On the occasion of the release of KINGDOM HEARTS on Steam Last June 13th, we decided to retrace the origins of the saga, rediscovering how a title from the early 2000s managed (through genius and luck) to prove itself a precursor of what today we could almost define as “habit”. KINGDOM HEARTS in fact it was one of the very first titles to exploit mechanics such as crossovers or shōnen themes, creating over the years a franchise capable of establishing a unique bond with all the players who held the young game in their hands for the first time Sister.
Historically speaking, before the release of KINGDOM HEARTS, Disney was no stranger to releasing video games tied to its many animated films. Just think of titles like Castle of Illusion, Disney’s Aladdin, Duck Talesand many other titles typically developed and published by CAPCOM during the period NES And SNES. Later, with the 3D revolution, companies like Squaresoft they managed to slowly establish themselves on the video game market, even managing to change the way the rest of the world saw Japanese video games through great icons such as FINAL FANTASY VIIor its eighth and ninth chapters. With both companies riding high, it seems fate that the Japanese offices of both companies would share a building. The initial idea of KINGDOM HEARTS It actually started with a discussion between Shinji Hashimoto And Hironobu Sakaguchi about Super Mario 64. They were actually planning to make a game with 3D freedom of movement like this latest title, but they complained that only famous characters like those Disney could compete with a game of Mario. Tetsuya Nomuraoverhearing their conversation, volunteered to lead the project and the producers agreed. A chance meeting between Hashimoto and a manager of Disney in an elevator, since Square And Disney previously worked in the same building in Japan, allowed Hashimoto to present the idea directly to Disney.
After more than twenty years, it is perhaps difficult to imagine how a union of this type could influence the world of video games. Today crossovers are much more common, and it is not uncommon for me to think that self KINGDOM HEARTS If it had come out today for the first time, many would not have even given it a glance, perhaps driven by a simple annoyance born from the interaction of such two different universeseven accusing it of being just a marketing technique to earn easy money. Giving rise to my theory are the continuous clashes born with each punctual publication of new skins related to video game characters (and not) on Fortnitewhere hordes of players feel outraged at seeing the protagonist of their beloved title exploited in that way, as if, moreover, that crossover would change the world of experiencing video games forever.
With this brief incipit, abandon yourself to your thoughts for a moment, and ask yourself how today’s videogame society would receive the news of seeing Cloud Strife fight side by side with the Lion King after the success of FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTHor watch short gameplay trailers showing us the fearsome Sephiroth grappling with Foo And Donald Duck. KINGDOM HEARTS It was undoubtedly at the forefront in offering the player something that today could be considered common, but even more so in being born at a time when nothing similar existed in circulation, and prejudices were something light years away from unimaginable adventures for the standards of the time. KINGDOM HEARTS It is still considered a great gamble, but at the same time a gamble in which every drop of blood and sweat was exploited in order to achieve one’s ideal, almost as if he already knew that tomorrow he would never have to stop demonstrating his strength within the grand scheme of things.
Its success is also due to its narrative method and the themes it touches upon, similar to those of shōnen anime and manga.. Today it is not unusual to come across works of this kind, especially for the great bite they have towards the younger audience, but at the time this was still an avant-garde approach, touched and experimented only in part by Squaresoft through games like FINAL FANTASY VII and his anti-corporate tale, FINAL FANTASY VIII and wanting to get closer to school drama, or FINAL FANTASY X and his troubled love story. Themes such as estrangement, existential crises, or feeling like a fish out of water, still manage to prove themselves modern, and the journey of growth of Sister through the various worlds Disney It is marked by his sacrifices for love and friendship, proving to be a point of reference even for a boy of 2024.
Moreover, the title, although it promotes the ideals a lot Disneyis not afraid to delve into increasingly mature themes, especially in its depiction of darkness and general evil. Furthermore, the character designs of Tetsuya Nomura was just a draft in the first game, as it only featured a handful of new characters. Characters like Sister, Riku, Kairi And Ansem were just a preview of the design and development of the later characters. All this had a huge impact on many artists who began to take inspiration from the line of Nomurato the point of creating their own versions of Sister and the many worlds that shape it aesthetically. The composer also becomes a source of inspiration and praise Yoko Shimomurawho over the years has seen her songs played by live orchestras all over the world, but also the singer Utada Hikarucapable of conquering the world audience and even artists of the caliber of Haley Joel Osment And Jesse McCartney.
We can therefore say that the universe of KINGDOM HEARTS It has had a long-lasting impact on the world of video games, art, music, but also on all those who have played it in the dark of their room. KINGDOM HEARTS is in fact the title that taught many of us to love beyond the romantic sense of the term, and that there are not only light and darkness, but different and numerous shades of them. Waiting for some new information on the development of KINGDOM HEARTS IV we leave you with the SQUARE ENIX characters that we would like to see in the new chapter of the saga, and we remind you that from June 13th all chapters (including DLC) are finally available on Steam.
May your heart be your guiding key.
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