It's been over three years since Kingdom Hearts II was released. (Let that sink in for a minute.) Now, it appears that it's time for gaming's most successful crossover franchise to get its own sidestory: Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. Don't worry about the obscure title or the fact that the last portable Kingdom Hearts game was a card-battler/action hybrid. 358/2 Days is essentially Crisis Core: Kingdom Hearts. The story alone is worth the price of admission, and the gameplay retains most (if not all) of Kingdom Hearts II's strengths and weaknesses.

358/2 Days carries the full-motion video graphics from Chain of Memories into the actual gameplay, and as a result, the game looks really nice. Some of the textures are flat and low-resolution, and sometimes faces look ugly, but since you usually see things from a safe distance, it's not that bad. I've always found Tetsuya Nomura's character designs to be far too cliché for my taste. All too often, it seems as if the hair does all the talking (instead of the faces). Organization XIII has more than its share of spiky-haired introverts, but for every mop-headed snob like Zexion, there's a modestly-groomed powerhouse like Lexaeus.

It should come to nobody's surprise that Yoko Shimomura's soundtrack is outstanding. Much of her work on the previous KH games finds a welcome home in 358/2 Days; the game's title screen greets you with a solemn rendition of the ever-soothing "Dearly Beloved." Most of the music is very piano-heavy, which is perfect for this kind of game. In addition, Utada's "Sanctuary" makes a repeat appearance. A whole new song probably would have been too much to ask, since 358/2 Days isn't exactly full-fledged sequel. The song is still hauntingly beautiful in its own way. The voicework is hit-and-miss. 358/2 Days features the late Wayne Allwine's final performance as Mickey Mouse. Jesse McCartney's Roxas is hardly an Osment-caliber performance, but that's forgivable. Haley Joel's Sora is indeed a tough act to follow. Some of the lines are well-delivered, but some sequences are groan-inducing; when Axel and Roxas trade insults, you won't believe any of the laughter is sincere.

A word of warning: do not even look into Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days until you have finished both of the original PlayStation 2 games. If you disregard this warning and unwisely choose to get your feet wet with 358/2 Days, you'll be hopelessly lost from the start. This is a franchise that prides itself on its convoluted narrative, and all interested parties need to experience the story from the beginning. There are major spoilers regarding both Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II ahead, so avert your eyes, new blood.

358/2 Days places you in the role of Roxas, the Nobody who came into existence as a direct result of Sora's momentary self-sacrifice in Kingdom Hearts. The game begins almost immediately after his "birth," as he starts out life as little more than a vegetable. The leader of the cloaked brotherhood known as Organization XIII shows up and gives Roxas a proper raison d'être. His task is to release and collect the hearts of the shadow-like Heartless and eventually complete Kingdom Hearts. In doing so, the members of the Organization will gain hearts, and thus, completion. Don't worry yourself with questions of logic (e.g. "What the f*** is a Kingdom Hearts?") -- these questions can't and probably shouldn't be answered in any realistic context. At its core, 358/2 Days is a story about friendship, love, and identity crises. Although many of the story's secrets revolve around the Organization's mysterious fourteenth member (a girl named Xion), 358/2 Days emulates its predecessor by including a ton of male bonding sequences. It's a full-fledged bromance overkill.

I mentioned earlier that 358/2 Days is essentially Crisis Core: Kingdom Hearts. I mean that in nearly every sense, as the structure of this game is remarkably similar to that of Final Fantasy VII's official prequel. You choose your missions and then complete them. Objectives are clear-cut, from defeating special Heartless to performing reconnaissance. See the parallels? Instead of SOLDIER, it's Organization XIII. Instead of the Shinra Building, it's the Castle that Never Was. Instead of Angeal and Genesis, it's Axel and Xion.

It may have been three years since the last installment in the franchise, but I've got a feeling that most gamers will still remember the places they went with Sora, Donald, and Goofy. I'll say it plain: 358/2 Days does not feature any new Disney-themed worlds to explore, and nearly everything is at least somewhat rehashed. From Agrabah to Halloween Town, each world feels like a retread of a retread. At least the denizens of each world are doing something different than reliving the same Disney plot points. Also, the Organization's plan stays front and center, which makes all of this easier to forgive. Here's hoping that future Kingdom Hearts games will be able to take us to places we've never seen in the series, as opposed to twice or thrice.

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days is a simple and accessible action-RPG. However, some of the enemies are extremely powerful, and it will take a lot of patience and timing in order to take them down. It also pains me to report that the franchise's notoriously poor camera is back, which occasionally makes the game harder than it should be. However, the lock-on function helps alleviate some of the camera-related problems.

Several of your battles can be won by resorting to button-mashing; others can be lost by making poor use of the Panel system. There's a thin, albeit noticable layer of strategy to this game, and sometimes spamming spells and hacking away won't do the trick. In addition, spellcasting feels a bit on the slow side; even if the attacks are powerful, the execution is not very satisfying.

Unfortunately, the friendly A.I. isn't very good. For example, I was going after an early mission's bonus objectives. One of these required me to defeat a Zip Slasher, an exceptionally powerful Heartless that has around six health bars. Marluxia (my teammate at the time) attacked only at the most inopportune times and wasted potions when I was at full health. And they always call Roxas the "zombie?"

Character growth is handled cleverly in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. The Panel system allows you to slot a number of skill panels into open spaces on a grid. What's interesting about it is that some panels can be linked together. For example, if you want to cast Fire more than once in a battle, you'll have to either set multiple Fire panels or use a special panel that will allow you to doublecast. Also, if you level Roxas up, the extra level comes in the form of a panel; your stat boosts won't take effect until you slot the Level Up panel. Many special panels take up different amounts of space on the grid, and lots of them are in different shapes. It creates a sort of puzzle that you must work through in order to maximize how efficient Roxas is in battle. The further you progress into the game, the more empty slots you'll unlock. You'll find yourself going back to the Panel system often, whether it's to try something new or just to rearrange your skills.

Another interesting addition to the Kingdom Hearts formula is hardly new to anything Square Enix-related: the Limit Break. When Roxas is nearly done for, holding the (A) button will send him into a frenzied state in which he can unleash a devastating and lightning-fast barrage of attacks. It's vaguely reminiscent of Kingdom Hearts II's Drive Gauge, as it's an effective and fun offensive option to use when your back is against the wall.

358/2 Days features a first for the series in the form of a rather chaotic multiplayer component. Mission Mode allows you to bring three friends into the game and complete objectives together. Furthermore, the chat system is crazy, as well -- everyone is given the same screen to write on. Despite the fact that it's a local multi-card only affair, I was honestly surprised at how well the multiplayer turned out; usually when a game like this aspires to break free of its single-player formula, there are disastrous results.

Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days may be long overdue, but it can be considered a long-awaited reunion with some very close friends. The production values are top-notch, the story is excellent, and the gameplay, while flawed, is fulfilling enough to satisfy. If you are a DS-owning Kingdom Hearts fan, get fitted for a cloak and go slay some Heartless.