Kingdom Hearts 3 is often seen by many as a controversial entry in the series, with some even going as far as to say it's the worst one. That’s hyperbole, but this game does have a ton of flaws in its gameplay and storytelling, so some of that criticism is warranted.
It might not have the best Disney worlds and locks the Final Fantasy characters behind DLC, but there’s something about this game that keeps me coming back.
Despite all of the legitimate complaints, Sora’s third main adventure with Donald and Goofy is my favorite in the series.
One reason why Kingdom Hearts 3 is my favorite is the way Sora controls. While the character has always controlled well, this entry adds a few small improvements that make moving him feel smoother.
Sora can now run simply by moving forward, making it easier to navigate these worlds. He can also run up walls like Spider-Man, which makes exploring the areas in this game more fun than ever. While he still needs to unlock specific abilities to reach every location in the game, this makes him control better from the get-go.
Another reason why Kingdom Hearts 3 is my preferred entry in the series is how the worlds don’t feel as empty anymore. The original games have a lot of space, but not many people to interact with. Funnily enough, they all feel like combat zones outside of the town hub, which is a complaint often thrown at this game.
While there are still plenty of empty feeling areas in the game – looking at you Frozen world – there are times where Sora and co. can actually interact with other people while not in a hub. The introduction of the Hercules level has Sora saving civilians from Heartless, who thank him with items. In the Tangled area, Sora can dance with the townsfolk during a short musical mini-game.
I’ll take these levels over the lifeless areas in other games any day.
The biggest surprise in Kingdom Hearts 3 is its Pirates of the Caribbean level. Putting on its best Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag cosplay, Sora gets to command pirate ships, go to islands, and set sail. It’s no Wind Waker, but the fact that this level is so different from everything else keeps it memorable, even if the third Pirates movie sucks eggs.
Combat is a mixed bag, even for this Kingdom Hearts 3 apologist. Slashing away at the Heartless is still plenty of fun, but Sora can feel so overpowered that going through these enemies can feel boring at times. There were also Disney ride summons Sora could do without any story explanation, which makes already easy enemies feel like Dynasty Warriors fodder.
One great bit about combat is the game’s customizable Keyblades. In the original games, new Keyblades were always stronger, and it made sense to change them whenever they popped up. But for players who want to stick with the original Keyblade – me – they can just upgrade it to be the strongest one, like in FF7 Remake. This made me very happy, because the original design is iconic and in use, so I loved using it for most of the game.
Although I was never too invested in KH lore, Kingdom Hearts 3 still managed to mess up its story pacing. Everything is done at the story’s convenience, which can make character moments feel hollow and empty. The writing always finds a way to make Organization 13 more powerful than they should be, while also making our heroes seem too weak.
Fans who remember how those final battles play out will agree with this.
But even with that, I still like how the story eventually plays out. Without spoiling things too much, Sora gets a new power near the end, and he pays for overusing it. This ending blew me away, and the post-credits scene has so much aura that it would make Marvel movies feel jealous.
Kingdom Hearts 3 is nowhere near perfect. But no game is. It’s still ridiculously fun, and that ending gets me every time. The wait for Kingdom Hearts 4 is still painful.