing polygon graphics instead of the sprites used in the original Game Boy Advance game. This collection is titled Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+ and was released in Japan on March 29, 2007.

Upcoming installments

Template:SpoilerTetsuya Nomura stated he has ideas for another installment; a secret clip that appears to be a teaser trailer for the next installment 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 a new installment. The Kingdom Hearts team is postponing Kingdom Hearts projects to be able to work on Final Fantasy Versus XIII, but a new Kingdom Hearts project will be revealed in summer 2007. In Famitsu, Nomura stated that there are multiple Kingdom Hearts projects in the works, although what those projects consist of is not known. They may be a Filler on a handheld. He has also stated that the next installment is not being called "Kingdom hearts III". On March 29th, 2007, the New Secret ending was posted to the internet. It shows the knights looking at an possible-antognist and engaging in a large battle. A female knight with blue hair, a brown-haired larger knight, and a younger Roxas-looking knight are seen aiding eachhother in abttle, and the female knight and blonde knight might be romantically incolved for family.

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, as well as attack enemies and cast magic (among other abilities) in full real-time as opposed to the turn-based combat generally used in the RPG genre. 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. Some of the Disney world plots are based off the movies, as well.

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. In the manga, Donald tells Sora not to interfere with the worlds too much, since it would cause problems.

For the most part, Disney characters from one film never interact with Disney characters from another (with the exception of Mickey, Donald, Goofy, various villains and the summons). 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" (with the notable exceptions of the Princesses of Heart, Beast, Maleficent and Pete). This was one of the limitations Disney originally made clear to Square. Donald also reinforces this limitation by telling Sora that they can't reveal the existence of other worlds. More often in Kingdom Hearts II, however, certain Disney characters acknowledge other ones (Merlin is aware of Winnie the Pooh, etc.). Also in Kingdom Hearts II, a large number of the worlds now know there are more worlds out there besides their own (it is actually mentioned in some of the dialogue). Final Fantasy characters from different Final Fantasy games often interact with each other and Disney characters.

Music

The background music was composed by Yoko Shimomura, of Street Fighter II, Parasite Eve, Super Mario RPG and Legend of Mana 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.

Kaoru Wada, of InuYasha fame, works as the arranger for orchestral music in the Kingdom Hearts series, including orchestral renditions of the main vocal themes and the ending themes. All of the orchestral music was perfomed by the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra.

Boss battle themes are limited and most are reused among the worlds. However, several of the Disney villains get themes based on the film they originated in, and the final boss of each game has several themes played in the various phases of those fights. The fights with Sephiroth also use Nobuo Uematsu's One-Winged Angel from Final Fantasy VII as a battle theme.

The main theme music (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.

Manga adaptations

A manga based on the Kingdom Hearts storyline written by Shiro Amano has been released by Tokyopop in the United States in 2005. There are manga series based on Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, and Kingdom Hearts II (still being serialized).

References

1. ^ スクウェア・エニックス、イベントなど追加「KINGDOM HEARTS II FINAL MIX+」「キングダム ハーツ」 シリーズ累計出荷本数1,000万本達成 "Game Watch". URL Accessed March 11, 2007
2. Kingdom Hearts Final Mix Images "ign.com". URL Accessed March 11, 2007
3. Kingdom Hearts - Disney Mobile presents the future of wireless gaming. "ign.com". URL Accessed March 11, 2007
4. Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories - Square-Enix continues its Disney-based adventure on the GBA. New screens and details. "ign.com". URL Accessed March 11, 2007
5. Kingdom Hearts II Update For PS2 "ign.com". URL Accessed March 11, 2007
6. Nomura Discusses Kingdom Hearts and Future Titles "ign.com". URL Accessed March 11, 2007
7. Tetsuya Nomura on FF Versus XIII - More background story details, plus mention of the next Kingdom Hearts. "ign.com". URL Accessed March 11, 2007
8. More Kingdom Hearts in 2007 "Joystiq". URL Accessed March 11, 2007

External links

• Official website

• Video game franchises
• Fictional settings
• Kingdom Hearts
• Crossover fiction
• Disney franchises
• Video games developed in Japan