Kingdom Hearts (video Game)

Kingdom Hearts (video game)

Kingdom Hearts (Japanese: キングダム ハーツ, Hepburn: Kingudamu Hātsu?) is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) in 2002 for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The first game in the Kingdom Hearts series, it is the result of a collaboration between Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company. The game combines characters and settings from Disney animated features with those from Square's Final Fantasy series. The story follows a young boy, Sora, as he is thrown into an epic battle against the forces of darkness. He is joined by Donald Duck, Goofy, and other classic Disney characters who help him on his quest.

The game was a departure from Square's standard role-playing games, introducing a substantial action-adventure element to the gameplay. Kingdom Hearts has an all-star voice cast and includes many of the Disney characters' official voice actors. It was longtime Square character designer Tetsuya Nomura's first time in a directorial position.

Kingdom Hearts was praised for its unusual combination of action and role-playing, as well as its unexpectedly harmonious mix of Square and Disney elements. It was a dominating presence in the 2002 holiday season, receiving numerous year-end "Best" video game awards, and went on to achieve Sony "Greatest Hits" status. Since its release, Kingdom Hearts has sold over 5.6 million copies worldwide and has prompted numerous sequels. Kingdom Hearts is currently the ninth best selling PlayStation 2 game of all time and the most commercially successful entry in the series to date.