Kingdom Hearts III Review Round-Up

By Megan Peters

The time has come, Kingdom Hearts fans! In a matter of days, all of your Disney dreams will come true as the franchise will be rolling out Kingdom Hearts III at long last. After years of waiting, Square Enix is ready to unleash the sequel upon gamers, and a select few critics were able to share their reviews of the title earlier today.

So, you can breathe easy. Kingdom Hearts III seems to be a hit as reporters are giving the magical title two thumbs up.

Not long ago, the review embargo for Kingdom Hearts III ran up as sites began to share their impressions of the game. From IGN to Games Radar, critics broke down the good and bad of the game, and it seems its strengths far outweigh its weaknesses. Over on MetaCritic, a total of 14 reviews for Kingdom Hearts III have been clocked in, and they've combined to give the title a score of 88 so far.

Soon, gamers can expect to hear reactions from Japanese fans regarding the game. Thanks to the date line, Japan has toed into January 25 which is the game's launch date overseas. Kingdom Hearts III will be saving itself for January 29 domestically, but Japanese gamers have just gotten their hands on the game and are preparing to boot it up.

If you are still on the fence about this title, you can check out the reviews below to find out the game's good and bad. So far, Kingdom Hearts III is being praised for its hefty weight and its ability to tug at all your heartstrings. Still, some reports are critiquing the game's story for its overall structure and bemoaning its noticeable lack of Final Fantasy references.

So, will you be picking up this game next week on its launch? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

Kingdom Hearts III will come out on console starting January 29.

Game Informer

"If Disney has taught us anything, it's to believe in magic. The company's partnership with Square Enix may have seemed unlikely 17 years ago, but Kingdom Hearts became a phenomenon with a dedicated fanbase that remained invested in a sprawling story spanning eight entries and multiple consoles. Now, Kingdom Hearts III finally takes the next major step in that journey, giving fans what we've been waiting for: resolution. The new installment addresses threads that have been left hanging for years, and it does so by leveraging the Disney magic that seems to make anything possible. The result is the series at its strongest, and most importantly, it provides satisfying answers to the biggest question marks." - Game Informer

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US Gamer

"The PS2 generation of JRPGs may be a criminally ignored one, but with Kingdom Hearts 3, the era's ridiculous anything-goes sensibilities get to rise again. It may feel old in more than one way, but it's something that felt comfortable to me while playing it. So many modern JRPGs look only ahead or get too trapped in the past, but Kingdom Hearts 3 is comfortable in straddling both lines; moving onward where the series needs it, but hanging back in ways that would make it feel untrue to the system that birthed it." - US Gamer

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IGN

"Some of my fondest childhood gaming memories are of being wowed by the first Kingdom Hearts and its recreation of Disney worlds I knew from my favorite animated movies and shows. But even viewed through the rose-tinted glasses of 17 years worth of nostalgia, those memories pale in comparison to Kingdom Hearts 3's colorful, varied combat and huge, lovingly detailed levels. Square Enix's long-awaited conclusion to its beloved action-RPG trilogy is so satisfying in its gameplay evolutions that it makes me feel like a kid again, even if its story resolutions don't think far outside the toy box." - IGN

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Venture Beat

"Kingdom Hearts III often can't help itself. It feels pressure to be the most Kingdom Hearts game ever, and it is … for good and bad.

But if you love Kingdom Hearts like I do, than you'll like this. So much of what I adore in this game comes in smaller details, like how you can use a camera to take pictures of Hidden Mickeys (just like what Disney theme park fans have been doing for years) and earn items, or how a major cooking component of the game centers around Remy from the fantastic Pixar film Ratatouille.

The Disney side is still the best side of Kingdom Hearts, and Kingdom Hearts III nails that part. But even it's story, as ridiculous as it is, gives fans emotional moments and satisfaction. I wouldn't say it's better than Kingdom Hearts or Kingdom Hearts II, but Kingdom Hearts III is magical enough to resonate with this big Disney geek." - Venture Beat

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Games Radar

"I'm fighting a giant dragon with Frozen's snow golem in the magical kingdom of Arendelle. Do I really know why I'm doing it? Not a clue. Do I care? No. All that matters is that Elsa needs me and I'm hitting things with a massive key that spits out flowers and slaughtering monsters with a teacup made out of fairy lights. It's been 13 years since the last big release for Kingdom Hearts, and now I'm not sure how I lived without its Mickey Mouse shaped madness in my life." - Games Radar

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GameSpot

"But the story of Keyblade wars, time-travelling villains, body-hopping also-rans, and world-ending darkness isn't what I'll remember about Kingdom Hearts 3 or the series as a whole. What sticks with me is the exciting battle against elemental titans with Hercules, taking Rapunzel out into the unfamiliar wide world for the first time, snapping selfies with Winnie the Pooh, and going toe to toe with Davy Jones. In 2002, as Sora, I left Destiny Islands to travel across the universe and make new friends. In 2019 I brought old ones home, and I had so much fun doing it." - GameSpot

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Polygon

"There's a reason we're still talking about Kingdom Hearts: It was a collaboration between two titans of industry that shouldn't have worked, full of inexplicable crossovers and glossed-over plot details. But Disney and Square Enix's partnership proved to be a winning one — at least for a while. Kingdom Hearts has since evolved from its simpler beginnings: It's a tangled, dense mass of plot lines and backstories. And Kingdom Hearts 3, the culmination of more than a decade and a half of games, fares much worse than the previous entries did with keeping up and keeping us engaged." - Polygon

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