Kingdom Hearts II is an action roleplaying game about a boy named Sora, who teams up with popular Disney and Square Enix characters to save the world from darkness.
Challenging Play
Great Characters
Great Music
Great Story
Click a title to learn more about each topic.
Story & Themes
Kingdom Hearts II continues the story of Kingdom Hearts, in which a young boy named Sora must save the worlds from darkness. Sora rejoins Donald Duck and Goofy (of Disney fame) on his quest.
The villains are Disney villains Maleficent and Pete (another old Disney baddie), as well as a group called Organization XIII. They are seeking a power called Kingdom Hearts, which they are trying to create by sending Heartless to overtake every world. Sora, Donald, and Goofy must visit a series of worlds and seal them up to stop the Heartless from devouring them. Along the way they meet popular Disney characters (most of the worlds are based on Disney films) and work with them to defeat the Heartless. The ultimate goal is to reunite with his friends, Riku and Kairi, so that they can return home to the Destiny Islands.
Kingdom Hearts II features strong friendships and teamwork. The characters explore their identities and try against all odds to stick together even as darkness is taking over their worlds.
Both Disney and Square Enix have a history of stories of deep friendship and perseverance in the face of darkness. Characters fight to stay true to themselves and to do what is right for the good of all the worlds.
The games also feature appealing morally grey characters, like Riku and Axel, who both make bad decisions but are ultimately loyal friends who just lost their way.
Save Points
The player can save the game at special save points on every level. The player cannot save the game when they are in combat.
Difficulty
Most of the Kingdom Hearts II gameplay isn't difficult, though you will need to be familiar with the controller and the button combinations. The exception is the boss battles. Kingdom Hearts II has brutal boss battles that are very difficult to beat on the first try--it will most likely take 5 or 10 at least to figure out the best way to defeat a boss.
Heads Up!
Violence Kingdom Hearts II features cartoon violence that will be familiar to anyone who has seen an animated show. Sora bashes enemies with a giant key called a Keyblade. His enemies explode into gems or smoke; there is no gore to speak of, but there is minor blood in Port Royal, in a scene based on the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie. If you've seen Pirates of the Caribbean, you'll be familiar with the scene where they need to cut Will Turner's hand to get a drop of his blood on the cursed coins. This is the reason the game is rated "Everyone 10+," rather than just "Everyone."
Scary Imagery The player fights against shadowy monsters called "Heartless" and classic Disney villains that kids will be familiar with from movies. Your mileage may vary, depending on how your kids feel about those movies, but it's widely considered not to be scary.
Substance Use The pirates in Port Royal drink grog.
Consumerism The game doesn't necessarily encourage consumerism directly, but it uses branded Disney and Square Enix characters, for which a lot of merchandise exists. The game is also second in a series that spans multiple games on multiple consoles--if you want to play ever game in the series, you will need a lot of systems.
Discrimination Most of the characters are white or Japanese. There are some female characters, though none in this game are playable.
Conversation Starters
- Does the inclusion of Disney characters give you an emotional connection to the game? Do you feel as attached to the original characters as you do to the Disney characters?
- How does the story appeal to older players, even though it uses characters from kids' movies?
- Characters in Kingdom Hearts lose their memories often and forget who their friends are. How do you feel when it happens? Is it cathartic when characters finally reunite with their friends after a long time apart?
- Characters like Roxas sacrifice themselves to save the world. Is it sad that Roxas gave himself up for Sora, or do you think a part of him lives on in Sora?
- What characters would you like to see appear in the next Kingdom Hearts game?
2 / 5
1 / 5
0 / 5
3 / 5
