Ranked: My Favorite Worlds From “Kingdom Hearts Final Mix”

Square Enix and Disney’s hit game series Kingdom Hearts is coming to Steam this June. To celebrate another excuse to replay the series, I’m going to rank my favorite worlds from Kingdom Hearts Final Mix.

For those who are, unfortunately, unfamiliar with the Kingdom Hearts series, the story of Kingdom Hearts Final Mix (KHFM) centers around a boy named Sora. He and his two best friends, Riku and Kairi, dream of seeing worlds beyond their own. One day, their world is devoured by darkness, separating the trio. In the heat of their world’s collapse, Sora is chosen by the keyblade, a powerful weapon capable of fighting the heartless and protecting the hearts of other worlds.

After waking up in Traverse Town, a world for people who have lost their own, Sora is astray until he finds Donald and Goofy. The iconic pair is on the search for King Mickey, who has gone missing from their world Disney Castle. Together, they will fight to reunite with their friends and defeat the Disney Villains and Ansem who are conspiring to bring darkness to the worlds around them.

In this incredible Final Fantasy and Disney crossover, players have the privilege to visit different original and Disney worlds, where they can party up with their favorite characters from the movies they are inspired by.

13. Deep Jungle

While teaming up with Tarzan to fight the heartless is bananas, this level inspired by Disney’s Tarzan is tedious and hard to navigate. With multi-leveled platforming, a mistake can result in falling into different areas of the map. And while all Kingdom Hearts music is great, it is easy to resent this level’s score when you have had to reclimb a tree for hours. The vine slides are a highlight of this level.

12. Agrabah

This level has some great boss battles. Equipping Aladdin in your party and traversing the Cave of Wonders is something any Disney fan would love. However, like with Deep Jungle, it is very easy to fall into other areas of the map, making this level potentially repetitive and infuriating. The music is also just okay in comparison to many of the other iconic tracks in the game. Fighting Genie Jafar does make up for a lot of the tedious exploration of this world.

11. 100 Acre Wood

I feel bad having this world so low. The music is wonderful and nostalgic, the gameplay is sweet, and it’s definitely a respite from the action of other worlds in KHFM. However, with it being a sub-world of Traverse Town, I didn’t think it was fair to put it any higher on the list. There are plenty of heartfelt moments to be found traveling through the pages of Winnie the Pooh.

10. Atlantica

Unpopular opinion alert: I don’t mind a water level. This one is frustrating, but being the only world in KHFM that you get to team up with a Disney princess, I had to put it higher on the list. The gameplay is really touchy, but for a PlayStation 2 game, I think they did the best with what 2003 could offer. The music is so bouncy and free that it’s hard to get upset when you get caught in a current and have to swim back through several areas of the level. Fighting giant Ursula is also a highlight of the world.

9. Neverland

This was my most anticipated world when I played through the game on PS2 as a kid. I was heartbroken when I learned that 95% of the level takes place on the Jolly Roger. The saving grace of this level comes down to a few impactful beats in the story, partying up with Peter Pan, and gaining the ability to fly. At the end of this world, players can fly around Big Ben to some of the best music in the game.

8. The End of the World

This abstract world is non-stop action. It is the last world you visit in the game, leading to some of the most powerful boss battles in the main story. While the world doesn’t provide many opportunities to take a breather, fighting the Chernobog to “Night on Bald Mountain” is one of the coolest moments in the game.

7. Wonderland

In the first world you travel to with Donald and Goofy, Sora and his new pals fall into Wonderland, shrink and grow just like Alice, and fight the Queen of Hearts’ card-shaped henchmen. While the action in this world is casual, it is the first Disney world that players get to experience. Just a warning, Wonderland’s music will get stuck in your head.

6. Olympus Coliseum

Unique to the other worlds in KHFM, the Hercules-inspired level is more of a training ground. Players compete in different cups to test their strength against different heartless, eventually fighting Hercules himself. While important to the story, this level's highlights lie in its optional competitions and boss battles that are available later in the game. The score of Olympus Coliseum is a staple in the series and the tracks are some of my favorites in KHFM.

5. Monstro

In the strangest world in KHFM, Sora, Donald and Goofy’s spaceship, the gummi ship, is swallowed by Monstro the whale from Disney’s Pinnochio. Finding themselves trapped with Giapetto in the mouth of a whale, the trio traverses the inside of Monstro to find the fibbing puppet. It is easy to get lost inside the space-swimming whale, but fighting a heartless boss in its stomach, having to avoid acid to beat the monster and free Pinnochio, is unforgettable. Players also learn double-jump in this level, opening up areas that were previously unreachable in other worlds.

4. Destiny Islands

Destiny Islands is mostly a tutorial/introduction to the story that lies ahead. However, the world strongly sets up the importance of friendship that will remain a theme throughout the entire series. The level establishes the relationships between Sora, Riku, and Kairi and really connects you to these characters. The music is so much fun, the level is easy to explore, and Destiny Islands really becomes a home for players as they start their journey through the Kingdom Hearts games.

3. Halloween Town

Inspired by The Nightmare Before Christmas, Halloween Town is my favorite Disney world in KHFM. It has many unique areas from the movie to explore, Jack Skellington is an amazing ally to party up with, Oogie Boogie’s boss battle is a roulette-inspired rumble, and Sora, Donald, and Goofy’s costumes for this world are the best in the game. The music is also top notch.

2. Traverse Town

This world, original to the Kingdom Hearts series, really sets the tone for the game. With some of the most beautiful music in the series, exploring Traverse Town is always a pleasure. While navigating this world and triggering cut-scenes on your first visit can be really frustrating, the Final Fantasy characters you team up with feel like friends and it’s always a pleasure to return to this home-base world. Also, you can visit the lost puppies from 101 Dalmations that you find in other worlds.

1. Hollow Bastion

Kick starting the third act of KHFM’s story, Hollow Bastion is where things get serious. The Disney villains are using the dilapidated castle as a storing ground for the 7 Princesses of Heart, a group of Disney Princesses and Kairi being harvested to open the Final Keyhole and allow them to take power over all the worlds. Sora sees his conflict with the darkness-possessed Riku come to a peak, he finds Kairi, and he turns into a heartless. Players also get to fight Maleficent. This original world finds players teaming up with Beast from Beauty and the Beast, as he tries to rescue Belle from the villains.

If you have not yet played Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, there is no better time than now to pre-order the game and the rest of the series on Steam. Warning: you will cry. All games will be released on the PC game marketplace on June 13th 2024.

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