The Best Games Like Kingdom Hearts
The Kingdom Hearts franchise is notorious for its action style of RPG gameplay and the wacky Disney characters that many hold dear to their hearts (pun was intended).
As Kingdom Hearts III is drawing nearer and nearer by the second, and with the hopes of it not being delayed any further, many are excitedly going back to the old games on their consoles, while the PC gamers are looking to savor that taste that is Kingdom Hearts by playing a few games that are similar to the style, design, and overall gameplay mechanics that Kingdom Hearts brings to the table.
And thus, here is a compiled list of those games that will make your wait for Kingdom Hearts III the more memorable, as well as making sure you have a good time in general when playing them.
10. Final Fantasy XV: Window’s Edition
Starting as our number one on this list, Final Fantasy XV took the Square Enix community by storm when it initially released on console back in 2016.
With its gameplay similar to that of Kingdom Hearts II and III, we find ourselves playing as Prince Noctis, a royal prince who is on the road trip of his life with his three best pals and sworn guardians Gladiolus, Prompto, and Ignis, in order to marry his beloved Lunafreya and seek peace in the land of Eos once and for all.
A fitting concept if you ask me and one that will remind fans of the Final Fantasy or even newcomers about Kingdom Hearts.
The gameplay is nothing more than Open-World Action RPG, where you fight hordes of enemies, warp to locations that give a huge vantage point, and use your bros to make stunning combos.
I mean, wouldn’t you want your beefy bro Gladio whirlwind through some Imperial Soldiers? Use Ignis to gather the team and go ham on some bosses and heal at the same time?
Or have your blondie boy Prompto use not one, but TWO guns and become freaking trigger-happy with them? I certainly would, and it makes the game all more enjoyable.
That and driving your fancy Regalia to the main locations of the game since the world is largely vast and filled with amazing sights to see while also jamming to the beats of previous Final Fantasy soundtracks.
Overall, Final Fantasy XV is like the little brother to Kingdom Hearts, providing you the fast-pacing action RPG gameplay that you’ve been craving for.
9. Dark Souls
One of the most revered games in the gaming community, and one that is more precise than what Kingdom Hearts III offers based on the trailers.
Dark Souls is a standard Action RPG, leaving you out there without holding your hand once you boot up the game.
You play as none other as the Ashen One, and your primary goal is to collect souls and defeat those that were consumed by the flames of the oh so mighty bonfire.
The very same thing that allows you to cool down for there is no pause button in this game. Yay.
The gameplay is very methodically and slow in contrast to Kingdom Hearts’ face pacing and floaty combat system, but the style of the gameplay still lies within all of the Dark Souls franchise.
The boss battles are very clever and ask you, no, command you to sharpen those fighting skills, or else the bosses will punish you to no end. Similar to Kingdom Hearts II’s Lingering Will once you beat the story mode, and boy let me tell you.
That heap of armor that is somehow alive will tear you and that controller apart in Kingdom Hearts II. Nevertheless, Dark Souls is a good equivalent to the goody two shoes that is Kingdom Hearts if you want to have a more steady approach to Kingdom Hearts, and one that is just an amazing franchise in general.
Basically an adult form of what Kingdom Hearts could become if it weren’t for those Disney characters...
8. Assassin’s Creed
Assassin’s Creed is perfect if you are more of the adventure type of person, and how it’s similar to Kingdom Hearts you ask?
Because of how it brings you in with the atmosphere of the game, especially with the latest set of games.
With its gorgeous real-world locations and the combat system being one that is slow yet also quite fast-paced, it will make you want to continue playing for hours.
What makes the franchise similar to Kingdom Hearts as well is the RPG mechanics that later games, such as Odyssey and Origins have used to have the combat have more variety.
There are also level up systems to the abilities you gain in each Assassin’s Creed game, such as your Eagle Vision, the special ability that all Assassins have in every instalment tha allows you to locate people and itmes scattered in the historical era that the game is featured in.
The combat is very fluid and easily the best as you're stealthily killing foes left and right, you're also pulling off cool combos with your weaponry, and lastly the overall stats, which is much like Kingdom Hearts does in their gameplay from time to time, except you’re on your own and you don't have a duck nor a tall dog to help you in your travels.
7. Devil May Cry
Oh yes, Devil May Cry.
A simple beat them up platformer that makes you feel like the top of the world when you’re either playing as Dante, a suave and very showy demon slayer and son to one of the highest demons out there Sparda, or Nero in DMC4, the somewhat whiny yet badass nephew that has a demon claw for an arm.
Where you are entrusted upon using several weapons in your inventory, such as the Rebellion, Dante’s trust large sword, or his guns, Ebony and Ivory, to take on small but numerous amounts of damage to foes.
And you’ll be satisfied when landing those special attacks too.
The way the games act similar to Kingdom Hearts is because of the similarities in their combat systems. In the Kingdom Hearts series, you are thrown in with a ton of enemies and you have to land the best combos possible to finish them off.
In Kingdom Hearts II, you were also given the Drive Forms, a set of special abilities that let you transform, or rather, change the color of Sora’s clothes and buff him up.
The same principle is with the Devil May Cry, as you are thrown most of the time in a large room in certain sections of the game that makes you unleash your mightiest demon slaying combos and on occasion, your Devil Trigger ability.
You know, the one that pretty much makes Dante invincible for a small span of time, slashing and hacking, and shooting enemies on the fly as if he was playing a game of Fruit Ninja on his phone. Quick, swift, and also stylish as hell.
Something you would want in your cup of gaming tea, my dear friend.
6. The Witcher III
The Witcher III’s open-world gameplay and playing errand boy as you go on and handle the town folks’ several tasks in order to find your daughter, Ciri, it is a nice mixture of action RPG and traditional in the sense of its enemies and way on how to operate the game.
As you play as Geralt once again in this third installment, you’ll enjoy the world’s atmosphere, locations, and overall story despite how off it can be at times.
I mean, I would be better off riding my stallion around the grasslands and slay some beasts than to progress the game.
Or just mess around with the town and their citizens. Geralt’s combat is fast paced and down to earth, hacking and slashing through hordes of enemies with ease. Kinda like Dante in Devil May Cry, and of course Sora in all the Kingdom Hearts titles. And plus, Geralt has the same white hair as Dante!
5. Monster Hunter World
The latest installment of the Monster Hunter series, Monster Hunter World will satisfy you to no end thanks to the usual monster-slaying combat and open world atmosphere.
You can choose your hunter classes as there are 14 classes to choose from, and the game is all yours to explore, hunt, customize your character. The game has its usual hubs and merchants, and it’s more dynamic as ever compared to the earlier games and entries in this list.
The story mode is your usual RPG style of the plot: for Monster Hunter World, you are part of a monster research team known as the Research Commissions, where they're tasked to study the New World’s Monsters, while also slaying them to look badass in the process.
Who wouldn’t want to bash their hammer or use their might greatsword and swing at a couple of them?
The gameplay is meant to make you go as fast yet as methodical as possible when slaying a monster.
That and thoroughly check every nook and cranny for newer routes and explorations in each of the different locations in the New World for materials, armor upgrades, and more buffs to beef up your character and continue the process of slaying the beasts. All in the name of research!
4. Final Fantasy XIV
If you are into the MMORPG genre of things and enjoy Kingdom Hearts much like the next guy who is waiting impatiently and camping out in the GameStop until Kingdom Hearts III shows up in stores, then my friend I have brought you the blessing that is Final Fantasy XIV.
The gameplay is more based on helping your online buddies slay some dungeon beast, tame some chocobos, and overall, become yourself.
Something not many RPGs tend to do, Final Fantasy XIV does a good job thanks to the online feature and packs they add on throughout the game.
And considering that this is a Square Enix game, you better be prepared to use your magic on a consistent basis and hone in those sword skills to have the most amount of fun possible. Plus the world is so vast and large that you won’t get bored out of your mind as you have so much to do.
The combat is like most MMOs as well, revolving on using special magic skills that deal extraordinary damage to the enemies that are in front of you.
Oh and the plot?
Throw that out the window as you’ll be spending your days leveling your character up and trolling other players.
3. Hyperdimension Neptunia
Okay, bear with me on this one and last two entries on this list. Hyperdimension Neptunia is a series of games that originally showed up on the PlayStation 3 that is about these cutesy anime girls that are all based on gaming consoles.
No joke. They are literally living gaming consoles, and that is the main focus of the games.
You play as Neptune, the main protagonist of the series and inhabitant of Planeptune, and how she saves the world from evil threats such as the Seven Sages, an organization that is basically against any rule of authority and prefer anarchy.
As you play through each of the games, you get tagged along with other CPUs that resemble gaming consoles. You got Noir, which is PlayStation, Vert or Xbox, and a few others that resemble gaming companies.
I mean you have Compa, which is a girl with tiger claws for hands who is supposed to represent Namco for Pete's sake. Anyway...the combat in this game is your traditional turn-based RPG style of gameplay except with a few twists: you get to move the characters like chess pieces in the arena and fight them in a sort of specific order that varies in each enemy arena.
Then you have these special abilities called HDD, which transforms the characters into a special form that pulverizes your enemies in one fell swoop. Though these forms are temporary, they deal the damage needed to handle the battle. Something that reminds me a lot of Kingdom Hearts II with the Drive Forms as aforementioned in the list.
2. Hat in Time
If you love indie games, a sense of cartoon style of graphics, and a protagonist that is on the verge of being an icon, then Hat in Time is perfect for you. How a simple platformer that is adored by many similar to Kingdom Hearts you may ask?
Well because of its wacky cartoony style of gameplay.
The story unfolds as you play as Hat Kid, a simple girl who is on her way home before she refuses to pay a space toll run by a mafia goon.
As she refuses to pay, the goon gets rid of the spaceship’s fuel, known as timepieces, and you’re sent orbiting to a place called Mafia Town to try and locate your spaceship and your lost fuel tanks.
The style of the game is akin to that of Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie as it is full on 3D platforming, with obstacles and little small spaces with hidden locations for Hat Kid to enter too.
Overall, the game is good if you’re into platforming, and if you’re waiting for Kingdom Hearts III or have played any of the previous ones, then this game will treat you nicely for the style and the characters will make you laugh, cry, and have fun.
1. Celeste
Why another platformer? Because this one is one that is very special and leaves gamers of all consoles and PC alike to fall in love with.
Celeste is another indie game beauty that speaks true to what it brings down to the table. The game speaks of a young girl named Madeline who suffers from depression and panic attacks and finds herself traveling to the fictional mountain called Celeste Mountain in hopes of freeing herself from that terrible anxiety and sadness she suffers from.
As she climbs the mountain, those negative emotions start to manifest and form a darker version of her that is the main antagonist of the game, causing the many obstacles the pixelated sidescroller platform has to offer.
The game plays heavily on friendship and inner self, and that is what makes it similar to Kingdom Hearts: it toys with your emotions man. Celeste really does as you’re rooting for your friend Madeline all the way to climb that large mountain and to feel good about herself. What Celeste does is provide that comfort zone that can be quite frustrating at times because of the layout of the game, but nevertheless, it is a game you won’t regret playing for a long time.
These ten games are sure to bring such an amazing experience while waiting for the anticipating Kingdom Hearts III. From simple platformers, to open-world gameplay that will you wanting more, this article has got your covered. If you liked what you read, then go on out there and get one of these games, and start playing until you’ve felt that you had a great time. Kingdom Hearts III is said to be released on January 29th, 2019 for both PS4 and Xbox One consoles.
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