Kingdom Hearts Hype
Tuesday, August 25, 2009 at 7:05PM Jake Handy ;)
Kingdom Hearts, in all seriousness, shouldn't make sense as a successful franchise. The combination of Final Fantasy and Disney just doesn't seem like a right fit. Yet, for some strange reason, the games are incredibly popular and have gathered a gigantic fanbase over the release of only three games. I, being one of those fans, have constantly wondered why it is that these games are so popular. The Kingdom Hearts games after all are only mediocre gameplay-wise. Why is it that so many people flock to them?
As I looked deeper, I discovered the true pushing force behind the Kingdom Hearts series -- the hype.
The post-Kingdom Hearts game release process is strangely complicated. Whereas most games release a couple screenshots, maybe a trailer, Kingdom Hearts chooses something a bit more complex.
When a Kingdom Hearts game is announced, there is no information about it given at first. At the most, Square Enix, the developers, will throw out a small trailer and maybe a screenshot or two.
And then, nothing.
For months on end, no new information is released about the Kingdom Hearts games. This trend, however, is more fitted to Square Enix then the actual game, as the company has become infamous for not releasing any information about their games for a prolonged period of time.
;)
Cloud from Final Fantasy 7 in Kingdom HeartsDay after day, Kingdom Hearts fans speculate and discuss what the hell the new games could be about. Usually, a special trailer is released at the end of each Kingdom Hearts game, depicting a general idea of what the next game will be about.
For example, at the end of Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix, there was a trailer for Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep. The trailer consisted of three Keyblade Apprentices (fighters who use a sword shaped like a 'key') up against another Keyblade Master (masters of said keyblades) and his apprentice.
This trailer generated tons of threads in forums about Kingdom Hearts all across the internet. Hundreds upon hundreds of theories were thought up and discussed. This is where the hype truly begins. And from here, it only gets bigger.
A couple months after the initial reveal, a few screenshots of the new game will be thrown to the public in a magazine or internet site. Fans gawk over these images and again theories are formed. Kingdom Hearts fans are known specifically for creating in-depth theories, possibly because of the odd complexity of the Kingdom Hearts series. There are so many possible answers to what the next game could hold, and fans are hell-bent on figuring it out.
From here, there is usually another long wait for more information. Some screenshots of the game might be leaked, but these are usually not what the final game will look like.
And then, a couple months from the games release, screenshots of new worlds start coming out.
;)
Mulan from Disney's Mulan in Kingdom Hearts IINow, in case you're not familiar with Kingdom Hearts, the game centers around a protagonist (one usually spunky and full of angst) traveling around to different worlds based on Disney movies and/or shows.
When a scan depicting a new world is released, Kingdom Hearts fans go crazy. The hype for the game jumps up tenfold, it's really quite a spectacle.
So why is this? I've done some thinking about it, and the answer I've found is pretty obvious -- people can't wait to be apart of a popular movie and/or TV series and partake in the events of such.
I mean, think about it. When I watch movies I always think about what it would be like to be there, or maybe what a game based in that area would look and play like. Companies have tried to make money with this idea by creating games about movies, but they're usually terrible.
Kingdom Hearts, however, has made movie worlds fun. You go and travel with the characters through their stories (usually modified to fit the Kingdom Hearts theme), and fight the famous villains. It's an experience that no other game offers, and presents the perfect hype situation. Fans wait weeks on end to see what new world may be in the next Kingdom Hearts game all the way up to release.
Hype is why I find the Kingdom Hearts series to be so popular. This is why I myself love the Kingdom Hearts series. Hype is a tool yes, but when used effectively, it can really be the deciding factor in whether or not to love a game. For me, it's got me ecstatic about the next Kingdom Hearts game yet again -- and I couldn't be more happy.
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Reader Comments (9)
Ah, you must have gotten the other ending for Kingdom Hearts 2, because mine definitely hinted at the next one in chronological order (aka going after 2, not a prequel or spin off).
SPOILER ALERT
Mine was Sora getting a letter from King Mickey, and as far as I know, it said something about Mickey needing him again.
Oy vey, you're right. The other secret ending is in the Final Mix. I'll edit it, thanks for that.
Personally, I first got interested in the series when hearing it was Disney with Final Fantasy. I didn't care much for FF, but the Disney aspect sounded awesome! Many months (years?) later, I got Chain of Memories and has quite a bit of fun, despite not knowing most of the story and how it could easily get repetitive! Then, not too long ago, I brought a PS2 and managed to find the 2 games. The story is pretty dumb in my opinion. Some worlds' stories got screwed up, like how Aladdin wastes his wishes or how Jack Sparrow is far to be as fun as the movie counterpart... But visiting familiar places with familiar characters is neat, and I actually find the gameplay pretty fun! I'm never being big on turn-based RPGs: actually moving in combat is much more fun for me!
I have not seen any of the hidden movies yet, but I'm still hyped about the upcoming games. The DS one looks cool, but I'm a bit dissapointed in the lack of new worlds... Which is the exact reason why Birth by Sleep looks so cool! Sucks it'll take a moment before we get that one!
So, all of this to say that my reason for getting interested is my liking of Disney, and my reason for coming back is the gameplay itself!
That small second special ending is only achieved if u get 100% in the game. It goes very much unnoticed but i've been waiting to find out what that means in the grand scheme of things...
BBS is on psp but maybe the following game in the series will be on the PS3? who knows...can't wait
I wouldn't attribut KH's success to hype. They are just one of very very few good action RPGs out there, based of two very popular IPs. Sure they cause hype, but hype isn't what makes them successful, hype only really affects the core fanbase.
no coleman thats not the secret ending... thats the normal ending... the secret ending is the preview to Birth by sleep as this article indicates....
I remember when the 1st Kingdom Hearts was going to be released and the 1st thought in my head was "This Game is going to Suck" but the more & more I read about it the more interest I had in the game. I Finally I decided to purchase it on day 1 and have loved the series since. I personally really like the Story and am a Disney Fan anyway.
Although I do believe you article is correct and Square Enix is great at creating hype around Kingdom Hearts, but as people who have played the games like you know that even if they generated all the hype in the world for the game and the game sucked the hype for the next game won't be so high, so in the end it is also the fact that it is a great series because no one gets hyped up for a bad game series.
Ohh and finally might I add that the Kingdom Hearts series is the only game I have ever played where I suprisingly actually cared about the characters. In Kingdom Hearts 1 I cried at the end due to Sora's fight and Loss and in Kingdom Hearts 2 when that one person supposedly dies I actually was like "WTF you can't kill him/her" and felt a bit of anger with that loss. I don't think there is another game out there that got me to actual care for the characters that much. Overall Kingdom Hearts is such a Great Game that really shouldn't be missed by anyone.
I never said it was secret, just said it was alternate. However, I had no idea which is which, but I just wanted to clarify that there are indeed 2 endings to take into consideration.
I played the first kngdom hearts and from there all systems were go for this game. Each additional series for it have been great its a game that I have not actually gotten bored even after winning.