Kingdom Hearts straddles two eras in Square Enix history. It was conceived in 2000, in what was arguably the apex of the company’s influence. It was a period when a company like Square might think, “Disney would gladly let us put their best characters in our games.” Legend has it that started as a literal elevator pitch, with a chance meeting between Square Enix producer Shinji Hashimoto and a Disney executive sowing the seeds for a crossover series that would span two decades and nearly a dozen entries, and next week is coming to PC for the first time.
It’s a release that’s apt to inspire equal parts excitement and bemused laughter among PC fans. Excitement because Mickey, Donald, and Goofy in 4K is pretty neat; bemused laughter because Kingdom Hearts is just that weird. If director Tetsuya Nomura has a bit of a reputation in RPG circles, it’s because Kingdom Hearts absolutely glories in every Nomura cliche imaginable: nonsensical naming conventions, wild psychodrama, and belts, belts, belts (and zippers).