I waited nearly 13 years for 'Kingdom Hearts 3' and it's everything I expected – for better and for worse

Kingdom Hearts 3 Glass

Released on January 29th, "Kingdom Hearts 3" is the culmination of a trilogy that began in 2002. The game arrives nearly 13 years after "Kingdom Hearts 2."
The "Kingdom Hearts" series blends the worlds of Disney's films with the "Final Fantasy" video game series.
Through the years the series has developed a cult following, with an expansive story spread across multiple games, spin-offs, and re-releases.
Despite its long legacy, "Kingdom Hearts 3" is fun and approachable for newcomers and still feels familiar after all these years.

Fans have been waiting for "Kingdom Hearts 3" since 2006. That's longer than the entire lifespan of the PlayStation 3, and possibly longer than a lot of the people who will play this game have been alive.

The nearly 13-year wait for a true sequel to "Kingdom Hearts 2" made the game one of the most anticipated titles of all-time, and it's finally arrived.

After more than a decade of waiting, "Kingdom Hearts 3" has finally arrived, for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and it's everything I'd hoped for as a fan. The game is beautiful, full of massive new Disney worlds to explore, and will finally, finally end the story that began when I was 13.

From its inception "Kingdom Hearts" has defied convention. The franchise was born from an unlikely partnership between Disney and Square Enix, the Japanese developer responsible for the "Final Fantasy" series of roleplaying games. Using the mechanics of "Final Fantasy" as a foundation, Square Enix designed an impressive action-adventure game that treated Disney's iconic animated movies like a playground.

Despite wild popularity, Square Enix has released just a handful of "Kingdom Hearts" games since the series launched in 2002. Released in 2006, "Kingdom Hearts 2" was the last fully new "Kingdom Hearts" game to be released on a home console, though the series has gotten several prequels and spinoffs for portable consoles.

Amid all of this, Director Tetsuya Nomura was consistent in his promise that "Kingdom Hearts 3" would end "The Dark Seeker Saga," the main storyline that began with the first game.

But you don't need to be a "Kingdom Hearts" veteran to enjoy the newest game.

Here's what I thought of "Kingdom Hearts 3," one of the most anticipated games of the decade.

"Kingdom Hearts" stars Sora, a young adventurer with a magical sword called a keyblade. He's accompanied on his travels by Donald Duck and Goofy.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy have been the team at the center of "Kingdom Hearts" since the first game. Sora's sword, the keyblade, has magical powers that lets the trio travel between different worlds. They battle dark forces while searching for Kingdom Hearts, a power source that can remake the universe.

Sora, Donald and Goofy visit different worlds based on Disney movies, like "Toy Story" and "Frozen."

Since the first game was released, "Kingdom Hearts" has incorporated characters from more than 30 Disney films. Whenever they arrive in a new Disney world, Sora is thrown into a short story related to the film — in the "Toy Story" world, players help Woody and Buzz Lightyear search for their friends, while a trip to "Tangled" sees you guard Rapunzel as she leaves her tower for the first time. Each adventure brings you a little closer to finding Kingdom Hearts.