Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep

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Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep is the newest videogame in the Kingdom Hearts series of action-adventure games. It was developed and published by Square-Enix, and was released for the PSP. It is primarily a single-player game, though it does have a limited multi-player mode.

Birth by Sleep is unusual in that it does not play exactly like any of the other games in the series that came before it, while still keeping the same basics behind its combat system. Instead of using menus navigated during battle to choose items, spells, and attacks like the original games in the series, or using "cards" that must be reloaded after they are used up like in the spin-off games, Birth by Sleep uses a mix of the two. Players always have the option to attack normally, but they have a limited number (that increases as the story progresses) of "commands" that can be equipped. These commands can be items, spells, attacks, or even combinations of several other moves, and the player must be careful to pick ones that will be useful for the situation they are in, because they cannot be changed when enemies are nearby. The player can select them using a single menu that is always open during play, but each individual command has a short period of time where they can't be used after each use. Items are the exception to this, for although they have no reload time, they are found in limited quantities and are permanently used up after each use. This system allows players to hunt for the commands they want to use without extensively limiting what they are able to do, making the game less frustrating for the player.

Birth by Sleep, like the other Kingdom Hearts games, features a long story. However, instead of having one story with only one main character, Birth by Sleep has 3 main characters whose paths intersect at various points. The player can play their stories in any order, but the final portion of the game will only become unlocked after all 3 are completed. The story is slightly simpler than the other Kingdom Hearts games, with only one group of monstrous enemies, the Unversed, being fought against with no true explanation of their motives, but the ways the 3 stories interconnect allows the players to see how each character impacts certain area after they leave them, for the characters do not always proceed through the areas in the same order. This is not the same as the "dynamic outcome" that some games feature, for what the player does is set by the game's story, but it is interesting to see nonetheless. The three characters, friends tasked with fighting the Unversed, each have their own strengths and weaknesses (something that is reflected in their play-styles as well), and therefore it is likely that a player will have at least one character that they connect with, even if they dislike the others.

When one considers what came before it, Birth by Sleep is a truly interesting game to play. When one considers how the series will continue after it, it can only be hoped that its developers continue to try new ideas to make the games more enjoyable for the players.