Kingdom Hearts 3 Was Terrible, But It's Okay

It's no secret that Kingdom Hearts 3 was disappointing to many seasoned fans, but fret not! There's a good reason why. Well, semi-good reason.

By Jacob Ulibarri

Published June 1, 2022

As a Kingdom Hearts super fan who gave his son the middle name Riku, I can talk about the problems of Kingdom Hearts 3 all day long. We don't have time for that which is why we are only going to discuss two problems: The long development of Kingdom Hearts 3 and the audience whom Kingdom Hearts 3 was targeting.

The Long Long Wait

Like a true gamer, the wait for Kingdom Hearts 3 realistically began as soon as we finished Kingdom Hearts 2. Kingdom Hearts 2 came out in December of 2005 whereas Kingdom Hearts 3 came out in January 2019. Thus, the wait for Kingdom Hearts 3 was about 14 years long! That is insane!

Yes, there were a plethora of Kingdom Hearts games that came in the agonizing 14-year wait, but of course, none of those games could compare to main entries like Kingdom hearts 1 & 2 (except Birth by Sleep, if you had a chance to play on PSP, you understand). I can see how they were necessary to set the stage for Kingdom Hearts 3, but it did not mean that fans would get tired and frustrated of waiting for the next main entry in the series.

The frustration grew into high hopes for Kingdom Hearts 3. Since fans were waiting 14 years, excitement for the game skyrocketed and expectations hit the ceiling. Fans have been dreaming of finally sitting down and experiencing that beautiful Kingdom Hearts opening we all know and love. The feeling that we all get from starting up a new Kingdom Hearts is unlike no other. If Kingdom Hearts 3 was anything less than perfect, then it would be a major disappointment and destroy our 14 years of dreaming. This unrealistic expectation of Kingdom Hearts being perfect is what set the stage for its downfall before it was even released.

This Game Was Not For You

This is a hard pill to swallow, but bear with me, Tetsuya Nomura did not create Kingdom Hearts 3 for you! Let's unpack this.

The first entry, Kingdom Hearts, was released back in 2002. It was a hit and gained fans all over the world who couldn't wait for more, myself included! Then we received Chain of Memories, Kingdom Hearts 2, Re:Coded, 358/2 Days, and Birth by Sleep which amounts to about 8 years of learning how to follow our hearts. In those 8 years of our childhoods, we were all able to experience all the joy that came with the series. We established fond memories and connections to all the characters and moments in the series.

However, the children of 2019 were not able to experience that. There was nothing tethering them to the Kingdom Hearts series. This is why Square-Enix began to remaster and re-release every entry in the Kingdom Hearts series with 1.5, 2.5, and 2.8. This allowed kids of the newer generations to experience Kingdom Hearts in all its HD glory.

Finally, in 2019 Kingdom Hearts 3 was released. From the perspective of a seasoned fan, it felt like a huge departure from their usual formula. But from the perspective of a kid, it was AMAZING. It retold their favorite Disney stories, it was easy to play, and all the fighting mechanics looked stunning. The game clearly heavily focused on retelling the Disney stories that kids know and love rather than the story of Kingdom Hearts that seasoned fans grew to love. In addition, even on proud mode, it felt like the game was playing on easy. I'm sorry, but if I could take out the final boss while completely rushing through the last 3 worlds at level 38 then it's way too easy. Not to mention the new Kupo Coin that gave players a second chance.

In conclusion, Kingdom Hearts 3 was meant to capture the hearts of the kids of the newer generations. By doing this, the future of the Kingdom Hearts series would be secured since it no longer relies solely on its core fanbase that it gained back in the 2000s. Now that Square-Enix and Tetsuya Nomura have gained a more solid fanbase, they can focus on the formula that made the Kingdom Hearts series great. This has already been proven with the comeback of reaction commands in Kingdom Hearts 4! So fret not Kingdom Hearts super fans, Kingdom Hearts 4 will be the game we should have gotten in Kingdom Hearts 3!