Looking back now, I have no idea why I haven't played Kingdom Hearts before.  I mean, if old Squaresoft could make a half-compelling RPG out of the Mario world, why can't a Disney-devoted RPG by Square be just as good as the Final Fantasy line I've loved my whole life?  It was Goofy.  Every time I saw a clip with Goofy in a scene with Cloud Strife, something inside me said “no.”

Well, this is me humming a new tune.  After years of watching the occasional Youtube clip, trailers, and my friends telling me what a deep and cohesive ongoing story the series is creating, I have to say I'm getting kind of excited about KH: 358/2 Days.

The first thing that hooked me was the staying power.  RPGs either work or they don't, and lame RPGs don't stick around.  But what really has me considering a purchase when this game comes out in September is the fact that the new Kingdom Hearts will be a redemption story.  I am a huge sucker for redemption stories.  In the KH mythos, a person's soul can become divided into a weakened, original character, and a shadowy Nobody that roams the earth, basically soulless.  In Kingdom Hearts 358/2 days, the series hero undergoes that tragedy, and his Nobody becomes entangled with murky dealings and starts to strive to become more than a soulless, wandering shadow. 

As usual, when Square[Soft/-Enix] goes for a story about character relationships and growth, there's a tear-jerker around every corner.  From the trailers and the synopsis on the game's web site, it looks likely to have you screeching war cries when the evildoers come to call.  I predict there will be at least one moment in this game that's as intense as Aerith's death scene or Palom and Porom's rescue of the party at Baron castle.

Teh trailzor: