Kingdom Hearts[a] is a 2002 action role-playing video game developed by Square for the PlayStation 2 video game console.[1] It is the first game in the Kingdom Hearts series and is the result of a collaboration between Square and The Walt Disney Company. An expanded re-release of the game featuring new and additional content, Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, was released exclusively in Japan in December 2002. The Final Mix version of the game was later remastered in high definition and released globally as a part of the Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix collection for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
The game combines characters and settings from Disney animated features with those from Square's Final Fantasy series, in addition to original characters and worlds created for the game. It follows the adventures of Sora, a cheerful teenager who fights against the forces of darkness alongside Donald Duck, Goofy and other Disney characters. The game was a departure from Square's standard role-playing games, introducing a substantial action and hack and slash element to the gameplay. The score was composed by Yoko Shimomura. Kingdom Hearts has an all-star voice cast and includes many of the Disney characters' official voice actors.[2] It was longtime Square character designer Tetsuya Nomura's first time in a directorial position.[3]
Kingdom Hearts garnered positive reviews and was praised for its unusual combination of action and role-playing, its unexpectedly harmonious mix of Square and Disney elements, and Shimomura's music.[4] It was a large presence in the 2002 holiday season, receiving numerous year-end game awards, and went on to achieve Sony "Greatest Hits" status.[5] The game's success spawned a franchise and numerous sequels, with the Kingdom Hearts series going on to ship over 32 million copies worldwide and becoming one of Square's most popular franchises. Kingdom Hearts is the tenth best-selling PlayStation 2 game of all time, and is considered by some gaming publications to be one of the greatest video games of all time.
