Opinion: I Played Kingdom Hearts for the Very First Time, Here’s What I Liked and What I Didn’t

I’m not really sure what made me think playing Kingdom Hearts was a good idea.

I’ve never really gotten into RPGs, and I think it’s mostly because they require a huge time commitment and often feature predictable, overly familiar fantasy settings.

It’s easy to see why people made fun of ‘The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales,’ especially considering its unusual setting of Philabieldia. That’s the general impression it gave to viewers.

I generally find role-playing games difficult to get into; they need to really grab my attention. But I think my feelings about them are starting to shift.

I played Sea of Stars because I was a big fan of the developers’ last game, The Messenger. I went in expecting to like it, but I was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed it, even though it’s a lengthy game with many familiar elements from the genre that I don’t usually care for.

I initially dismissed Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, but after hearing so many positive reviews, I decided to give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised – it quickly became one of my favorite games of 2025, far exceeding my expectations.

I had a sudden urge to revisit Kingdom Hearts around the holidays. Having loved classic Disney animated movies as a kid – and still enjoying them today – I figured it was worth giving the game another try.

Well.

I purchased Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix during the January sale and have now completed the first game in the collection.

It’s hard to know where to start – there’s a lot to talk about, both good and bad. I generally had a great time, so let’s break down the best parts and the things that didn’t go so well.

Highlight: All the Disney stuff

Looking back, Disney movies really helped me get through tough times. Like a lot of people, I grew up with them, and the animated films were especially important to me. I have such fond memories of getting lost in the worlds of Aladdin, Peter Pan, and The Sword in the Stone – they felt magical and comforting.

Even though I hadn’t played Kingdom Hearts before, I’ve seen almost all of Disney’s animated movies many times. It was really enjoyable to revisit those familiar worlds and characters in a new way, and I can see why that’s a big draw for fans of the game.

Lowlight: The Gummi Ship segments

I’m still a little confused about the Gummi Ship sections of the game, and what purpose they serve in the bigger picture.

I didn’t really explore the customization options much, just adding better armor and weapons as I progressed. After getting the Warp Drive, I only bothered with the Gummi Ship sections when I had no other choice.

Those sections just felt sluggish, predictable, and didn’t really matter to the overall game. Honestly, I think the whole part with the Gummi Ship could be removed without impacting the experience at all.

Look, I get why it was in the story, but honestly, those shooting sections felt totally pointless. They didn’t add anything to the experience, just felt like filler.

Highlight: It’s quite easy breezy

I often find RPGs too long, which can be a real drawback. Luckily, Kingdom Hearts is a fairly short game and doesn’t drag on, making for a good experience.

I finished it in about 30, 35 hours, and felt very satisfied with that.

Moreover, it’s a pretty simplistic game to play, and I mean that as a compliment.

The game doesn’t overwhelm you with complicated gear, and it’s clear how each item helps your team. I also liked that the game moved forward in a straightforward way – I always knew what to do next.

Lowlight: Ursula

If I had to pick the most frustrating part of Kingdom Hearts, it would definitely be the battle with Ursula. It was just incredibly difficult.

In particular, the latter fight, where she becomes giant.

I didn’t enjoy the Little Mermaid level as much as the others. It felt confusing to navigate, and the altered controls for swimming actually made the game harder to play.

The Ursula battle was challenging, and some of her moves didn’t make much sense. I even had to search online for tips because I kept getting stuck near the end. It was such a relief to finally beat her!

Highlight: Hearing Goofy and Donald say quite serious things with their ridiculous voices

I got a big kick out of Goofy and Donald being your constant companions throughout Kingdom Hearts.

If anything, I’ve grown to like them even more because of this game.

What I really loved about these characters was their incredibly unique and funny voices. It’s hilarious to hear them delivering serious lines about important themes like saving a friend, being yourself, and overcoming evil.

It made me laugh many times.

Lowlight: I’m invested and I’m scared

I’ve always been hesitant to get into Kingdom Hearts because people say the story is really confusing. The first game itself is pretty straightforward, but it’s clear it lays the groundwork for things to become much more complicated later on.

Looking at the other games in this collection, I’m starting to think I’ve gotten really into the most confusing and complicated one.

There are so many Kingdom Hearts games, and they each play differently with storylines that jump around quite a bit. The collection I got doesn’t include everything – to experience the complete story, I’ll also need to get 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue and Kingdom Hearts 3.

The story in the first game was a bit confusing, but still understandable. I’m worried that the newer games will have even more complicated stories that are hard to follow.

A few other things to mention

Here are some other little things that didn’t quite fit into the highlights and lowlights.

I was actually under the false impression the combat of Kingdom Hearts was turn-based, so I was quite surprised when it turned out to be real-time, albeit with a command menu. The more you know.
I was also pleasantly surprised to find out that most of the characters in the game have their original voices; I was expecting mostly soundalikes.
I really enjoyed how different and how peaceful the Hundred Acre Wood world is. I love that you have to find the pages, and that they introduce new little areas and cute stories when you return to the book.
Riku being tempted by the darkness and manipulated by the villains is so unbelievably predictable I found it comical.

Overall, Kingdom Hearts isn’t perfect, but its charm, silliness, and simple approach really appealed to me.

What are your thoughts on the original Kingdom Hearts? Tell us in the comments section below.

2026-04-05 19:08