Kingdom Hearts

Frankly, the intro was awful. First there was a nonsensical cutscene that was really a music video; then a tutorial section which takes forever; then a series of vague errands in the starting area, mixed in with ridiculously difficult minigames that command absolute perfection over the very controls that have just been introduced. And I shouldn't have to say that the mix of Final Fantasy and Disney characters makes for a very awkward narrative, but it certainly doesn't help matters.

Luckily, Kingdom Hearts has excellent gameplay mechanics on its side. It's a welcome approach to an action RPG - most of the numerics, like health and mana, are replaced by simple gauges that are much easier to approach. Movement and camera orientation felt rough in the beginning but I'm starting to get used to it. And, hell, there's magic! Magic is cool. The combat is fun even before the main character (Sora) meets his party members (Donald and Goofy), and party combat is even more exciting.

I'm just scratching the surface of the game and I can already see incredible depth. Highly customizable party AI; a wealth of items, for using, equipping, and collecting; and the Gummi Ship workshop, which I still don't understand much of, but given my airship fetish I fully intend to explore.

Progress: Wonderland