Why Kingdom Hearts is A Success

Details

Published on June 5, 2007 @ 02:31 pm

Written by monkeybutt

So, I was browsing around when I found this really interesting article, written by Jeffrey Cottrell at RPGamer.com, that answers a question I'm sure many would like to dicuss, what is it that makes Kingdom Hearts so popular, and so enjoyable? Please note, this is a very, very deep analysis, and does contain spoilers from the first game. To those that will take the time to read it, make sure to comment on what you think either through the forums or through our comments system. I truly found the article below a joy to read, and hope to hear everyone's opinions on it!

The Presence of Archetypes in Kingdom Hearts
It's pretty standard (and pretty trite) fare in RPG circles by now, but here goes: When Squaresoft revealed its concept for a new IP that would fuse Final Fantasy characters and Disney worlds into one cohesive product, everyone went, "Um, what? How's that supposed to work? You're kidding, right?" Kingdom Hearts went on to become one of Squaresoft's, and later Square Enix's, flagship series.

I told you, it's trite. The story of a concept that was greeted with skepticism and then went on to become a huge success has a moralistic, almost fabled feel to it. Of course, the fact that the same thing has happened twice in the video game world since then (hello, DS and Wii) makes it even more trite. But the idea still bears examination, because I don't think anyone has really articulated an answer to the original question about Kingdom Hearts: How does it work? In other words, why did a formula that everyone thought would be ridiculously bad turn out to be ridiculously good in execution?

By examining the Kingdom Hearts mythos and how it fits traditional archetypes together in powerfully resonating ways, I intend to answer that question.

Kingdom Hearts takes a number of standard symbols (hearts, light and darkness, keys) and overlays them with meaning and significance, placing such emphasis on these symbols that they assume new identities. This is, in fact, a characteristic of epic art. Jason's Golden Fleece, the apple in Milton, the One Ring in Tolkien, the Force in Star Wars--all represent ways in which simple, concrete ideas become imbued with greater power and deeper significance.

The same thing happens in Kingdom Hearts. To be sure, the heart has always been a connotation-laden symbol in a wide number of cultures, but Kingdom Hearts takes the symbology of the heart to a whole new level. Heart becomes identity, as losing one's heart results in becoming a Heartless. This concept of Heartless--beings without the light and dark struggles inherent in owning a heart, beings of pure evil intent--further strengthens Kingdom Hearts' emphasis on the importance of a) retaining one's heart, b) maintaining one's heart through friendship and love, and c) the inherent danger of darkness, as the Heartless are represented as beings of shadow, emerging from the ground or quite literally from Sora's shadow.

The story of Kingdom Hearts, forays into Disney-land aside, again pulls from pre-installed archetypes. A young man journeying and fighting his way through numerous worlds to search for his lost friend and lover (uh, those are two separate people...I think), and then defeating an evil being intent on subjugating his friend and killing his lover, appeals on a very basic level, because it's the kind of story that our society has been telling itself for millennia. Odysseus, journeying home to his love Penelope. Beowulf, who offers to fight monsters because of the friendship between his family and Hrothgar's. Arthur's knights, who go questing for the Grail in order to (depending on which version of the tale you consult) either gain everlasting glory or save their king from his deathly slumber. The conflict between Riku and Sora resembles the brotherly feuding of the Biblical Cain and Abel (though Jacob and Esau may in fact be more accurate, as Sora and Riku did eventually make amends). Sora is Jesus Christ, betrayed by a close friend, dying (becoming a Heartless) and resurrecting for the sake of love. Each of these similarities could be the subject of a single editorial, the connections are so numerous. Love, friendship, honor, death, resurrection--these are central to many of our most ancient stories and myths, and it's no mistake that they're central to the Kingdom Hearts story, as well.

So, the basic story of Kingdom Hearts (the original game) goes like this: Sora sets out from his world, Destiny Islands, after it is linked to the rest of the worlds and destroyed by a giant Heartless. He ends up in Traverse Town with a mysterious Keyblade. Simultaneously, Donald and Goofy find that King Mickey has set off to other worlds in an attempt to learn why worlds are disappearing. The King, in a letter, instructs them to find the bearer of the Keyblade. Sora, meanwhile, is searching for his friend Riku and the girl he secretly loves, Kairi. He cannot find them, but Donald and Goofy, who have also come to Traverse Town, come upon him and the Keyblade. From there, they set out to various Disney worlds where they take part in the basic plot of whatever Disney movie the world represents. Throughout these worlds, they battle the Heartless, as well as a conglomeration of Disney and Square Enix villains. Finally, Sora, Donald, and Goofy make their way to Hollow Bastion, where Maleficent (the villainess of Sleeping Beauty) has collected the seven Princesses of Heart to open the door to Kingdom Hearts and everlasting darkness. These princesses are taken from a number of Disney movies, except the seventh--Kairi.

Now, here's where we find something very interesting about the Kingdom Hearts mythos. Already, by referencing numerous Disney films, which themselves typically reference far older tales, Kingdom Hearts has established a backdrop of archetypes. But in the final few hours of the game, Sora learns where Kairi is and that she is in a deep sleep; Maleficent has taken her heart to create the door to Kingdom Hearts. So far, as I have pointed out above, Sora has loosely resembled such mythological figures as Odysseus, Beowulf, and the Knights of the Round Table. At this point in the game, however, Sora takes on a more specific role, and the final portion of the game plays out along a very familiar path. Sora now becomes the valiant, noble knight who must make his way into the depths of the castle, fight the dragon, and wake his love from her sleep. Sound familiar?

The success of Kingdom Hearts, then, is predicated upon the use of elements that resonate with audiences. The symbology of Kingdom Hearts draws from items of significance to nearly all cultures. Hearts represent the seat of emotionality or love in nearly all civilized cultures. Light and darkness are nearly universally regarded as opposing forces, one representing goodness and nobility, one representing vileness and treachery. The plot elements of Kingdom Hearts touch upon numerous threads of epic literature and fairy tales. I would consider these two elements, symbology and plot, to be central to the widespread success of Kingdom Hearts. Whereas many games have to set up their own symbology (touch a mushroom and you'll grow, touch a goomba and you'll shrink or die) and make you emotionally invested in their characters (Vaan is an orphan with a devil-may-care attitude toward life), Kingdom Hearts taps into a deep well of pre-programmed responses. We are culturally conditioned to respond to the idea of light as good, dark as bad. We recognize, if subconsciously, the figures of Odysseus or Aurora's prince in Sora.

Thus, it is easier to become emotionally invested in Kingdom Hearts, easier to care about the characters, because they are characters and plot elements and symbology with which we are all already familiar. This is exponentially strengthened by the addition of Disney and Final Fantasy characters. The first time you see Donald and Goofy on-screen in Kingdom Hearts, you are already familiar with them. Rabid FFVII fans no doubt weep when Aerith makes an appearance.

In the end, it turns out that the addition of the Disney elements is what made Kingdom Hearts successful. The Disney movies are, in this modern age, a new "epic" history that nearly everyone absorbs. The traditional (and by traditional I mean classic, as in classic literature) epic elements found in Kingdom Hearts are real and definite, but they are amplified by the addition of the new (and by new I mean Disney) epic elements. Furthermore, it gives a strange twist to every new world Sora et al. visit. After all, when you land in Agrabah, you already know you're going to face Jafar. While this predictability could ruin another game, in Kingdom Hearts you continue to wonder how the Heartless are going to play into the pre-determined Disney plotline, and how that plotline will play into the over-arching plotline.

Kingdom Hearts, then, takes as its building blocks objects, ideas, and storylines that are already present in the cultural consciousness, giving them an automatic significance to the gamer. It then overlays those concepts with more significance pertaining to the plotline of the game. The added presence of Disney and Final Fantasy characters increases the layers of meaning. Thus as an example, in this model: Hearts already have a significance in modern society as symbols of love (drawing from pre-programmed archetypes); in Kingdom Hearts, losing one's heart results in becoming a Heartless (layering the pre-programmed archetype with further, game-related meanings); the evil Maleficent needs the hearts of the seven Princesses of Heart to open the door to Kingdom Hearts (the familiar Disney elements add an even deeper resonance and familiarity with the game). Under this model, it is easy to see the plain truth: the idea of Kingdom Hearts wasn't foolish. Indeed, it was destined to succeed.

[Discuss in KHInsider Community Forums]

Comments below!