Kingdom Hearts came out on the PlayStation 2 in 2002, and it still has no real twin. It combines characters and settings from Disney animated features with those from Square's Final Fantasy series. Sora fights the forces of darkness with Donald Duck and Goofy at his side. The graphics of each world were designed to resemble the Disney film it is based on, and Jack Skellington joins Sora's party in Halloween Town.
The game was a departure from Square's standard role-playing games, with a big action and hack and slash element. That mix is hard to find anywhere else. The top three games here are the ones players recommend most to Kingdom Hearts fans, ranked by how many different people named each one. The other four come from the same corner of Square, built on the same ideas or made by people looking at Kingdom Hearts. Kingdom Hearts games themselves are left out.
7 Games Like Kingdom Hearts Where You Fight in Real Time
Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel (2003)
Broken Angel is an action role-playing game developed by Racjin and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2. When making it, Racjin looked at other titles for inspiration, Kingdom Hearts most of all. You play Edward Elric, an alchemist who can transform objects from the stages into weapons to defeat his enemies. His brother Alphonse is computer-controlled, and you can call him in to help when a fight gets crowded, a bit like Donald and Goofy backing up Sora.
The big difference is where the story comes from. It is based on the Fullmetal Alchemist manga, and its creator Hiromu Arakawa wrote an original story for the game. The fighting is close to a 3D beat 'em up. It was released in Japan in December 2003 and in North America in January 2005. Play it on PS2.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (2003)
Crystal Chronicles was released in Japan in 2003, a year after Kingdom Hearts, and it was Square's other early attempt at an action RPG. You talk to the world and fight through an RPG-style command menu, as Sora does. Your caravan travels the land gathering mystical fuel for the crystals that protect each settlement from the Miasma. It plays slower than Kingdom Hearts, and the caravan route sets the pace.
The big difference is that it was built for friends. Up to four players protect the vessel together, but each one needs a Game Boy Advance hooked to the GameCube with a link cable. Critics praised the multiplayer and noted the harm it did to the single player campaign. Play it on GameCube, or the Remastered Edition on PS4 or Switch, which does not support local multiplayer.
Dissidia Final Fantasy (2008)
Dissidia started life as a Kingdom Hearts idea. Tetsuya Nomura first pictured it as a Kingdom Hearts spin-off with a cast of Disney characters, while the staff were making Kingdom Hearts II. He later felt uncomfortable with the Disney characters fighting each other and used Final Fantasy characters instead. What is left is flashy 3D combat and an EX Burst, a very damaging special attack similar to a Limit Break.
The big difference is that it is a fighting game. You get wireless one-on-one multiplayer, and the Western Arcade mode strips out the role-playing parts for a traditional fighter. The story mode keeps the RPG side, with the heroes of the first ten Final Fantasy games fighting for Cosmos, the goddess of harmony, against Chaos. It sold over 1.8 million copies. Play it on PSP.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (2007)
Crisis Core is the closest thing on this list to a lost Kingdom Hearts handheld game. Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days takes its structure from it. You play Zack Fair, a young member of SOLDIER, in an action RPG with open areas to explore and monsters to fight. At save points you can take side missions, which send Zack to a special area to beat one or more monsters. Tetsuya Nomura was its creative producer and character designer, so the faces will look familiar.
The big difference is the slot machine. The Digital Mind Wave spins during battle, and when the same three pictures line up, Zack performs a Limit Break. It is a prequel that ends just before Final Fantasy VII begins. Play it on PSP, or the Reunion remaster on PS4 or Switch.
The World Ends with You (2007)
The World Ends with You was developed by the same team that created the Kingdom Hearts series, with input from Jupiter, the company that made Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. Its development drew on elements of Chain of Memories. Neku and his friends later appear in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. Players who recommend it to Kingdom Hearts fans keep saying how similar it is.
The big difference is the setting. You play Neku Sakuraba, an asocial teenage boy stuck in the Reapers' Game in Shibuya. Psych pins give him his powers and grow stronger as you earn Pin Points. Fashion counts too, since wearing the popular brands in a district improves your items. Combat takes place on both DS screens, with attacks done by motions on the touchscreen. Play it on DS, or the Final Remix on Switch.
Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020)
Final Fantasy VII Remake is the pick for fans who loved the Final Fantasy half of Kingdom Hearts. Tetsuya Nomura directed it, and the team received technical help from the Kingdom Hearts III developers, since both games use the same engine. You control the mercenary Cloud Strife in fast real-time combat, and you can switch between party members at any time during battle. Players who recommend it say the fighting will feel familiar to Kingdom Hearts fans.
The big difference is the pause. The ATB bar fills as you attack, and spending it halts the action so you can pick magic or an item. It is set in the cyberpunk city of Midgar and is the first game in a trilogy remaking the 1997 original. Play it on PS4.
Final Fantasy XV (2016)
Final Fantasy XV was developed by the team behind the Kingdom Hearts series. It began in 2006 as Final Fantasy Versus XIII, with Tetsuya Nomura as director. You play Noctis, heir to the Lucian throne, on a journey with his three friends. In battle Noctis can warp to a targeted enemy or a far-off warp point, and he can call on his companions for special moves called Techniques. Players who recommend it to Kingdom Hearts fans keep saying the combat is similar, and they name it more than any other game.
The big difference is the open world. You drive the Regalia between towns and refuel it at petrol stations, and Ignis cooks meals that boost the party. It was meant to be a darker Final Fantasy. Play it on PS4.
Which one to play
There you have it, the whole list of games like Kingdom Hearts. Most of them come from the people who made it.
If you loved the combat, play Final Fantasy XV and then Final Fantasy VII Remake. If you want a strange story on a handheld, The World Ends with You is the one. If you played Kingdom Hearts for the Final Fantasy cameos, Dissidia puts that cast in one fight. For a game to share with friends, pick Crystal Chronicles. And for a hidden pick, try Broken Angel on the PS2.
