Disney magic, Square's immersive storyline, plus inventive attack effects and gorgeous graphics equals a must play game.
The game begins with Terra and Aqua taking their Keyblade Mastery exam given by their beloved Master Eraqus. As Keyblade wielders of the light, they are dismayed to see darkness inexplicably appear during the test. Soon after, the visiting Keyblade Master Xehanort disappears. Master Eraqus tasks Aqua and Terra with journeying to the other worlds to learn the answers to these events. Because he is younger and not prepared, Ventus is expected to remain behind, but is hurt seeing his two training partners leave without him, especially Terris, and so secretly determines to follow his friends. Thus you start the game by selecting one of the characters to play, Terra, Ventus, or Aqua, but you will need to play the other two in turn to unravel the full storyline. Although you have to play through the same worlds with each of the three main characters, the experience doesn't feel as repetitive or tedious as I had initially feared. Each character's journey reflects their individual viewpoint, so their experiences and game play differs. Terra, Ventus, and Aqua typically explore different areas of the worlds, interacting with different Disney characters, and battling different bosses. In this rare instance, the repetitiveness doesn't become annoying.
As a newcomer to the series, I was pleasantly surprised by how well Square Enix blended their KH characters with the wonderful iconic Disney characters. It was great to visit old friends such as Cinderella and Donald Duck, along with newer favorites from Stich. A Final Fantasy character also makes a cameo appearance. The voice acting is exceptional nearly universally throughout the game. With well-known actors of the caliber of Leonard Nimoy, Haley Joel Osment, and James Woods lending their talent, this isn't surprising. The sole sour vocal performance is that of the actor voicing Terra, as he delivers his lines throughout the game with the same flat monotone. The graphics are reminiscent of anime and are just gorgeous. I especially appreciated the exceptionally bright palette of colors used, which gave the game a brilliant, vibrant look. I liked the music and found it fresh and apt, while also helping to heighten the drama and accent emotional overtones. Many of the Disney songs are brief choruses repeated continually which didn't really bother me. However, I hope to never in my life again hear the strains of "bibbidy bobbidy boo".
The game controls are tight and easily adapted to, with the menus and buttons for spell casting and melee perfectly arranged for the PSP. The camera following is generally spot-on, but can be manually adjusted if desired. The game uses a unique setup, with game commands morphing based on certain limit breaks such as type of magic and then changes it with the same button press into a unique combined spell/attack. The spells are typically found in Final Fantasy, cure/cura/curaga, thunder/thundara etc., but are made visually stunning with their fresh, imaginative flair. Watching your character jump, spin, or twirl amid the background of the attacks colorful avant-garde effects is a treat.
I found the game's pacing exceptional. Fighting scenes were broken up by light puzzles, platforming and exploration; there were also several mini-games you could lose yourself in as a distraction. My favorite was a Monopoly style game called Command Board that replaced real estate tiles with action command tiles from the storyline. So in addition to just playing for fun, each of the mini-games also provided some sort of benefit to your character back in the story, be it a leveled up command or needed item. Happily, if you don't find the mini-games to your liking, your participation in them is rarely mandatory. Multi-player is even included involving ad-hoc mode racing, arena fighting or the board game.
A Keyblade is your only weapon, but you are given upgrades several times as your game progresses. The only real customization option is being able to combine spells and items to make more powerful spells and abilities. Contrary to most RPG's, there really isn't any loot to collect, but there are chests scattered around each world, containing spells or items. There are four levels of difficulty: Beginner, Standard, Proud, and Critical. I played on Proud difficulty for all three characters, and once on Standard difficulty for Terra.
My biggest gripe with the game was the excessive load times. I installed the maximum amount to my PSP, and boosted the speed to 333 mhz, but still found myself staring at the spinning load icon all too often. To be fair, with everything this game does and is, the load times could be unavoidable.
With one major and only a couple minor annoyances, the game was one of the most enjoyable ones I've ever played on the PSP. Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep enthralled me. I loved its fresh and inventive attack sequences. I even surprisingly found myself liking several of the mini-games and arena fighting. Most players will probably finish each storyline in about 15 hours, but I had so much fun my game play exceeded 90 hours. Disney's usual magic and Square Enix's fantasy RPG swept me away from reality for awhile, letting me righteously battle evil while having a whole lot of fun. If this is the experience you want from a game, or you are simply a Square Enix or Disney fan, I highly recommend this game.