Remember back when the original Kingdom Hearts was debuting on the PS2? Probably not, seeing how it was never really hyped by the media. Most people were skeptical about the mix of Disney characters with Final Fantasy characters. But the second gamers got their hands on the game, they knew it was masterpiece featuring great gameplay, colorful graphics and a story that even made The Little Mermaid proud! Now, as anticipation for Kingdom Hearts II rises more and more each day, gamers are getting more juicy details about how the game looks to build on the success of its predecessor from reviews of Japanese versions of the game.
Just like in Kingdom Hearts, this game with a great CG movie and its own lyrical song. Though the dialogue and music are in Japanese we can be sure that the translation won’t slump because it obviously didn’t in the first game. Surprisingly, you do not start the game as Sora. Instead you start as Roxus, a young boy who gets together with friends in Twilight Town. Sora and other characters from the original make their appearances later in the game.
It is also rumored that the sometimes confusing and annoying camera angles from Kingdom Hearts has been fixed. This new view allows the player to see more since the camera is positioned a little farther away. There are also little tweaks in gameplay and new additions that help make the action more enjoyable than before. Though never much of a problem, these differences will attempt to make Kingdom Hearts II an even more exciting experience than its predecessor.
Gummi ships are back as well. Though I found that building gummi ships was great fun in the original, many people overlooked the Gummi system in the first game due to its uselessness. No worries for those who thought that way. Gummi ships are refurbished in Kingdom Hearts II to make them more combat oriented, and the mini game looks to address the problems of the first.
When it comes to the storyline, the plot will be a little darker and a little longer as well. Some say the game can take as long as 60 hours to complete. Of course, along the way, the player will meet with some old friends and make some new ones including the characters from Pirates of the Carribean, Vivi from Final Fantasy IX, Mufasa and Simba from The Lion King, and even Santa Claus!
After a few years of waiting, the hype has finally caught up to the actual release date, and players can get there hands on Kingdom Hearts II starting on March 30. Hopefully it’ll be as good as the first game or better. That, in itself, would be a major accomplishment.
