Since its release in 2002, the Kingdom Hearts series has gained an awesome momentum in RPG gaming fantasy. The game follows a small town kid, Sora, as he travels different worlds and battles the darkness that threatens to take over. Of course it’s a little more complicated than that, but die-hards know how difficult it is to sum up a complicated story. It’s a great blend between original characters, Square Enix’s characters from previous games, as well as the favorites of Disney worlds—all this infused with an original plot makes this game amazing. But the one thing that wasn’t explained in the main PS2 and Nintendo Gameboy is what set events in motion. Enter the much-awaited game Birth By Sleep.
Birth By Sleep is set 10 years before the actual events of Kingdom Hearts, and follows three keyblade warriors- Terra, Ventus and Aqua. After an incident, all three go their separate ways to investigate a new spawn of enemies that threaten the worlds they protect. The player goes through the game three times- Yes, that’s right, THREE. One for each character’s journey. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t a fan of this sort of gaming strategy, but because it’s the prequel of my favorite game, I persevered. Turns out that perseverance isn’t required, because each character has a unique storyline that had me at the edge of my seat.
The graphics were good and consistent throughout the game, but the one thing that disappointed me was the lack of high quality cut-scenes—the same quality that Square Enix advertised with. It was one of the things that hooked gamers from the start, and when that actual scene came around in a normal, not-that-spectacular quality, I felt… well… cheated. But that’s just a superficial complaint. However, the way the story ties up is wonderful, and more than makes up for that disappointment.
Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep
Developer: Square Enix and Walt Disney
Series’ Order of Release:
– Kingdom Hearts
– Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
– Kingdom Hearts II
– Kingdom Hearts: recoded
– Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days
– Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep
– Guest Blogger Asma Al Jailani
