[Updated] KH13's Kingdom Hearts III review and video review

[xionskeyblade 91]

Our spikey-haired hero has returned to continue his fight against the darkness in a brand new and most awaited installment of the 17-year saga, Kingdom Hearts III! Kingdom Hearts III is a masterpiece that flourishes through the cinematic cutscenes, gameplay, and story while retaining bits and pieces from past games. This preliminary review will go over our staff's  takeaways of the game without spoiling the story. An in-depth analysis and video review will also be coming soon! Update [Feb 11, 2019]: Our video review, which includes our rating and a fuller discussion on the game, is now up! Watch it here or scroll down to the bottom of this article!

The charm of Kingdom Hearts III lies prominently in the amazing cinematic scenes Square Enix developed working in unison with Disney and Disney Pixar. Compared to the past games in the series, Kingdom Hearts III’s cutscenes are more vibrant and the characters are far more expressive, both in cinematics and in gameplay. No more robot face Sora! Sora blends in smoothly with Pixar characters as if he were originally part of the movies. The scenes transition into battle flawlessly and without delay. Along with the beautiful visuals, Yoko Shimomura’s arrangements amp up the emotion throughout the game and resonate nostalgia, beginning with the new arrangement of Dearly Beloved. Hearing Dearly Beloved brought back many memories and emotions from the years of playing the series. To top it off, the dialogue is delightful; written by director Tetsuya Nomura himself, the scenarios were scripted naturally, with humor scattered throughout that underlined the theme of friendship. You will find yourself chuckling even at the cheesiest lines! The story is an engaging experience with contributions by the player itself but also succeeds in delivering the immersive of the original Disney movies themselves.

As expected, Kingdom Heart's storytelling's staple convolution throughout over a dozen different games may hinder new players from grasping the core plot elements - even at a basic level. Actually, it's not even an issue of understanding the plot, which is partly aided by references to past events, flashbacks, and the Memory Archive summary videos; but rather it is an issue of appreciating it. Longtime fans may make jokes regarding the series's plot but we still find ourselves enraptured by plot twists (and holes), tangled dialogue, vague implications, abstract references, and symbolism in the story. For brand new or fairly new players, their inexperience with the "side games" of the story (whose stories can be accessed at once via the 1.5+2.5 and 2.8 collections for PS4) may not hinder the fun of playing Kingdom Hearts III or even understanding the superficial plot points, but can sadly interfere with the delight that comes with both comprehending the underlying plot and characters' personalities or pondering about its mysteries. Despite this, whether Kingdom Hearts III can encourage new players to try out the other games (or at least read multiple wikis on the series) is a question that needs to be asked exclusively to those very players.

Before we dive in to discuss battle, let's take a moment to talk about the amazing Gummiphone. The Gummiphone is first introduced as a way to communicate in the Kingdom Hearts universe and as a way for Jiminy Cricket to record your adventures. But as with any smartphone, its main use becomes quickly evident; selfies! Characters will pose when you aim the front or back camera at them, and you can make Sora give a cheesy smile (pun intended). Some characters are more photogenic than others (*cough* Rapunzel *cough*) and you may find yourself taking a few dozen pictures of or with them. The views are also breathtaking, in some worlds more than others, and you can't help but want to record this in photographs. Unfortunately, the maximum number of photographs allowed is 100; but you can easily save your favorite ones externally on social media, and delete some as you go along, such as the Lucky Emblems photos, which are stored in their own separate album. Speaking of Lucky Emblems (just another name for Hidden Mickeys, really), snapping a good picture of them will enable you to unlock the secret ending movie after beating the game upon installing Update 1.03. The requirements are to snap all 90 Emblems in Beginner mode, 60 on Standard, and 30 on Proud, and the movie can be viewed either after the Epilogue or in the Theatre.

Now, onto battles. Kingdom Hearts III’s gameplay feels very fluid and has improved from the demo. There are factors that pay homage to past games such as the return of Flowmotion and Shotlock. The game also has many new varieties of mechanics. Formchanges, in which Sora and Keyblades transform into powerful forms with very effective combos, and a mechanic called Attractions, that unveil beautiful cinematic scenes of Sora, Donald, and Goofy riding recognizable Disney rides that release powerful finishers. The detail and time put into the Attractions are amazing, and many, like Splash Run, leave you feeling like you're riding them yourself; but they often feel excessive and overpowered in battle. There are times during battle when I accidentally trigger the Attractions and it feels more in the way than helping. (By the way, you can change between different reaction commands using L2!)

There are many layers in this game that enable you to vary your strategy from world to world, battle to battle, and within the same battle! As always, you can equip your favorite abilities, but in Kingdom Hearts III it is one of the keys to making gameplay more challenging. In fact, selecting Proud mode is only one way to test one's abilities; for more competitive players, equipping and unequipping certain abilities (such as MP Safety, Zero EXP, or Auto-Finish) is highly recommended. A monumental change has been implemented in the Keyblades in this game; along with formchanges, each with their own gimmicks and abilities, even more variety can be added by switching between 3 Keyblades in a single battle or even during combos! Switching Keyblades also helps in retaining forms by preventing their timer from depleting. And if that isn't enough, you can power up your Keyblades with the help of Moogles, the meisters of synthesis! After formchanging your Keyblade, you can choose to deal powerful finishing attacks; some can leave you with a sense of accomplishments as you knock down enemy after enemy; others... not so much. (Try the Hero's Origin Keyblade finisher for the Counter Shield formchange when you get the time; you will know exactly what I mean!)

Among Kingdom Hearts III's plethora of battle elements to use at your disposal, other examples include Links with other Disney Characters (and Dream Eaters) and Team-up Attacks with your allies. It feels refreshing to be able to hear your party members call out to alert you that they are ready to deliver a special move together. Some of these moves can also be used outside of (or exclusively in) battle to overcome barriers in your exploration, such as burning debris with Goofy's shield or tall cliffs with Rapunzel's hair.

Variety in combat would mean very little if not accompanied by a variety of battles. Fortunately, in Kingdom Hearts III, the two go hand-in-hand. (Yes, pun intended.) The enemies in the game are quite diverse and therefore push you to choose different combat strategies; this aids even the least creative, most stoic players to come up with their own styles - and enjoy doing so! Almost every fight - from the hordes of Heartless to the small, medium, and big boss fights - has a different fighting experience to offer. The boss fights are always interesting and ask you to change strategies during the battle and relish in figuring your way out of it.

The worlds of Kingdom Hearts III also introduce new mini-games for players to enjoy! Each world has its own set of games along with recurring ones. A favorite of mine is the Tangled rhythm mini-game where Sora dances at the festival in Corona. The mechanics are very similar to Atlantica’s mini-game in Kingdom Hearts II, but the music is instrumental and amps the rhythm as you proceed through the different stages. Classic Kingdom mini-games are also accessible through the Gummiphone, inspired by LCD games and themed after classic black and white Disney shorts; these are simple yet addictive, and fun to spend time playing during breaks from grander fights and breaking previous records.

Something convenient in Kingdom Hearts III is Remy's restaurant in Twilight Town - which can be accessed through the world map as well! At Remy's Bistro, you can use the ingredients you've collected to cook new recipes through a pleasing mini-game and the outcomes are beneficial! When dishes are consumed, it raises stats for a temporary amount of time (and you get a bonus for a full-course meal). Ingredients can be bought in Moogle Shops but also collected in different worlds; make sure to check every cranny, smash every barrel, hit all the bushes, and swim every way! Even if those broken barrels don't yield anything on your shopping list, they might give you some extra Munny to spend - which is great, because you might find yourself strapped for cash otherwise.

Apart from looking for ingredients and Lucky Emblems, another element that rewards the player for exploration comes with the Gummi Ship's "open-world" mode, but let's talk about that within the next section of our review: the return of the Gummi Ship.

It could not have been imagined in any better way.

The Gummi Ship element of the gameplay has been completely overhauled in Kingdom Hearts III. You can now explore the universe freely and multi-directionally, leading your own way across asteroids, avoiding enemies, marveling at space lights or venturing to find treasures hidden inside puzzle-like Treasure Spheres while bathed in the light of faraway stars. The stars themselves may represent a constellation that you can take pictures of (yes, you can use your Gummiphone in space) to be rewarded with new blueprints. And then, when you're well rested, you can dash towards enemies of your level of choice and engage in a fight in the Gummi Ship's battle mode. The Gummi Ship can be customized to boost appearance and stats at an even greater level in this game, and can be equipped with auxiliaries such as special weapons and "teeny ships"! It is something I suggest you play yourself to experience the marvel of. Below are some of our favorite Gummi Ship designs!

In conclusion, Kingdom Hearts III isn't perfect, but it's definitely a masterpiece. Following the series for years, this game stirs up so many emotions and is a rollercoaster ride from beginning to end. It makes you laugh so hard that you can't breathe, it also breaks your heart and makes you cry. It is incredibly fun to play and easy to immerse yourself into as it offers you the freedom to choose your own play style, all this in a gorgeous Disney and Square Enix original settings.

If you haven't picked up Kingdom Hearts III yet, you should! If you are new to the series, the game offers a memory archive in which you can watch videos recapping the past games, and is not timid in bringing back events from the past to remind old players and recap new ones. If you are Disney fans, all the better experience as it takes you on a nostalgic adventure as you re-experience beloved stories or a new storyline altogether with your favorite Disney characters. But to truly appreciate the charm of its storytelling, we recommend playing Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX and Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, both on PS4 and also available as a physical bundle in Kingdom Hearts -The Story So Far- and digitally in the All-In-One Package. If all else fails, there's always fanmade recap videos such as the Kingdom Hearts Timeline series to help you out!

But whether or not this is your first Kingdom Hearts game, it will be an insanely fun ride.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr for more news on Kingdom Hearts, and keep in touch with the latest highlights through our Kingdom Hearts III master coverage!

UPDATE [Feb 11, 2019]: You can also watch our video review for a fuller discussion by Staff @Toominator and @SeaSaltShelby on what they enjoyed, the most and  the least, about Kingdom Hearts III!

Kingdom Hearts III review codes were provided by Square Enix. This review pertains to Version 1.00 played on a standard PlayStation 4. This review was co-written by Erica-Janine Sanguir and Fatima Kaiyum; it been updated with additional comments after Update 1.03. The video review was made by @Toominator and @SeaSaltShelby.

For more reviews by critics, click here.

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[keyslinger 307]

Im not afraid to admit that I teared up at multiple points in the game. It really is fantastic.

[Espio 63]

When I saw the opening when i started the game I almost shed a tear.

The game is really awesome.

 

[Mark Cummings 39]

It's so awesome to play a Kingdom Hearts game where I both don't know exactly how to get from point A to point B, and that I don't know what is going to happen next.  I'm having an absolute blast with this game.  

[Javelin434 3,164]

Seriously worth the 10+ year wait for this. I'm glad they decided to take their time rather than rushing through this, because holy crap it is amazing!

[Dustin Lübbers 933]

7 hours ago, Espio said:

When I saw the opening when i started the game I almost shed a tear.

The game is really awesome.

 

The moment it showed Kingdom hearts 3 on the screen having done the incredible intro and hercs world the words " this us going to be everything we wanted"

[Moonshaft 1]

Long time lurker here finally getting around to posting as well as a long time KH fan.

 

I guess I'll be one of the few in the minority when I saw that while the same so far is really fun to play (made it the 3rd world so far) I'm actually really disappointed in the quality of the voice acting. While some characters read really well and fluidly (Donald, Goofy, Sora) there are others who sound so stiff. It's obvious that they haven't done any voice work in a long time and their performance is really suffering because of it.
Looking at you, Riku. Listening to him is just......ugh.

Edited February 1, 2019 by Moonshaft

[Iamkingdomhearts1000 1,170]

18 minutes ago, Moonshaft said:

Long time lurker here finally getting around to posting as well as a long time KH fan.

 

I guess I'll be one of the few in the minority when I saw that while the same so far is really fun to play (made it the 3rd world so far) I'm actually really disappointed in the quality of the voice acting. While some characters read really well and fluidly (Donald, Goofy, Sora) there are others who sound so stiff. It's obvious that they haven't done any voice work in a long time and their performance is really suffering because of it.
Looking at you, Riku. Listening to him is just......ugh.

I don't know, Riku sounds pretty legit as he always does. Also, I was actually surprised by how Bret Iwan as Mickey sounds more better then his previous portrayals. At one point, I was seriously reminded of Wayne Allwine.

 

On a side discussion, as the game everyone has been waiting for, I don't think Kingdom Hearts III probably fulfils that role. On the other hand however, it is a truly worthy main series numbered title game. :], delivering an almost at best satisfying conclusion to the Xehanort Saga and delivering an equally epic confrontation between both Sora and Master Xehanort himself. :]

[Moonshaft 1]

1 hour ago, Iamkingdomhearts1000 said:

I don't know, Riku sounds pretty legit as he always does. Also, I was actually surprised by how Bret Iwan as Mickey sounds more better then his previous portrayals. At one point, I was seriously reminded of Wayne Allwine.

 

On a side discussion, as the game everyone has been waiting for, I don't think Kingdom Hearts III probably fulfils that role. On the other hand however, it is a truly worthy main series numbered title game. :], delivering an almost at best satisfying conclusion to the Xehanort Saga and delivering an equally epic confrontation between both Sora and Master Xehanort himself. :]

I agree that Bret was improved greatly. I'm ssure that side work as Mickey apart from Kingdom Hearts has probably helped this a lot. I don't know...he just sounds so stiff to me. It might also be the way that the dialogue is translated and the fact that consonant don't seem to exist to help make the flow of sentences feel smoother? It just sounds so blocky and rough. There's no complaint on his voice itself, it's just the line reading that's putting me off a bit.

[Potato head harvey 70]

Half way through the game. Game is far from a masterpiece in my opinion.

[Xyrn 7]

Just finished it last night and all im going say about that is: Damn.

on a not-so-unrelated note: Now im gonna start the platnium process.

[sagman12PC 280]

I wouldn't call it a masterpiece; KH2FM still has that title. Its for sure up there in quality but i'd still say KH2 was better

[Supersonic815 1]

Definitely not a masterpiece. It didn't feel like i was playing the final chapter of a story arc, it felt like i was playing a hastily put together side game.

[2 quid is good 2,209]

10 hours ago, Supersonic815 said:

Definitely not a masterpiece. It didn't feel like i was playing the final chapter of a story arc, it felt like i was playing a hastily put together side game.

I wouldn't go this far, but I can definitely see the reasoning behind this post.

Gameplay 10/10 for me, a little more difficulty is probably needed, but easily the best Osaka has ever done. Just the sheer amount of air movement you have is amazing, and keyblade upgrades make this a definite bombastic entry for the main series.

Music is 10/10 amazing, there are certain tracks that are absolutely hype af. My only criticism is that the final boss should have had something more original, but I wasn't too bothered in the moment.

The writing is best in the series, easily. The interactions are on point and Sora's voice is a huge improvement from every other game since 2.

But is Kingdom Hearts 3 a masterpiece? Probably so if you're not someone who was committed to the story.

Spoiler

Now, the real letdown in KH3: The story.

That ending was completely bullshit. Not only is it unnecessary because we all know Sora will be fine, but it also gives no resolution to the seven years since 3D and the nine years since BBS for people who were waiting on those resolutions.

Pacing in this story is terrible; there's no midgame at all. And that's to its immense detriment. Another factor is the absolute lack of original worlds:

RoD is a bus stop

Twilight town is the size of a kitchen

Land of Departure is a kitchen sink

Keyblade Graveyard is like five corridors

Scala is a doormat

Final world is a bedroom

Destiny islands and radiant garden are pictures on the wall

 

Eight worlds and not one of them is done justice, and we can add 100 Acre Wood to that list. If you know me you know how much I defended that world. Not anymore lol.

On the above list the only one I'm not all that mad about are Final World - because its purpose was served well

 

Keyblade Graveyard - because I expected Scala to be the real explorable world

And Destiny Islands because let's face it, that world will never be explorable again and we been knew that.

So much stuff that was taken as granted for a numbered game was left out here, stuff that even BBS managed to include, and yes, we all know that bbs is practically kh0 in all but name.

The absolute lack of setting up plot points properly throughout the game bit it in the ass spectacularly. We spent like an hour or so at the beginning of the game talking about Roxas, and TAV. Then what do we do until 20 hours later? Absolutely firetruck all.

At least the wayfinder trio moment felt earned and was solid; we had bbs and 3D, and even certain parts of 3 that led up to it.

 

Roxas' return? A character who was said to be secret? LOL. Every single scene of Roxas in the trailers was practically the amount of scenes he's in the game. He comes out of firetrucking nowhere and that's not even the worst part.

Xion. Where the hell did she come from? We just gotta create an explanation. That's fine with me in the sense that of course, I can create an explanation, but that's not what this game was for!

That's what all the others were for! How many times did Nomura say this game was about wrapping up plot points? And how many did he actually wrap up? Like two, maybe three if I'm generous? And the ones that were wrapped up were handled badly.

And not to mention the worst factor in all of this: U. X.

My fricking sides man. We got more setup in the main game for whatever is happening in ux than actual resolution for this saga! Why were we led to believe the box would have a bearing on the story, since like 2016?! Only to find out bloody nothing. Haha.

And then Xehanorts "redemption" of sorts. A man that not five minutes ago killed Kairi (oh Lord don't get me started on Kairi) and yet he's just allowed to... Go? Like wtf? Where is his agonising death scene? When he screams at Kingdom Hearts, and then says his last words and just fades?!

instead we get him to be buddy buddy with Eraqus. I'm super glad Eraqus got his redemption because he *deserved* it. Xehanort? Nahhhh.

All in all, I would have been fine with all of my previous complaints if I at least got some closure, all they had to do was not wisk Sora away at the last second.

 

But no. Because Nomura is still way too hung up over fricking Versus. You gotta laugh man.

But now? With that unsatisfactory end? Hell yeah I'm salty.

No FF

Reduced original Content

Xehanort saga shunted in favour of the foretellers

And that trash ending.

wow I have issues with this game.

I should not be wanting KH4 because I'm unsatisfied with KH3, I should be wanting KH4 because KH3 was so super frucking good that it made me hungry for me.

Like the guy above me said; this game felt like it was just another setup side story. I'm starting to wonder if Nomura even remembers how to write a conclusion anymore.

As it stands KH2 is still the gold standard here. And it disappoints me to say so.

 

[Winterprince 0]

Kingdom Hearts 3 is far from a masterpiece. I understand this is a spoiler free review, but you could at least mention that the story is problematic, and it is. Anyone that actually follows the story and that has beaten the game should see the obvious problems.

[aujam 0]

masterpiece?!?!
Huh, please don't make me laugh.
This game was garbage.

[Svard 164]

Seems like this game is going to need a Final Mix version or DLC to really feel complete. For one, there are a few inconsistencies in the story that occur in the second half of the game. There's a lack of any challenging bonus fights, no Colosseum, no Critical Mode, and unlocking the secret movie was too easy. Also, am I the only one that feels like production cost (not to mention licensing) was wasted on that one Frozen scene?

Anyway, there are a few other gripes I have with this game, but most of it is on the story, which felt like it had no solid build-up, and I was honestly slightly disappointed with what we got for a game that many of us have been waiting over a decade for. Don't get me wrong, I still loved the game! The Gummi Ship system has been improved tremendously (though the inability to upgrade your grid size left me feeling a bit sad). The ship battles in the Caribbean were pretty dope, and I absolutely love some of the Keyblade forms! But there are definitely some shortcomings with this game, and I'm really hoping that any Final Mix version we get of it, whether physical or through DLC, will add more replay value to it. Otherwise, I've pretty much already gotten what I can out of the game in the 54 hours I've spent on it.

**Edit for some elaboration**

[Story - 5/10]
They REALLY could have done better in this department. There was little build-up, no real transition to the climax, and the ending left me rather disappointed. Also, that secret movie? (Everyone whose seen it already knows what I'm talking about)

 

Now for some inconsistencies and oddly-placed moments. Roxas pops out of nowhere end-game, and the reason they give was VERY unsatisfactory.

Where dafuq did Xion come from? I thought she was supposed to be in Sora's heart, but apparently the Organization had her in their ranks. Did her heart leave Sora when he and the others nearly died? Did they bring her from the past, and if so, does that mean there's a second Xion inside of Sora still? Where was the bridge to her coming back into existence?

Why are they trying to make Kairi worthless again? KH1 and CoM gave her purpose. KH2 turned here into a damsel in distress. DDD seemed like it would turn her around, and KH3 tried to give her a small bit of purpose, but ultimately made her a damsel in distress again. She's the light of Sora's life, except when she's not. At this point, she's only the light of Sora's life when she's missing.

As Vexen, Even went into some darker parts of research, and now he suddenly wants to "atone"? I think what should have happened was Xemnas should have stolen his research, and Even should have used that as motivation to work against him. in the least, it would have been much more logical than "I want to atone".

The ending was alright, but could have been more satisfying. It might have made the ending more interesting had they made Sora go full dark rage on Xehanort at the moment he "killed" Kairi. Sora would have lost the power of waking as a result of letting darkness into his heart again, and Kairi's heart would be left wandering between realms, leaving Sora in a dark place, and leaving the islands as a result. This would make both, Sora and Kairi absent in the ending, and would also have fit better into the whole "darkness will prevail, and light, expire" line. It would also have made Kairi's existence carry a little more weight, and would have better set up KH4 to where Sora now has to spend a good portion of that chapter restoring his light. But this is just my own "fan-fic" ending, as it were.

[Worlds - 6/10]

 

Okay, I liked the worlds that we got to visit, but there was definitely something lacking in this department! First off, why no Radiant Garden? It should have been a stopping point mid-story, and what few scenes we got basically showed it in the exact same form it was in in BBS. There should have been a new Radiant Garden with different scenery, roads and new structures from what we got in BBS!

Twilight Town should have been expanded from its KH2 variant, instead it was shrunk!

We should have been given a reason to explore some of Castle Oblivion before it transformed back into the Land of Departure, and we should also be able to visit the Land of Departure, if nothing else, for the sake of a bonus fight and some Battle Gates.

And Scala Ad Caelum should have had some exploration with some transitional fights as we try to make our way up to the top where Xehanort should have been, reminiscing in the room where he and Eraqus played KH Chess or some shit, IDK.

[Gameplay - 9/10]
Gameplay for the most part was very solid! The few changes I would want are really just some minor, personal desires, such as an upgrade-able Gummi grid, at least one dual-wield form. Though abilities that are more specific to certain gameplay elements, like more flow-motion-specific abilities, and shot-lock-specific abilities really should have been in place, with lower max AP to diversify gameplay styles and allow for a greater variety of builds.

[Lasting Appeal - 7/10]
The game is all-in-all very fun, but there are some things missing that could have extended playtime, such as more bonus fights, specifically side-bosses, much like the quality fights we got in KH2FM+, Collosseum and just some more little nuggets to keep the endgame lasting for more than just getting Secret Reports and the Ultima Keyblade. I'm hoping they remedy this with DLC in the future.

[Overall - 7/10]
At the end of the day, it's a Kingdom Hearts game, for better or worse, with the good being the gameplay and overarching story, and the bad being inconsistencies to an already convoluted story. The ending left me a little unsatisfied

Edited February 7, 2019 by Svard

[VocaloidLover13 165]

27 minutes ago, aujam said:

masterpiece?!?!
Huh, please don't make me laugh.
This game was garbage.

Only because you set your expectations ridiculously high? A game can't be perfect and please everyone. For me, it was a masterpiece and the best closure I could think of to the saga.

Music was 10/10. Graphics was 10/10. The voice had some let-downs. The gameplay was 9/10 because it was too easy. And for the story, it really seemed very well-written. If you played all games and read all the reports you can understand it. The only let-down to it that I can think of is the lack of better explanations. But overally they did good in re-telling the story to the newcomers. 

So, calling it "garbage" is totally nonsense. Just check out the reviews. Almost everyone is giving it 7 to 10 scores 

41 minutes ago, Winterprince said:

Kingdom Hearts 3 is far from a masterpiece. I understand this is a spoiler free review, but you could at least mention that the story is problematic, and it is. Anyone that actually follows the story and that has beaten the game should see the obvious problems.

There were some inconsistencies after I finished the game. But after researching a bit, reading the reports and rewatching some scenes, those inconsistencies disappeared. 

Spoiler

The appearance of the new Riku was problematic at some point to me. But soon I understood it and how it was possible. 

For the box and the "girl" aka "Subject X", they're not supposed to be a downside since they're most likely focus on the next saga

 

30 minutes ago, Svard said:

Seems like this game is going to need a Final Mix version or DLC to really feel complete. For one, there are a few inconsistencies in the story that occur in the second half of the game. There's a lack of any challenging bonus fights, no Colosseum, no Critical Mode, and unlocking the secret movie was too easy. Also, am I the only one that feels like production cost (not to mention licensing) was wasted on that one Frozen scene?

Anyway, there are a few other gripes I have with this game, and I was honestly slightly disappointed with what we got for a game that many of us have been waiting over a decade for. Don't get me wrong, I still loved the game! The Gummi Ship system has been improved tremendously (though the inability to upgrade your grid size left me feeling a bit sad). The ship battles in the Caribbean were pretty dope, and I absolutely love some of the Keyblade forms! But there are definitely some shortcomings with this game, and I'm really hoping that any Final Mix version we get of it, whether physical or through DLC, will add more replay value to it. Otherwise, I've pretty much already gotten what I can out of the game in the 54 hours I've spent on it.

Spoiler

I believe that most Disney worlds had some CGI cutscenes. For example, the ending of Caribbean and this Frozen ending too. Even though it may have cost a lot, it was still good for a closure to the worlds. 

The accessibility of the Secret Movie may have been made easy so that newcomers could enjoy the game better perhaps. I have to say that I prefered it as it was on the other games, but I'm fine with it since we still have the option to 100% the game afterwards. 

Colosseum would make it soo more interesting. They had a whole area to make it on the top of the realm of gods. But we can hope it comes in DLC alongside Critical Mode.

If the DLC includes a huge Radiant Garden story with FF characters and hidden secret bosses too, I'm sure everyone will be happy and this game will be liked A LOT more. Let's pray that Nomura hear us!

 

 

[clatter411 75]

This game was not a masterpiece. Not in the slightest. I'm not saying it's a terrible game. there are quite a few places where this game shines and surprises. But there are far too many problems with it for it to be a masterpiece. It's not even a matter of high expectations, the game simply falls short in places where a masterpiece wouldn't.

The main problem I found was the story. I could write paragraphs about the problems with the story. The pacing of the game was bad, the story didn't actually move in any direction until after all of the Disney worlds were complete, there were a lot of inconsistencies, logic problems, and unanswered questions. Some DLC scenes could hopefully at least try to help these problems a little, but it would not in any way be able to fix everything.

Also more specific to the story is the handling of the characters and their story resolutions. There were just too many character arcs that needed to be concluded and instead of making the game mainly about that, the Disney worlds seemed to be the main focus and the characters arcs all shoved together at the end of the game with the rest of the actual story leaving me and I'm sure some others dissatisfied with the lack of time spent on these characters and their resolutions.

The combat was the best of the Osaka games thus far but was still a bit too floaty.

It's one thing to really like the game and enjoy it but to call it a masterpiece is to ignore its problems. Not everyone is going to agree with my opinion sure, but let's save the term masterpiece for titles that really deserve them. It wasn't KH3 this time, hopefully in the future the series will be able to snag that label in games to come.

[RugratsNappiesFanatic 38]

On 2/2/2019 at 10:57 AM, sagman12PC said:

I wouldn't call it a masterpiece; KH2FM still has that title. Its for sure up there in quality but i'd still say KH2 was better

absolutely agree! KH2(FM) will always be the best!

[Novayon 192]

I have to echo the opinion that the game isn't a masterpiece. But then, what games are? I struggle to think of any that fit my definition other than Sonic 3&K and Halo 3. So I guess it comes down to your definition of masterpiece.

The combat was great, worlds were well designed, Disney stuff was well handled. Gummi is fantastic. Dialogue is better than ever. Visuals were on point.

The story needed better pacing and some moments were out of left field, or went nowhere.

Not much combat-oriented post game content.

But here's what disappoints for me personally: The music and boss battles. Both things I admire KH1 and 2 greatly for, and I feel 3 didn't live up to predecessors in this regard.

To give the game an arbitrary score, 8/10 for me. 

Edited February 8, 2019 by Novayon

[animemylove 439]

I think the game was great, the combat for me was probably the best in the series to date, gummi ship included, though what I love most of Kingdom Hearts is the story which I have to admit, was a bit average. The disney cutscenes drag on for what feels like an eternity, and if your waiting for an organization member to appear, and don't know when they might .. you have to watch it, then get disappointed when nothing really important happens. Almost all the plot is in the beginning and very end and it does make it feel rushed and a bit lazy, but honestly, when you consider all the shit they had to resolve from all the side games, I can appreciate them simplifying it all down and giving each plot a clean resolution. Sure they could've padded it out a bit and done it better, but it was a good length game and it's finally here and the series can move forward more smoothly. I look forward to the future.  

[Green Sparrow 795]

I have come to the conclusion that, for me, Kingdom Hearts 3 is the same as Star Wars Episode 8: The Last Jedi.

There is a lot of good, with only a little bad, but ultimately it couldn't make good on its own promises. Parts of KH3 are the best the series has ever been, while other parts are just head scratching from a story point of view. Nomura said that the ending would be divisive, and it is, but I don't think in the way that he intended.

A theoretical "Final Mix DLC" could fix a fair amount of issues, but there are some aspects that are just too baked into the main game to be altered via DLC. Much like The Last Jedi, KH3 is a good solid story, but it just makes me not care about the future of the series. KH2, Days, BBS, Coded, and 3D left me wanting more, and KH3 stopped that train in its tracks.

KH4 is going to be for a particular audience, but unfortunately that audience no longer includes me. Good luck and happy gaming to those who continue to follow the series!

EDIT: I guess I just needed to vent somewhere because upon further reflection, I've decided that KH3 is better than I gave it credit for. Some of my concerns are still there, BUT it can potentially be fixed with Final Mix. KH3 is a better experience once you judge it for what it is, instead of for what it isn't.

Edited February 17, 2019 by Green Sparrow
Clarification.

[The Transcendent Key 12,109]

This was an awesome review, xionskeyblade!

I wrapped up this game's story about six or seven days ago, and let me say, the game truly was an incredible joyride filled to the brim with epic moments, revelations, feels, and satisfying answers to longtime questions in the series! Not only did the game provide a conclusion to the Xehanort Saga, it paved the way for what comes next, and I honestly couldn't be more excited to see the direction this series takes!

The music was phenomenal, especially since the tracks were gathered from pretty much the series' expansive history, with many remixes! I would smile and fanboy every time I listened to a track, because I recognized it and I remember I'd name each track! Destiny's Union and Distant From You, two of my favorite emotional pieces, came back for this game, and I couldn't have been happier, and the field and battle themes for the worlds were awesome, and I was pleasantly surprised that some worlds had three to four themes!

The voice acting is among some of the best in the series, and well, I beat the game within forty one hours and thirty minutes! Now I"m just doing the level grinding and the Battlegates, and I aim to Platinum this game, as I have done with all the other KH games!

Here's to the future, may our hearts be our guiding key! Let's keep enjoying KHIII!

So yes, this game is indeed a masterpiece!

Edited February 17, 2019 by The Transcendent Key