Review

I have such a fondness for the original Kingdom Hearts. I grew up playing this game on our PS2, but I never got past Monstro on multiple files. I would always get stuck at some part (because I was like 7), and then I would just start a new file and run around with Riku and Kairi. I finally beat the game around 2019-2020. Despite liking Kingdom Hearts 2 more, Kingdom Hearts is a phemonenal game. It's definitely one of the best RPG ever. The story is the strongest in this game, probably only rivaled by KH2's story, or maybe Roxas'. That's saying a lot, as the story isn't the greatest... but the actual mechanics of the game are AMAZING. This game is the clunkiest in the series, but even then the combat requires precision and feels super weighty. Traverse Town is also one of my favorite video game hubs ever, the music is so comfy and the vibe is so great. Another thing this game has a leg up on compared to the future ones is that it has the heaviest inclusion of Final Fantasy characters. Learning that Leon was actually called Squall in Final Fantasy 8 is a formative memory. I just loved playing the game and seeing Cloud for the first time (his design is peak in this game btw). Such a formative gaming experience, somehow topped by KH2.