Kingdom Hearts: Why Square-Enix and Disney’s Crossover Values Style Over Substance

Examining the beloved, bizarre, and divisive series

Upon the advent of Sora’s release in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, I became fascinated with revisiting the series. I’ve told myself to beat Kingdom Hearts III for years now yet, until recently, still found myself stuck in Arendelle. I remember being obsessed with this series during high school.

Yet for some reason, even after beating Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD ReMIX a couple of years ago, all I had was a passing interest in the game. It reminded me that my love for Kingdom Hearts did not age as well as the wide-eyed excitement I had back in high school.

So why don’t I consider this legendary franchise one of the highest priorities in my gaming interests? Why is Square-Enix’s second best-selling franchise — behind Final Fantasy — just a passing thought? Would you obligate yourself to beat Kingdom Hearts III because you wanted to or because you just wanted to finish a saga you never ended years ago?

The truth is Kingdom Hearts fails to live up to its potential. It’s an audiovisual masterpiece with some of the best music you’ll ever hear in gaming. It features incredibly gorgeous animations and art. It’s one of the most ambitious crossovers in gaming…