To answer the question, yes, this game translates wonderfully to the DS. Obviously it doesn’t look as good as something you would find on the playstation 2, but it’s probably one of the best looking DS games on the market right now. Most of the scenes on the playstation 2 appear on the DS and it really is quite remarkable how much they have been able to push the power of the DS here. I could go into the story but it’s a waste of time as it’s so similar to others that have shown up before that to list it here would just reflect the clichéd nonsense we’ve come to expect from JRPGs. It’s a RPG staring Disney characters and characters from Final Fantasy. That’s pretty much all you need to know.
Although the DS version looks awesome for such a small machine, the controls can be a little imprecise because you don’t have an analogue stick meaning that platforming sections are going to give you the shits very early on. Because you don’t have an analogue stick, the camera as you can imagine seems like it has a mind of its own and controlling it is almost out of the question. There are some ‘tear your hair out’ moments due to the controls and the crappy camera but neither becomes a deal breaker and luckily the core gameplay and charm of Kingdom Hearts manages to shine through regardless. The RPG gameplay is pretty solid. I’ve played better RPG battle systems on the DS but Kingdom Hearts presents one that is neither too challenging nor too soft for hardcore RPG nuts like me. There can be a few too many instances of micromanaging that always manage to make me fall asleep, but running around and doing damage, levelling up and continuing the quest never get old…even if it feels like you’ve done this far too many times before. I could probably write two thousand words alone on how the Battle system works but instead I’ll just cut to the chase and say that it DOES WORK, and ends up being fun at the same time.
There are loose multiplayer missions that you and your friends can participate in, there is also mission mode when you’ve finished the main story, but apart from that, once you’re done, you’re pretty much done. Overall everything is pretty solid and DS fans have long been waiting for their chance to get some love from this fan favourite franchise. For me personally, even though everything worked and was so solid, it still lacked that polish and element of fun that I have experienced in RPG’s on the same platform. Not a bad game by any means, but if you’re not a fan, this isn’t going to convince you to become one. Honestly I was expecting more but at least it isn’t a broken game and there were a few fun times to be had, even if they were a little fleeting and surrounded by a lot of fluff.
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