Short Summary is an original series in which I write brief reviews of movies, TV shows, video games, books, and more. Yeah, spoilers are involved!

Kingdom Hearts is the greatest title released for the PS2, and it makes the PS2 the best gaming console ever created.

There. Review done.

Alright, there’s a laundry list of fantastic titles for the PS2, but I maintain that Kingdom Hearts really elevates the PS2 above other consoles, in my mind. They aren’t just the first video game and console that I owned. They aren’t just one of my favorite games and my favorite console of all time. They’re the things that made me into a gamer. I began buying different games and other consoles because I was invested in everything that was coming next from the industry. I never expected the wonderful stories, characters, and worlds of video games would get me hooked in the same ways that those in movies and books did. Yet it happened, all thanks to a Final Fantasy-Disney crossover.

I think it helps that I grew up with the movies that Kingdom Hearts takes much of its inspiration from. The game has so much going for it due to those properties. But you won’t hear me complain! I was, and still am, excited to fight alongside Disney heroes, save the princesses, and defeat the dastardly villains. In what other game can you team up with Aladdin and take down Jafar? While the latter is in evil genie form, no less?! And look, there’s Cloud Strife and Squall Leonhart! You can battle each of them!

Okay, I don’t only love Kingdom Hearts for the nostalgia and wish fulfillment it brings me. It’s a genuinely good game on its own. It has awesome character and weapon designs, creative moves and abilities, and challenging enemies and bosses. Also, as mentioned previously, the worlds you visit faithfully recreate some iconic Disney locales, and you can explore them as much and for as long as you want. I get the most joy out of simply running and looking around while beating up baddies with reckless abandon.

The story is relatively simple on the surface: join Donald Duck and Goofy as you travel to new worlds and eliminate creatures called Heartless. However, while it’s definitely a typical Hero’s Journey and a fairly black-and-white tale of good triumphing over evil, the characters make both much more complex and interesting. After all, darkness lingers in every heart.

You play as Sora, and he’s a part of a trio of original main characters, the other two being his friends, Riku and Kairi. Sora is the naive yet optimistic protagonist who values friendship above all else and never gives up. He’s funny, especially when he bounces off of Donald and Goofy, almost always happy, and empathetic. Riku is Sora’s best friend, so a natural rivalry exists between them, and they tease and push each other. Riku is the most compelling of the three, actually struggling with using darkness to gain power and find Kairi. Unfortunately, Kairi’s entire existence rests on being a plot device, damsel in distress, and the love interest for both Sora and Riku. She’s definitely the blandest character in the whole game.

There’s no doubt that the response time during fights is painfully slow, and the camera controls are some of the most egregious out there. Obviously, the effects haven’t aged well since 2002. The writing is kind of heavy-handed and cheesy throughout.

Regardless, I believe it says a lot that I keep thinking about Kingdom Hearts and recently revisited it to start another playthrough. Despite its flaws, I still have fond memories of it, and even after many years, I want to play it again to reaffirm my love for it. Play it for the premise, and stay for a one-of-a-kind experience. There’s truly no other game like it.