A KINGDOM UNCOVERED
The story begins with Sora, Riku, and their friend Kairi as young teens in their home of Destiny Islands. Creatures known as the Heartless invade, and the friends are separated. Sora, after acquiring a weapon known as a Keyblade, finds himself in Traverse Town. There he meets Goofy and Donald, who are searching for Keyblade wielders under orders from the currently missing King Mickey.
They overcome the Heartless and foil their plan to infiltrate Kingdom Hearts, “the heart of all worlds”. A new threat appears alongside the Heartless in the form of Organization XIII, composed of incomplete
beings known as “Nobodies”. They plan to create their own version of Kingdom Hearts, and use it to make themselves whole. This plan is scuppered too.
Sora, Riku, and Kairi learn, through a letter from King Mickey, what happened to three Keyblade Masters who stood up to the dark Keyblade Master Xehanort. Xehanort has reformed Organization XIII, and repurposed it to be composed of versions of himself and vessels that serve the same function. He prophesied that these “13 seekers of darkness” will battle the “seven lights”.
By the end of Dream Drop Distance (chronologically the previous game), Riku has become a Keyblade Master, but Sora requires more training.
Kingdom Hearts is one of gaming’s most convoluted stories