Kingdom Hearts

Kingdom Hearts, released for PlayStation 2 in Japan on March 28, 2002, was developed and published by Square, later Square Enix. It was directed by Tetsuya Nomura, whose character designs had been prominent in Final Fantasy VII and VIII. The game united original characters with Disney properties under an action role-playing format. Its North American release followed on September 17, 2002, and its European release arrived on November 15, 2002. The story begins on Destiny Islands, where Sora lives with Riku and Kairi. When their home is consumed by darkness, Sora receives the Keyblade, a weapon able to lock worlds' keyholes and fight the Heartless. He meets Donald Duck and Goofy, who are searching for their missing king, Mickey Mouse. Their Gummi Ship carries them among worlds based on Disney films, including Traverse Town, Wonderland, Olympus Coliseum, Deep Jungle, Agrabah, Monstro, Halloween Town, Neverland, Hollow Bastion, and the End of the World. Disney characters are joined by Final Fantasy figures, notably Leon (Squall Leonhart), Yuffie, Aerith, Cid, and Sephiroth. Maleficent gathers Disney villains to exploit the Heartless, while Ansem, identified in the original game as the seeker of darkness, serves as its principal antagonist. The narrative culminates in Sora confronting Ansem and helping seal the Door to Darkness, though Riku and King Mickey remain beyond it. Composer Yoko Shimomura wrote the score, while Hikaru Utada's “Hikari,” released in English as “Simple and Clean,” became the series' theme song. Kingdom Hearts later received an expanded Final Mix edition in Japan and was reissued in the Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5+2.5 Remix collection. Its sequel, Kingdom Hearts II, followed in 2005. The original game also established the series' recurring conflict over hearts, darkness, Keyblade wielders, and connections between separate worlds, elements developed further in later titles such as Chain of Memories and Birth by Sleep for future installments thereafter.