Thrill Ride- Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep Review

In the history of gaming, few crossovers have stoked the flames of fanboy appreciation as much as the Kingdom Hearts franchise. Both the original 2002 title and its 2006 sequel offered a synergistic amalgam of action/role-playing elements along with a robust roster of beloved Final Fantasy and Disney characters. Although portable offshoots Chain of Memories and 385/2 Days offered interesting variations with deck-based attacks and co-operative multiplayer, many players longed for an installment which replicated the mechanics of the two major console-based releases.

Recent PSP release Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep adeptly weaves together a handful of elements from previous console darlings and adds just enough new wrinkles to fabricate a title which is sure to please series aficionados. Unlike previous portable entries which had to constrain both scale and visual delivery, Birth by Sleep‘s integration of the Crisis Core/Dissidia engine allows the title to compare favorably against PS2 iterations.

Set a decade before the event of the original game, Birth by Sleep‘s storyline centers around a trio of budding Keyblade Masters. After a pensive introduction, players are tasked with following the exploits of one of three characters- Terra, Aqua or Ventus. While each character’s storyline presents a unique trajectory and dialog, all three heroes will visit the same environments. Once the trio of adventures have been completed, many of the title’s ambiguities become lucid, revealing Birth by Sleep‘s meta-narrative. Cleverly, a handful of thematic elements relate to the events of Kingdom Hearts 2, offering a furtive ‘thank you’ to series devotees.

Birth By Sleep‘s locations don’t veer from tradition- each landscape is based on a memorable Disney environment. While previous Kingdom Hearts entries have recycled landscapes, Birth‘s offers five new realms for players to explore. From Winnie the Pooh’s Hundred Acre Wood, the Enchanted Dominion from Sleeping Beauty, and Deep Space from Lilo and Stitch. Even the game’s two returning lands- the Olympus Coliseum and Neverland, have been amend to offer gamers a fresh perspective. 

Like previous entries in the Kingdom Hearts franchise, gratification is found in the ability to use newly-gained abilities on a unremitting procession of enemies. Each vanquished villain endows players with experience points and munny- the game’s saccharine-sweet moniker for currency. Additionally, each aptitude which players purchase, earn, or uncover, grows in strength with each use; these special commands can even be combined in hopes of forging an even more powerful attack.  A press of the start button transports players to a multifaceted menu when abilities can be managed. Even with Birth by Sleep‘s frequent help screens, the amount of information can overwhelm a novice. Fortunately, experimentation rarely leads prohibits forward progress- at worst, a futile amalgam merely requires players to repurchase specific abilities.

Players may also gain experience through Birth by Sleep‘s amusing mini-game, the Command Board. Here’s each of the three protagonists is transported to a Monopoly-like diversion, where players roll a die to move, and purchase ability spots along the board in an attempt to siphon other players dry. Shrewdly, any abilities which are strengthened during the game carry over to the main campaign, so gamers never feel they are squandering their precious time.

Visually, Birth by Sleep is undeniably impressive, with a host of affectionately rendered characters and impressive environments. However, this graphical grandeur does have a cost- even with the game’s largest selectable memory cache (three different sizes are offered), the title’s load times border on burdensome.  Although the game’s framerate never becomes intolerable, the refresh rate can slow noticeably when a host of enemies are on-screen. Few will take issue with the game’s magnificent voiced dialog, but some might object to the musical selection. While the game’s songs are well-produced, many are short in duration, causing the compositions to loop incessantly.

Following the trail carved by core console iterations rather than portable spinoffs, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep replicates the verve and charm of the beloved PS2 games, while adding a handful of new nuances. Tedium found in any of the game’s requisite fetch quests, escort missions, or platforming bits is offset by the title’s continually varying combat, which remains rewarding through Birth‘s twenty-five hour playtime. PSP owners seeking a top-tier action role-playing game will certainly find magic in this Kingdom.