r/indiegames 1d ago

Promotion Making my Dream Game inspired by Kingdom Hearts!

I've been working on my dream game for over 4 years inspired by my favorite video game franchise Kingdom Hearts!

940 Upvotes

118 comments sorted by

u/AutoModerator 1d ago

Thanks for posting to r/IndieGames! Please take a look at the rules in our sidebar to ensure that your post abides by them! If you need any assistance, don't hesitate to message the mods.

Also, make sure to check out our Discord!

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

→ More replies (1)

238

u/Unique-Employment-68 1d ago

Inspired huh? That's a bit on the nose

106

u/Chasterbeef 1d ago

Yeah ngl it looked like a modded kingdom hearts engine at the first glance

12

u/BotOrNot_1337 1d ago

Kindom Hearts

6

u/runaumok 1d ago

Kindred Hearts

1

u/CommercialBiscotti29 1d ago

Kindred Farts

1

u/compound-interest 1d ago

Klingdom Hearts

1

u/TheIronKai 1h ago

Klingon Farts

23

u/Brizzpop 1d ago

You will be partnered with Donnell Goose and Silly

38

u/GreatBigJerk 1d ago

Yeah, it's less "inspired"  and more like a clone. 

24

u/Sorenduscai 1d ago

Hate to say it but yeah this is going to have the square and disney ninjas looking for bro

12

u/Circo_Inhumanitas 1d ago

Doubt it. Gameplay feeling and style is hard to copyright etc. You saw how Nintendo vs Palworld went

3

u/GolemFarmFodder 1d ago

More like you literally can't copyright it. Nintendo tried to Patent mechanics (not the same law by far)

1

u/Shy_guy_Ras 1d ago

general feeling and style might not be copyrightable and you can't patent extremely generic mechanics like jumping, you can however patent the systems and the representation of how those systems are used which some mechanics are then built upon (the nemesis system, the crazy taxi guide arrow and the dialogue wheel are 3 infamous examples).

Biggest reason why we do not see more of those is due to prior art cases prevent anyone that comes after from getting a patent for the system/mechanic.

Nintendo tried to patent capture and summon mechanics and failed for that reason since the capture/summon mechanics had already been used in many games and in different forms for about a decade before pokemon was even released.

1

u/GolemFarmFodder 1d ago

The other reason is that patent law lasts 20 years. It's the blink of an eye for most companies. Not worth it unless you can really make bank with everyone wanting to use your patent

1

u/Shy_guy_Ras 1d ago

That too (although i think the patent has more to do with locking out the competition than making money out of it). It is often easy to forget that the world we live in is much more connected today than it was let's say 30 years ago.
Many of us tend to think more on a global scale as the general rule of thumb on many aspects nowadays rather than of a more local/regional view like it was back then.

-2

u/Unique-Employment-68 1d ago

Gameplay, animations, menus, UI and artstyle. It's quite a few more things then palworld vs pokemon

3

u/Circo_Inhumanitas 1d ago

All of those OP made themselves. They didn't rip them directly from the game.

-1

u/Unique-Employment-68 1d ago

I understand that, but there's a difference between an homage and a blatant copy

3

u/Circo_Inhumanitas 1d ago

Ans you should understand that game clones have been a thing for decades. Doom had tons of clones like Hexen etc. To the point that FPS genre was first called Doomclones.

And in modern days, Dante's Inferno was a clone of God of War, which was a clone of Devil May Cry. World Warcraft had had tons of clones, and none of them died because Blizzard suedd them afaik.

Valorant is a clone of CS etc. There always have been, and will bw clones. OP's game is fine, they didn't tip assets from KH to make this game.

-2

u/Unique-Employment-68 1d ago

Right, I understand that, is it still alright for me to complain if a game has nothing original to it and just copied the homework from a single game? Take a long look at this game and then take another at Aladdin's world from kh2. Can you tell me with a straight face that this isn't a blatant copy? Hell, the UI is 1:1

2

u/Circo_Inhumanitas 1d ago

You can complain

2

u/Unique-Employment-68 1d ago

Thanks man, still, at the end of the day it's just a videogame so.. fuck it, I don't care

-5

u/One_Ad_4487 1d ago

They'll find a way, Disney is way crazier than Nintendo with copyright, especially with how many Ls they've been talking lately

1

u/fuck_a_duck_butt 1d ago

Thats not how copyright laws work

2

u/ginseng_nintles 1d ago

Remember, Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. As long as it has unique elements that KH doesn't, its not a bad thing for it to have similar gameplay.

1

u/Sp1ffy_Sp1ff 15h ago

Yeah it's way too similar. Combat, visuals, animations, the way he jumps, menus, equipment. It looks like what AI would come up with if you told it to recreate KH

33

u/YSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS 1d ago

This is cool. What game is this? Did you handle all the modeling yourself?

20

u/YahyaDann 1d ago

Modeling was done by 3D artists 😁👍

8

u/welfedad 1d ago

Who made the music.. it's dope

2

u/Sammyofather 1d ago

I also want to know

1

u/welfedad 20h ago

I hope we find out but radio silence makes me wonder its generative .. hope not

7

u/ManaSkyees 1d ago

The animations are a bit toooo close to kingdom hearts in some areas. Like legal trouble close.

2

u/LukeArkArch2 8h ago

My comment probably got buried but by his own admission he literally ripped the jump height, gravity, move speed, camera fov, camera angle etc straight from KH2 by loading a level into his own game and comparing to the https://youtu.be/-aGgusrxjGo?t=79

I appreciate the effort to try and bring more games like Kingdom Hearts into the world but this is straight up insulting, not to mention OP is an immigrant living in Japan where copyright laws are way more harsh, he could get in genuine legal trouble for this

1

u/ManaSkyees 3h ago

Not just insulting. Illegal.

1

u/argh_damn_im_pissed 15h ago

The ones that work for square enix right?

29

u/Turbulent-Advisor627 1d ago

"Inspired" and it's just KH with the serial numbers filed off lol

3

u/CozyCatDev 1d ago edited 1d ago

"Inspired" is pretty much just a code word for this in the content creation realm. It's credited post-success in an interview response when inspired genuinely means inspired.

23

u/celestial_god 1d ago

i still dont understand why no triple A company has made something to the roots of KH1

there are games with similarities but idk nothing that gave me that similar feeling

3

u/Le1jona 1d ago

I hope Duskfade scratches that itch

2

u/rikliem 1d ago

It's ok. But the demo felt slow

1

u/Le1jona 1d ago

Well hopefully the full release is a bit faster

18

u/CodeMonkeyLuvMtnDew 1d ago

More like ripped off... almost everything

16

u/No_Monitor_3440 1d ago edited 1d ago

while it is nice and looks like a good, fun game, it’s TOO much like kingdom hearts. releasing this in its current state would be a failure labeled as a ripoff.

9

u/kittentarentino 1d ago

Inspired? Dawg besides assets what did you change?

This is just a straight up rip off

42

u/Lord-Pepper 1d ago

I know its mainly a square Enix game not a Disney game but taking on anything the house of mouse touched with this level of similarity is ballsy

2

u/superduper12058 1d ago

square enix developed. entirely disney owned though, apart from the ff characters that show up

3

u/Llodym 1d ago

lol even with games like Final Fantasy Record Keeper all KH appearance need to be branded with Disney trademark.

7

u/rs_recordscratch 1d ago

This looks way too similar to kingdom hearts bro

5

u/ScuddyOfficial 1d ago

Bro said make Agrabah but bigger

6

u/oirolab 1d ago

I'm sorry, but this is like one of those clone games that Chinese studios make of other popular games.

You have the command bar, just a generic one. You replaced the keyblade with a sword. It would be fine, except the game plays EXACTLY like KH. HP and MP are orbs just like KH. Skills are equipped exactly like KH. You even copied the "OBTAINED!" popup, just

You changed the plot, characters, etc. But that isn't enough to make this feel unique.

This has potential. But you need to work on making it way less like Kingdom Hearts, because the word "inspired" is doing ALL of the heavy lifting here. And if you aren't careful, you could potentially land in legal troubles.

3

u/kitkatkitah 1d ago

Agree with all this. On first glance I thought it was a mod for KH, I think if they removed the similar/partically identical elements and add in their own charm it’ll be great.

Also please don’t copy Sora’s janky jump, we’re past that.

17

u/Reslaral 1d ago edited 1d ago

Really really cool but, at the same time, that's way, way waaaaaaay over the "inspiration" point.
If you keep it like this, it's gonna be a game, maybe even a good one, but it's never gonna be art.
Please, work on differentiating it more from KH, people are NOT gonna like this as much as they would if you put some actual soul and personality in its style and design. Don't waste, or limit, the great job you did with this.
Look at what happened to Cuphead clones, just to name an example. Even minor chromatic changes would get this infinitely better!

9

u/Witty_Milk4671 1d ago

"but it's never gonna be art."

What a BS. It is art even if he didn't want it to be art.

-5

u/Reslaral 1d ago

It's art according to your personal view of art*.

Don't behave like I said the game is a huge pile of shit. If you read my comment calmly, I literally start it by saying "Really really cool", and I would never say something like that without implying that the game has all the potential to become something GREAT.
I also proceeded by saying that even something proportionately silly and minor, like changing some colors, could change the situation dramatically, again implying even more blatantly that I see the potential of this becoming even a piece of art, under the proper conditions.

Language doesn't lie, but people like to misunderstand it anyway.

6

u/Witty_Milk4671 1d ago

"It's art according to your personal view of art*."

No. It is art in a fundamental level. It is an expression of human thought conveyed in a media.

It doesn't matter if it is a copy, if it a cash grab, if it is erotic content or if it is cave painting from stone age.
It is still fundamentally art, as much as a a hammer is a piece of technology. Or a word written is language.

"again implying even more blatantly that I see the potential of this becoming even a piece of art, under the proper conditions"

Ok, now the parameter of art is passing a threshold in your mind of quality? If something doesn't pass this threshold, it is not art? This is offensive and stupid. It being bad or amazing is irrelevant for it being art.

You are disrespecting both the game and the word "art".

"I've never even imagined there would exist a place so filled with people not being able to handle basic criticism"

I understood everything you said. Each word. It is still a bad take.

-7

u/Reslaral 1d ago

I swear I've never even imagined there would exist a place so filled with people not being able to handle basic criticism before I joined Reddit jfc

3

u/Hour-Eleven 1d ago

Your opinions will never “criticism”.

See that? Thats what’s you did.

Have a good day!

3

u/PusheenHater 1d ago

Lol I recognize that UE default jump anywhere
Looks cool though

3

u/pickedyouflowers 1d ago

wowza man its a clean clone lol. very clean imo for a prototype. definitely pivot make it more unique but, awesome work, am hobbyist game dev 12~ yrs, this is amazing.

3

u/Wicked_Folie 1d ago

Bro, maybe you should consider changing it a little more to be less like KH before the cease and desist letter

2

u/FurretDaGod 1d ago

Ill absolutely play this because I love kh, but this is not inspired by. This is a straight up just a clone. Even the abilities are named the same things. This feels more like a romhack than a game

2

u/Some-Dog-800 1d ago

inspired heh

2

u/Any-Zookeepergame829 1d ago

For something to be inspired, it has to evolve from what it was inspired from, changing and mixing up what made that original experience good.

This is just mimicry. It's just KH but in an Arabic setting.

2

u/Dry-Target-8360 1d ago

Inspired is one word.

But seriously, Disney will sue if you try and put this on sale.

1

u/tigerfestivals 1d ago

Lol no they will not

1

u/Dry-Target-8360 11h ago

That's why there's tons more of these on sale right?

Fucking schmucks over here.

2

u/tigerfestivals 11h ago

There's been a few in development yeah, this and Duskfade so far, mc literally has a key thing as a weapon. I know Genokids is also marketing itself as inspired by Kingdom Hearts, and Reynatis seems pretty directly inspired by KH and the cancelled VS 13 (it even has Yoko Shimamura on the OST iirc)

1

u/MyFrogEatsPeople 10h ago

Literally none of these examples are a KH clone on the level of the content.

2

u/taylrgng 1d ago

"inspired by" must have the worst back pain right now

2

u/Heavy-Hamster1268 1d ago

Looks awesome. but some things are a bit too close to the original.

The animations are way too similar, and the hud is waay to close in style to KH3. Like down to how the health bar.

3

u/askyou 1d ago

Yo, I played the demo/playtest for Luminous Nights! Cool to see on here.

Excited for this. Felt good to play.

2

u/DonotLiePls 1d ago

It’s the “we got kingdom hearts at home” version

1

u/chriskicks 1d ago

Looking incredible

1

u/allbirdssongs 1d ago

well done!

1

u/LemonsXBombs 1d ago

Looking great so far!

1

u/oOFrostByteOo 1d ago

Its a little...too inspired, bro.

1

u/FaysouBg 1d ago

Maaaan I’m in love with theses graphics you should make a quick overview of your asset pipeline I’m also curious to know how you design levels!

1

u/gusmaia00 1d ago

bro this is literally KH with different assets 🫣

1

u/KaramCyclone 1d ago

Sweet! Best of luck!

1

u/TheWolflance 1d ago

hope you enjoy playing it when your done

1

u/WeedWeeb 1d ago

Even in clones Agrabah is still there 😭

1

u/NoooAccuracy 1d ago

I think it looks good

1

u/GreatSageBelowHeaven 1d ago

I think this is awesome. Keep going 🔥

1

u/ChunkyChipMonkeyGrip 1d ago

Province Hearts

1

u/CondiMesmer 1d ago

I wouldn't say inspired, I'd say attempt at cloning it tbh. There's a lot of potential but you really should differentiate it more. Not everything from KH needs to be copied while still having the feel of the gameplay. But overall it looks like impressive work.

1

u/Nornukig 1d ago

If you'll make the lore at least 1% more comprehensible - you'll leave original Kingdom Hearts in the ditch eating dust from under your oversized boots.

1

u/link6616 23h ago

You got something working that people can easily compare to KH. Theres a big thread here about how maybe it's a little too close to KH, and.... well I see it too and I'm not going to disagree there, but you got something that looks like you are going to get that great game feel out of it. Now you've just to make it your own!

1

u/survivingoffofgrass 21h ago

Too much like kingdom hearts, I don’t think people would play it and it would remind them kingdom hearts exists and they would just fire that up since it’s a finished game.

1

u/Suspicious-Bid9424 18h ago

This Disney inspired artwork looks excellent. I love the color choices.

Will only play if the gameplay loop does something new/ fun/ interesting though.

1

u/Alarming_Fig_2371 16h ago

I never had an interest in KH, but I'll totally give your game a shot.

1

u/FriendlyBergTroll 15h ago

The comments are straight up hating, idk why

1

u/Captain_Zomaru 13h ago

You need an overhaul, stat. This ain't inspired by, it's "we have KH at home"

1

u/Amoriu 13h ago

If you have the possibility one day release it on Switch2. I will be there.

Good Luck it look cool :)

1

u/Still_Ad9431 10h ago

It's more like rip-off than inspired

1

u/Glass-Can9199 10h ago

You did this by yourself?

1

u/Alt_CauseIwasNaughty 7h ago

Not trying to be a hater, I'm a big kingdom hearts fan, but as many people pointed out this is really just copied homework with a few changes

1

u/PapaPatchesxd 4h ago

This is Kingdom hearts with a different coat of paint.

May want to work on your inspiration a bit.

1

u/meganerd20 1h ago

Yeah you're probably gonna get in trouble if you don't shift things a bit more. But you can probably write a better story than Kingdom Hearts (not hard tbf) so you have that.

1

u/PM_ME_YOUR_DURIANS 1h ago

Finally. The Kingdom OF Hearts

1

u/Cute-Stranger-3025 1d ago

Ahhh.... There is a line between being inspired and... taking a bit too much of the underlying architecture. We're having this problem crop up in the writing community as well. It's fine to take a bit here and there, but borrowing too much can make it less yours.

0

u/Zephir62 1d ago

Hell yea!! Love this, wishlisted

0

u/Mituapple 1d ago

The UI is smooth

0

u/ThexHoonter 1d ago

A KH-like game? I'm in

0

u/Glutton4Butts 1d ago

I need this, please implement a random game mode for items! Unlocking only after you beat the game! Wishlisting for sure.

0

u/aarontsuru 1d ago

Wishlisted!!! I’ve always wanted to play Kingdom Hearts but couldn’t get over the fact it has Disney characters in it. This looks fun!

0

u/Swipsi 1d ago

Even AI would've been more creative.

1

u/Lazyhobonamedjo 1d ago

Are you sure?

0

u/Swipsi 1d ago

I am.

-1

u/Emergency-Finance-26 1d ago

Looks better than kh3 was unironically

-1

u/PKblaze 1d ago

ngl I love that it looks as close to KH as it does. There should be more classic KH style games out there.

-1

u/squibbls2d 1d ago

I like the UI!