Kingdom Heartsis one of the most unique and popular RPG titles today. Deftly blending elements of Square Enix’sFinal Fantasyfranchise with the worlds and characters of various Disney movies,Kingdom Heartswas an off-the-wall crossover that has continued to see plenty of success since its inception in 2002. While there has not been a new game in the series since 2020, Square Enix did confirm thatKingdom Hearts 4was on the way in April 2022, and fans have waited with bated breath for more news on this title.
While plenty ofKingdom Hearts’ appeal is owed to itscombination of Square Enix and Disney, one other noteworthy element of the game is its real-time, action-based gameplay. Compared to several of Square Enix’s other titles, which are turn-based RPGs,Kingdom Hearts’ battle system stands out in its own unique way. The franchise’s natural tendency to stick with a real-time battle system, though, begs the question of what the franchise would look like if it pursued a turn-based direction in a future title.
Kingdom Hearts Would Look Very Different If It Was Turn-Based
Part of Kingdom Hearts’ Identity Is Its Action Gameplay
IfKingdom Heartswere a turn-based RPG, the overall gameplay would look vastly different from what gamers currently have.Kingdom Heartsis often indebted to its reputation for having “button-mashing” action combat, and a turn-based RPG would thereby not retain such gameplay. As a matter of fact, the gameplay would appear much closer to that of the then-contemporary entries in the franchise it pulls the heaviest from:Final Fantasy.
Up until its most recent entries,Final Fantasy’s mainline entries have largely been known for having turn-based gameplay styles as opposed to the real-time battles seen inKingdom Hearts. HadKingdom Heartsdebuted over 20 years agoas a turn-based game, it likely would’ve built on systems first brought forward in theFinal Fantasyseries. Considering that its original release came within a year ofFinal Fantasy X, it may have lost some of its appeal, appearing to casual gamers as little more than anotherFinal Fantasygame with a Disney skin on top of it.
Turn-Based Kingdom Hearts May Have Given Fans Something The Current Games Haven’t
That said, if Square Enix hadtakenKingdom Heartsin a turn-based direction, it could’ve done one thing the current games don’t do: allow players to control Donald and Goofy. While series protagonist Sora travels alongside these iconic Disney characters in the game, none of the mainline titles have allowed Sora to play as them. In a turn-based RPG, the developers would’ve more liked given players a traditional party system that allowed them to control Donald and Goofy, alongside any other Disney characters that show up in the adventure, such as Tarzan, Beast, and Aladdin.
Kingdom Heartsalready has plenty of random encounters with Heartless as you traverse its worlds, and a turn-based title would likely have done the same. With that said, the scale of the battles may have to be just a touch smaller, as the current random encounter battles are loaded with an abundance of Heartless. In a turn-based setting, the sheernumber of Heartless Sora and the gang fightwould likely have to be decreased, as would the frequency of their appearances.
Kingdom Heartsis often indebted to its reputation for having “button-mashing” action combat, and a turn-based RPG would thereby not retain such gameplay.
Kingdom Hearts’ Story Would Largely Look The Same
A turn-basedKingdom Heartsgamewould probably not have to drastically overhaul the story or remove the sheer level of detail Square Enix puts into it already. After all, the aforementionedFinal Fantasy Xnever had to compromise on its storytelling or cutscene length as a result of being a turn-based title. AsKingdom Heartshas become notable, at times even notorious, for the depth of its story, a turn-based game would probably not have had to compromise on the chaos of its writing.
From a gameplay perspective, though, theKingdom Heartsfranchise would look a lot different if it took on a turn-based direction. While it may have solved some issues fans have had with modern entries, such as being unable to play as the Disney characters, its proximity to another major Square Enix title may have gotten it lost in the pack for some.Kingdom Heartsas a franchise is nevertheless special in its own right and has certainly continued to stand out in a crowded RPG market.
