When you think Final Fantasy, you think deep, complex characters, big monsters and an evil set to take over the world. When you think Disney, you think princesses and evil villains set to rule the world with some rather comedic and cute heroes with strong morals to do what’s right.

In a sense, they both fit together anyway, but I don’t think that anyone in their right mind would have ever imagined that the two would fit together to create a new game epic. Yet, much to my surprise…Kingdom Hearts seems to know exactly what the strengths and weaknesses of both these corporate giants are. And as a result, you’ve got a charming little gem of a game.

Thanks to Disney, it looks great and has some of the most classic baddies ever. And thanks to Square Enix, it’s got a great story and a great male lead, with plenty of FF charm and plenty of Disney charm. Infact, I wouldn’t mind watching hours of cutscenes from this game…they even nailed the voice acting perfectly, to the point where it actually sounds like the characters are really talking, and not just someone talking for the characters. If that makes any sense.

The plot’s even pretty brilliant. The Disney Villains all get together and find a new power to slowly take over the universe, by method of beings called the Heartless. They consume peoples souls and peoples worlds, becoming stronger as they sink the world into true darkness. The darkness has even reached into some worlds which aren’t from Disney, destroying worlds of famous Final Fantasy characters like Cloud Strife and Squall Leonhart.Our male lead is the only person chosen by a mystical key who’s able to seal up worlds to save them from darkness, so he sets off on his quest, accompanied by Goofy and Donald Duck.So why isn’t the game more world renowned?

To be honest, it actually is. You’ll be hard pressed to find anyone who calls themselves a proper gamer who hasn’t heard of Kingdom Hearts in one way or another.It’s even gotten a huge fanbase full of followers, and many games follow on from this one. That’s because it was an amazing experience…yet, in my opinion, it didn’t do very well as a game.

The combat is actually the main reason for this. I would be happy to replay the entire game without a single fight in it, just going from point A to point B, exploring the worlds. The combat is clunky, and has a pretty bad camera. Most fights are a case of bashing the X button and hoping Sora swings his keyblade in the right place. I’ve looked at some youtube videos, and the way that some people master the combat amazes me…making me think that it’s just me who didn’t get to grips with it.

With a deep, moving story, full of that classic Disney charm, yet packed to death with the charm you’d expect from a Final Fantasy game. It’s actually hard to express just what made this so brilliant, but I think i’d actually have preferred this in movie format. It’s a godamn brilliant tale, adventure and story, with amazing voice acting and lush worlds to explore, but I just never got to grips with the combat.

Needless to say, any fan of Disney, charming, cute games, RPG’s, or epic games shouldn’t think twice about getting their hands on a copy of Kingom Hearts.