4.5/5 ★ – Fatalinger's review of Kingdom Hearts III.

Kingdom Hearts 3 is everything I wanted this sequel to be. For the longest time, I used to be of the mindset that KH should've ended at 2. It represented a peak that the series never truly matched, in terms of story and gameplay. I no longer think that way. I cannot be unbiased when reviewing this game - it just hit me on all sides and knew exactly what to deliver. It's a total crowd-pleaser, and as a longtime fan of the series, it absolutely succeeded. So many story moments that gave me closure and made my heart feel incredibly full, moments I've waited to see for years. Gameplay that is essentially a repeat of KH2, my favorite in the series; but bigger, and more bombastic, and with new gimmicks that are incredibly fun to try out. Keyblade Transformations are genius. Music that is as good as it always has been, with wonderful new compositions and meaningful reuses of common leitmotifs to carry the story. Even the few things I have problems with don't really affect my enjoyment of this game. Sometimes the Disney worlds fall back on the typical KH trope of simply retelling the movies - but that makes the worlds with new stories stand out in a good way. Even the worlds that some might consider too big don't really overstay their welcome, since only one visit is required. The Gummi Ship segments are still frequent and not super engaging, but they're brief and most combat scenarios are completely optional. I was hooked from start to finish. I saw my favorite characters shine once more, Disney or otherwise. I fought in battles that were ridiculously flashy and satisfying. It was simply an absolute joyride. This game reminded me why I am a Kingdom Hearts fan to begin with.