Mushroom Kingdom Hearts

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Mushroom Kingdom Hearts
Boxart of Mushroom Kingdom Hearts
North American box art
For alternate box art, see the game's gallery.
Developer Square Enix
Publisher Square Enix (NA, JP)
Nintendo (EU, OC)
Platform(s) Wii
Release date Japan September 19, 2008[1]
USA October 17, 2008[2]
Mexico October 17, 2008
Europe October 20, 2008[3]
Australia October 21, 2008[4]
Language(s) Deutsch
English (United States)
Español (España)
Français (France)
Italiano
日本語
Genre Action role-playing game
Rating(s)
ESRB:E10+ - Everyone 10+
PEGI:12 - Twelve years and older
CERO:A - All ages
ACB:PG - Parental Guidance
USK:6 - Six years and older
Mode(s) Single player
Media
Wii:
Optical disc
Input
Wii:
Wii U:
Product ID(s) RVL-REYE-USA (North America)
RVL-REYE-JPN (Japan)
RVL-REYE-EUR (Europe)
RVL-REYE-AUS (Australia)
“Even beyond your reality, all is connected.”
Tagline

Mushroom Kingdom Hearts is an action role-playing video game for the Wii developed by Square Enix in 2008. It is an entry to the Kingdom Hearts series and the successor to Kingdom Hearts II. The story follows Sora's journey throughout the Mushroom Kingdom and its surrounding lands in order to eliminate the Heartless that have invaded due to the presence of his Keyblade. Once Sora learns that Bowser is using the Heartless alongside his usual Koopa Troop, he continues his journey in order to stop him as well. Unlike previous and future games in the Kingdom Hearts series, this game contains Nintendo elements, primarily from the Super Mario franchise, in place of most Disney and Final Fantasy elements. As such, Sora is accompanied by Mario and Luigi for the majority of the story instead of his usual companions, Donald Duck and Goofy.

The main theme song for the game is performed by Hikaru Utada and is titled "Reach For It", which is an English version of "Keep Tryin'", another song by Utada. Chronologically, this game takes place after the ending of Kingdom Hearts II and before the events of Kingdom Hearts coded. Mushroom Kingdom Hearts has yet to be remastered or converted into an HD movie.

The game was first publicized in the April 2007 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly.[5]

Story

Sora falling down the Warp Pipe
Sora falling down the Warp Pipe

Following the ending of Kingdom Hearts II, Sora is seen reminiscing inside the Secret Place on Destiny Islands. Suddenly, a Warp Pipe emerges from the ground. Sora investigates the pipe, only to be pulled inside by an unknown force. When Sora reaches the end of the pipe, he tumbles out and finds himself in the Mushroom Kingdom. Before he can make his way back inside, the pipe retracts inside of the wall. After exploring his immediate surroundings for a short time, Shadows appear in front of him. During the battle, Fireballs defeat the remaining Heartless. Sora looks around and sees the Fireballs came from Mario. After they introduce each other, Toad runs up to Mario and informs him that "weird creatures" have appeared around Peach's Castle. The three quickly make their way to the castle.

They arrive and see that several Shadows and Soldiers standing outside the door to Peach's Castle. After defeating the Heartless at the castle, Sora introduces himself and explains the dangers of the Heartless to everyone there, including Luigi, Princess Peach, and Professor E. Gadd. Concerned about everyone's safety, Peach asks Sora to protect the lands from the Heartless, which he agrees to do. Mario and Luigi also agree to join Sora on his adventure. Before they leave, E. Gadd expresses interest in Sora's Keyblade and asks to inspect it, which Sora obliges to.

Sarasaland

Sora, Mario, and Luigi arrive in Sarasaland and travel towards Princess Daisy's castle to tell her about the danger of the Heartless. When they arrive and inform her, Daisy mentions that there have been more fires around the kingdom lately. Soon after, the ground begins to shake. Before they leave to investigate the source, Daisy decides to join the party. They follow the rumblings through an oasis full of palm trees and to one of the pyramids. During their travels, they continuously encounter fiery Heartless like Scarlet Tangos and Fire Plants. At the Pyramid's entrance, they encounter the Dessicated Feline and defeat it. Within the pyramid, the group solve puzzles and defeat Heartless to reach the innermost chamber. Inside is the Heartless which is causing the rumblings, the Ignited Feline. After defeating it, the inside of the pyramid begins to collapse, prompting the group to escape. Once outside, Daisy thanks the group for solving her kingdom's troubles.

Interlude
Mickey in a conversation with Yen Sid
Yen Sid conversing with Mickey about Sora's location

At the Mysterious Tower, Yen Sid senses that Sora has fallen into a world beyond the usual realm. Knowing that Sora is vital to the progression of future events, Yen Sid calls King Mickey to the tower. He informs Mickey about Sora's condition and urges him to come to his aid.

Yoshi's Island

On Yoshi's Island, Sora, Mario, and Luigi see Yoshi's House nearby and walk to it. After Mario explains the situation with the Heartless to Yoshi, he joins the group. Just as the group is ready to depart, they spot many Ukikis and Goonies fleeing the jungle. When they investigate, they are attacked by Powerwilds. Sora figures that the source of the Heartless must be deeper within the jungle, so they continue forward and save any Yoshis they come across. Further into the jungle, they find Kamek casting spells on some Heartless. Sora demands to know what Kamek is doing, to which Kamek replies that he is experimenting with these strange new creatures. Upon realizing that he is accompanied by Mario and Luigi, Kamek casts a powerful spell upon one of the nearby Powerwilds and turns it into the Hypergunner. Sora defeats the Heartless and follows Kamek deeper into the jungle. At the jungle's center, Kamek begins a battle with them. Once he is beaten, he flees the island on his broomstick. As the group is congratulated by the Yoshis for bringing peace back to the island, Kamek ponders if the Heartless can be used to Bowser's advantage.

Interlude

In his castle, Bowser is sitting in his throne room. A Goomba and Koopa run up to Bowser and inform him of strange creatures that have appeared in the castle. Shadows and Soldiers then appear in the room with them. While the Goomba and Koopa cower behind Bowser, he notices that the Heartless are not acting hostile towards him. He tries issuing commands to the Heartless and is surprised when they do obey him. This gives him the idea of using them to invade the Mushroom Kingdom and kidnap Princess Peach.

Beanbean Kingdom

Sora, Mario, and Luigi arrive at the Beanbean Kingdom and find themselves at the base of Hoohoo Mountain. Prince Peasley comes along and warns them that strange events have been occurring in the surrounding area. As soon as their conversation is over, rocks tumble down from the mountain and block the usual path up the mountain. Beanish Driller Moles then emerge from the side of the mountain and begin to attack. After defeating them, Sora notices that they left behind tunnels that they can use to scale the mountain from the inside. In addition, Prince Peasley decides to join the group because he was impressed by their proficiency during battle. During the ascent within the mountain, boulders frequently fall from the ceiling. Eventually, they make it to Hoohoo Village which looks abandoned. They are informed by one of the Hoohooligans hiding within their home that strange creatures have been terrorizing them. Suddenly, Fiendish Pods come and attack the group. Once all of the Heartless have been defeated, the Hoohooligans let the group use their minecart system to reach the peak of the mountain faster.

At the peak of the mountain, they encounter the Hurly Arms, the Heartless that is causing the falling rocks around and on the mountain. Once it is defeated, Prince Peasley thanks the others for making Hoohoo Mountain safe once more.

Interlude

Mickey is seen traveling in his Gummi Ship, worrying about Sora. Suddenly, the ship is ambushed by Heartless and they force Mickey to dodge their attacks and retaliate.

Donkey Kong Island

Sora, Mario, and Luigi walk on one of Donkey Kong Island's beaches when they are attacked by cannonballs. In the distance, they see ships controlled by Heartless on the water. Before one cannonball can hit Sora, Donkey Kong jumps in front of him and deflects it into the ocean. Sora thanks him, but soon after questions how they are supposed to reach the Heartless. Donkey Kong responds by pointing the group towards some ruins on the island. Donkey Kong joins the group as all four make their way to the ruins. They eventually find a Barrel Cannon guarded by Master Necky. Once he is defeated, Donkey Kong takes the barrel and brings it back to the beach. Along the way, Sora, Mario, and Luigi protect Donkey Kong from Heartless. When the Barrel Cannon is set, the four use it to launch themselves to the Heartless' ships. They clear out each of the ships as they work their way to the ship with the strongest Heartless. Finally, they confront the Gangway Cannonry. After defeating it, they sail back to the island using the Gangway Cannonry's ship.

Interlude
Bowser emanating darkness
Bowser inadvertently tapping into his inner darkness

Back at Bowser's Castle, Bowser has learned to better command the Heartless. He calls over Bowser Jr. and shows the Heartless to him. Amazed, Bowser Jr. demands that he is given some Heartless to cause some mischief. Bowser agrees to do so and suggests that Bowser Jr. go back to Isle Delfino to distract Mario away from the Mushroom Kingdom and get revenge on him. Before the scene ends, darkness briefly emanates from Bowser.

Diamond City

Sora finds himself standing outside of WarioWare, Inc. When he steps inside, Wario greets him and asks if he is here for the experiment. When Sora stands there still confused, Wario elaborates that Dr. Crygor has built the Micromemory O'Matic or MOM for short, a machine that converts memories into microgames, games that take seconds to beat. Sora agrees to be a part of the experiment and is hooked up to the machine by Dr. Crygor and his granddaughter, Penny. Once the machine is done examining Sora's memories, the machine starts buffering. Penny explains that it will take some time for the machine to create the microgames since it has to find suitable scenarios to turn into microgames. She continues by saying the process can be sped up by collecting components throughout Diamond City.

During the process of finding the components, he meets Mona, Jimmy T., 9-Volt, 18-Volt, Ashley, and Red. Upon seeing the microgames based on his time in Castle Oblivion, Sora does not recognize what memories they are based on. Dr. Crygor presumes that the machine created the microgames on its own based on Sora's other memories and deems it faulty. Regardless, Dr. Crygor and Penny thank Sora for partaking in their experiment.

Isle Delfino

Professor E. Gadd contacts the group and informs them that Heartless activity has increased dramatically on Isle Delfino. Upon reaching the Delfino Plaza, Sora sees that the area is covered in goop. A nearby Pianta informs him strange creatures are the source of it. He presumes that the Pianta is referring to the Heartless and begins to search around. During the search, the group encounters Shadow Mario with his Magic Paintbrush. He creates a giant pile of goop that a Proto Piranha emerges from and runs away. After defeating the Proto Piranha, Sora notices that various structures around the plaza have gone missing. They realize the Heartless have used goop to sink the structures into the ground. They defeat the Heartless around the structures to remove the goop and restore the plaza back to normal.

After defeating the final group of Heartless, the cannon to Pinna Park is restored. Soon after, Shadow Mario drives by Sora, Mario, and Luigi on his boat, taunts the group, and drives towards Pinna Park. The group enters the cannon and gets launched towards the park. They finally confront Shadow Mario in Pinna Park's shallow pool as he transforms back into Bowser Jr., beginning their fight. When Bowser Jr. is defeated, he starts laughing at the group and tells them that this is only the start of his plan. When he is demanded to elaborate, Bowser Jr. says that he has already sent the Koopa Troop and the newly allied Heartless to the Mushroom Kingdom to kidnap Princess Peach. After hearing that, the group immediately head for the Warp Pipe back to Peach's Castle.

Interlude

Back on Destiny Islands, Riku and Kairi are searching for Sora when Kairi suggests they look inside the Secret Place. They stumble upon the Warp Pipe. Just as they are about to inspect the pipe, they hear Mickey's Gummi Ship land outside on the beach and rush towards it. Mickey informs the two that something has happened to Sora, prompting Riku to tell Mickey about the strange object he and Kairi found.

Mushroom Kingdom revisit

Once Sora, Mario, and Luigi return to the Mushroom Kingdom, they find Toad Town overrun with Heartless and the Koopa Troop. They work their way through the town and defeat any enemies they come across in order to reach Peach's Castle. They enter the castle and find Toad near the entrance. He informs them that Peach is trapped in her room with a powerful Heartless guarding the door. They make their way up the tower to Peach's room, encountering progressively stronger Heartless. At the very top, they confront the Dueling Banneret, the Heartless keeping Peach trapped. Once it is defeated, Sora barges into Peach's room and sees that she is safe. She thanks the three for clearing the castle and Toad Town of the Heartless and the Koopa Troop. However, she points out that there may still be Heartless in the underground portion of Toad Town and directs the three to the Warp Pipe leading to the underground.

Toad Town Underground

Petey Piranha spitting out darkness
Mario bringing attention to Petey Piranha

At the other end of the Warp Pipe, the group reaches the sewers of Toad Town. At first, they only find and fight Piranha Plants and Buzzy Beetles. However, as they travel farther within the sewers, they find enemies with greater concentrations of darkness and more Heartless. They then wonder if there is something at the end of the sewers that is spreading Darkness throughout. Once they open the door at the end of the tunnel by fixing the water pressure in the pipes, they find Petey Piranha inside. They find him continuously spitting out darkness and conclude that he is the source. After defeating him, they find that the number of Heartless in the sewers has dropped dramatically, so they return to the surface.

Interlude

Sora, Mario, and Luigi return to Peach's room to tell her that the underground has been cleared of Heartless. Out of the window, they notice that Heartless are dropping from the sky. Peach pinpoints the origin point to Nimbus Land. In order to get there, Peach calls down the royal bus to bring Sora, Mario, and Luigi there. During their ride, they defend the bus from flying Heartless.

Nimbus Land

When the three reach Nimbus Land, they find Geno in the middle of fighting a group of Heartless. After Geno finishes them off with a Geno Beam, the three approaches to greet him. Mario recognizes him and asks what he is doing in Nimbus Land. Geno explains that Gaz had given Mallow the Geno doll as a gift which allowed him to respond as soon as the Heartless appeared in Nimbus Land. He continues by saying that he has already cleared out Nimbus Castle and the town, but has yet to check the surrounding clouds. The four then team up and set off to defeat the remaining Heartless.

As they defeat the Heartless, the group keeps catching glimpses of a giant flying Heartless through the clouds. Geno predicts that they can intercept it at the very end of Nimbus Land's clouds. As they do so, the flying Heartless indirectly attacks them with lightning strikes. At the edge of Nimbus Land, the Lightning Basilisk emerges from the clouds and attacks the group. After it has been defeated, they return to the entrance of Nimbus Castle where Mallow thanks the group.

Interlude

Mickey emerges from the Warp Pipe that is connected to Destiny Islands and begins his search for Sora. Meanwhile, Sora, Mario, and Luigi return from Nimbus Land to Peach's Castle. As they go to greet Professor E. Gadd, he informs them that the research he has been conducting on the Heartless and Keyblade has been stolen by a group of Soldier Heartless. He points them to the direction of the Warp Pipe that leads to Boo Woods and all four enter the pipe. As soon as they leave the area, a Koopa Troopa pops out of a nearby bush and goes to report to Bowser that Sora, Mario, and Luigi have headed to Boo Woods as planned.

Boo Woods

In Boo Woods, the group sees the Heartless carrying the research enter a mansion. Before Sora, Mario, and Luigi enter, E. Gadd warns them that the Boos may use tricks and illusions on the group once they are inside. Once inside, they see the Heartless with the research, prompting Sora to attack it. The Heartless morphs back into a Boo and scares the group. They continue to explore the mansion, fighting the Boos and the illusions they make, including more Boos disguised as Heartless, fake doors, and looping rooms. In the Grand Ballroom, the group fights against a Big Boo. They make their way to the mansion's attic where they find the research on a table. Before they reach the table and take the research back, King Boo intercepts and fights them. From the research in the book, King Boo makes illusions of previously fought Heartless bosses. Once King Boo runs out of Heartless to make illusions out of, he fights the group directly. When he is defeated, Professor E. Gadd enters the attic and traps him inside of the Poltergust 3000. He then thanks Sora, Mario, and Luigi for saving his research.

Mario Story

Upon getting his research back, Professor E. Gadd finds a book he does not recognize among his papers. He inspects it further and realizes there is an entire world within the book. However, he also notices that the pages of the book have been shuffled around and are no longer in order. He concludes that the book must be fixed from the inside. When Sora, Mario, and Luigi enter the book, they find that doors and other types of corridors lead to completely different locations. They are soon approached by Merlon who tells them strange creatures have invaded and have caused the world to be like this. They eventually find the Storyweaver Heartless and defeat it, restoring the order of the first chapter. They continue to the next chapters of the book, meeting another member of Merlon's family and defeating the Storyweavers in each chapter. Once all of the chapters have been restored, Merlon's entire family expresses their gratitude towards Sora.

Interlude
Mario
Luigi
Artwork of Mario and Luigi after receiving their Keyblade replicas

Upon returning to Peach's Castle, they find that Princess Peach has been taken. In a letter left by Bowser, he reveals he has fully taken command of the Heartless and used their power to take the princess while the heroes were distracted with problems he has caused elsewhere. Professor E. Gadd declares that the time has come for his research to come to fruition. He gives Mario and Luigi replicas of the Keyblade and special clothing which enhances their powers. The group then head for Bowser's Castle.

Bowser's Castle

After entering Bowser's Castle, the first major enemy that Sora, Mario, and Luigi encounter is Kamek who has been refining his magic technique on Heartless ever since their first encounter on Yoshi's Island. He uses his magic to transform a Shadow into a Gigas Neoshadow. After defeating it, Sora knocks Kamek off of his broomstick, causing Kamek to fall into the castle's depths. As they continue to make their way up Bowser's Castle, they can sense that darkness is being gathered at the top of the castle.

Bowser Jr. after being defeated in Bowser's Castle
Bowser Jr. being launched out of the castle

The group next encounters Bowser Jr. After taunting them for taking this long to reach him, he enters a miniature airship and begins his attack. After hitting his airship enough times, it begins to malfunction and then blows up. This blasts Bowser Jr. through the castle roof and into the sky. The group continues their climb up.

Finally, the group confronts Bowser in his throne room. From behind Bowser, Peach tells the three that he does not seem like his usual self. Bowser then cuts her off, flaunting his ability to command the Heartless and his newfound power stemming from darkness. He begins to attack Sora, Mario, and Luigi using both Heartless and his own attacks enhanced with darkness.

After Bowser is defeated, Mario goes to free Princess Peach from her cage. She thanks the three for rescuing her. Just as they are about to leave the castle and return to the Mushroom Kingdom, Bowser succumbs to the darkness in his heart and causes the Tyrannic Vessel Heartless to manifest. It tears a hole through reality and leaps through it. Before Sora can follow it, Mickey calls his name. Sora turns around, surprised that Mickey was able to locate him in this world. Mickey informs him that the commotion that resulted from Sora's fights within the castle caught his attention. Sora then tells Mickey of his adventure thus far in this world. Mickey surmises that the power of Bowser's Heartless is great enough that the world is in danger of being pulled into darkness. Fearing for the worst, Mickey urges the others to enter the tear and defeat the Tyrannic Vessel as he rushes into the tear. Meanwhile, Princess Peach heads back to the Mushroom Kingdom to let the Toads know she is safe.

The Distorted Vista

Once Sora, Mario, and Luigi enter the tear, they find a replica of the room they were just in on the other end. Mickey, who has been waiting for them, is also surprised at how normal this alternate world is. Confused, Luigi opens the door out of the room only to find the castle becoming increasingly distorted and crumbling in a void the farther out it gets. As they navigate through the floating ruins, they encounter Heartless even stronger than those they have encountered during their adventure so far. Eventually, they make it to a vortex that leads to the Tyrannic Vessel and jump in.

At the bottom, they confront the Tyrannic Vessel and fight it. As the battle rages on, the Tyrannic Vessel continues to destroy portions of the arena. This move causes the ground below, Mario, Luigi, and Mickey to collapse underneath them, making them fall deeper into the void. This separates Sora from the others, leaving him to fight the Tyrannic Vessel on his own. Just before Sora has lost all hope of winning the battle, Mario, Luigi, and Mickey jump back up using the falling portions of the arena and use their weapons to block an attack that would have been fatal to Sora. The four then attack all at once, defeating the Tyrannic Vessel.

As the Distorted Vista begins to collapse in on itself because of the Tyrannic Vessel's defeat, the four jump out of the vortex using the floating ruins. At the top, they find the rift that leads them out of the alternate world and jump through it.

Conclusion

Now back in Bowser's Castle, Mickey says he will wait at the Warp Pipe back to Destiny Islands while Sora, Mario, and Luigi return to Peach's Castle and tell her Bowser's Heartless has been defeated. At Peach's Castle, Sora tells Peach of the news, to which she congratulates the three of them for saving the world from the Heartless. The three then make their way to the Warp Pipe and say goodbye to each other.

After Sora and Mickey return to Destiny Islands, a Keyhole appears on the Warp Pipe. Sora points his Keyblade at the Keyhole and locks it, causing the pipe to sink into the ground. Mickey ponders if the world they had left will be fine without their aid. Sora reassures him, saying that the powers of Mario and Luigi and the experience they had gathered during the journey are enough to keep their world safe. The two then exit the Secret Place and are happily greeted by Kairi and Riku.

Screenshot from the secret ending
"A Realm Within"

By fulfilling all of the requirements for the secret ending, the player unlocks the cutscene titled "A Realm Within". The scene begins with a shot of one of Jiminy's journals. It flips open to show the phrase "Thank Naminé" written on one of the pages. The journal then flips through empty pages continuously. As it reaches the end, the flipping slows down until one page remains. This page also contains text, but the screen is filled with black cubes with red markings before the entirety of the page is revealed. This ending foreshadows the plot of Kingdom Hearts coded.

Gameplay

The gameplay is similar to previous console Kingdom Hearts games. Sora has to traverse worlds and battle Heartless in order to restore peace. He is able to use his Keyblade for physical attacks, magic spells, and various offensive and defensive abilities. In order to use abilities, Sora needs to have enough Ability Points to equip them. By defeating enemies, Sora gains experience which allows him to level up. Leveling up increases his stats such as Hit Points, Magic Points and may cause other bonuses such as unlocking an additional slot for accessories, items that further augment Sora's stats or add abilities. Completing certain events also unlock additional armor slots.

While Sora is falling down the Warp Pipe from Destiny Islands to the Mushroom Kingdom, a sequence similar to the Dive to the Heart plays out where the player is able to choose their growth path. They are able to choose whether to specialize in strength, defense, or magic. In return, one of the stats the player did not choose gets weakened. Choosing strength weakens defense, choosing defense weakens strength, and choosing magic decreases AP. The player's choice also changes the order of when abilities are learned.

In place of Donald Duck and Goofy, Mario and Luigi serve as Sora's permanent party members. Mario specializes in physical attacks while Luigi specializes in magic, but the two share hammers as their signature weapons. They are controlled by AI and the player can change different aspects of their behavior in the pause menu. In various worlds, an additional character joins the party. In order to have them out, they must take the place of either Mario or Luigi. Like Sora, party members can level up and equip items, but world-specific party members cannot unlock additional armor and accessory slots.

Unlike Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II where Gummi Ships are used to travel between worlds, Sora traverses between worlds using Warp Pipes in levels called Pipe Sliders. In addition, the worlds are connected to each other physically and not separated by the Ocean Between. In Pipe Sliders, Sora slides within the pipes and can attack enemies or obstacles with the Keyblade while doing so. The player can choose which path Sora takes while sliding down to obtain additional items and experience. Once a Pipe Slider level is completed, subsequent attempts unlock missions. Each Pipe Slider has three missions and a mission must be played in order to unlock the next one. These missions can range from defeating a set number of enemies to avoiding an increased number of obstacles.

Controls

Wii Remote

  • A Button: Jump
  • Wii Remote (shake): Swing the Keyblade
  • +Control Pad left or right: Rotate camera
  • +Control Pad down: Lock-on/Switch lock-on target
  • +Control Pad up: Center camera
  • B Button: Use ability
  • Plus Button: Open the menu/Pause
  • Minus Button: Toggle first-person mode
  • Nunchuk Control Stick: Move
  • Nunchuk C Button: Change command selection
  • Nunchuk Z Button: Execute selected command

Classic Controller

  • Classic Controller Right Stick: Move
  • Classic Controller Left Stick: Move camera
  • Classic Controller a Button: Execute selected command
  • Classic Controller b Button: Jump
  • Classic Controller y Button: Use ability
  • Classic Controller x Button: Open shortcut menu
  • Plus Button: Open the menu/Pause
  • Minus Button: Toggle first-person mode
  • +Control Pad: Change command selection
  • Classic Controller R Button: Lock-on
  • Classic Controller L Button: Switch lock-on target

Keyblades

Keychain Description Unlock criteria Stats
Strength Magic Length Ability
Kingdom Key The keychain attached to your Keyblade when you entered this world. Halves damage taken during critical situations. Default 3 1 100 Damage Control
Desert Flower The keychain found in the depths of a pyramid in Sarasaland. Boosts damage dealt by fire-based attacks by 20%. Beat the Ignited Feline 2 3 114 Fire Boost
Star Child The keychain given by the Yoshis as gratitude for saving their island. Increases maximum combo by 1 while in midair. Beat Kamek 4 0 130 Air Combo Plus
Beanpole The keychain Prince Peasley gave as a keepsake, complete with his signature. Allows combos to continue without needing to strike anything. Beat the Hurly Arms 3 2 165 Combo Master
Barrel O' Fun The keychain plundered from a Heartless pirate ship. Allows multiple combo finishers to be performed successively. Beat the Gangway Cannonry 5 0 95 Finishing Plus
Sparkling Gem The keychain given to you by WarioWare, Inc. for your work. Causes additional prizes to be dropped by defeated enemies. Complete all of the microgame sets in Diamond City 5 2 90 Jackpot
Fresco Splash The keychain given as a parting gift from Pinna Park. Boosts damage dealt by ice-based attacks by 20%. Beat Bowser Jr. 2 3 114 Blizzard Boost
Sweet Parasol The keychain given to you by Princess Peach herself. Allows enemy attacks to be bounced back by attacking. Beat the Dueling Banneret 2 5 130 Offensive Block
Pipedream The keychain found in the underground of Toad Town. Increases the amount of experience gained from defeated enemies by 100% when below 50% maximum HP. Beat Petey Piranha 2 1 110 Experience Boost
Charged Cloud The keychain bestowed by Prince Mallow. Boosts damage dealt by electricity-based attacks by 20%. Beat the Lightning Basilisk 2 3 114 Thunder Boost
Polt-key-gust 3500 The keychain created by Professor E. Gadd. Draws in nearby prize orbs. Beat King Boo 3 0 125 Draw
Storyteller The keychain obtained by restoring the storybook. Increases the effects of restoration items used on the field by 50%. Restore the Mario Story book 3 2 110 Item Boost
Castlewrecker The keychain left behind by Bowser before becoming a Heartless. Restores MP relative to the amount of damage taken. Beat Bowser 1 5 100 MP Rage
Super Hammer The keychain given as proof of your mastery of 2D terrain traversal. Decreases maximum combos on the ground and in the air by 1. Beat all of the 2D obstacle courses 2 3 150 Negative Combo
Ultra Hammer The keychain given as proof of your mastery of 3D terrain traversal. Increases strength by 2 during MP Charge and disables the finishing move on combos. Beat all of the 3D obstacle courses 5 1 145 Berserk Charge
Power of the Stars The keychain hidden away atop Princess Peach's Castle. Increases the duration of a power-up transformation. Open the chest on that is on the roof of Princess Peach's Castle 3 3 100 Form Boost
Company Break The keychain given for working overtime at WarioWare, Inc. Increases the drop rate of items at the expense of strength. Beat the score thresholds of the Variety Towers in Diamond City 0 3 97 Lucky Lucky
Ultima Weapon The keychain which flows with incredible power. Increases MP restoration rate once all MP has been consumed. Item Synthesis 7 7 150 MP Hastega

Power-ups

Sora can use power-ups to enhance his offensive capabilities in battle, similarly to the Drive Forms from Kingdom Hearts II. He can find them by hitting ? Blocks found throughout the worlds and by defeating enough enemies. By using a power-up, all of Sora's attacks become the same elemental type as the power-up. Moves that use the same element are augmented while those using another element are combined with the power-up. The duration of the transformation is on a timer and the duration shortens every time Sora gets hit. In addition, using power-ups allows Sora to use and level up the Growth Abilities, abilities that enhance Sora's movement capabilities. When he first collects a new power-up, he also gains its respective Growth Ability to use in his normal state. By attacking enemies while using a power-up, its respective Growth Ability gains experience points. Leveling up a Growth Ability makes it more effective.

Power-up Element boost Growth Ability
A Super Mushroom
Super Mushroom
Physical Dodge Roll
A Fire Flower from Mario Kart 7.
Fire Flower
Fire Aerial Dodge
An Ice Flower
Ice Flower
Ice Air Slide
Gold Mushroom artwork from New Super Mario Bros. 2
Volt Mushroom
Lightning High Jump
Artwork of a Super Star from Mario Kart Wii
Super Star
Special attack Glide

Summons

Throughout the game, Sora obtains Summon Blocks which allow him to bring in certain characters to help him in battle as a Summon. In order to use a Summon, both party members must be active. Once a Summon is activated, the party members disappear for the duration of the Summon. The Summon is dismissed and the party members return when the Summon Gauge is depleted.

Summon Block Character Item description Location Ability
Egg Block Poochy With the power of two friends, hit this block to summon Poochy to give you the upper hand in battle. Given to Sora by Yoshi after completing Yoshi's Island. Similar to Pluto's Friend Card in Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, Poochy digs up prizes, mainly HP Orbs. His limit causes him to rapidly dig up Yoshi Eggs that bounce around and hurt enemies.
Crate Block Rambi With the power of two friends, hit this block to summon Rambi to give you the upper hand in battle. Found within an Animal Crate in the ruins on Donkey Kong Island Once Rambi is summoned, he charges around and knocks enemies into the air. For his limit, Sora gets on his back and commands to charge. Any enemies hit by Rambi can immediately be attacked by Sora.
Super Note Block Link With the power of two friends, hit this block to summon Link to give you the upper hand in battle. Given to Sora in Diamond City after obtaining an A Rank score in 9-Volt's minigame Once summoned, Link begins to throw a volley of bombs in the direction Sora is facing. The player can cause them to prematurely detonate. His limit causes a group of Cuccos to attack the enemies.
Ice Block Samus With the power of two friends, hit this block to summon Samus to give you the upper hand in battle. Found by climbing the highest vine in Nimbus Land Samus continuously fires at the target the player is locked onto, similar to the shots used by Sora's Wisdom Form. For her limit, Samus and Sora board the Gunship and shoot at enemies.
Crystal Block Luma With the power of two friends, hit this block to summon Luma to give you the upper hand in battle. Obtained by defeating Bowser Jr. in Bowser's Castle The Luma spins around and stuns nearby enemies and is able to freeze some in place, similar to the Stop series of magic. In its limit, the Luma transforms into a Launch Star, attracts every enemy into it, and launches them at Sora.

Items

Main article: List of shops in Mushroom Kingdom Hearts

Excluding prizes which are primarily dropped by defeated enemies, most items can be purchased from shops, synthesized by Moogles, or found in treasure chests found throughout the world.

Prizes

Item Effect
HP Orb Restores a portion of the character's HP gauge
Munny A currency dropped by enemies and various objects
MP Orb Restores a portion of the character's MP gauge
Prize Boxes Gives Sora various items, including usable items and synthesis material

Restorative items

Item Effect
Potion Restore 40% of a party member's max HP
Hi-Potion Restore 60% of a party member's max HP
Mega-Potion Restores 40% of all party members' max HP
Ether Fully restores a party member's MP
Elixir Fully restores a party member's HP and MP
Megalixir Fully restores the HP and MP of all party members
Tent Fully restores the HP and MP of all party members. It can only be used from the menu outside of combat.

Armor

Item Description Defense Resistance
Fire Blizzard Thunder Dark Physical Special attack
Cape Slightly increases defense. 1 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Mega Cape Increases defense. 2 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Temperate Buckle Greatly increases defense as well as fire and blizzard resistance. 3 20% 20% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Cumulo Buckle Greatly increases defense as well as thunder and dark resistance. 3 0% 0% 20% 20% 0% 0%
Padded Glove Extremely increases defense. 4 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Reinforced Glove Supremely increases defense. 5 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Chained Glove The pinnacle of defense. 6 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Fire Badge Increases fire resistance and slightly increases defense. 1 20% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Fira Badge Increases fire resistance and increases defense. 2 20% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Firaga Badge Increases fire resistance and greatly increases defense. 3 20% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Firagun Badge Highly increases fire resistance and greatly increases defense. 3 25% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Blizzard Badge Increases blizzard resistance and slightly increases defense. 1 0% 20% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Blizzara Badge Increases blizzard resistance and increases defense. 2 0% 20% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Blizzaga Badge Increases blizzard resistance and greatly increases defense. 3 0% 20% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Blizzagun Badge Highly increases blizzard resistance and greatly increases defense. 3 0% 20% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Thunder Badge Increases thunder resistance and slightly increases defense. 1 0% 0% 20% 0% 0% 0%
Thundara Badge Increases thunder resistance and increases defense. 2 0% 0% 20% 0% 0% 0%
Thundaga Badge Increases thunder resistance and greatly increases defense. 3 0% 0% 20% 0% 0% 0%
Thundagun Badge Highly increases thunder resistance and greatly increases defense. 3 0% 0% 20% 0% 0% 0%
Shadow Badge Increases dark resistance and slightly increases defense. 1 0% 0% 0% 20% 0% 0%
Dark Badge Increases dark resistance and increases defense. 2 0% 0% 0% 20% 0% 0%
Midnight Badge Increases dark resistance and greatly increases defense. 3 0% 0% 0% 20% 0% 0%
Chaos Badge Highly increases dark resistance and greatly increases defense. 3 0% 0% 0% 20% 0% 0%
Green Shell Increases fire, blizzard, and thunder resistance and slightly increases defense. 1 20% 20% 20% 0% 0% 0%
Red Shell Increases fire, blizzard, and thunder resistance and increases defense. 2 20% 20% 20% 0% 0% 0%
Blue Shell Increases fire, blizzard, and thunder resistance and greatly increases defense. 3 20% 20% 20% 0% 0% 0%
Spiny Shell Highly increases fire, blizzard, and thunder resistance and greatly increases defense. 3 25% 25% 25% 0% 0% 0%
Buzzy Shell Greatly increases fire, blizzard, and thunder resistance and greatly increases defense. 3 30% 30% 30% 0% 0% 0%
Plaid Ribbon Slightly increases all resistances and extremely increases defense. 4 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10%
Bright Ribbon Increases all resistances and extremely increases defense. 4 15% 15% 15% 15% 15% 15%
Royal Ribbon Highly increases all resistances and extremely increases defense. 4 25% 25% 25% 25% 25% 25%

Accessories

Item Description Stats
Strength Magic AP Ability
Ability Ring Slightly increases maximum AP. 0 0 1
Engineer's Ring Increases maximum AP. 0 0 2
Technician's Ring Greatly increases maximum AP. 0 0 3
Skill Ring Extremely increases maximum AP. 0 0 4
Skillful Ring Drastically increases maximum AP. 0 0 5
Expert's Ring Exceedingly increases maximum AP. 0 0 6
Master's Ring Extraordinarily increases maximum AP. 0 0 7
Cosmic Ring Tremendously increases maximum AP. 0 0 8
Copper Amulet Increases strength and slightly increases maximum AP. 1 0 1
Cobalt Amulet Increases strength and increases maximum AP. 1 0 2
Iron Amulet Increases strength and greatly increases maximum AP. 1 0 3
Silver Amulet Increases strength and extremely increases maximum AP. 1 0 4
Gold Amulet Increases strength and drastically increases maximum AP. 1 0 5
Quartz Amulet Increases magic and slightly increases maximum AP. 0 1 1
Micas Amulet Increases magic and increases maximum AP. 0 1 2
Dunite Amulet Increases magic and greatly increases maximum AP. 0 1 3
Fluorite Amulet Increases magic and extremely increases maximum AP. 0 1 4
Orichalcum Amulet Increases magic and drastically increases maximum AP. 0 1 5
Minion's Chain Highly increases maximum AP and strength. 2 0 4
Troop's Chain Highly increases maximum AP and strength and also increases magic. 2 1 5
Wizard's Chain Highly increases maximum AP and magic. 1 0 4
Sorcerer's Chain Highly increases maximum AP and magic and also increases strength. 2 1 5
Star Bit Necklace Increases strength and magic and also highly increases maximum AP. 2 2 3
Star Piece Necklace Increases strength and magic and also drastically increases maximum AP. 2 2 5
Star Chunk Necklace Greatly increases strength, magic and also exceedingly increases maximum AP. 3 3 6
Draw Ring Draws in nearby orbs. 0 0 0 Draw
Lucky Ring Brings luck to the wearer, increasing the drop rate of items. 0 0 0 Lucky Lucky

Mario and Luigi's weapons

Unlike Donald Duck and Goofy who each wield staves and shields, Mario and Luigi share the same weapon type, hammers. However, some hammers are only usable by one brother and there are only one of some hammers.

Item Description Obtained Used by Stats
Strength Magic Ability
Well-loved Hammer A hammer that has seen its fair share of days. Default Mario and Luigi 1 0
Wooden Mallet A hammer that is fairly common to see around the Mushroom Kingdom. Purchase for 100 Munny Mario and Luigi 1 2
Hammer Staff A hammer that lightly increases strength and magic. Purchased for 250 Munny Mario and Luigi 2 3
Mage's Hammer A hammer that increases magic at the cost of strength. Purchased for 500 Munny Mario –1 4
Warhammer A hammer that increases strength at the cost of magic. Purchased for 500 Munny Luigi 4 –1
Flaming Hammer A hammer that has been infused with the power of flames. Increases damage done by fire-based attacks by 20%. Purchased for 800 Munny Mario 1 4 Fire Boost
Thunder Hammer A hammer imbued with the power of lightning. Increases damage done by lightning-based attacks by 20%. Purchased for 800 Munny Luigi 1 4 Thunder Boost
Construction Mallet A hammer pretty adept at breaking barrels. Also fairly good for physical and magic attacks. Purchased for 1000 Munny Mario and Luigi 4 3
Wrecking Mallet A hammer with great power and magic. Purchased for 2000 Munny Mario and Luigi 5 5
Plumber's Hammer A hammer best suited for a professional plumber that contains great strength and magic inside. Item Synthesis Mario and Luigi 6 6
Plumber's Hammer+ A hammer best suited for a professional plumber that contains great strength and magic inside. Decreases incoming damage by 10%. Item Synthesis Mario and Luigi 6 6 Protect
Red Soldier A weapon that excels at defeating Heartless through physical means. Item Synthesis Mario 7 3
Red Soldier+ A weapon that excels at defeating Heartless through physical means. Decreases incoming damage by 20%. Item Synthesis Mario 7 3 Protectra
Green Shadow A weapon that excels at defeating Heartless through magical means. Item Synthesis Luigi 3 7
Green Shadow+ A weapon that excels at defeating Heartless through magical means. Restores MP relative to the amount of damage taken. Item Synthesis Luigi 3 7 MP Rage
Beanish Hammer A hammer crafted by the Hammerhead Bros. in Hoohoo Village. Quickly revives the downed wielder and restores most of their HP. Given by the Hammerhead Bros. after returning to them with the Ultra Hammer equipped on Sora Mario and Luigi 7 5 Hyper Healing
Replica Kingdom Key A replica of Sora's Keyblade created by Professor E. Gadd. Increases defense when in critical situations. Given by Professor E. Gadd after returning to the Mushroom Kingdom from Boo Woods Mario and Luigi 9 4 Defender
Koopa Hammer A hammer that has been dropped by a Hammer Bro. Increases the effects of restoration items used on the field by 50%. Rarely dropped by Hammer Bros. Mario and Luigi 4 1 Item Boost
Magic Wand A weapon that has been dropped by a Magikoopa. Increases MP restoration speed by 25% after MP is fully consumed. Rarely dropped by Magikoopas Mario and Luigi 1 5 MP Haste
Heartless Hammer A hammer that resembles a Heartless. Causes additional prizes to be dropped by defeated enemies. Dropped by a Rare Truffle after juggling it 50 times Mario and Luigi 3 3 Jackpot
Heartless Hammer+ A hammer that resembles a Heartless. Increases the drop rate of items. Dropped by a Rare Truffle after juggling it 100 times Mario and Luigi 5 5 Lucky Lucky
Rainbow Revelator A hammer that glows with brilliant iridescence. Increases MP restoration speed by 50% after MP is fully consumed. Get an S-Rank in the third level of Bowser's Castle Pipe Slider Mario and Luigi 4 5 MP Hastera
Kingdom Key M An improved version of E. Gadd's replica Keyblade. Halves damage taken during critical situations. Given by Professor E. Gadd after defeating the Behemoth King Mario and Luigi 13 7 Damage Control

Synthesis materials

Main article: List of synthesis materials in Mushroom Kingdom Hearts

By defeating enemies, there is a chance that they drop synthesis materials. They are used to synthesize unique items at Moogle shops. Some items are only available through synthesis like certain armors and accessories.

E. Gadd's Reports

Main article: E. Gadd's Reports

After Sora meets Professor E. Gadd, he is given a device so that E. Gadd can track the enemies Sora encounters throughout his journey for research. In addition, E. Gadd also tracks various other types of information, including previously met characters, world maps, records for minigames, and storylines of each of the worlds. This serves a similar role to Jiminy Cricket and his journals.

Worlds and characters

The Mushroom Kingdom serves as the central point that all other worlds are accessed from. The first four worlds, Sarasaland, Yoshi's Island, Beanbean Kingdom, and Donkey Kong Island, can be beaten in any order. After Isle Delfino, the worlds are then beaten in a linear order. Diamond City and Mario Story are optional and do not need to be completed in order to beat the game.

Mushroom Kingdom
Sarasaland
Yoshi's Island
Beanbean Kingdom
Donkey Kong Island
Diamond City
Isle Delfino
Toad Town Underground
Nimbus Land
Boo Woods
Mario Story
Bowser's Castle
The Distorted Vista
Other

Enemies

Regular enemies

Along with the typical Heartless enemies, Sora also fights enemies commanded by Bowser and enemies that originate from each world's respective games.

General
Mushroom Kingdom
Sarasaland
Yoshi's Island
Beanbean Kingdom
Donkey Kong Island
Isle Delfino
Toad Town Underground
Nimbus Land
Boo Woods
Mario Story
Bowser's Castle
The Distorted Vista

Bosses

Side activities

Obstacle courses

Main article: Obstacle courses

In the Mushroom Kingdom, Sora can partake in obstacle courses. They are designed similarly to levels in the Super Mario series. They come in two types: side-scrolling levels like the 2D Super Mario games and linear 3D levels like the secret courses in Super Mario Sunshine. The goal is to reach the Goal Pole at the end of the level. In these levels, Sora does not have access to his growth abilities and cannot swing his Keyblade. Instead, he can attack enemies by stomping on them.

Diamond City minigames

In these minigames, Sora helps various members of WarioWare, Inc. with tasks. By completing them with a high enough score each, Sora is given a component for the Micromemory O'Matic. The minigames unlock by progressing through the game.

Mona Pizza Delivery

Main article: Mona Pizza Delivery

In Mona's minigame, Sora is tasked with delivering pizzas around Diamond City. Along with delivering the pizzas, Sora must avoid the Diamond Police and Pizza Dinosaur. If he is being chased by one of them, he can use one of Mona's Pets to stop them, depending on the type of vehicle that is chasing him.

Club Sugar Boogie

Main article: Club Sugar Boogie

In Jimmy T.'s minigame, Sora competes against Jimmy inside Club Sugar. Jimmy initially sends out a pattern of three dance moves which Sora then has to copy and add an additional move to the end. This pattern is sent back to Jimmy and he adds another move to the end. This continues until Sora messes up.

City Skateboarding

Main article: City Skateboarding

In 9-Volt and 18-Volt's minigame, Sora skates around on his own version of the SK8. In order to gain points, Sora must perform tricks, collect markers, and take non-standard routes with the help of the rocket boosters on the SK8.

Potion Panic

Main article: Potion Panic

In Ashley and Red's minigame, Sora helps with making potions inside Ashley's Mansion. He must let the ingredients that Red mentions through while preventing unwanted ingredients to fall into Ashley's cauldron.

Microgames

Main article: List of Mushroom Kingdom Hearts microgames
One of the microgames from the Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories microgame set
A microgame from the Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories set

After visiting Diamond City, microgames based on the events of previous Kingdom Hearts games and Mushroom Kingdom Hearts itself are available to play. By playing the minigames in Diamond City, Sora obtains components for the Micromemory O'Matic. These components can be placed into the machine to unlock more microgames sets. Four components can be collected, each unlocking microgames based on Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts II, Mushroom Kingdom Hearts, and Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories in that order. Each microgame set contains 24 regular microgames and one boss microgame for a total of 100 microgames. Beating all of the microgame sets rewards the player with the Sparkling Gem Keychain and the All Mixed Up, Super Hard, and Thrill Ride Variety Tower gamemodes. Beating the score thresholds of all the towers awards the player with the Company Break Keychain.

Royal Bus Defense

Main article: Royal Bus Defense

After taking the royal bus once, the royal bus driver asks Sora if he wants to help clear more Heartless from the sky. By agreeing to do so, the player is brought to a minigame where they are scored on how many Heartless they can defeat before the royal bus reaches the Mushroom Kingdom or Nimbus Land, depending on where the minigame is initiated. This minigame plays similarly to the Magic Carpet minigame from Kingdom Hearts II.

Mario Story

Main article: Mario Story

After completing Boo Woods, the Mario Story book becomes available. Its levels are separated into eight chapters using locations from both Paper Mario and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. In order to navigate the shuffled rooms, Sora has to make use of his Growth Abilities. During this, the player is timed on how long it takes them to navigate to the end and defeat the Storyweaver. Upon restoring the order of rooms, the player is awarded an item. Afterwards, the player can talk to the chapter's respective Shaman in order to try again.

Battle with the Behemoth King

Once Bowser has transformed into the Tyrannic Vessel, the player can return to Professor E. Gadd who then informs Sora that he has created a simulation of a very powerful Heartless using the data he has acquired through Sora's journey. If the player agrees to battle it, Sora is beamed into E. Gadd's computer and finds himself facing the Behemoth King. When it is defeated, E. Gadd uses the results of the battle to create a stronger version of Mario and Luigi's replica Keyblades, the Kingdom Key M.

Battle with Wrexbos

After completing the story, the player can return to Pinna Park's shallow pool and find a tear in reality similar to the one made by the Tyrannic Vessel. Once inside, the player encounters Bowser's Nobody, Wrexbos. Upon his defeat, the player is awarded with a significant timer extension for power-ups.

Secret ending

In order to unlock the secret ending, the player must fulfill the following criteria depending on the difficulty level chosen at the start of the game:

  • Beginner Mode: Beat the game, complete every world, clear every minigame with an A Rank, complete E. Gadd's Reports, and complete all the Pipe Slider missions.
  • Standard Mode: Beat the game, complete every world, clear every minigame with an A Rank, and complete E. Gadd's Reports.
  • Proud Mode: Beat the game, complete every world, clear every minigame with an A Rank.

Theater Mode

Main article: List of Theater Mode cutscenes in Mushroom Kingdom Hearts

Once the game is completed, the Theater Mode is unlocked. It allows the player to rewatch most of the game's cutscenes. Cutscenes that are not found in Theater Mode include text-only scenes and alternate versions of cutscenes that have more than one outcome like minigames.

Quotes

Main article: List of Mushroom Kingdom Hearts quotes

Staff

Main article: List of Mushroom Kingdom Hearts staff

Many of the staff members who worked on Kingdom Hearts II returned to develop this game, including Tetsuya Nomura as the director and Yuichi Kanemori as the planning director. Like with previous Kingdom Hearts games and Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, many of the game's music tracks were composed by Yoko Shimomura. Similar to Super Mario Sunshine, this game boasts an extensive voice acting cast including Charles Martinet as Mario and Luigi, Samantha Kelly as Princess Peach, and Haley Joel Osment as Sora.

Development

As development wrapped up for Kingdom Hearts II, Tetsuya Nomura wanted to continue the Kingdom Hearts series on home consoles. With the then upcoming Wii having a similar graphical fidelity to the Playstation 2, he considered it an ideal platform to have the next game on as less budget and time would be spent on remaking and creating new assets in high definition.[6] Since it was decided that this game would be exclusive to the Wii, it was also decided that the game would use Nintendo's properties. The Super Mario franchise was chosen because it was the closest in tone to the majority of Disney properties already used in Kingdom Hearts up to that point. This limited scope also encouraged the developers to take from specific facets of the Super Mario franchise rather than broad details.

At Tokyo Game Show 2007, footage of the game was shown alongside the official reveal of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, and Kingdom Hearts coded in a photo-prohibited theater.[7]

Following the release of the game, Nomura stated in an interview with Famitsu that he was interested in making Hyrule Kingdom Hearts should Mushroom Kingdom Hearts be met with warm reception.[8] He was also asked about the apparent disconnect this game had from the others in the series and whether Mushroom Kingdom Hearts would have any connections in future installments. In response, he cited the unique circumstances that led to the game's development would be difficult to carry into the future and likens the situation to Deep Jungle and losing the license to the Tarzan property from the estate of Edgar Rice Burroughs. Because of this, the story of Mushroom Kingdom Hearts was written so that its exclusion would not dramatically affect the overall plot of the games. He continues by stating events from the game may be referenced in the future.

Reception

Reviews
Release Reviewer, Publication Score Comment
Wii Bryan Intihar, Electronic Gaming Monthly[9] A- "While this game doesn't quite reach the heights of Kingdom Hearts II, Mushroom Kingdom Hearts still builds upon its foundation quite well. Nintendo's signature charm also blends well into the story and gameplay, leaving me to want more. The character interactions were a treat to watch, even if it's still strange seeing Mario decked out in the standard Kingdom Hearts clothing fare. All in all, this game deserves a spot in the Wii Hall of Fame just for realizing this pipe dream of a crossover."
Wii Bethany Massimilla, GameSpot 8.5/10 "Mushroom Kingdom Hearts somehow does the impossible and combines the Mario universe with the Kingdom Hearts story without sacrificing much narrative quality. For those who already have been taken in by Kingdom Hearts and own a Wii, definitely consider giving this game a home on your Wii. Even if this is your first Kingdom Hearts game, you'll have tons of fun from start to finish."
Wii Foslo Liprax, GMR[10] 9/10 "What could have turned out as an incomprehensible mess of ideas from three companies actually ended up as a remarkable showing of the Wii's capabilities. Even so, the story is a bit contrived as to how Sora arrives in Mario's world, but it is so worth it just to see what the developers could do with the idea of Kingdom Hearts and Mario together. Honestly, I'm so glad something like this exists."
Aggregators
Compiler Platform / Score
Metacritic 84
GameRankings 83.8%

Pre-release and unused content

Main article: List of Mushroom Kingdom Hearts pre-release and unused content

Within the game's files is an untextured model of the Sky Pop, Mario's plane from Super Mario Land. Associated data indicates there was a minigame involving the Sky Pop that was scrapped for the final release.[11] Also unused are some of The Mysterious Tower's rooms from Kingdom Hearts II such as the outdoor section, the Moon Chamber, and the Wardrobe. In the final game, only the Sorcerer's Loft is seen in during cutscenes.[11] In addition, a text string within the game's files seems to list early or unused weapon names, including Dino Dicer, Papercraft Cross, Hero's Plunger, Puppetstring, and Mushroom Kingdom Key.[11]

In an interview for Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep, Nomura revealed that Rumble Racing and the Command Board were derived from concepts from Mushroom Kingdom Hearts that went unused in the final game. Originally, they were used for minigames based on the Mario Kart series and the Mario Party series, respectively.[12]

Glitches

Main article: List of Mushroom Kingdom Hearts glitches

Peach's Castle collision error

Jumping into one of the corners of the bridge in front of Peach's Castle causes Sora to get stuck in the air. Continuously jumping causes him to rise into the air and reach the roof early.

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Mushroom Kingdom Hearts.

Media

For a complete list of media for this subject, see List of Mushroom Kingdom Hearts media.
Audio.svg Inside the Castle Walls - Plays inside Peach's Castle.
File infoMedia:StagePeachMSS.oga
0:30
Audio.svg A Stroll in Andante - Plays in some cutscenes.
File infoMedia:M&LDT Travel Journal.oga
0:30
Audio.svg Tough Guy Alert! - Plays in battles against Super Mario bosses.
File infoMedia:M&LBIS+BJJ Tough Guy Alert!.oga
0:30
Audio.svg Blissful Prehistoric Clan - The field theme for Yoshi's Island.
File infoMedia:M&LPJ Epic Story.oga
0:30
Help:MediaHaving trouble playing?

References to other games

References in later games

Sora and Mario shaking hands in the former's reveal trailer for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Sora and Mario shaking hands

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning
Japanese マッシュルーム キングダムハーツ
Masshurūmu Kingudamu Hātsu
Mushroom Kingdom Hearts
This is the only game where "Mushroom Kingdom" is written in katakana.

References

  1. ^ https://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/gdmj/big/index.html
  2. ^ Nintendo.com Retrieved 2009-01-26.
  3. ^ [1]
  4. ^ [2]
  5. ^ Electronic Gaming Monthly issue 214, pg. 39.
  6. ^ https://youtu.be/1UBFrhPodFo?t=5
  7. ^ Onyett, Charles (September 20, 2007). TGS 2007: Three New Kingdom Hearts Titles and More Info on Mushroom Kingdom Hearts. IGN. Retrieved March 27, 2020. (Archived July 29, 2017, 02:26:53 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
  8. ^ Interview with Famitsu. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  9. ^ Electronic Gaming Monthly issue 235, page 77.
  10. ^ GMR Magazine, issue 69, page 100.
  11. ^ a b c Unused Content: Mushroom Kingdom Hearts
  12. ^ Tetsuya Nomura interview, Birth by Sleep. YouTube. Retrieved July 13, 2015.

External links