14 long years have passed since the last main installment in the “Kingdom Hearts” franchise. Fans have received spin-off games and remasters, but no true sequels until now. Was “Kingdom Hearts 3” worth the wait, or does the game fail to capture the magic of the first two?

In “Kingdom Hearts,” characters from the “Final Fantasy” series of video games crossover with the many worlds of Disney. The story revolves around Sora, a boy who wields the legendary “Keyblade.” Sora and his friends — Donald Duck, Goofy, Mickey Mouse, Riku and Kairi — must come together to defeat Xehanort, an evil man who wants to restart the world to bring balance between light and darkness.

If that sounds complicated, then that’s because it is, trust me.

The story of “Kingdom Hearts” is incredibly complicated. Fans are forced to play all nine of the spin-off games to understand the story of the main games. This is a tall task, as the games have been released on everything from Gameboy Advance to mobile phones.

While the daunting, complicated story might scare new players away, the story isn’t too hard to understand if you put in a little effort. “Kingdom Hearts 3” was my first “Kingdom Hearts” game, and after watching a few story synopsis videos, I was able to fully understand everything that was going on.

I highly recommend trying to catch yourself up on the story before playing the game, as around 9 of my 33 hours with “Kingdom Hearts 3” were spent watching story cutscenes. If you don’t know what’s going on, then this leads to a lot of time spent waiting for the next battle.

Most of the game can be played with absolutely no real connection to the main plot of the series. Sora and the gang venture to eight different Disney worlds in “Kingdom Hearts 3” including “Toy Story”, “Frozen”, “Monsters Inc.”, “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Big Hero 6”.

Story is one thing, but is the game fun to play?

Gameplay was the main thing that drew me to “Kingdom Hearts 3”. Combat is fast, fun and full of options. As you progress through the game, you unlock 14 different keyblades, which all vary in combat style.

Some, like Shooting Star and Hunny Spout, are ranged weapons that allow you to stay further away from enemies and pick them off from afar. Others, such as Crystal Snow and Nano Gear, focus more on close range and encourage you to get up close and personal. Mixing these melee options and magic spells that you gain throughout the game make for one of the most fun gameplay experiences I’ve had in a while.

The combat is complemented by over 20 minigames that appear across the Disney worlds. Some are incredibly fun, such as the pirate ship battles in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” world, but others are simply annoying, such as the frozen slider from “Frozen”. While these may be hit or miss, they provide a break from combat and add variety and character to every world.

“Kingdom Hearts 3” is also a beautiful game to look at. The different Disney worlds look almost as good as the movies that they are based off of, which is quite the feat considering Disney’s animation skills.

One of my biggest issues with the game is its voice acting. The voice acting for all the main characters sounds awful. Haley Joel Osment, David Gallagher and Alyson Stoner, as Sora, Riku and Kairi respectively, stumble through almost all their lines, giving stiff, uninspired performances. This is incredibly noticeable when compared to the performances of the actors portraying Disney characters.

Bill Farmer, Tony Anselmo and Bret Iwan are great as Goofy, Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse. Almost all the actors from the Disney worlds sound fantastic too, whether they are reprising their role from a movie or are replacing a famous actor.

While “Kingdom Hearts 3” certainly isn’t perfect, I immensely enjoyed my time with the game. For longtime “Kingdom Hearts” fans, this game is a must play. If you like role playing games or Disney and have been considering jumping into “Kingdom Hearts 3,” don’t let the intimidating plot scare you away.

Under all the nonsense about light and darkness and bad voice acting, “Kingdom Hearts 3” is a genuinely fun game. Sadly, a good chunk of the game is that nonsense, which could dampen the overall experience for many players.

If you know what you are getting into, I highly recommend jumping into the world of “Kingdom Hearts 3”.

Review copy provided by Square Enix and reviewed on Xbox One S.

7.5/10 Stars