Despite what some might assume about "Kingdom Hearts," this seeming unholy marriage of Square and Disney has resulted in one of this year's best titles. It has its share of search-and-exploration, nonstop battles, and of course more dalmatians than you can shake a magic wand at.

You, Donald, and Goofy

You play Sora, a young man who has been living an idyllic life on an island world with his family and close friends, Riku and Kairi. The discovery of a mysterious door on the island sets the wheels in motion for what is to become his quest. Sora soon learns that he's the chosen warrior whose job it is to defeat the Heartless, dark creatures stealing peoples' hearts. The Heartless' mysterious leader has also unlocked paths to various worlds and it's Sora's job to seal the locks before The Heartless destroys every worlds. Among these worlds are various Disney lands, one of which is presided over by Mickey Mouse, where he is the king. As he has gotten a head start in trying to stop The Heartless, he has assigned Goofy and Donald to look for Sora and assist him. Moreover, Kairi has been kidnapped by The Heartless, giving Sora added purpose to stopping them. Advising Sora along the way are a group of "Final Fantasy" characters, all of whom have been exiled from their respective worlds by the Heartless.

Controlled chaos

With all the Disney and "Final Fantasy" star power, it should surprise some that the true star of "Kingdom Hearts" is actually the gameplay. Never before has an action RPG pulled off such consistently frenetic battles with a manageable control scheme. Most encounters have at least half a dozen opponents to worry about, so the game requires you to stay on your toes. The camera work isn't perfect but manages to keep up with the action for the most part. Fortunately, an essential lock-on feature is allows Sora to focus on one enemy at a time, letting you make sense of the chaos.

Like many action-RPGs before it, progress in "Kingdom Hearts" opens up a wide variety of special attacks and combos. New and more powerful weapons and items can also be found throughout the journey as well as currency from battles (in this case it's 'munny') that can be used in the game's item shop.

Masterful AI

A very effective though customizable supporting character AI controls Goofy and Donald, who join your party. There are several attack and defend criteria that you can adjust for either character. For example, you can set Donald to focus on physical attacks and use magic attacks occasionally, and you can set Goofy to heal party members only if health is critical. Most of the time, both of them hold their own in battle and since they regain consciousness half a minute after being knocked out, you don't have to worry about baby-sitting them. As an added bonus, certain stages allow you to use its resident character. For the 'Deep Jungle' it's Tarzan, and for 'Agrabah' it's Aladdin. Like Donald and Goofy, each of them have their own default battle settings that you can adjust.

Puzzling shooter

One sour note though is the game's space shooter section. It's an unnecessary minigame that feels out of place. Its presence is justified because it's the means by which Sora and his buddies go from world to world. Yet its blocky, undeveloped look gives the gamers the impression that perhaps this part of the game was made by Square's interns. There is no challenge in getting through the areas and the minigame also features awful pop-up in the distance. The developers even went so far as to add a deep customization feature to create your own space ship. This reviewer never found any benefit in participating in this feature, integral to the plot, gameplay, or otherwise.

Disney touches

The game's graphics perfectly complement "Kingdom Hearts'" various worlds, as well as giving 3D life to a ton of Disney characters. They're by no means detailed. Many textures are simplistic and could easily have been improved upon. Yet seeing as how these settings originated from 2D drawings, the lack of detail is hardly an issue. Where special care was taken though was in the reanimation of the mouth movements for the US voice acting. Many "Final Fantasy" characters didn't require much adjusting and more orally animated folk such as Pooh and the Queen of Hearts have good lip-synchs.

Star power

Speaking of voice acting, "Kingdom Hearts" boasts a stellar cast of Hollywood talent, most notably Haley Joel Osment, who does a great Sora. "Angel's" David Boreanaz also lends his skills as Leon (though he's actually "Final Fantasy VIII's" Squall). One surprise role is of pop singer Mandy Moore, who effectively pulls off a resurrected Aerith from "Final Fantasy VII." The voiceover roster of the Disney characters is just as impressive, featuring most of the current (as opposed to the original though deceased) actors of well-known figures such as Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pooh. Some famous reprisals include Gilbert Gottfried as "Aladdin's" Iago and James Woods as "Hercules'" Hades.

The other audio elements of the game are just as noteworthy. Yoko Shimomura (whose work has included "Super Mario RPG," "Legend of Mana," and "Parasite Eve"), has produced a wonderful soundtrack that perfectly complements the spirit of this collaboration between Square and Disney. Upon hearing the music in the title screen and the triumphant opening/intro theme, you can start to imagine just how much research Shimomura did to capture the type of theme an original Disney game would have. There are a few recognizable classics as well, including themes from "Winnie The Pooh" and "The Nightmare Before Christmas." Last but not least, the sound effects are typical "Final Fantasy" fare, featuring a collection of convincing spellcasts, footsteps, and combat blows.

Just the concept of "Kingdom Hearts" alone is worth commendation. On one hand, the pairing of "Final Fantasy" and Disney seems downright blasphemous. On the other hand this is just the swift kick in the pants that both properties (especially "Final Fantasy") needed to shed their arguably one-dimensional image. Many gamers, both hardcore and casual, will find themselves hit with moments of surrealism throughout "Kingdom Hearts."

The renowned charm of Disney's characters, the stylistic panache of "Final Fantasy" folk, and a well-designed gameplay makes up for "Kingdom Hearts'" relatively few shortcomings. It's a release that should please both young gamers and older RPG veterans alike.
"Kingdom Hearts" (PS2)