Kingdom Hearts: The Story So Far
Kingdom Hearts: The Story So Far
I’m drawing a blank as to how this writeup developed. More specifically, I don’t know what made me wake up one day and say, “I want to replay Kingdom Hearts and finally play Kingdom Hearts II.” Back in the spring, I taught a video game theory course (it’s totally fun). One of my students submitted an assignment in which they analyzed Kingdom Hearts. I rapped with them for a bit in the submission comments and asked about the series. They then shared their description of the game in a simple sentence: “FF bones with Disney paint and whatever the hell Nomura is cooking.” I was curious to replay the first game because the last time I played it was back in 2002 when I was senior in high school in South Korea. I also heard that the sequel was considered one of the best JRPGs ever made (according to some fans, anyway), so it was already on my list of games to play. There was one hurdle, though: I was selected to take a group of students to Japan in May, so I had to plow through both games in just a couple of weeks if I was going to complete them. Keep in mind that this was immediately after Final Fantasy VII Rebirth occupied most of my time in the spring (I should get around to writing some sort of review for that by the end of the year). I powered through the first Kingdom Hearts in about ten days and then immediately started the sequel. They were fun enough, and I certainly did experience plenty of nostalgia given how much time has passed since both games came out. Further, after a few completely unannounced difficulty spikes (looking at you, Maleficent), I really did start to enjoy the games’ skill mechanics and leveling up systems. However, it’s not like these were the best games ever made or anything of the sort, and I think it’s safe to say that the fanbase does elevate the series to a certain level of prestige that it probably doesn’t deserve. Further, we all agree the stories are hot messes, right? It didn’t help that my friends over on a Discord channel razzed me for playing the games, so I said, “Screw it,” and committed to a shitposting bit in which I unabashedly praised the two games in the most absurd terms that I could conjure at the time. Here is a collection of my missives. They may or may not still be funny, but, hey, you miss out on every shot you don’t take.
Thor McBoodin — 04/17/2024 9:46 PM
Simply one of the best games ever made. There are masterpieces, and then there are games forged from the embers of a birthing phoenix. The images. The big shoes. The Heartless. If more game developers harnessed their energies to make games worthy of Kingdom Hearts, the world would be a better place. Nay! We would have world peace.
Thor McBoodin — 04/19/2024 2:50 PM
I can’t wait to sit down after work and complete what is arguably the greatest emotional journey I’ve ever encountered in any RPG, let alone video game: Kingdom Hearts. The poignancy of friendship. The triumph of good over evil. The batshit insane camera that actually fights me as I try to control it. Yes. This is my kingdom…of hearts.
Thor McBoodin — 04/22/2024 7:37 PM
There are some games I play in life that I can only imagine would be like holding your first-born in your arms. Kingdom Hearts is the first, second, third, and fourth child. It comes home with great grades, and the teacher tells the class, “Why can’t you be more like Kingdom Hearts?”
Thor McBoodin — 04/25/2024 5:59 PM
Kingdom Hearts and I promised each other that no matter what, we’d always be together. It was a promise full of passion and truth and wisdom. It was the kind of promise that can only come from the hearts of the very young. Kingdom Hearts and I never forgot our promise. We wrote to each other once a week for the next eight years. I was there to meet Kingdom Hearts, when they returned from Paris, with my wife and my first son, eight months old. Now, you’re probably saying to yourself, “Goddamnit, Thor. You literally just stole that from The Wonder Years’ final episode. Word for word,” to which I’d respond, “Stop policing my feelings.” Growing up happens in a heartbeat. One day you’re in diapers; the next day you play the greatest game ever created. But the memories of childhood stay with you for the long haul, memories with emo Square characters and Disney villains who probably shouldn’t have been in the game. Also, Jack Skellington. He was cool. I remember a place…a town…a Traverse Town…a house like a lot of other houses…where Squall, Leon, and Aerith are hiding out and probably smoking weed. A yard like a lot of other yards…on a street like a lot of other streets. And the thing is…after all these years, I still look back…with wonder…and heart.
Thor McBoodin — 04/26/2024 5:22 PM
Find someone who looks at you the way JRPG designers look at planet-sized, multi-tiered, endgame bosses.
[5:23 PM]
Really, it was the Kingdom Hearts we met along the way.
Thor McBoodin — 04/26/2024 5:29 PM
Simple and clean is the way…you’re making me feel…tonight. What prose could top this verse composed by an angel?
Thor McBoodin — 04/26/2024 6:57 PM
When this Discord server thinks about me, I want everyone to think about love. Our friendship can move mountains. Our devotion is deeper than the Mariana Trench. Our hair is spiked and tinted with the power of our companionship. Our hearts yearn to be freed. We’ve touched each other, and I’m pretty sure I’ve touched you. Wait…
Thor McBoodin — 04/26/2024 10:11 PM
If a game made me play for three hours without advancing the main story or even letting me play as the main character, I would politely ask, “How does my ass taste?” However, when a generational video game like Kingdom Hearts 2, whose majesty and grace surely resemble Seraphim on high serenading the cosmos with their ethereal grace, invites me to explore a fictional town, I weep tears of joy. No, these weren’t minigames that went nowhere. These weren’t meaningless stories. The game handled its intro with aplomb, inviting me to explore what happens to those who do not let love into their hearts. Kingdom Hearts 2 and I take turns spooning. I am the big spoon when the game needs me to exhibit strength. However, I become the little spoon when the game allows me to become vulnerable and gently whispers, “It’s okay to cry. You’ll be reunited with Donald and Goofy soon.” Soon. This very word ushers in excitement and anxiety. Excitement that profound moments are yet to come, but anxiety that the present can quickly become a memory…a memory of Kingdom Hearts.
Thor McBoodin — 04/27/2024 10:05 PM
Your first crush. Your first kiss. Your first heartbreak. Two Girls, One Cup. Having your nuts slammed in a car door. Playing Kingdom Hearts 2 for the first time. What do all of these have in common? These are fleeting glances into not only the loss of innocence, but also one’s struggles with mortality. Kingdom Hearts 2 presents this very notion by interrogating the philosophical quandary of empathy in human existence. By forcing us to explore the metaphysical diaspora of good versus evil–that is, Hearts versus Nobodies–Kingdom Hearts 2 serves as a safe space to examine what it means to be good in a world overcome by evil.
Thor McBoodin — 05/02/2024 11:01 PM
As I enter the second half of such a life-changing moment, I reflect on my own life and my second chances. Would any of them have been possible without friendship? Without heart? Without…love? This game has taught me the power and beauty of looking within myself. This uncanny ability to allow for such meaningful introspective reflection should be wielded by all like a benevolent Keyblade. Why, just tonight, I said, “I want beer.” It was 9 PM and the game said, “No, Thor. You do not need beer at this late hour. Instead, why don’t you help Simba become king?” I said, “Okay, Kingdom Hearts 2. Thank you for your grace.” Then the game said, “You’re welcome, Thor.” And I was all, “Cool.” And then the game said, “…You’re totally getting beer tomorrow, aren’t you?” And I was like, “I dunno. Maybe.” Such meaningful dialogue can only be possible through witnessing Donald and Goofy fight alongside Jack Sparrow in a dramatic reenactment of Pirates of the Caribbean that would make any high school drama teacher proud. Magical? Nay. When we are allowed to dare to dream, we can unlock the power of the cosmos with our hearts.
Thor McBoodin — 05/03/2024 3:56 PM
Who’s ready for Thor to unlock more magic with his heart?
Pumpkin Spiced Del — 05/03/2024 5:21 PM
no
Thor McBoodin — 05/03/2024 5:52 PM
Del has succumbed to the Heartless.
Thor McBoodin — 05/09/2024 7:50 PM
There is no greater sorrow than beating Kingdom Hearts 2. As the credits rolled, I could not help but weep. I wept for a journey that is now a memory. I wept for my friends in the game and the laughs we had. I wept for Nomura and his obvious kinks in video game design. However, most importantly, I wept for myself. I am no longer the same gamer I was when I first started Kingdom Hearts 2. I reflect on my life choices and ask, “What if…?” I will endeavor to use the knowledge I gained from this game to become a better person, human, and father to my non-existent children. Looking back on the friends I made in the game as the credits rolled, I realized that I still have memories to make with all of you. Kayaking on a river heading into the sun while we hold hands. Riding a 10-seat tandem bike across North America as we search for the perfect picnic spot. Holding Del’s and Kerrie’s hands and comforting both while they puke in unison after 10 shots of Fireball. Yes, you are all…my Kingdom Hearts.
Thor McBoodin — 05/27/2024 10:10 PM
Life. Friendship. Consumerism. Love. I cherish our memories at Don Quixote.
