When the original Kingdom Hearts released for the PlayStation 2, more than one Square Enix fan scratched their head and wondered, even if just for a moment, “WTF?” The crossover of Disney and Final Fantasy makes about as much sense as a sequel to Legally Blonde, and yet there it was, taunting hardcore Final Fanatics with its Donald Duck party-member antics and its princess-themed storyline. Had "Squeenix" gone money-hungry and mad? And yet the intricacies of gameplay, the depth of story and the amazing novelty in action roleplaying succeeded not in spite of Disney, but rather because of it. Though it took a few months of shelf-life for the skeptics to finally give in, Kingdom Hearts became one of the most successful and beloved pieces of storytelling and gaming ever to hit the PS2.

Now Sora, Donald and Goofy return to pick up the pieces of their shattered memories in Kingdom Hearts 2. With improved gameplay mechanics, an adjusted camera, whole new worlds (ugh) to explore and a heaping helping of backstory and revisits, Square Enix and Disney once again produce a finally polished masterpiece of gaming history.

The plot of KH2 picks up where the GBA’s Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories left off… sort of. Players actually begin the game as a new character named Roxas, a boy living in Twilight Town who encounters mysterious white monsters all over his hometown and strange men in black robes who seem to be controlling them. The opening hour of the game involves Roxas and reintroduces players not only to the controls of the series, but to the story at hand. Without giving too much away, Roxas’ story is intertwined with the Organization, the black-robed figures from Chain of Memories, and introduces a new foe, the Nobodies, who are the empty shell of a body left over when a human turns into a Heartless. Yes, the Heartless are back as well, spreading undirected chaos and evil throughout the many worlds of Kingdom Hearts.

Before long Sora, Donald and Goofy appear on the scene, and players will settle right back into the pace of things. Unlock a new world. Visit the new world to discover its Disney theme. Play through a Cliff’s Notes version of the Disney movie adapted to allow for the appearance of Sora, Donald and Goofy. Occasionally reveal new plot points that encompass the overall story of Sora’s search for his missing friend Riku and Donald and Goofy’s search for the missing King Mickey. Sounds like more of the same, right?

KH2 is very much NOT more of the same beyond this framework. For starters, the story has gone a bit more abstract and David Lynch since its beginnings, with plenty of mysterious cutscenes and surprising moments. The worlds presented are all new, as even the revisited locales present new maps. New additions include the Pirates of the Caribbean, Tron and Steamboat Willie-themed levels while players will revisit new aspects of Hercules’ underworld, Hollow Bastion and Aladdin’s Cave of Wonders. Each level and story brings something very new and refreshing to the table, and the plot is engrossing from the very onset of the game. Surprise appearances from Final Fantasy characters, including FFX’s Auron as a party member, sweeten the deal, though the novelty of such cameos has worn off in light of the newly-addictive Sora storyline. The cutscenes of the game just border on the “too many cutscenes, not enough gameplay” edge, but the depth and quantity of gameplay teeter things over in the right direction.

The action in KH2 is simple: enemies appear, Sora uses an attack button in conjunction with a jump button to thrash enemies with his Keyblade and produce combo effects to juggle multiple foes. Defeated foes yield experience, health, money and magic, and Sora, Donald and Goofy gain levels. Gaining levels allows for Sora to learn new abilities, which in turn make his combos last longer or hit harder and the parties other abilities like speed, jumping, and magic. Goofy provides physical attack backup while Donald provides magic attacks form afar.

The real depth of the battle system comes in a wide array of perfect little touches that make for the most fluid and impressive battle system of this sort. The combos are both ground and aerial based, so switching between them provides some enjoyable variety in lengthy action scenes. The battles themselves are ranged and varied, requiring special techniques at times, or speed, and pitting the party against sometimes single and sometimes multitudinous enemies.

The two most notable additions to the battle system add the most. For starters, an action-command button now exists, allowing Sora to perform enemy- or situation-specific moves such as grabbing a lance-shaped Heartless and flying it around the screen trying to pierce other enemies. These action-button commands appear both in standard and boss fights, and while completely optional, change things up a bit and provide more interesting, powerful action sequences.