Not to mention, Square Enix is known for character-driven stories. But, above all, Kingdom Hearts is a testament to the power of friendship.ĭisney isn’t quick to license its IP, but the novelty of the pitch clearly hit execs the right way. And we certainly won’t get into the details of the many sequels and prequels either, mostly because the Kingdom Hearts games are known for being… confusing, to say the least. We won’t delve into too much spoiler territory for the first game. Cloud Strife, Hercules and Sora in Kingdom Hearts. But it’s also what sets the Kingdom Hearts games apart. For one, it’s surprising that Disney allowed that kind of “gray area” storyline, especially in regards to their mascot. For most of the cast, the struggle between light and darkness is ongoing.Įven Mickey’s intentions don’t seem pure at a certain point. Jealous of Sora and Kairi’s relationship, Riku opens their world up to evil, only to find himself manipulated time and again. Characters like Riku, on the other hand, struggle with darkness. Princesses of Heart, for example, are all light - there’s not a trace of darkness in them. There’s also, of course, a lot of lore about hearts. The master manipulator behind all of this (at least for now) is a Heartless researcher, Ansem - one of the many forms taken on by Sora’s main antagonist, Master Xehanort, in the Dark Seeker Saga, which wrapped up with Kingdom Hearts III. (Mostly, they’re Disney princesses, but Alice, of Alice in Wonderland, and Kairi are also among their ranks.) Maleficent ( Sleeping Beauty) is the head villain, and she also enlists a Heartless-possessed Riku to help her find seven maidens - the Princesses of Heart - who have the power to open a doorway to the “heart of all worlds”. Soon enough, Donald, Goofy and Sora band together to save the worlds from the Heartless, and the Disney villains who control them. That king, of course, is Mickey Mouse before vanishing, he instructed Donald Duck and Goofy to find the Keyblade wielder. Sora, Kairi and Riku end up separated, and in the middle of a plot that involves the Heartless, other worlds infected by their darkness and a missing king. As destiny would have it, Sora is a Keyblade-wielder - yes, a giant key-shaped sword serves as his weapon - and can fight off the dark beings known as Heartless. These original characters live on the idyllic Destiny Islands - until their home world is suddenly overtaken by darkness. Released in Japan on Maand, later, in North America on Septemthe first Kingdom Hearts introduced players to Sora, Kairi and Riku. And, despite being an entirely new IP in 2002, it already had a lot of brand recognition thanks to this ensemble. The Original Kingdom Hearts Hits PlayStation 2įeaturing a mix of characters from the Final Fantasy series, Disney and Pixar’s films and a few originals designed by Nomura himself, Kingdom Hearts has quite the broad appeal. But Sakaguchi stepped in, insisting that the game needed Final Fantasy-level story, world-building and lore. At first, Nomura and his team focused their efforts on Kingdom Hearts’ gameplay, believing the Disney audience would prefer a simple story. Square Enix’s Tetsuya Nomura, who was then-known for his memorable character design work for Final Fantasy VII (1997), offered to direct the project. When Hashimoto had a chance encounter with an executive from Disney in an elevator, he pitched the idea.Ī top-notch game needs the best of the best working on it. Luckily for Square Enix, they shared an office building with Disney’s Japan-based branch at the time. Photo Courtesy: Square Enix/Disneyįormer Square Enix producer Shinji Hashimoto and Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi wanted to make a 3-D hit like Super Mario 64 (1996), but felt only Disney had characters popular enough to rival Nintendo’s Mario. So, how did the idea for this beloved action RPG come about? Goofy, Sora and Donald in Kingdom Hearts. An Unlikely Duo: The Origins of the Kingdom Hearts Gamesīefore Goofy and Donald teamed up with Sora - the Keyblade-wielding protagonist of the Kingdom Hearts games - The Walt Disney Company and Square Enix formed their own real-life partnership.
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