Is Kingdom Hearts a kid version of FF?

[Kurt Zisa]

I was at a party the other night and FF came up now and then and when i mentioned Kingdom Hearts my friend said that she's never played it as "it's just a kids version of Final Fantasy".

I'm torn between this one because while the Disney parts can lower the age slightly, the SE/FF input, what with Organisation XIII and what-not, makes it a bit more mature, i think anyway. Does anyone else out there have an opinion on this?

[Zidane77]

Well i guess you could call it a kid version, as in more suitable for the younger generation, i started playing FFVII when i was 11 but my little brother started playing Kingdom Hearts when he was 9, he hasn't played FF. So probably but i don't think that matter, im 23 and i enjoy winnie the pooh and everything in Kingdom Hearts

Although with all this focus on organization 13 it gets kinda silly sometimes, but i like Roxas,Sora,Kairi,Riku,Aqua and most of the FF characters.
I don't see organization 13 make this game more mature, i think people are silly that don't play KH cause they think it's a kid's game

[Leon]

I like KH, but I stopped playing after I passed Re:CoM. That's my current situation.

Anyway, I really don't see anything wrong with Disney in KH. Yeah, we have characters like Bambi and Dumbo and other cute and cuddly characters that make manly men uncomfortable. BUUUUUT I think if you remove the Disney characters you'll just have another FF title. Which we got plenty of already.

I like Kingdom hearts, and I love Disney characters. I grew up watching Disney movies like Hercules, Dumbo, Bambi, Mulan, The Lion King, etc. I think it's a sweet deal having them in a crossover game.

[Kurt Zisa]

@Zidane77
I just used organisation XIII as an example of Squares input.

I agree with you about people not likeing the series because it's part Disney. In my opinion people who dont like the knigdom hearts series are people who havent played it. (no offence if otherwise)

Im 17 and its still one of my favourite games/series. Haloween Town for the win!

[Zidane77]

I liked every single game which came out except RE:Chains of Memories on PS2 which was pretty bad in my opinion, still finished it and enjoyed it to some extent, but i thought the GBA version was better.

But yeah definetly one of my favorite series, the first one is my favorite though

[Kurt Zisa]

We never got Chain of Memories in any form down here so to me its a big chunk missing out of the main series which is kind of a bummer. Still, owning the first and second is enough to scratch my Kingdom Hearts itch.

[Dodie16]

My youngest cousin played the first game many years ago when she was about 7 or so. She loved running around and exploring the island, collecting things for the raft and beating up on Tidus, Wakka and Selphie. She loved having Sora swim in the ocean and climb up on trees.

Then she got to the part in the game where the giant Heartless appeared...

That big Heartless gave her nightmares for about a week, and she never got any further in the game.

Point of that story I told is that Kingdom Hearts has quite a bit of Nightmare Fuel if you think about it, especially for a game that was rated E (E10+ for later installments). Kids can certainly play the game, but I think there's enjoyment to be had for older audiences as well. And there's nothing wrong with enjoying something that's "kiddie" anyway. Everyone needs to appeal to their inner child sometimes.

[kupo]

"it's just a kids version of Final Fantasy".

I'm torn between this one because while the Disney parts can lower the age slightly, the SE/FF input, what with Organisation XIII and what-not, makes it a bit more mature, i think anyway.

hrm, thats a good way of putting it. ive got a few 3rd graders at the school i work at who enjoy playing KH and they dont get the final fantasy references at all. i had asked one of them why the like playing it and he said that "the story was cool" and "its not too kiddie but it still has disney characters which is really cool!" in a way, it seems like a "kids first JRPG"

[Dan558]

I think people who pass over such a wonderful game because they think it's just for kids are childish themselves.

The "Kiddie" idea held me back on this series for quite awhile and it was one of my biggest video game blunders I can remember because it has to be one of my top 3 series now. The atmosphere might seem kiddie at first because of the Disney characters and some of the exaggerated features Sora presents (in the first game moreso then any other) but the way the story is presented gets dead serious at times.

At several points in the story the game evoked emotions (other then anger at game design) more then any recent FF has. While theres no serious physical relationship between Sora and Kairi their bond and feelings seem clear and strong at several points. Even the rivalry, friendship and hatred (in the first game) between Riku and Sora is clear but not blunt/uninspired.

The writing of the series has to be the best though. I love how CoM dosn't need to be played to play KH2 because if you skip over it, you see it how Sora remembers; A jump in time and new bad guys you know nothing about but for some reason you seem to already have a history and familiarity with.

I havn't played Birth By Sleep because I refuse to buy the useless paperweight of a system, PSP, for one game, but I'm strongly hoping for a Re:CoM like remake for PS3 download or something in the future. Anyways BBS seems to be even more mature then ever with an even older cast (Terra and Aqua) and from what I read a good story too.

Overall while it may have kiddie aspects the Disney stuff is really used well as a nostalgia tool and a pleasant relief especially compared to so many brain-dead gritty shooters out there dubbed "mature". I would deem KH series no more "kiddie" then the first Toy Story movie and if you believe Toy Story is just for kids you are strongly mistaken by appearances.

[Henry]

I am 19 and i still play Kingdom Hearts I have KH1 and KH2. I want Chain Of Memories and KH2 Final Mix+ becuse i just love Organisation XIII, i want to fight all of the members! I have seen that girls totally love this game, my friend is over 20 and plays Kingdom Heart and some more.

[Trunks]

It's not even similar at all. The only thing that links this to FF is the cameo's and developers. It doesn't use the same game play style or even have any features seen in any FF like maps, sub-plots or a tactic element as complex as FF. I suppose to some people it may seem that way but I just see it as a different genre. I can't, there for, see it as a kids version of FF. I see KH as more of an adventure game akin to Zelda, maybe a child-friendly chapter of this genre sure.

The fact that it has Disney characters in it may make it seem more childish, but it also has Nightmare Before Christmas... The elements from that sure as hell aren't for as young children as the Little Mermaid. Plus the FF characters drag in fans from that series which is primarily teenagers. I think KH is just a joint-development from two great companies to make an awesome adventure game. The levels and characters bringing life, and fun to the story because they are characters we know in a different situation. So, no, I don't think it's a kiddie version of FF. I think it's a new strand for both companies and it's a good games franchise.

[Tepsha]

Nah, I think Kingdom Hearts is its stand alone game. It is a bit different than FF on the maturity level but it doesn't really follow similar FF plots.

[01habbo]

I actually think that the series has got darker as it has progressed, I must admit when I first saw the trailer to kh1 I didn't think it was all that special and just thought it was for kids. But I did gave it a go and I got hooked it has a certain charm to it and it might of started out as a game for a child but it has progressed into something more than that, and something complex. Birth by Sleep for example is the darkest game of the series to date, it gets quite depressing towards the end (in a good and necessary way) and is the most difficult game out of all of them to date, add in final mix and the end stages I would think could be quite creepy for a child.

[Zidane77]

Yeah it's not a kid's game rather than Legend of Zelda, Mario or many other games.

[Spartan of Zanarkand]

Agreed. It may appear as a kiddie game but it's more of a warm up game for future RPG players. Although technically if you view it that way, it could count as a kiddie game. Meaning it's practice for some.

I remember playing FFX when I was 5 years old and I couldn't put it down. Later on I started playing KH but I honestly took forever to get of the Destiny Islands. Kinda sad. But I still preferred FFX, even then.

Perhaps it's more of a question of interests than age. Disney characters, sure. But if they were cast in a violent, obscene world like Grand Theft Auto, I wouldn't think of it as a kiddie game.. Kinda funny to think of though.

And I second the notion put forth by 01Habbo. Completely.

[Final Hearts 69]

KH had came out when I was a sophomore in high school and now I'm a sophomore in College and I still play the series. It just depends on how you look at the game. For those who are younger than we are, think it's cool becuase it has disney characters. For those who had been around since the first FF game, thinks kh is a kid version for the younger generations. I agree with 01habbo all the way, KH has gotten darker. Partly because they're trying to get us prepared for the Keyblade War that Sora will be in, in the last game. There are spin offs of the game, but those are there to help us understand what is going on and explaining what the enemies are like. Organization 13 is actually my favorite villian group (and is probably the only villainous group...if you want call them villains) out of the series. The reason why they had put FF characters in the series is becuase Disney and SE had made an agreement to add the characters in there to attract us to play the game series. KH had actually had gotten me more into FF. Before KH had came out my sister had gotten FFX and I had only played it for a split second before my sister took back the controller. But when KH came out, my dad had gotten it and played it. I wasn't interested at first; but now I'm hooked on it like I am hooked on FF. I love KH for the originality of storyline and the creativity in each world, side from Disney worlds. I would love it even more if they decide to put in a FF world.

So to answer your question. Kingdom Hearts....or all the fans of it refer to it as-KH is neither a kid version of FF or a stand alone game. It is a game that attracts Disney and FF fans of all ages. They don't need to fully understand the game just to play it. As long as they have fun playing it, it shouldn't matter what age you are. My dad hasn't been big into playing the games himself, but I had gotten hooked on Kingdom Hearts:Birth by Sleep (KHBBS). I myself has all seven-I think it is now...or at least it will be when Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance comes out for the 3ds- let's see...there's KH: birth by Sleep, Kingdom Hearts, KH: Chain of Memories, KH: 358/2 days, Kingdom Hearts 2, KH:Coded... so that's six right there. And as you probably could tell just by how long this is, that I am a huge fan of KH. Anyways, it's all about the matter of opinion... and in my opinion, KH is one of the best series of games that I have played...and I could talk about KH forever, so I'm going to stop now.

[lady ashe]

awww... come on why does disney characters make it a kid version. my little brother is still afraid of the beasts in KH as he is in FF, no difference at all. and the organization does make it a bit more mature, whereas the disney characters make it younger. so it cancels out right?

[Kurt Zisa]

It just comes down to general ignorence i guess. Some older gamers might only see the Disney part of it and think its all Minnie Mouse and fluffy bunnies. But thats their opinion and in mine their missing out on a great game/ series if they choose to think this. Not to say that KH doesn't have its light-hearted Disney-like moments but it's all kept in moderation.

[lady ashe]

well its disney its gunna have those donald duck and goofy moments, to be sure. but the beasts are just the same as FF, just with some amazing disney characters that suit their roles. like malificent for instance

[Kurt Zisa]

Exactly i couldn't think of a better cast of Disney villains then what they chose in KHI they all just seemed to work together, not literally of course as they argued quite a bit, but ya know. And there is a darker side to the story, the ongoing threat of the Heartless conquering worlds and the experiments that Xehenort conducted on those people's hearts isn't exactly humane.

[lady ashe]

yeah! you cant say that disney makes it younger!!! the villians worked together as you say with the arguements. then you have the dark threat of the deadly heartless and Xehenort

[Unknown Entity]

I don't really think it'd make it a complete "kiddie" game, but it's certainly a little more childish than Final Fantasy.

I've only played Kingdom Hearts 2, and not once did I feel like it was too childish or babyish for me. It's like an RPG for beginners/younger gamers, but a cute and enjoyable game for older gamers to play. Especially if you're on a break from the more harder and/or indepth RPGs, or are from the early-ish Final Fantasy and Disney era.

Kid is the wrong word, but using any other wouldn't make sense because it's a standalone game.

[ZenMonkey59]

I wouldn't call it a kids version of Final Fantasy, because its not really a Final Fantasy game. The focus is much more on the Disney Characters.

Its a fun game. I think people who love Final Fantasy would love Kingdom Hearts. Your friend is a little closed minded for refusing to play it.

[lady ashe]

well it is focused on disney, but it still is final fantasy, with the characters such as cloud, sepioth(spelt wrong), auron, yuffie, etc

[ZenMonkey59]

Yeah, but I wouldn't consider it part of the Final Fantasy series, which is why it really isn't a Kid's Final Fantasy.

[L'cie]

I don't think KH is a kids game. My 18 year old sister plays it and knows just about everything about it. She is always so enraptured by all the action and most of the effects of FF13 too. Neither of us know nearly all of the details (partly because we probably aren't even halfway finished) but we strive to know. I am 14 and I play both games (I honestly haven't gotten past Cerberus in the first KH but I beat the second, and you already know my progress on FF13). We both love both games and neither of us think KH is "kiddie". If anybody who has played it really thinks it's "kiddie" then I am honored to stand with the kids.

[lady ashe]

as do i.
im 15, and had grown up around final fantasy and kingdom hearts. not once did i think kingdom hearts a kids game, but if you say it is then ill stand with the kids

[Illusion]

Disney = kid/young audience.

Disney caters to kids, that's its target audience. Sure, it's not the only audience it markets to (purchasing Marvel would be a good example of how they try to approach other audiences), but that is its primary audience.

Now, before you throw me into the "doesn't like kh games because its Disney" category, let me say that I did enjoy Kh1 (the only kh game I have had the time of playing to the end) and Disney is a company filled with very talented people. Kh is, if anything, a perfect example of that talent.

Kh is, in my opinion, a great game/series (if I can judge the series as a whole from the one game I played). It has an interesting story, characters, good gameplay, and a creative universe. All that being said, however, and Kh is stilled dressed up by Disney and inevitably comes out with a distinctive feel and appeal to a young, not kids, audience.

That's my opinion, I'm not saying it's a bad game/series, but I'm not excited or particularly interested in it either.

[lady ashe]

I'm not saying it's a bad game/series, but I'm not excited or particularly interested in it either.

me and you are different then, i love KH in everyway. as you you know by now

[Illusion]

me and you are different then, i love KH in everyway. as you you know by now

You know, the way you say it almost sounds like it's a bad thing.

KH just never got a hold on me. I'm not a fan of Disney, I'll say as much, but the games have alot of quality. I have always been an FF fan first and everything else later.