Kingdom Hearts
Developer(s)	Square
Publisher(s)	JP Square NA Square Electronic Arts/Disney Interactive PAL SCE Europe
Designer(s)	Shinji Hashimoto (game producer) Hironobu Sakaguchi (executive producer) Tetsuya Nomura (game director, character designer, concept) Jun Akiyama (scenario writer) Daisuke Watanabe (scenario writer) Kazushige Nojima (scenario writer) Yoko Shimomura (music composer)[1]
Series	Kingdom Hearts
Aspect ratio	480i (SDTV)
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2
Release date	JP March 28, 2002 NA September 17, 2002 EU November 15, 2002 AUS November 22, 2002 INT December 26, 2002—as Kingdom Hearts Final Mix
Genre(s)	Action role-playing game
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	CERO: All Ages ESRB: Everyone PEGI: 7+ USK: 6+ OFLC: G8+ ELSPA: 11+
Media	1 DVD-ROM
Input methods	DualShock 2

Kingdom Hearts (キングダムハーツ, Kingudamu Hātsu^?) is an action role-playing game developed and published by Squaresoft (now Square Enix) in 2002 for the PlayStation 2 video game console. A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual that creates Video games A developer may specialize in a certain video was a Japanese Video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. was a Japanese Video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. was a Japanese Video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. Disney Interactive Studios Inc (initially Walt Disney Computer Software, later Disney Interactive and Buena Vista Games Inc The PAL region is a Video game publication territory which covers Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and varying European countries ( SCEI) is a Japanese Video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry mostly in Video game consoles and is a full A "game designer" is a person who designs Video games or one who designs traditional games such as Board games Video Games Designer A video game designer A game producer is the person in charge of overseeing development of a Video game. (born November 25, 1962) is a Japanese Game designer, Game director and Game producer. Motion Pictures An executive producer of a Motion picture is typically a producer who is sometimes involved in creative or technical aspects of production (born October 8, 1970) is a Japanese video game director and character designer working for Square Enix (formerly Square) A game director is a person who is in charge of significant creative aspects of a Video game. UserScottandrewhutchins: http//enwikipediaorg/w/indexphp?title=Characterization&diff=next&oldid=157919139 --> Characterization is a process of conveying A scenario (from Italian, that which is pinned to the scenery) is a synthetic description of an event or series of actions and events is a Scenario writer from Yokohama Kanagawa who is currently working for Square Enix. A scenario (from Italian, that which is pinned to the scenery) is a synthetic description of an event or series of actions and events is a Japanese game Scenario writer and is the founder of Stellavista Ltd A scenario (from Italian, that which is pinned to the scenery) is a synthetic description of an event or series of actions and events is a Japanese Video game music Composer and Musician. Biography Early life Yoko Shimomura was born in Hyōgo Prefecture Video game music is any of the musical pieces or Soundtracks found in Video games History Early video game technology and computer chip music is a series of Action role-playing games developed and published by Square Enix (formerly Square) The aspect ratio of a Shape is the ratio of its longer Dimension to its shorter dimension 480i is the shorthand name for a video mode The i, which is sometimes uppercase stands for Interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution In Computing, a platform describes some sort of Hardware architecture or Software framework (including Application frameworks, that allows For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Events 37 - Roman Emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, entitled to him by the Senate. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1176 - The Battle of Myriokephalon is fought 1462 - The Battle of Świecino (or Battle of Żarnowiec See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 655 - Battle of Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Australasia is a Region of Oceania: New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, and neighbouring Islands in the Pacific Events 498 - Kofi Aseidu- After the death of Anastasius II, Symmachus is elected Pope in the Lateran See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. In Video games an international version is a relocalized version of a previously released title in its native territory that has gained additional features and Events 1481 - Battle of Westbrook - Holland defeats troops of Utrecht. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. See also [[Game classification]] Video games are categorized into Genres based on their Gameplay interaction An action role-playing game or action RPG is a common name for a type of computer or video game which is closely linked to the Console role-playing game genre In video gaming, single-player refers to the variant of a particular game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session A video game content rating system is a system used for the classification of Video games into suitability-related groups The ( CERO) is the Organization that rates video games and Computer Software in Japan with levels of rating that informs the customer The Entertainment Software Rating Board ( ESRB) is a self-regulatory organization that applies and enforces ratings, Advertising guidelines and Pan European Game Information ( PEGI) is a European Video game content rating system. USK redirects here For the Usinsk airport see Usinsk Airport. The Office of Film and Literature Classification is a Statutory Censorship and classification body which provides day to day administrative support for the Classification The Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association ( ELSPA) is an Organisation set up in 1989 by British Software publishers It Digital media (as opposed to analog media) usually refers to Electronic media that work on digital Codes. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is The DualShock (officially DUALSHOCK and occasionally referred to as Dual Shock) is a line of vibration-feedback An action role-playing game or action RPG is a common name for a type of computer or video game which is closely linked to the Console role-playing game genre A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual that creates Video games A developer may specialize in a certain video A video game publisher is a company that publishes Video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a Video game developer was a Japanese Video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its Console role-playing game franchises which include the Final Fantasy series the Dragon Events Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts the 5th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts Will Wright of Maxis ^[2] It is the result of a collaboration between Square and The Walt Disney Company. The game combines characters and settings from Disney's animated features with those from the Final Fantasy series, developed by Square. The bouncing ball animation (below consists of these 6 frames The story follows Sora, a young boy, as he is thrown into an epic battle against the darkness. Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing video games developed and published by Square Enix (formerly Square) He is joined by Donald Duck and Goofy, classic Disney characters, who help him on his quest. Donald Duck is a cartoon character from The Walt Disney Company. Goofy is an Animated cartoon character from Walt Disney 's Mickey Mouse universe.

Kingdom Hearts was a departure from Square's standard role-playing games by introducing a substantial action-adventure element. In addition, it had an all-star voice cast which included many of the Disney characters' original voice actors. All-star (also allstar or all star) is a term with meanings in both the worlds of Sports and Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters (including those in feature films television series animated shorts and Video games) and ^[3] Kingdom Hearts was also longtime Square character designer Tetsuya Nomura's first time in a directorial position. (born October 8, 1970) is a Japanese video game director and character designer working for Square Enix (formerly Square) ^[4]

Kingdom Hearts was praised for its unusual combination of action and role-playing, as well as its unexpectedly harmonious mix of Square and Disney. ^[5] It received numerous year-end "Best" video game awards and was a dominating presence in the 2002 holiday season and went on to achieve Sony "Greatest Hits" status. For the PAL region and Japanese equivalents see Platinum Range and The Best range, respectively ^[6] Since its release, Kingdom Hearts has sold over 5. 6 million copies worldwide and has been followed by two sequels. ^[7] Three more titles are currently being developed, which have a connection to a future, unannounced game. ^[8]

Gameplay

The main character, Sora, fights against Heartless in the Monstro world. Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing video games developed and published by Square Enix (formerly Square) Square Enix 's and Disney 's Kingdom Hearts series of video games takes place in an unnamed Outer space -like fictional universe with numerous self-contained

Kingdom Hearts is influenced by its parent franchise, Final Fantasy,^[9] and carries gameplay elements over into its own action-based, hack and slash system. Hack and slash or hack and slay can refer to either a subgenre of Action game, or a type of Gameplay. The main battle party consists of three characters: Sora, Donald Duck and Goofy. ^[10] Sora is directly controlled by the player from a third person camera angle. Grammatical person, in Linguistics, is deictic reference to a participant in an event such as the speaker the Addressee, or others ^[11] All other party members are computer-controlled,^[12] though the player can customize their behavior to an extent through the pause menu. ^[13] Donald and Goofy are the computer-controlled characters that are usable in most areas; nearly every world in the game features its own party member who can be chosen to replace Goofy or Donald in the party while the party is in that world. For instance, Jack Skellington can join the player's party in Halloween Town, but can not accompany the player elsewhere. Jack Skellington is a skeleton known as the "Pumpkin King" of Halloween Town a fictional world based solely on the holiday of Halloween. On some worlds, the party changes its appearance, has abilities unique to that world, or both. For example, the party can fly in Neverland and has aquatic forms in Atlantica, which enable them to survive underwater.

Like many traditional role-playing games, Kingdom Hearts features an experience point system which determines character development. As enemies are defeated, the player gains experience which can lead up to a "level up", where the characters grow stronger and gain access to new abilities. A statistic (or stat) in Role-playing games is a piece of Data which represents a particular aspect of a Fictional character. ^[1] Unlike other games of its type, Kingdom Hearts allows a certain degree of character development customization through a short tutorial found at the beginning of the game. The tutorial allows the player to select from one of three main attributes―strength, defense, and magic―for Sora to excel in and one to lack in. ^[14] By choosing certain options, the player is able to manipulate how Sora learns abilities, grows statistically, and even gains levels. A statistic (or stat) in Role-playing games is a piece of Data which represents a particular aspect of a Fictional character. ^[14] Donald, Goofy, and any other additional party members are assigned specific areas of strength from the outset. Donald excels in magic and Goofy excels in defense and special attacks. ^[15]

The game is driven in a primarily linear progression to the next story event, usually told in the form of a cut scene, though there are numerous side quests available that provide bonus benefits to the characters. A cut scene is a sequence in a Video game over which the player has little or no control often breaking up the gameplay and used to advance the plot present A quest in Role playing games, including Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs is a Task that a player-controlled character ^[13] Most of the gameplay occurs on interconnected field maps where battles take place. Combat in Kingdom Hearts is in real time^[16] and involves pressing buttons to initiate attacks by the on-screen character. A role-playing game menu, similar to those found in Final Fantasy games, found at the bottom left of the screen provides other combat options such as using magic and items. There is also a context-sensitive option at the bottom of the menu, usually used for interacting with the environment or performing special attacks. This menu is manipulated by using the right analog stick or digital pad, while movement is controlled by the left analog stick, allowing the player to navigate the menu while avoiding or approaching enemies. ^[1]

Gummi Ship

The Gummi Ship is the mode of travel between the various worlds in Kingdom Hearts where the player pilots a vessel. The gameplay for piloting the vessel is very different from the rest of the game as it switches to a rail shooter format. A shoot-'em-up (also known as shmup) is a Video game genre of Shooter game in which the player controls a vehicle or character and fights large The player controls the Gummi Ship from a rear, third person perspective as it travels in an outer space setting. At the beginning of the game, there are few options available to customize the vessel, but as the game progresses, new weapons, engines, and armor become available for it. In addition, many different pre-designed blueprints can be found throughout the game which can be used to quickly construct gummi ships. ^[14]

Plot

Setting

Main article: Universe of Kingdom Hearts

The universe of Kingdom Hearts is a collection of various levels, referred to as "worlds", which the player progresses through. Square Enix 's and Disney 's Kingdom Hearts series of video games takes place in an unnamed Outer space -like fictional universe with numerous self-contained Thirteen can be accessed throughout the game and one, the Disney Castle, is shown in cutscenes. Additional worlds are mentioned by various characters, but are not accessible because they have been destroyed by the Heartless, beings of darkness. Square Enix 's and Disney 's Kingdom Hearts series of video games takes place in an unnamed Outer space -like fictional universe with numerous self-contained Ten of the worlds are based on Disney fiction,^[17] primarily from the Disney animated features canon, and the other four were created by Square specifically for the game.

Each world varies in appearance and setting, depending on the Disney world upon which it is based. The graphics of the world and characters were meant to resemble the artwork style of the environments and characters from their respective Disney film. Each Disney world is inhabited by characters from their respective Disney film; Hercules and Philoctetes inhabit Olympus Coliseum, and Aladdin, Princess Jasmine, and Jafar inhabit Agrabah. Hercules is a Fictional character who first appeared as the 1997 film of the same name and later in the midquel television series of the same name In Greek mythology, Philoctetes (also Philoktêtês or Philocthetes, Φιλοκτήτης was the son of King Poeas of Meliboea Princess Jasmine ( Arabic: الأميرة ياسمين is a fictional Arabian princess who originally appeared in the 1992 Disney film Aladdin Jafar ( Arabic: جعفر) is a Fictional character, voiced by Jonathan Freeman, and is featured as the primary Antagonist in the Each world is disconnected from the others and exists separately. Most characters in the worlds are unaware of the existence of the other worlds, but some notable ones are aware. Players travel from one world to another via Gummi Ship. ^[1]

The worlds created specifically for the game mirror the overall appearance of the other worlds and feature either new characters or characters from several Final Fantasy games. The new worlds include: Destiny Islands, where the story initially begins;^[18] Traverse Town, which serves as a launching point for most of the game; Hollow Bastion, which many of the Final Fantasy characters call home; and End of the World, a large, dark world created from the remnants of various worlds consumed by the darkness. ^[19] The main characters travel from world to world to seal each "Keyhole"; this protects the world from the Heartless and ultimately from destruction. They also try to minimize their interaction with characters of other worlds in order to maintain a balance of separation. ^[20] To blend in with the inhabitants of a world, Sora, Donald, and Goofy sometimes change their physical appearance. ^[21]

Characters

Further information: Characters of Kingdom Hearts

The main protagonists, from left, Riku, Kairi, Sora, Donald, and Goofy

Because Kingdom Hearts was a collaboration between Disney and Squaresoft, it features a mixture of familiar Disney and Square characters, as well as several new characters designed and created by the director, Tetsuya Nomura. Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing video games developed and published by Square Enix (formerly Square) was a Japanese Video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. ^[22] The primary protagonist of the game is Sora, who is chosen to wield the Keyblade, a weapon for battling darkness. Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing video games developed and published by Square Enix (formerly Square) The game also features two of his friends, Kairi and Riku. Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing video games developed and published by Square Enix (formerly Square) Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing video games developed and published by Square Enix (formerly Square) For most of the game, Sora is joined by Donald Duck and Goofy. Donald Duck is a cartoon character from The Walt Disney Company. Goofy is an Animated cartoon character from Walt Disney 's Mickey Mouse universe. Donald, the court wizard, and Goofy, captain of the royal guard,^[23] were sent from Disney Castle to find the Keyblade. ^[24] The three join forces to search for King Mickey Mouse, Kairi, and Riku. Mickey Mouse is a comic animal Cartoon character who has become an icon for The Walt Disney Company. The primary antagonist is Ansem, who is seeking to find power and knowledge by using dark beings called the Heartless. Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing video games developed and published by Square Enix (formerly Square) Square Enix 's and Disney 's Kingdom Hearts series of video games takes place in an unnamed Outer space -like fictional universe with numerous self-contained The Heartless, hearts corrupted by darkness, serve as most of the enemies encountered in the game and come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

As a game meant to explore the fictional universes of various Disney films, there are over 100 Disney characters. ^[25][26] While many serve as major characters in the story, others appear in cameo roles, such as the One Hundred and One Dalmatians puppies playing a part in a side-quest. One Hundred and One Dalmatians (often abbreviated as 101 Dalmatians) is the seventeenth Animated feature in the Disney animated features canon. Most worlds also feature a Disney villain whom the player must defeat. The player can summon various Disney characters to fight alongside Sora in battle, causing Donald and Goofy to withdraw from the battlefield for the duration of the summon. Available summoned characters include the Genie from Aladdin, Tinkerbell from Peter Pan, Bambi from Bambi and Simba from The Lion King. The Genie is a Fictional character and a Protagonist from the Disney animated features canon movie Aladdin, as well as related series Aladdin is a 1992 animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, and released by Walt Disney Pictures on November 25 Tinker Bell (also known as "Tinkerbell" in common usage is a Real fairy in J Peter Pan is an animated feature film produced by Walt Disney based on the play Peter Pan or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up by Bambi, a young Roe deer, is the main character in Felix Salten 's Bambi A Life in the Woods and in the Disney films based on the book BMP and Activin membrane bound inhibitor (BAMBI has a similar extracellular domain as type I receptors in the TGF beta signaling pathway. Simba is a fictional Lion character and the Protagonist of one of Disney's most famous Animated feature films The Lion King The Lion King is a 1994 American animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, released in theaters on June 15 1994 ^[14]

Square also incorporated several of its famous characters from the Final Fantasy series into the game, though the characters were tweaked slightly for novelty and to fit the game's back-story. On Destiny Islands, the player meets younger versions of Tidus, Wakka (both from Final Fantasy X), and Selphie Tilmitt (from Final Fantasy VIII). is the Protagonist in the Console role-playing game Final Fantasy X. Square 's 1999 best-selling Console role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII deals with an elite group of mercenaries called " In Traverse Town, the player encounters Squall Leonhart (known in the game as "Leon") from Final Fantasy VIII as well as Aerith Gainsborough, Cid Highwind, and Yuffie Kisaragi from Final Fantasy VII. is the main Protagonist of Squaresoft 's (now Square Enix) role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII. &mdashknown as Aeris Gainsborough in the English translations of Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy Tactics &mdashis a female Protagonist Square 's Final Fantasy VII was one of the first major Console role-playing games released for the Sony PlayStation and was Square's largest game Square 's Final Fantasy VII was one of the first major Console role-playing games released for the Sony PlayStation and was Square's largest game ^[14] Rikku from Final Fantasy X and Irvine Kinneas from Final Fantasy VIII were both originally set to make cameo appearances, but were replaced by Yuffie and Wakka respectively. is a playable character in the PlayStation 2 games Final Fantasy X and most notably in Final Fantasy X-2. Square 's 1999 best-selling Console role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII deals with an elite group of mercenaries called " ^[27][28] Cloud and Sephiroth (both from Final Fantasy VII) make appearances in Olympus Coliseum, where the player can fight them in the tournaments. is the main Protagonist in Square 's (now Square Enix 's role-playing game Final Fantasy VII and several of its sequels and spin-offs is a Fictional character and recurring villain in Square 's (now Square Enix) role-playing game Final Fantasy VII. ^[14] The emphasis on characters from later Final Fantasy installments stems from Tetsuya Nomura's hesitation to use characters he did not design. ^[29]

The game also uses other Final Fantasy icons. Moogles appear to provide item synthesis. Though each Final Fantasy story is independent many themes and elements of gameplay recur throughout the series ^[1] Several weapons, such as "Lionheart" and "Save the Queen", share names with other weapons from previous entries in the Final Fantasy series. A name Riku suggests for the raft early in the game is Highwind, a reference to the airship of Final Fantasy VII, while the default name for Sora's suggestion is Excalibur, a weapon in the Final Fantasy series. The magic-naming system in Kingdom Hearts (i. e. Fire, Fira, Firaga, etc. ) is identical to Final Fantasy magic. The names of various spells are also the names of Gummi blocks, and various summons, weapons, bosses, and monsters are the names of Gummi ship blueprints.

Story

Kingdom Hearts begins on Destiny Islands, where Sora, Riku, and Kairi live. The three friends want to leave the islands to explore new worlds and have prepared a raft for this purpose. ^[1] One night, the islands are attacked by darkness and shadow creatures—the Heartless. ^[12] Sora seeks out his friends, finding Riku, who disappears into darkness. At the same time, Sora obtains the Keyblade. The islands are destroyed, and Sora is left adrift. Meanwhile, King Mickey has left his world to deal with the increasing darkness and left instructions for mage Donald and knight Goofy to find the "key". ^[24]

Donald and Goofy use a Gummi Ship to travel to Traverse Town, to where Sora has drifted. Sora encounters the shadow creatures again, and meets Leon, who explains the shadow creatures are Heartless, beings that consume hearts, and that the Keyblade is the only weapon capable of defeating them. ^[30] A man named Ansem, the leader of Leon's home world, is said to have studied the Heartless. Sora meets Donald and Goofy and the three decide to travel together: Donald and Goofy to find Mickey, and Sora to find Kairi and Riku. The three go to various worlds based on Disney films, finding that the Keyblade also locks "Keyholes", passages the Heartless use to take the heart of a world. A group of Disney villains, led by Maleficent, seek out the seven Princesses of Heart to unlock the Keyhole that leads to Kingdom Hearts,^[11] a repository of knowledge and power and the source of all hearts. Maleficent is a dark Fairy and the self-proclaimed "mistress of all evil" and main antagonist in Walt Disney 's 1959 adaptation of Sleeping Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing video games developed and published by Square Enix (formerly Square) This group includes Riku, whom Maleficent promises she will help in finding Kairi. Maleficent sows distrust in Riku, telling him Sora has abandoned him and Kairi for new friends and the Keyblade. ^[31] An increasingly antagonistic Riku finds Kairi's body, but cannot find her heart.

Sora and his friends eventually arrive at Hollow Bastion, the homeworld of Ansem and the headquarters of Maleficent. Riku takes the Keyblade from Sora, claiming he was simply the "delivery boy". ^[32] Donald and Goofy, taking their order to follow the "key" seriously, leave with Riku. Sora challenges Riku, stating his heart derives strength from his friends; his friends return to him, as does the Keyblade. In his shame, Riku meets a cloaked man who goads him to give into the darkness. The three engage and kill Maleficent but then meet a strangely-behaved Riku with a Keyblade that unlocks hearts. Sora finds Kairi's body and Riku, who reveals himself to be Ansem, possessing Riku's body. ^[33] Ansem explains that Kairi is a Princess of Heart and her heart was trapped within Sora's body since the Destiny Islands were destroyed. After defeating Ansem, Sora uses Ansem's Keyblade to unlock his heart (he impales himself), releasing both his and Kairi's heart. Kairi's heart returns to her body, in turn completing the final Keyhole, while Sora becomes a Heartless. Sora is restored to human form by Kairi and resolves to confront Ansem.

Ansem is found in End of the World, the combined remnants of worlds taken by the Heartless. ^[19] Ansem explains his belief that darkness is the heart's true essence, and he seeks Kingdom Hearts, as that would be the ultimate darkness. However, upon opening the door to Kingdom Hearts, it reveals its light, overwhelming and destroying Ansem. Beyond the door are King Mickey and Riku, and they help Sora and the others close the door, as there are many Heartless beyond it. Mickey and Sora use their Keyblades to lock the door. The worlds reconstruct themselves, separating Sora and Kairi. The game concludes as Sora, Donald, and Goofy resolve to find Riku and Mickey. ^[34]

Audio

Cover of the Kingdom Hearts soundtrack.

Musical score

Further information: Music of Kingdom Hearts

The music is composed by Yoko Shimomura. The music of the video game series Kingdom Hearts was composed by Yoko Shimomura with orchestral music arranged by Kaoru Wada. is a Japanese Video game music Composer and Musician. Biography Early life Yoko Shimomura was born in Hyōgo Prefecture ^[35] While there are some arranged melodies derived from previous Disney films, most of the soundtrack consists of original themes written specifically for the game by Shimomura. In Music, an arrangement refers either to a rewriting of a piece of existing Music with additional new material or to a fleshing-out of a compositional sketch such The opening orchestration and ending credits theme were arranged and orchestrated by Kaoru Wada and performed by the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra. is a Japanese music composer music arranger conductor music orchestrator and pianist from Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture[http //www The is a Symphony orchestra based in Tokyo, Japan. It was founded in 1972 with Seiji Ozawa as honorary conductor laureate ^[35] The main vocal theme for the original Japanese release was titled "Hikari" (光, "Hikari"^?). is Utada Hikaru 's 10th Japanese-language single (12th overall and is also her 3rd single on the Deep River album is Utada Hikaru 's 10th Japanese-language single (12th overall and is also her 3rd single on the Deep River album The English version of "Hikari", "Simple and Clean", was used in the Western releases and the Japanese re-release, Final Mix. " Colors " is Utada Hikaru 's 12th Japanese-language single (14th overall and is the only single she released in 2003. Both versions of the song were composed and performed by Utada Hikaru. also known by her fans as, is a Singer-songwriter, Arranger and Record producer in Japan. Her involvement, along with the Japanese song title, was announced in January 2002. ^[36] Utada was the only singer Nomura had in mind for the Kingdom Hearts theme song. ^[37] This marked the first time Utada had produced a song for a video game. The single, Hikari, was released in Japan on March 20, 2002^[38] and proved to be very popular; by August 2002, it had sold over 860,000 copies in Japan. Events 1600 - The Linköping Bloodbath takes place on Maundy Thursday in Linköping, Sweden. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[37] The Kingdom Hearts soundtrack was released on a two CD set on March 27, 2002 in Japan and a year later in the United States. The soundtrack was later included in the Kingdom Hearts Original Soundtrack Complete, which was released in Japan on the March 28, 2007. The music of the video game series Kingdom Hearts was composed by Yoko Shimomura with orchestral music arranged by Kaoru Wada. ^[39] Music from Kingdom Hearts will be included in Yoko Shimomura's best works compilation album Drammatica. ^[40]

Voice cast

Kingdom Hearts featured well-known voice actors for both the Japanese and English versions. The Japanese version featured Miyu Irino as Sora, Risa Uchida as Kairi, and Mamoru Miyano as Riku. ( February 19, 1988 -) is a Japanese voice actor born in Tokyo. (born February 12, 1989) is a Japanese actress born in Kanagawa Prefecture. is a male Seiyū and Actor. He is represented by Gekidan Himawari Other notable voice actors included Kōichi Yamadera, Hideo Ishikawa, Maaya Sakamoto, Takashi Aoyagi, Yū Shimaka and Shinichirō Miki. ( June 17, 1961 -) is a Japanese Seiyū, Actor and Tarento from Shiogama, Miyagi Prefecture. is a male Seiyū born in Hyōgo, Japan He has a blood type of O is a female Japanese Seiyū and singer who made her debut in 1996 as the voice of Hitomi Kanzaki in the hit Anime series The Vision of Escaflowne Takashi Aoyagi is a Japanese actor best known as the Japanese voice of Mickey Mouse in Kingdom Hearts. ( May 6, 1946 -) is a male Seiyū from Nagano Prefecture. He was formerly affiliated with Production Baobab, and is now affiliated with is a popular Seiyū who was born on March 18, 1968 in the city of Tokyo. ^[41] A special effort was made to preserve the original voice actors from the Disney movies used in Kingdom Hearts. Some of the voice actors from the related television series or direct-to-video sequels were chosen over original voice actors, where applicable (e. g. Dan Castellaneta as Genie, rather than Robin Williams). Daniel Louis "Dan" Castellaneta ( October 29, 1957) is an American voice actor, Actor and Comedian, best known for providing Robin McLaurim Williams (born July 21 1951 or 1952 is an American television stage and film actor and Comedian who has won an Academy Award for his performance The English version featured Haley Joel Osment as Sora, David Gallagher as Riku, and Hayden Panettiere as Kairi. Haley Joel Osment (born April 10, 1988) is an Academy Award -nominated American Actor. for other people called David/Dave Gallagher see Gallagher David Gallagher (born February 9, 1985) is an American Hayden Leslie Panettiere (born August 21 1989 is an American actress and singer ^[42][43] Other notable voice actors included Sean Astin, Billy Zane, Lance Bass, David Boreanaz, Mandy Moore, and Christy Romano. Sean Astin (born February 25, 1971) is an American Film Actor, director, and Oscar -nominated producer best William George "Billy" Zane Jr (born February 24, 1966) is an American Actor and director. James Lance Bass (born May 4 1979 is an American pop Singer, Actor, film and Television producer, and Author David Paul Boreanaz (born May 16, 1969) is an American film and television actor Amanda Leigh "Mandy" Moore (born April 10 1984 is an American pop Singer, Songwriter, Actor, and Fashion designer Christy Carlson Romano (born Christy Michelle Romano March 20 1984 is an American actress, Author and Singer. ^[42][44]

Development

The idea for Kingdom Hearts came about when producer Shinji Hashimoto met with a Disney executive in an elevator; Square and Disney had previously worked in the same building in Japan. ^[45] The production team was composed of over 100 members from both Square and Disney. ^[16] The game began development in February 2000^[46] and originally focused more on the gameplay with a simple story to appeal to Disney's target age range. ^[47] After executive producer Hironobu Sakaguchi told director Tetsuya Nomura the game would be a failure if it did not aim for the same level as the Final Fantasy series, Nomura began to develop the story further. (born November 25, 1962) is a Japanese Game designer, Game director and Game producer. (born October 8, 1970) is a Japanese video game director and character designer working for Square Enix (formerly Square) ^[47] When choosing the Disney worlds to include in the game, Nomura and his team tried to pick worlds that had distinctively different looks. ^[48] They also tried to take into account worlds with Disney characters that would be interesting. ^[47] Though they had few restrictions on which worlds they could use from the Disney franchises, they tried to remain within each character's boundaries set by their respective Disney films. ^[49] Some content that did not make it into Kingdom Hearts was later added into Kingdom Hearts II. is an Action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and published by Square Enix and Buena Vista Games (now Disney Interactive Studios in 2005 for the Sony The "Pride Land" from The Lion King, for instance, was infeasible because a different program was required for Sora to turn into a lion and walk on four legs. The Lion King is a 1994 American animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, released in theaters on June 15 1994 ^[50] Tifa Lockhart was considered to be included along with Sephiroth, but was left out due to time constraints. is a female Protagonist from Square 's (now Square Enix) role-playing game, Final Fantasy VII. ^[51]

Additional content was added to the North American release that was not included in the initial Japanese release. ^[25] The new content included new optional bosses, one of which was named after the winner of the official website's "Name-In-Game" sweepstakes,^[25] an additional difficulty level,^[52] and an unlockable teaser of Kingdom Hearts II. ^[49] Nomura included the teaser in hopes that fans would want a sequel. He was unsure if fans would want a sequel and felt that if they did not, then it would be best to leave certain events in the game unexplained. ^[53] The new content was later added to the Japanese re-release titled Kingdom Hearts Final Mix. Final Mix also included additional content such as new items, cut scenes, and enemies. The new content served as a canonical update to the original release and further hinted at plotlines that would be explained in sequels. This article is not about Literary canons of influential works of fiction but about the concept of a canon which defines the world of a particular fictional series

Promotion

Kingdom Hearts was announced at E3 in May 2001. The E3 Media and Business Summit, formerly known as Electronic Entertainment Expo and commonly known as E3, is an annual Trade show for the computer ^[22] Initial details were that it would be a collaboration between Square and Disney Interactive and would feature worlds developed by both companies and Disney characters. New characters were designed by Nomura and include Sora, Riku, Kairi, and the Heartless. ^[16][22] A playable demo was available at the Tokyo Game Show in the autumn of 2001. The is a Video game Expo / convention held in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. The gameplay of the demo showcased many action role-playing game elements that would be included in the final product. ^[54] To help market the English release of the game, Square launched the official website in April 2002, which featured trailers, a "Name-In-Game" sweepstakes, and other Internet content. ^[55] On May 14, 2002, a press release announced a list of the English voice actors. Events 1264 - Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured in France making Simon de Montfort the See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. The list included Haley Joel Osment, David Gallagher, and Hayden Panettiere as the three new characters introduced in the game. It was also announced that many of the Disney characters would be voiced by their original voice actors from their respective Disney films. ^[16][56] Other marketing efforts included auctions of the game and related items before the North American release^[57] and a Consumer Demo Day in San Francisco, California. The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city ^[58]

Reception

Kingdom Hearts received overall positive reviews and sales figures. GameSpy, also known as GameSpy Industries, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related IGN (abbreviated and formerly known as I magine G ames N etwork is a multimedia news and reviews Website that focuses heavily on Video Metacritic is a Website that collates reviews of music Albums games, movies, TV shows, DVDs and Books. Game Rankings is a Website which keeps track of Video game reviews from other sites and combines them to present an average rating for each game During the first two months of its North American release it was one of the top three highest-selling video games^[66] and was one of the top selling titles during the 2002 holiday season. In November 2002, UBS Warburg listed it as the 6th highest console game in terms of sales during the week of November 5. UBS AG ( SWX: UBSN) is a diversified global financial services company with its main headquarters in Basel & Zürich, Switzerland ^[67] At the end of April 2003, Square announced that Kingdom Hearts had sold its millionth copy in the United States, which made it eligible for PlayStation's "Greatest Hits" status, and over 3 million worldwide. ^[6] Sales reached 1. 2 million in Japan in the first quarter of 2004, and broke 4 million worldwide. ^[68] In December 2005, the NPD Group listed it as "one of the top ten best-selling PlayStation 2 titles of all time in North America". The NPD Group Inc (formerly National Purchase Diary) is a leading global market research company founded in 1967 and provides consumer and retail information to manufacturers ^[69] As of December 2006, Kingdom Hearts had shipped over 5. 6 million copies worldwide with 1. 1 million in PAL regions, 1. The PAL region is a Video game publication territory which covers Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and varying European countries 5 million in Japan, and 3 million in North America. ^[7]

Critical response

The game received high ratings among reviews. In IGN's Best of 2002 awards, it was nominated for "PS2's Best Game of 2002 Editor's Choice Award" and was a runner up for "PS2's Best Game of 2002 Reader's Choice Award". IGN (abbreviated and formerly known as I magine G ames N etwork is a multimedia news and reviews Website that focuses heavily on Video ^[70] In 2007, they listed Kingdom Hearts as the 22^nd best PlayStation 2 game of all time. ^[71] Critics commended the visuals, orchestral score, voice acting, and action-adventure role-playing game feel to the game. IGN named it "Best Art Style/Direction", runner-up for "Best CG Graphics", and honorable mention for "Best Animation" in IGN's 2003 list of "Best Looking Games on PS2". ^[72] GamePro stated the graphics were "gorgeous" and rated them a 4. 5 out of 5. ^[17] The audio was also praised, particularly the quality of the voice-overs^[12][13] and a well received musical score. GamePro had positive comments on the overall audio and rated it a 5 out of 5. ^[17]

Criticism about the gameplay was mixed. Many reviews complained that the camera was at times frustrating and the Gummi Ship portions were out of place. GameSpot cited "tedious" gameplay and Gummi Ship sections as "pale imitations of the Star Fox series", but stated that the combat was fun, particularly the boss fights. The is a successful Video game franchise owned by Nintendo. The original game was a forward-scrolling 3D Sci-Fi Rail shooter. ^[13] Dengeki Online commented on the camera controls, saying that the camera would often run into objects while being rotated by the player. was a Japanese Publishing company in the Kadokawa Group known for their brand magazines and book labels ^[73] GamePro compared the battle system to "old N64 Zelda games" and had positive comments about Donald and Goofy's AI. The, often abbreviated as N64, is Nintendo 's third home Video game console for the international market is a High fantasy action-adventure Video game series created by Game designer Shigeru Miyamoto and developed and published ^[17]

GameSpot commented that the concept of mixing the serious elements of Final Fantasy with the lighter elements of Disney seemed impossible, but was pulled off quite well. Because of that they awarded Kingdom Hearts "Best Crossover Since Capcom vs. SNK" in their 2002 Best and Worst of the Year awards. ^[5] GameSpy cited that the periodic departure from the main plot into the Disney side stories was disappointing, and when the original plot builds to a climax, ". . . the story fails to gel thanks to a confusing mish-mash of vague terms and symbolism that probably made more sense in the director's head than in this final product. " Aside from the plot, they stated the overall package was worth playing through to the end. ^[12] G4TV awarded it "Best Story" at their 2003 G-Phoria awards show. Logo gphoria biggif|frame|G-Phoria 2004 logo]] G-Phoria is an annual Video game awards show started in 2003 and produced by G4. ^[74] Fan response was also positive; Kingdom Hearts was voted as the 19^th best game of all-time by readers of the Japanese magazine Famitsu,^[75] 16^th by the users of website GameFAQs,^[76] and 92^nd by IGN users. (formerly Famicom Tsushin) is a Japanese Video game magazine published by Enterbrain Inc GameFAQs is a Website that hosts FAQs and Walkthroughs for Video games It was created in November 1995 by Jeff "CJayC" Veasey and ^[77]

Versions and merchandise

Further information: List of Kingdom Hearts media

Multiple versions of Kingdom Hearts have been released. Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing games developed and published by Square Enix (formerly Square The first was the original Japanese release which was followed by the North American and PAL releases, which included additional content. The game was later re-released in Japan as Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, which featured the content of the North American/PAL release, as well as new content. Both Square and Disney also released numerous types of merchandise before and after the release of the game. Merchandise ranged from toys and figurines^[25] to clothing items and books. Like the Final Fantasy games, Square released an Ultimania book on Kingdom Hearts in Japan following the release of the game and a revised edition following the release of Final Mix. DigiCube Co Ltd (株式会社デジキューブ Kabushiki-gaisha Dejikyūbu) was a Japanese company established as a subsidiary of Software developer In North America, a strategy guide was released by Brady Games. BradyGames is a publishing company in the United States operating as an Imprint of Dorling Kindersley, which specialises in Video game It featured a comprehensive walkthrough and a sticker activity journal. ^[78][14] A manga series based on the game was also released in both Japan and the United States. Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing games developed and published by Square Enix (formerly Square A novel series also based on the game was released in Japan. It was authored by Tomoco Kanemaki and illustrated by Shiro Amano. The novel series consists of two volumes and is scheduled to be released in the North America on March 25, 2008. Events 1199 - Richard I is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting France which leads to his death on April 6. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common ^[79][80]

Final Mix

Neoshadows, one of the new enemies, in Final Mix, along with the One-Winged Angel Keyblade.

Released only in Japan, Kingdom Hearts Final Mix has several events and a number of gameplay tweaks that are not in previous releases. Spoken dialogue is in English,^[81] with Japanese subtitles. New scenes, clarifying certain plot points, such as Riku's journey and foreshadowing of Kingdom Hearts II, were included. A gameplay option allows the player to skip cut scenes after seeing them once. ^[81] The optional bosses first included in the English version were introduced to Japanese players for the first time, along with "Unknown", in an attempt to raise interest for the sequel. WE DO NOT ACCEPT SPECULATION ANY CHANGE OF ELEMENTS TITLES WEAPONS OR NAMES WITHOUT RELIABLE SOURCING WILL BE IMMEDIATELY REVERTED

In another attempt at foreshadowing, a video titled "Another Side, Another Story [deep dive]" plays at the ending if the player accomplishes certain tasks. ^[82] New music tracks incorporated were "Disappeared" and "Another Side". The "Night on Bald Mountain" and "One-Winged Angel" tracks from the English version were included as well. Other changes include new abilities, new weapons, new items, additional and recolored enemies,^[83] and gameplay tweaks to make the game easier for the player, along with two new difficulty levels. ^[82][84] On the first day of the re-release, the game also included either a deck of Kingdom Hearts cards or a special music CD. A limited "Platinum Edition" version of Kingdom Hearts Final Mix was later released, and an action figure of Sora, a sticker set, and sketches of some of the main characters. ^[81]

Cover of the first volume of the Kingdom Hearts manga.

Manga

The game was adapted into a manga by Shiro Amano. is a Japanese Mangaka who has worked on several projects including his adaption on the popular ''Kingdom Hearts'' series. The story follows the events that took place in the game with a few minor differences to account for the loss of interactivity a video game provides. ^[85] Some events that took place in the Final Mix version were also included. The manga was originally serialized in Japan by Square's Monthly Shōnen Gangan, but has since been released worldwide in four volumes. Gangan Comics is a Manga Imprint of Square Enix (originally Enix) The volumes have been published in English in the United States by Tokyopop. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the For the music movie see Tokyo Pop. Tokyopop, stylized TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor licensor The first volume was released on October 11, 2005,^[86] and the fourth volume was released on July 10, 2006. ^[87] The entire series was later released in a boxed set on October 10, 2006. ^[88]

The manga series has had moderate success. The first volume was ranked 95^th in USA Today's "Top 150 best sellers" during the week of its release. USA TODAY is a national American daily Newspaper published by the Gannett Company. ^[89] IGN praised Amano's artwork and commented on wanting to replay the game after reading. They criticized the lack of new content and stated the transition from game to print lost most of the story's appeal. ^[85] The series was followed by a second manga series, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. is an Action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and Japanese studio Jupiter and published by Square Enix in 2004 for the Game Boy Advance ^[90] Kingdom Hearts was also re-released in three volumes in Japan in December 2006 as "Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix".

References

External links

• Official Kingdom Hearts site
• Official international Kingdom Hearts site
• Kingdom Hearts at the Internet Movie Database
• Kingdom Hearts at MobyGames