Kingdom Hearts 3 Reviews: 9 Early Reactions You Need To See

2. The World Stories Are A Mixed Bag

But the worlds’ storytelling feels lackluster in light of the technical improvements the franchise has made. An attempt to satisfy both the Disney stories and the overarching plot causes some unfortunate stagnant pacing, with Disney plots playing out with slow dialogue and Sora, Donald, and Goofy occasionally questioning why they’re even visiting some of the included worlds at their outset...With visual fidelity so close to the original films, it is stranger now more than ever to see a CliffsNotes version of the movies’ stories retold with less punchy dialogue and key scenes missing. - IGN

By keeping the bigger Keyblade Wars story in the periphery and having minimal involvement from all those involved with it, these stories are clearer and more concise. The underlying themes of Kingdom Hearts harmonize with those of Disney's own properties so well that each new world Sora journeys to delivers an impactful moment of storytelling. - Gamespot

Though the diversity of the game's themed worlds has been generally praised, critics are more mixed on the narratives within them.

Several reviewers noted that the quality of the world stories are wildly inconsistent, with some simply raking over the plots from their respective movies, while others seem afraid to actually engage with anything approaching canon or continuity.

In fairness, some did praise the stories for being almost entirely disconnected from the overarching Sora story, allowing them to serve as mostly standalone adventures that help break up the sometimes over-the-top core storytelling.

Fortunately, it sounds like the design and charm of the worlds themselves do mostly compensate for the middling narratives on offer either way.