Ranking The Games & Movies Of Kingdom Hearts: All-in-One Package Worst To Best

Now this is where the Kingdom Hearts deck command becomes truly great. By separating the Keyblade from the rest of the deck, the system feels less cluttered, and combos flow better. This results in a smooth combat system that feels fantastic. It also introduces a new system called Shotlock, essentially a targeting system wherein you lock-on to multiple targets for magic based attacks. It’s an all new structure based on old ideas.

As for that crazy Kingdom Hearts story we all know and some love, it’s 10 years before Sora’s business, and there’s a new trio of heroes with interconnected adventures that overlap as we view each of their campaigns. It’s a unique method of storytelling that we’ve seen in other games, but never before or since in a Kingdom Hearts game. It makes Birth by Sleep’s narrative a unique experience in the ensemble.

Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep holds up surprisingly well today. It can be a little rough around the edges, but it has a solid gameplay loop with a great narrative and fun worlds to explore. This massive explosion in the mechanics we'd seen before would become the Kingdom Hearts norm in the best way.