KINGDOM HEARTS

Kingdom Hearts, often stylised as KINGDOM HEARTS, is a Disney video game franchise developed by Square Enix (formerly Squaresoft) for a wide variety of platforms, including mobile and home video game consoles, smartphones, and feature phones.

My first KINGDOM HEARTS game was KINGDOM HEARTS Re:coded, a full remake of coded, an original mobile game. I since moved on to 358/2 Days, then Dream Drop Distance, and completed KINGDOM HEARTS III in that order while dabbling in I, II, and Birth by Sleep. I ended up not enjoying the latter three at all, which are all fundamentally different compared to the DS and 3DS games I played.

To outsiders, KINGDOM HEARTS must be such an elusive concept. It's Mickey Mouse playing alongside random forgettable anime-looking characters. Super lighthearted entertainment for the kiddies, right?

I feel like that juxtaposition is what keeps getting me. In what seems to be a signature Disney style, KINGDOM HEARTS indeed takes this lighthearted premise and hides themes of identity, belonging, and relationships within it, evolving from "a young child ventures outside of his childhood island to explore bigger worlds" to "a young man sacrifices his life to prevent a corrupted organisation from infecting the souls of every living being with the DNA of its leader".