The PlayStation 2 gave gamers a slew of excellent franchises, but even amongst the console’s crowded field of stars, “Kingdom Hearts” stands out. Developed by Square — the series began in 2002, before the Square Enix merger — “Kingdom Hearts” combined original characters with crossover appearances from popular Disney characters and added some beloved faces from the “Final Fantasy” series. The first game introduced players to multiple worlds ripped straight from Disney cartoons, told an original story with the depth expected from Square games, and offered hack-and-slash action that’s still fun to play decades later.
The entire “Kingdom Hearts” story spans multiple games and is shockingly rich and emotional. The games consistently delivered great action and powerful stories, and they inspired many imitators but few equals. Some “Kingdom Hearts” fans replay the series over and over because they can’t find another game that scratches the same itch, but we think we have a few worthwhile recommendations. If your favorite part about the “Kingdom Hearts” series is the prevalence of Disney characters, then you should definitely check out games like “Epic Mickey” or “Disney Dreamlight Valley.” But if you keep coming back to Square Enix’s beloved series because of the combat, storytelling, and characters, then these are five games like “Kingdom Hearts” you simply must play for yourself.
The World Ends With You
“The World Ends With You” is a 2007 RPG that has quite a bit in common with the “Kingdom Hearts” series. Originally released for the Nintendo DS, the game was the same team responsible for the spin-off game “Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.” The game has since been ported to the Nintendo Switch as “The World Ends With You: Final Remix,” and unless you’re dying to break out your old DS, that’s the version we’d recommend you play
“The World Ends With You” tells an urban fantasy story set in Shibuya. A boy named Neku awakens in the Tokyo shopping district with no memory of how he got there. It doesn’t take long for Neku to realize that he’s in an alternate Shibuya where undead souls compete in a tournament called the Reapers’ Game. The game takes place over three weeks, and in that time Neku meets other players, forges new bonds, and fights for his very existence.
The combat in Jupiter’s game really emphasizes Neku’s connection to his partners. Neku shares a health bar with his active partner, and players control both characters at once. Neku’s attacks are dictated with touch controls, while his partners rely on button presses to string together their attacks. The unique battle system also relies on players alternating attacks between characters, timing the switches with a green puck that passes between the characters on screen. The combat is incredibly engaging, and the dark story will offer a refreshing experience for longtime “Kingdom Hearts” fans.
Persona 4 Golden
The “Persona” series has given us some of the best RPGs of all time. You can’t go wrong by choosing to play any game in the series, but “Kingdom Hearts” fans should take special notice of “Persona 4 Golden.” The original “Persona 4” debuted in 2008 and quickly became one of the most celebrated games in the series, but the “Golden” re-release adds additional characters and storylines alongside some graphical and quality-of-life improvements. “Golden” is also, importantly, available on virtually every modern gaming platform, whereas the original is still technically a PlayStation 2 exclusive.
Gamers coming from the “Kingdom Hearts” series will have to adjust to the turn-based combat of “Persona 4 Golden,” but the transition won’t be hard to make. Despite lacking the hack-and-slash action of the mainline “Kingdom Hearts” games, the combat in “Persona 4 Golden” is incredibly dynamic and tasks players with thinking through enemy elemental weaknesses and different team combinations to maximize devastating combo attacks.
After settling into the game’s combat, “Kingdom Hearts” fans will quickly find themselves hooked by the writing and characters in “Persona 4 Golden.” A dark series of mysterious killing drives the game’s plot, but as a whole the game has a surprisingly upbeat vibe. Players will be making new friends and putting together a team of people who will literally fight to the death to protect each other.
Final Fantasy XIII
The entire “Final Fantasy” series shares some of the same appeal as the “Kingdom Hearts” games, which have also featured some beloved “FF” characters. For fans who are ready to make the jump into Square Enix’s flagship series, we’d highly recommend “Final Fantasy XIII.” Despite the dire events of the plot, a helpful note of friendship and cooperation shines through everything that happens in the game. As an added bonus, these “FFXIII” characters haven’t appeared in any “Kingdom Hearts” game, so players will get to see some new faces on their journey.
“FFXIII” uses turn-based combat, but the game borrows elements of the Active Time Battle system featured in earlier titles. Because of that, the combat in “FFXIII” offers “Kingdom Hears” fans an approachable way to explore standard JRPG combat mechanics. Outside the moment-to-moment action, players will discover an array of different systems, like Paradigm assignments for party members, that add surprising depth to the combat.
The story of “FFXIII” concerns a fantasy city called Cocoon where incredible magic and advanced technology meet. Cocoon is threatened by another world called Pulse, and protagonist Lightning is pulled into the action when her sister is accused of working for Pulse against the city. Lightning and her unlikely comrades discover that there’s much more to the Cocoon-Pulse conflict than they ever imagined, and uncovering that mystery is a big part of the game’s fun. “FFXIII” is one of just a handful of “FF” games to get a direct sequel, so incoming “Kingdom Hearts” players can also get ready to sink themselves into another multi-game epic fantasy saga.
Nier: Automata
Developed by PlatinumGames, “Nier: Automata” was one of the best RPGs of 2017, and to this day it stands out as an incredibly addictive action RPG game and a seriously memorable sci-fi story. The game takes place in an apocalyptic future where the Earth is overrun by alien machines that are at war with android soldiers. Players step into the shoes of various androids, and uncovering the game’s full story requires completing multiple playthroughs as different characters.
Fans of the hack-and-slash combat of the mainline “Kingdom Hearts” games will feel right at home with the combat mechanics in “Nier: Automata.” Each character has a slightly different set of attacks and abilities, but at its core, the game’s combat is all about stringing together light and heavy attacks to make powerful combos. With four different weapon types and an XP point and level-up system, there’s plenty of room for experimentation in combat, and “Nier” also mixes in sequences with alternate mechanics like platforming or arcade-style shooting to keep things feeling fresh through those many playthroughs.
Hi-Fi Rush
2023’s “Hi-Fi Rush” is one of the most refreshing hack-and-slash games that the gaming industry has seen in years. Developer Tango Gameworks took everything that gamers love about this high-action genre and combined it with rhythm game mechanics and an art direction that absolutely pops. “Kingdom Hearts” fans are guaranteed to fall in love with the characters of “Hi-Fi Rush” and to enjoy the game’s thrillride of a main plot. They’ll be able to pick up the game’s combat system easily enough, but mastering it will definitely take some time.
In “Hi-Fi Rush” players follow Chai, a 25 year old with a cybernetic arm and a dream of making it big with his music. Thanks to a mishap during his arm installation, Chai is wanted by the security forces of Vandelay Technologies, and he’ll need to rely on the help of some new friends and his own musical talents to escape them. The game’s story is a fun-filled romp that’ll have almost any gamer smiling from ear to ear throughout their playthrough.
Chai’s connection to music gives “Hi-Fi Rush” its main mechanical hook. Instead of simply combining light and heavy attacks like they would in a standard hack-and-slash game, players also have to try and time their attacks with the game’s music. Better timing means more damage, which forces players to tap into their inner musician just like Chai. “Hi-Fi Rush” has just enough in common with “Kingdom Hearts” to appeal to fans of the series, but for newcomers, the 2023 game will feel like a breath of fresh air.
