Donald and Goofy

Understandably, one of the first things that scares off potential players of Kingdom Hearts is that not only are Walt Disney’s Donald and Goofy main characters, they are your teammates from beginning to end. Upon my purchase of Kingdom Hearts, a good friend shook his head and asked, how can they be cool? How can you be excited to play a game where Donald fights enemies with you ?

Donald The Wizard

I always begin the game by choosing sword for Sora, which I have felt is a perfect choice, given who my future partners will be. Donald is a wizard and a very good one at that. He has incredible magical abilities and if balanced correctly, never fails to heal Sora or Goofy in a tight situation. His single drawback is when he is given unlimited use of items, can consume ether faster than Sora can collect munny to purchase more.

Goofy The Shield

Where I trust Donald to have my back when magic is involved, I also trust Goofy to defend Sora against attacks too powerful for him. Goofy is one of King Mickey’s knights and brandishes a large shield at all times, which he can often combine with Sora’s abilities, making the attack ruthless against adversaries. Choosing Sora’s sword gives him a healthy balance of both might and magic and when either of these options fail him in battle, the excellence of his teammates are there to back him up.

Go On Give It A Try!

Instantly, I am compelled to continue playing a game that has such good dynamics in a team and often never choose to allow my guest to join, such as Jack or Aladdin, simply because I could never bare to let Donald or Goofy leave my side. They create a security blanket for me and I have only willingly given them up in battle to use Beast, simply because of my attachment to Beauty and the Beast since childhood.

Still, I can see how my friend was so reluctant to play a game where he had to consider Donald or Goofy to be impressive in an RPG battle system. After just a few good jabs at some local heartless, I was sold on the concept. Team balance aside, the voice acting is compelling and full of emotion and the bond between the two and Sora is obvious from the start, making a trio that is clumsy, funny, serious, and dedicated to the game’s story, even though these are Disney characters and not Square-Enix’s.

Unbeatable Story Lines

I absolutely adore the game’s storytelling abilities because in a scene near the first game’s conclusion, when Sora is separated from his friends, I was heartbroken. Never in my life had I ever liked the character Donald, usually changing the channel when his cartoon was on television, but Square-Enix had managed, through story, to not only make him a successful and trustful mage when enemies attacked, but they had made him my friend.

Love Thy Team

It isn’t often in an RPG that you love your entire team without hesitation, because there is always that one that annoys you just enough to take every opportunity to remove them from active status. This is not the case with Kingdom Hearts. Donald and Goofy are fiercely loyal and protective of Sora, and vice versa, and not only manage to be wicked in battle but they still retain their cartoonish jaunts they’re known for.

Sure, Cid Highwind and Zell Dincht are great and vibrant characters for a team battle system, but Donald and Goofy come not only with notable abilities, but an emotional bond that makes Kingdom Hearts unforgettable in the minds of players and that is why, after beating it several times, I go back again and again.