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As many of you would have read in our Initial Thoughts article last week, I came into Kingdom Hearts as a newbie with no previous experience with the series. This did make it a little tough for me to really get into the game but thankfully, I really started to love it after just a few hours! Since this review is from a new-comers angle, it will be formatted a little differently to my other reviews as I can’t speak that much on how the games story progresses and how the game compares to its predecessors. So, coming into the series with a clear mind, how have I found my time with the biggest gamer of the year so far? Let’s find out

Kingdom Hearts 3 Review – Available Now For PS4, Xbox One and PC

Story

KH3’s story clearly follows on from the previous two games with frequent references being made to characters and past events. Whilst I came into the game with very little idea as to what the game was all about, I caught on surprisingly quickly and found myself roughly following the story as though it was its own. Whilst it is harder to do so in KH3, you can treat it as its own story and jump in at this point if you come into it with the correct mindset. The story itself follows Sora and his two pals Donald Duck and Goofy (both of which are fantastically voice acted may I say), in their quest to regain their strength and defeat Master Xehanort. This quest will take you across numerous, amazing Disney worlds such as Arendelle from Frozen, Toy Box from Toy Story and Monstropolis from Monsters Inc which really are a pleasure to explore and really add to the overall charm of the game, you wont find this anywhere else. There are also an entire cast of fan favourite Disney characters present from Elsa to Baymax who have been thoughtfully recreated within the world whilst all adding a little something to the experience/ story. From what I have played so far, I am enjoying the story and find myself actively pausing the game as I go to look up references made so I can wise myself up on the previous lore. I'm excited to see how the story progresses and I believe it has potential to be pretty special.

Look, Feel and Gameplay

Kingdom Hearts 3 features a lot, and I mean a lot, of cutscenes. This is where you will find most of the story and see areas of worlds that you can’t explore on foot. They all look great with decent animation and very impressive voice acting but they can be a little annoying as you will on occasion, run 5-10 yards before entering another cutscene. It takes some getting used to but once you begin to appreciate them, you’ll realise that they are a key component of what makes KH3 so unique. The look and feel of actual gameplay is alright, the visuals wont knock you off your feet but they are good enough and I cant shake this PS2 feeling that they give me, I really rate that the graphics feel similar to what I have seen of the earlier games. The game runs at a consistent 60 FPS which makes combat feel very crisp and smooth and whilst we are on that subject, although it can be a bit of a button masher, I do like the combat mechanics as they feel so smooth and most importantly for me, they were fairly easy to master.

Coming into the series now

A lot of people have commented on this pretty important subject and as I was new to the series myself, I feel as though I can give a decent answer. Whilst you will feel very out of the loop at the start as it does throw you in at the deep end somewhat, with a little bit of research and patience you will start to feel a part of the story. The games flow will also start to grow on you as you begin to appreciate cutscenes and some of the awesome enemies more. Gameplay isn’t an issue as it feels similar to other titles I have played such as Dissidia Final Fantasy and Attack on Titan. Overall, I’m not going to lie, its not the easiest game to pick up and play if you don’t have past experience. It is definitely doable though and to my surprise, I’m actually really enjoying the game now. Just maybe consider doing some research, catching up on the story or starting from the very beginning

Conclusion

Kingdom Hearts 3 is a special game, it manages to feel familiar in some ways and brand new in others. Its full of awesome characters and worlds that we all know and love and your interactions with them make for a truly unique Disney experience. The game is packed full of charm and its visuals look modern whilst still giving you a bit of a nostalgic feel. Sure, it might not be very easy to join the series at this point but I definitely recommend you give it a try. For those long time KH fans, it looks like you got the game you were asking for and I look forward to continuing my adventure in the future.