Ever since the first Kingdom Hearts was released, gamers have come to accept that Mickey Mouse can stand toe-to-toe with Cloud Strife. The series, which started in 2002 with the original PlayStation 2 version, has become one of the most memorable action-RPGs of the last generation, selling millions of copies and spurring several spin-offs and a sequel in 2006. The core story follows Sora, the wielder of the keyblade and keeper of oversized shoes and a few dozen zippers. When the second game started off with players assuming the role of Roxas, a newcomer to the series, the reaction… wasn’t too hot. It wasn’t as upsetting as when Konami handed the Metal Gear Solid series to Raiden for a few hours, but people were disappointed, and the character, since then, hasn’t been one of the more liked entries in the series. That’s mark three against Kingdom Hearts 358/2 days. Mark one, of course, is that the game is on the Nintendo DS, far from the full sequel gamers have waited years for. Mark two is the ridiculous name.

As a DS exclusive following one of the least popular characters in the series, it’s not an exaggeration to say that fans weren’t too excited for this game. Spiteful, actually, describes it better, since it absolutely positively wasn’t Kingdom Hearts III. It’s strange that the developers over at Square-Enix would think that this was the best path to take, but they took it, and now we need to deal with it. Luckily, they knew what they were doing, and while it’s not a game I’d rather be playing than Kingdom Hearts III (or Mushroom Kingdom Hearts – respect!), they’ve managed to not only garner some sympathy for Roxas, but also create an entertaining experience while doing it. Roxas. Yes. Before we even get to that, let’s go over something important: the story of Kingdom Hearts has never made any god damn sense. The first held itself together fairly well for most of the story, crumbling only a bit near the end, but the second made sure it's impossible to follow what's going on in the series. It became insanely convoluted, like any crossover usually is, and took itself way too seriously. When romping around the African planet from The Lion King or Halloween Town from The Nightmare Before Christmas all is well and good, but once the developers try to make things deeper the façade falls apart.