The game was directed by Tetsuya Nomura and co-directed by Tai Yasue. The player has access to the three characters' different scenarios when playing.ĭevelopment of the game began in June 2005 with parts of the game Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix meant to bring clues of Birth by Sleep. The game centers on the journeys of Terra, Aqua, and Ventus, characters briefly featured in Kingdom Hearts II, in their quest to locate the missing Master Xehanort and protect the worlds from creatures known as the Unversed. It is a prequel to the original Kingdom Hearts, taking place ten years before.
#Birth by sleep series
The game utilizes an overhauled battle system different from previous games in the series with new elements. An international version of the game titled Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix was released in Japan in January 2011 featuring the changes made in the non-Japanese versions. The game was released on UMD in Japan on January 9, 2010, in North America on Septemand in the PAL regions on September 10, 2010. Unfortunately, a lot of the charm of Kingdom Hearts is lost in translation in this light novel adaptation.Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep ( Japanese: キングダム ハーツ バース バイ スリープ Hepburn: Kingudamu Hātsu Bāsu bai Surīpu ?) is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable, serving as the sixth installment in the Kingdom Hearts series. Overall, I recommend this book to series newcomers who want a quick summary of the story, die-hard fans, or for younger audiences. I also think this book would be a wonderful addition to the library of any young video game fan, or maybe a parent who is trying to entice their child into reading more. If you’re an absolute die-hard fan, I’ve probably made you pretty upset already, so please pick this up if you’re wanting to experience this story one more time. If you were a newcomer to the Kingdom Hearts series and wanted a faster recap without having to purchase the game, I definitely think this novel could be an alternative. It does a good job establishing the dynamic of the main trio and pulling in loveable Disney characters along the way. The novel recounts the adventures of Terra, Aqua, and Ventus to find their way back to each other. In the end, the book does exactly what it sets out to do. Where even past KH light novels have done a pretty good job at explaining what a character is thinking and their motivations behind their actions, I feel like the Birth By Sleep novel does not go deeper than face value. It quickly became evident that this was for a younger audience, even more so than the game and the manga. Nowhere in the first half of this book is the “hook” I needed to continue reading. I think this is where my fault lies with this light novel. Where the manga adaptation lacks in words, it makes up with charming artwork.
![birth by sleep birth by sleep](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/BWgAAOSwS9NfVrHf/s-l300.jpg)
![birth by sleep birth by sleep](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/pP4AAOSw6jhgrxBf/s-l300.jpg)
Being a long time Kingdom Hearts fan, I should have known that the story itself wouldn’t be anything groundbreaking, but I loved these characters and I wanted to experience their stories again. In fact, I find myself entirely at fault here. It’s just definitely a book intended for elementary school-aged kids. This book is very straight-forward, and I’m not saying that’s necessarily a bad thing. However, upon receiving the book and seeing the rating of ages “10 & up” my enthusiasm slowly waned. Birth By Sleep is my favorite game in the series and features some of my very favorite characters, so of course, I was excited to review it. As somebody who is a big fan of both the Kingdom Hearts video game and manga series, when I heard they were releasing a light novel summary of Birth By Sleep, I was ecstatic.