Vince Matthews on Digital Disney: A Preview of Kingdom Hearts II
Page 3 of 5
Like previous installments of KH, the main objective to players of Kingdom
Hearts II is to stop the evil Heartless from taking over the world. As with any
Kingdom Hearts adventure, it won’t be easy, especially since the Heartless will
get some help from Organization XIII (who first appeared in the GBA game).
However this time around, courtesy of an improved game engine, players have
better control of the battle sequences and - thanks to improved camera angles, a
better view of it.
Another cool feature, players can trigger certain events even during battle if the triangle button is pressed at the right time (but watch close for the quick on screen prompt!). This causes a special attack or other move to be unleashed. As battles are played out, Disney characters can also join in the action – and the way these guys are used in actual game play is pure genius. From the eyes of our plucky poultry pal Chicken Little we can watch him egg opponents, in first-person. Or do damage on the crew of the Black Pearl – but only hurt them when they step into the moonlight and show their scary selves for what they really are!
Sure, he’s a loose cannon, but he’s a powerful cannon. Stitch whups up on the
Heartless.
And if those aren’t enough battle options, Sora also has a special Drive transformation attack that allows him to change into super-powered forms (Bravery, Wisdom and Master) and like other games you can level-up these forms, as well as upgrade certain skills and weapons. Sound complicated? None of these improvements to the action are there to make the game more difficult – they’re there to make the experience more exciting and engaging.
The Square/Enix development team has definitely built a better mousetrap – and speaking of Mousetrap, did we mention that darkly-cloaked Mickey that makes an appearance in the game too?
The Gummi Ship and Other Surprises
While the Game Boy sequel, told another chapter in the story, it didn’t really
satisfy complaints gamers had with the original PS2 game - like the Gummi Ship.
This ship provided gamers with transportation between worlds, but didn’t offer
much else. Thankfully, the humdrum mini-game shooter has also been upgraded, now
sporting better graphics more intense action (action that is very similar to the
Sega Saturn classic Panzer Dragoon). Other surprises? New costumes, an
all-new enemy foe, a Tron-themed virtual world, and that cloaked Mickey.
Even with the fancy light suits, Donald and Goofy are defenseless against spam.
For both video gamers and Disney fans the Kingdom’s Hearts series is one adventure that is worth continuing, you’ll have to play the new game yourself to unlock the rest of its many secrets. Kingdom Hearts for PlayStation 2 releases on March 28th, 2006.