Review: Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep

For the longest time, I was a man that dismissed the Kingdom Hearts series as a game for kids. Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck were characters from a former life, a life I left behind after my first trip to Disney World when all the magic and wonder I’d felt as a child had finally left me. When I played the first Kingdom Hearts, I was both surprised and charmed by the mash-up of two such notorious franchises as Final Fantasy and Disney, and the gameplay/story overall. Fast-forward to 2010 and my spur of the moment purchase of Kingdom Hearts 2, a game that had somehow slipped past my radar since it was released during the years of my past MMORPG addiction. I played it solid for a week, completely entranced with nearly every facet of the game for 30 gaming hours of pure magic. I began watching the Disney movies again, going back to classics like Hercules and Mulan that I missed out on all these years…

The point of all this exposition is to merely say that Kingdom Hearts as a series is a powerful drug that can not only bring new wonder into the life of a gamer willing to give it a chance, but it can even rekindle a flame inside you that you may have dismissed decades ago. Birth by Sleep is no exception to this spell, bringing with it a host of new mechanics and mini-games, while at the same time taking you back to some of Disney’s oldest and most cherished moments. It’s a wonderful addition to the series, and a game I would encourage even those without PSPs to find a way to play if you have any love for Kingdom Hearts or Disney in general.

Birth by Sleep is technically a prequel to the first Kingdom Hearts. It stars three characters named Terra, Aqua, and Ventus. Though they may differ in hair color and facial expression, the similarities to series protagonists Riku, Kairi, and Sora are readily apparent. Terra is a young man prone to touching his dark side, Ventus is a spiky-haired and exuberant youth, and Aqua bears the calm and touching mannerisms of most of Square-Enix’s female characters. All three heroes are wielders of keyblades, and players are permitted to play as each one of them, a mechanic that both forces players to replay worlds that they may have seen with another character but also allows them to see more of the actual story than perhaps ever before. Imagine if you’d played through Kingdom Hearts 2 as Riku, for instance, how much different things might be, while at the same time telling an identical story. For many, this repetition might feel redundant, but for others, and particularly those who enjoy the game and playing through it, each branch will offer plenty to keep them interested. And with each story clocking at anywhere between 10 and 15 hours, it’s hardly a momentous effort to play all three.

The characters themselves each have different playstyles. Aqua has a creamy magic center, for instance, and while her melee skills are certainly adequate for dealing with the slew of Unversed (the new/old bad guys), she tends to attack slower but attain more magical prowess than Terra or Ventus. Terra tends to hit harder and move slower, while Ventus is quicker than a jackrabbit. The action feels quite like its predecessors, though obviously limited by the game’s presence on the PSP. The analog nub is used for movement, but there is no movement up or down with the camera and to rotate said camera one must employ the shoulder buttons. Standard attacks use X, while specials use Triangle, and Circle to jump Locking on to an opponent is done by pressing both shoulder buttons. The control scheme actually feels incredibly complicated at first, but after a few hours of gameplay it all starts to work, and by the end of the game I was actually a little impressed by how well the game played on a portable system. I’m often lackluster about action games on the PSP simply because the lack of dual analogs limits what one can do. It does in Birth By Sleep, but thankfully it doesn’t mar the experience as much as I’d feared.

In regards to the combat, Birth By Sleep does some interesting things not yet seen in any of the other Kingdom Hearts title. Magic and special attacks are mapped to what are called decks. Decks start out small, but increase as one levels, allowing players to call up more abilities on the fly. They are fully customizable, allowing players to slot things like Fira or Cure or a slew of melee style attacks with status effects attached to them. Each special also levels up as the Unversed are killed, and when reaching their max level will impart any passive skills attached to them. Not every special has a passive skill, but many do, and these can be anything from increased hit points to fire defense. Specials can also be combined to form new specials, and there’s an entire list to fill out if you’re the type of player who needs to complete lists. It all feels very complicated at first, and indeed it is, but it’s also fantastic because it allows for very customized playstyles, and also gives experience freaks that hit they need for leveling things. Throw on top of this D-Links and new ultra forms, and the combat becomes this fluid monster that’s always changing, but extremely fun once mastered.

The story of Birth by Sleep is about as confusing as Kingdom Hearts stories usually are. Aqua, Ventus, and Terra all have different paths to walk, but in the end their tales converge, and only by playing through all three can players access the full tale. As with past titles, much of the game revolves around exploring new Disney worlds. Birth by Sleep introduces three new worlds into the mix in the form of Snow White’s forest, Cinderella’s castle, and a spacecraft bearing the aliens from Lilo and Stitch. Familiar worlds also return, including Olympus and the ever-present Enchanted Dominion (what would a Kingdom Hearts game be without Malificent?). While each character does visit the same worlds, and for the most part even travel in the same areas, boss fights and story moments are different. There are a few times when the gang all converges to fight the same boss, but most of the time they’re separated by whatever plot twists are occurring. The game brings back familiar characters, including a mysterious version of Xehanort and the expected Disney gang of Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. Unlike previous games, players don’t lug these toons around, though their absence in combat is hardly noticeable.

The story, as I mentioned, is mostly confusing, but so has it been in every other Kingdom Hearts game I’ve played. Regardless, it’s intriguing enough that it makes one want to play through all three tales to see if things unfold properly. The way this is done is peculiar though. Once one player’s tale is done, the credits roll. Players then have to start a new game, pick one of the other characters, and then play through that tale. Once all three are played through, the final area unlocks. I would have much preferred some continuity between the three. In fact, being able to interchange at will would have been the most ideal way to play this. Having skills transfer over from one character to the next would have reduced the redundancy of having to level the same skill up on three separate occasions. Theoretically one could start three new games right off the bat and then just switch between save files after each event for some continuity, but that’s too much work just for the sake of keeping things in line.

Aside from the main action, players are also able to access several mini-games. There’s even a competitive mode where these mini-games can be played for the most part, and where players can either team up to fight difficult battles or just whomp on one another. The best part of this is that any leveling done in this mode transfers over. The biggest mini-game available is called the Command Board, and it’s basically a tweaked version of Monopoly, only not nearly as long and much more addicting. At one point I didn’t move on with the story for hours just because I was playing around with tome Command Board so much. Skills transfer from it as well, and new skills can even be found there.

The game also looks great, as do most PSP games if we’re being honest. Would I have preferred to see it in HD glory on the PS3? Of course. But Square has done an impressive job shrinking all these familiar worlds onto one small UMD, and despite my initial unease at playing Kingdom Hearts on a PSP, I warmed to everything about Birth by Sleep in no time.

The few gripes I had playing through the game were completely eclipsed by how much fun I had. Kingdom Hearts 2 definitely turned me into a fan of the series, but Birth by Sleep makes me feel like I’m part of the in-crowd. It also raises more questions about the Kingdom Hearts saga, but I think we can all hope for a third installment announcement before too long that will solve that long-standing problem.

Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep
PSP
	Publisher: Square-Enix Developer: Square-Enix Genre: Action RPG Release Date: September 7, 2025 MSRP: $39.99 ESRB Rating: E10+