Kingdom Hearts vol 1: Final Mix back

Liberated from Tokyopop and so back in print along with several new KINGDOM HEARTS graphic novels, I never heard a word of complaint from its wide-eyed readership, but in the interests of honesty…

This is a double whammy in that if you've never played the game before, this is so badly constructed that you won't be able to follow a page of it and, if you have, this will prove the biggest disappointment since that love letter which you found left tucked in your coat pocket turned out to be intended for your identically dressed best friend.

The game Kingdom Hearts was a charming blend of Disney and Final Fantasy characters, full of light, colour, secrets, battles, and moments of "aww" as well as "aarggh! ("I've gone through the wrong door, the roof's now a floor and the fireplace is completely inaccessible! Plus I've just been smacked to death by a giant, unravelly thing that appears to be made out of yellow and blue baubles!"). It was exciting, it was mysterious and it gave you a considerable degree of freedom in what you chose to explore and when. On a giant TV set.

This... this is a miserable little black and white mess, barely readable through ill-judged layouts, completely without surprises and therefore utterly pointless. So why are we selling so many? Is it the comfort of the familiar? Are we really that unadventurous as a race now?
There were so many pieces of beautiful animation - like the two young lovers holding out their arms to embrace, but floating straight through each other - that are completely buggered, drained of all emotional power.

"The door is opening..." Well, shut it, along with this book.