The Worlds of Kingdom Hearts

A Brief Insight into the Past & Present Worlds of Kingdom Hearts

Experiencing the Disney Worlds

Enchanted Dominion, the world based on Disney’s Sleeping Beauty (arguably Disney greatest artistic masterpiece), has an undeniable atmosphere that draws in every gamer.

When visiting worlds in Kingdom Hearts, I always have an excited feeling that seems to bubble up from inside. I still remember the joyful (near ecstatic) feeling I had upon my visit to the first Disney world, Wonderland. I was so amazed at how the world represented the film, how it incorporated the feel and design of Disney’s Alice. Yoko Shimomura’s music along captured the essence of the movie. After being in the trial room (the entry point of Wonderland), I just couldn’t wait to see the forest where Alice spent most of her time getting lost.

That same sense of wonder and nostalgia continues to come up with the worlds in the Kingdom Hearts series. I loved visiting all those new worlds in Birth by Sleep, my favorite of which was Enchanted Dominion. It’s difficult to describe why, but the music, the majestic bridge leading to the castle, even Maleficent’s fortress all created an enthusiasm in me. The instilled cinematic atmosphere is arguably one of the parts I love about visiting the worlds. It’s also possible that encountering the same bosses from the movies and watching huge areas of a world transition into an enemy’s hideout (like Ursula’s Lair, Hades’ Underworld, or Oogie Boogie’s Manor) was just a fun experience for me. By far, my favorite battle was with Genie Jafar in Kingdom Hearts 2, where you fight with a mammoth-sized monster in the sky overtop the destroyed ruins of the city of Agrabah–that’s not something you have a lot of chances to do, even in video games.

Could Dory and Marlin from Finding Nemo one day be swimming onto our game screens?

Is Pixar the Future of Kingdom Hearts?

In his interview from E3 2010, Tetsuya Nomura mentioned the possibility that Pixar worlds could have a future in the Kingdom Hearts series. Nomura stated that he recognizes the fans’ interest in Pixar and didn’t seem adverse to the idea of trying out levels that are based on Pixar‘s popular films, like Cars, Finding Nemo, Toy Story, Ratatouille, etc. That’s an idea I’m really excited to see happen. When I read that bit of news, I was jumping off my feet, and all I could do was think about how amazing it would be to turn yourself into a car–using the Keyblade though could take some thought–or to travel across the ocean with Dory or even to be one of Andy’s toys with Woody and Buzz. I would like to see them branch out to new things, and Pixar films would definitely fit the bill. Plus, using those movies would generate some new interest in Kingdom Hearts. Besides the fact that we would finally see some new places other than the same 5 or 6 worlds, Pixar is extremely big right now. All of their movies have been huge successes, and they’re well-loved by most everyone. I honestly can’t think of any down side to this idea.

Coming Up with New Worlds

Tron: Legacy, the sequel to the 1982 original film, has been a commercial success this past year. It only makes sense that we finish the Tron story in future games.

The issue of what Disney worlds will be featured in future games is my favorite topic to discuss. I’ve always thought that the coming titles would have some new worlds and stories, to keep the games fresh. Repeated worlds aren’t necessarily a bad thing though. For example, I’d love to see the continuation of Tron (Tron: Legacy FTW) and Alice in Wonderland, or a follow-up to Port Royal based on the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels. Still, some totally new worlds would be nice, too. You can only visit Halloween Town and Agrabah so many times in a row before they get stale. Maybe they could use some of Disney’s newest films, like A Christmas Carol or Tangled. If Nomura ever decided to involve worlds based on Disney/Pixar films, then, as I said before, Toy Story and Finding Nemo would be at the top of my list. I’m sure a lot of you would like to see those, too.

Something else I wish they would consider is the idea of possibly including Final Fantasy worlds. I mean, why are Disney properties the only ones featured as worlds in this series, if the whole concept of Kingdom Hearts is that it’s a “marriage” of the two–Disney and Final Fantasy together? I have to admit, it would be an awesome experience to run around with Cloud in Midgar, fighting to take down Shinra or battling Sephiroth to the death (again).

New Final Fantasy Characters

Rikku, a fan favorite from Final Fantasy X, could have fit very well in Agrabah’s desert atmosphere. If only they hadn’t made her a pixie.

Another fun thing about new games is the opportunity to see new characters. A great cameo was Zack at Olympus Coliseum in Birth by Sleep. He was a character that was made not only an integral part of the story there, but his interaction with the other characters at Olympus Coliseum was really nice. I can’t really say I was impressed with Cloud’s appearance at that world in the first Kingdom Hearts. I could even say it was pretty uninspired–you see him with Hades, he joins the darkness, and you fight him. I mean, I saw that coming from the beginning. Well, maybe not exactly, but it was pretty clear that you were going to end up fighting Cloud at some point. That was even more obvious once you realized that the Hercules world was where a large amount of fighting would take place (what else do you do at a Coliseum?). Another great appearance was Auron in Kingdom Hearts II. He had a good storyline, he was made into a party member (way more than Cloud ever got), and he helped make the Coliseum world into more than just a repeat.

So, why do all the cameos seem to take place at Olympus Coliseum, out of all the Disney worlds? Of course, it’s the ideal place because they can become battles later on, but they could easily be integrated into other Disney worlds. In fact, I think they could fit perfectly into some of the Disney locales. Could you imagine Rikku (Final Fantasy X) at Agrabah or Cait Sith (Final Fantasy VII) at Halloween Town?

About Me

My name is Perickles Sintakis, and I am from Greece. More importantly, I’m a huuuge Kingdom Hearts fan–just like all of my friends. It’s hard to put into words why I love Kingdom Hearts so much, but I do know that I’ll keep playing and supporting the series for as long as it lasts–and it‘s likely the series could have a legacy similar to Final Fantasy, so basically that means the rest of my life. Besides being a fan, I’m also a blogger. I’ve had a blog since 2007, and it’s the place where I keep all my thoughts and reviews for the games I‘ve played. In the beginning, I was mostly writing about Tomb Raider, but a year later I began posting news and other stuff about Kingdom Hearts. It‘s been about Kingdom Hearts first and foremost ever since.

If you’re ever looking for information or opinions on the Kingdom Hearts, I hope you’ll check out my blog.

What Kingdom Hearts World would you like to see?

A lot of Disney’s most popular properties have been featured in the series so far, but there are still many that haven’t been used. With Port Royal in Kingdom Hearts 2, we now know that live-action films aren’t off limits either. The only things missing are Pixar and Final Fantasy worlds.

What worlds would you like to see in the Kingdom Hearts series? How have you felt about the worlds that have appeared in the games so far?