Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep Review

Before Sora and Rikku were entitled to hold the rank of Keyblade Master, a story that will unveil the past wielder of the blades will finally be told in Square Enix’s Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. Taking place prior to the events of the first Kingdom Hearts game, fans can finally uncover the identity of Xehanort and the mystery that surrounds the characters of the first game. Could the three characters somehow be connected to the first game?

With Birth by Sleep being a prequel to the first game, how is the game any different to the other three games in the series? Let’s take a look at the HOTs and NOTs of the long awaited Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep.

HOT

Presentation
The cute and adorable Disney characters from the past games will be once again seen in Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. Iconic characters such as Cinderella, Snow White, Stitch, Peter Pan, and Hercules are some of the Disney characters that you can expect to see. For a PSP game, Birth by Sleep manages to look even better than it PS2 predecessors. The character models and the environment are detailed nicely and sports some very vibrant colour palettes. Plenty of cutscenes will feature prominently in the game with an awesome voice cast. Players are expected to see once again the different worlds of our beloved Disney characters such as the Disney Town where players can meet characters such as Minnie Mouse and Goofy. Most of the Disney characters in the game are voiced by the same actors from their original feature films, which will be good news to anyone who grew up watching the films.

Story of Three Heroes
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep takes place before the events of the first game. Three young heroes; Terra, Aqua, and Ventus, have aspired to hold the title of the Keyblade Master and they are trained by the Master of Light: Master Eraqus. Their training will eventually lead to a much bigger plot that will tie up the loose ends of the first game. The source of Light and Darkness must always come together as a whole but an unknown force is trying to take all of the light and engulf the world in total Darkness. Our three heroes must set on their own adventures and try to figure out who is behind of the spreading of Darkness in other worlds. Players will have the chance to play each of the characters individually and learn their part of the overall story. The origins of the Princesses of the Hearts of the first game will finally be revealed.

Improved Battle System
The idea of having another two characters tagging along with the main character have been removed from the game. Using the new feature called D-Link, the main characters of each story arc will now have to rely on the abilities of one of the characters that the players will meet as they go to different worlds. The abilities of these characters will grow through frequent use, and each character has their own unique abilities. During a battle in the game, a player will have to go through the list of commands that are set on the Command List. The Command list in the game is a set of abilities that a player can use in the midst of a battle. The game is in real time but after the player uses an attack, it will take s bit of time to regenerate for it to be used again. The higher the difficulty the player chooses, the more command slots will be unlocked. Players will have an ability to unlock more command slots by leveling up through combat.

The Secret Chapter
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep doesn’t end by just finishing the story of Terra, Aqua, and Ventus. After a certain condition is met, a final chapter that reveals the secret ending will be playable where players can see familiar characters from the first game. The requirement for unlocking the secret chapter is somewhat challenging but it’s worth seeing for any hardcore Kingdom Hearts fans. The best part is that this is but one of many secrets that players can unlock in the game.