Highlights
- Kingdom Hearts 2 features memorable worlds like Halloween Town and Timeless River, creating unique experiences for players.
- Disney Castle serves as a small but charming world, with players venturing through it quickly compared to other worlds.
- Atlantica introduces rhythm games, a departure from traditional exploration, providing a new gameplay challenge for players.
Throughout the Kingdom Hearts games, Sora and his friends have explored many worlds from other Disney properties, with Kingdom Hearts 2 having a lot of memorable ones. KH2 is remembered fondly not only for its combat but also for the unique approach it took with some of the worlds, such as Halloween Town and Timeless River.
Kingdom Hearts: 10 Best Villains, Ranked
The Kingdom Hearts series is home to many antagonists, but these are the best ones by far.
After their first Kingdom Hearts journey, Sora, Donald, and Goofy continued their search for Riku and King Mickey as they fought against returning foes such as the heartless and Organization 13, and this search took them across a lot of worlds. But which worlds did it best, and which ones do fans commonly forget are even in the game at all?
Updated on June 15, 2024, by Justin Flynn: Kingdom Hearts is home to some truly remarkable worlds, and now that most entries in the series are available to play on Steam, a new group of gamers can finally jump in and find out what makes each world so great. Kingdom Hearts 2 took a very different approach when designing its worlds, favoring more open areas with less verticality. While some Kingdom Hearts 1 fans may have disliked this change, it's hard to deny that many of the worlds featured in Kingdom Hearts 2 are some of the best in the entire series.
Special Mention: The Keyblade Graveyard
- Origin: Original Creation
- Allies: N/A
- Assistants: N/A
- Bosses: Lingering Will
Though The Keyblade Graveyard didn't become a full world until the release of Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, it was a location that players could visit in the Final Mix version of Kingdom Hearts 2. Unlike the game's other worlds, this one acted as more of a boss arena, featuring one room and an absurdly powerful enemy, the Lingering Will.
Players won't get much time to admire this area very much due to the Lingering Will's aggressive nature, but given how hard this boss is to defeat, they will likely be spending a great deal of time running and flying around the environment in an attempt to dodge his attacks. As a result, the design of this area is sure to leave a lasting impression. Visually, it's a very gloomy place, featuring dull colors and barren terrain, but that's not exactly a bad thing. This area is meant to seem ominous, as many truly tragic things have happened here. It may not offer the typical "full world" experience that other Kingdom Hearts 2 worlds do, but it certainly stands out for being one of the most unnerving yet fascinating locations in the game.
15 Disney Castle
A Small Yet Charming World That Harbors A Much More Enjoyable One
- Origin: Sleeping Beauty (1959)
- Allies: N/A
- Assistants: Minnie Mouse
- Bosses: N/A
While Disney Castle doesn’t really “feel” like a world, given that it only has six rooms and is basically just a vehicle to get players to the Timeless River realm, it does still technically count. Players access it through the Gummi Ship, there are chests and items to find within it, random encounters happen in the form of Heartless spawning in, and there’s technically even a "final encounter" in the form of defending Minnie Mouse as she journeys to the Throne Room.
Honestly, because Sora and crew go through the "rounds" of a normal KH2 world so quickly in Disney Castle, it almost feels more “complete” in comparison to some of the more fleshed-out ones. But no matter how decent it is, the fact that it uses the 1995 "Mickey Mouse Club March" on repeat is unforgivable. It’s a fantastic song, no doubt about it, but it’s only a minute long, meaning that players will be hearing it in their brains 100+ times, especially if they're even thinking of taking on the Lingering Will, the game's secret boss. Disney Castle may be charming, but it's easily one of the most forgettable worlds in Kingdom Hearts 2.
14 Atlantica
An Underwater World That Features Rhythm Games And Little Else
- Origin: The Little Mermaid (1989)
- Allies: N/A
- Assistants: N/A
- Bosses: N/A
Atlantica from The Little Mermaid was never a world that the majority of KH1 fans enjoyed, but the treatment of this world in Kingdom Hearts 2 was the most disappointing. Rather than playing as an exploring map like most of the other worlds, players were put into multiple rhythm games that covered the events of the movie. As much as Square Enix wanted their players to have some finny fun, many gamers had no interest.
Sure, going back to it nowadays is fun in a satirical sort of way, but the whole of Atlantica in KH2 is nothing more than a punchline at best. To make matters worse, Sora will need to complete each level in Atlantica if he hopes to obtain some of KH2's most powerful spells. While some players will wish to avoid Atlantica at all costs, those who wish to acquire the best abilities in the game will need to push through it.
13 Port Royal
The First Live-Action Disney World In Kingdom Hearts
- Origin: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
- Allies: Jack Sparrow
- Assistants: N/A
- Bosses: Captain Barbossa, Illuminator, The Grim Reaper
Based on Pirates of the Caribbean, Sora, Donald, and Goofy meet Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, and Elizabeth Swann in Port Royal. Here, the party fights Barbossa and Luxord (for the first time) while attempting to break an Aztec Curse.
Kingdom Hearts: 8 Underrated Bosses
The Kingdom Hearts series has always featured fantastic boss battles, but these boss fights have been unjustly ignored by the fanbase.
Port Royal is an odd world, as it sort of showcases how art style really matters when it comes to Sora and crew exploring different worlds. Thankfully, in KH3, the return to the Pirates of the Caribbean universe looks better, but it still has some flaws. That said, in terms of pure design and gameplay, Port Royal is sort of cramped, repetitive, and basic. It's one of the KH worlds that basically retells the story of the first game, but with Sora, Donald, and Goofy involved.
12 100 Acre Wood
A Charming World Full Of Relaxing Mini-Games
- Origin: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
- Allies: N/A
- Assistants: Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Gopher, Tigger, Roo, Rabbit, Owl
- Bosses: N/A
The 100 Acre Wood is a world inside Merlin's book that can be found in Radiant Garden. In the original game, Sora became friends with Pooh, Piglet, and the other characters in the story, acting as a pseudo-Christopher Robin. And when he gets his memory back in KH2, Sora is excited to see them all again. Sadly, a group of heartless damaged the book this world is contained in, and the pages were spread all across the multiverse. Characters and settings were removed, entire chunks of the environment are missing, and Pooh lost his memory, causing Sora to have to search for the pages all over again.
In terms of actual design, 100 Acre Wood is an odd case. Many players seem to really resonate emotionally with the conversations between Sora and the crew of the book, but the actual gameplay segments are so somwhat slow and can quickly become tedious. That said, they're nothing in comparison to the stripped-down version of the world fans got in Kingdom Hearts 3.
11 The Land Of Dragons
A Big Yet Somewhat Empty World
- Origin: Mulan (1998)
- Allies: Mulan / Ping
- Assistants: Mushu
- Bosses: Shan-Yu, Riku, Storm Rider
Like many of the Disney worlds in Kingdom Hearts 2, Sora, Donald, and Goofy go to The Land of Dragons, from Mulan of course, twice. While their first visit follows the movie closely, their second had more of an original story. Most of Sora's second visits to the worlds in KH2 offer the player a closer look into the Organization's plan. While the second trip to Beast's Castle is considered the best, Sora's return to The Land of Dragons leads him to briefly reunite with Riku, his long-lost best friend.
Any world that just "retells" the original story is automatically losing a few points, but add onto that this world's environmental design, completely empty Emperor's Palace, and just basic enemy placements, and it's obvious as to why The Land of Dragons is one of the lesser beloved KH2 worlds. What redeems it slightly is how well the story of Kingdom Hearts 2 is implemented into it, but it's still somewhat difficult to ignore how plain it is.
10 Agrabah
An Upgraded World That Replaces The Original's Platforming Sections With Bigger Environments
- Origin: Aladdin (1992)
- Allies: Aladdin
- Assistants: N/A
- Bosses: Blizzard Lord, Volcanic Lord, Genie Jafar
Agrabah (from Aladdin) has changed a lot since Sora, Donald, and Goofy last visited it. Nearly every area was completely different, yet it still felt like the same world from the original game.
With more areas to explore and having a less complicated level design, some fans prefer this version of the world, while others like the original one as they enjoyed the platforming and weren't huge fans of the Magic Carpet sections. All in all, the theme, bosses, and overall design of Agrabah are decent to pretty good but never fantastic.
9 Twilight Town
A Immersive World That Features Beautiful Scenery
- Origin: Original Creation
- Allies: N/A
- Assistants: Mickey Mouse
- Bosses: Twilight Thorn, Axel
Twilight Town is where the adventure begins and is also a big barrier that stops some people from replaying KH2 nowadays. Back then, starting the game as Roxas and slowly figuring out what was going on and/or what happened to Sora was really intriguing, but on a second playthrough, Twilight Town just feels like one gigantic tutorial or introduction sequence.
7 Cutest Enemies In Kingdom Hearts
Though most Kingdom Hearts enemies tend to look intimidating, some are actually quite cute.
Still, no matter what players felt about Twilight Town, they liked Roxas overall and were sad to see him go. Then, after Sora returns as the MC, he returns to Twilight Town both in KH2 and in KH3. The world has this odd nostalgic feeling to it that many players love, as Sora can't quite figure out why he feels so at home here. Design-wise, story-wise, and in terms of music, Twilight Town is one of the best, but as far as gameplay, it doesn't really do anything special. Still, some of the most important moments in the Kingdom Hearts series take place here, and it's hard not to enjoy watching the plot-crucial events unfold in such an inviting and familiar location.
8 Space Paranoids
A Visually Stunning World That Brilliantly Implements Kingdom Hearts 2's Story
- Origin: Tron (1982)
- Allies: Tron
- Assistants: N/A
- Bosses: Hostile Program, Sark, The MCP
Inside of Hollow Bastion, Ansem the Wise's computer can be found, which brings Sora, Donald, and Goofy to Space Paranoids, a world quite obviously based on Tron. Space Paranoids has one of the most unique designs out of all of the worlds in Kingdom Hearts 2, has Sora and the crew dawning new outfits, and features some incredibly unique Heartless designs.
Compared to Port Royal, where the divide between Sora's art style and Jack Sparrow's art style was as clear as day, the execution is much better in Space Paranoids. Though it only features a few rooms, and backtracking through them can become a little repetitive, the way this world incorporates the overarching story of Kingdom Hearts makes for a really immersive experience. Some players were even unaware that Tron wasn't an original Kingdom Hearts character because of how well-utilized he was in the narrative.
7 Pride Land
A Huge World That Brings With It New Mechanics And Fun Character Designs
- Origin: The Lion King (1994)
- Allies: Simba
- Assistants: Timon, Pumbaa
- Bosses: Shenzi, Banzai, Ed, Scar, Groundshaker
Pride Land, aka the Lion King world, has to be the most unique approach to a world that Kingdom Hearts has ever attempted. Rather than just a costume change, Sora, Donald, and Goofy all literally become different (more realistically proportioned) animals so that they'll better fit into the internal logic of this setting. Not only that, but this change also modifies both the way Sora moves and how he fights, now wielding his Keyblade in his mouth rather than in his hands.
Overall, Pride Land is just a fantastic world that holds a special place in many people's hearts thanks to its fun movement and well-designed environments. But, overall, it does feature a lot of running around aimlessly, backtracking, and janky combat, and though its areas are quite big, many of them feel somewhat empty.
6 Beast's Castle
A Hauntingly Dark Castle That Makes Great Use Of An Organization Member
- Origin: Beauty and the Beast (1991)
- Allies: Beast
- Assistants: Cogsworth, Lumiere, Mrs. Potts,
- Bosses: Thresholder, Possessor, Beast, Shadow Stalker, Dark Thorn, Xaldin
Back in the original title, Sora met Beast and Belle (Beast even helps him climb Hollow Bastion in KH1) but never went to their world. Now, traveling to it in KH2, Beast's Castle is probably one of the best in terms of difficulty, enemy placements, and overall story. It's one of the only KH2 worlds where an actual Disney character interacts with a member of Organization 13, with Xaldin and Beast clashing heads on several occasions.
Visually, it's just a castle, so it's not quite as eye-catching as say, the Pride Lands or even Space Paranoids, but it does the job. Beast's Castle earns this spot on the list largely due to the gameplay featured within it, as the visual aspects of it are passable at best. Still, the second visit does a very good job at combining Beauty and the Beast's story with the main plot of Kingdom Hearts 2, painting Xaldin as a true force to be reckoned with, both for Sora and his Disney companions.
5 Olympus Coliseum
A Returning World That Features A Much Bigger And Darker Area To Explore
- Origin: Hercules (1997)
- Allies: Auron
- Assistants: Hercules
- Bosses: Cerberus, Pete, Hydra, Hades
The characters in Kingdom Hearts have traveled to Olympus Coliseum multiple times throughout the franchise, but the first game nailed the "Coliseum Cups" concept of it the best. In KH2, it's back, but this time, most of the story takes place in the Underworld, the realm of Hades. Like the original game, Sora will be returning here multiple times to challenge the different combinations of challenges against Heartless and Final Fantasy characters alike to attempt to earn the rewards.
But, additionally, players will also be exploring the Underworld Caverns and the Cave of the Dead as part of the narrative. This is why Olympus Coliseum in KH2 is so memorable; it massively diverges visually from the first game, has more of the battle arena fights that fans loved in KH1, and also has more explorable areas with a story that isn't just a re-telling of the Disney movie. Sadly, the Coliseum Cups don't return in KH3, but thanks to some faithful modders, there's a way around that.
4 Halloween Town
A Deeply Immersive World That Provides Players With Two Unique Areas
- Origin: The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
- Allies: Jack Skellington
- Assistants: N/A
- Bosses: Prison Keeper, Oogie Boogie, Dr. Finkelstein's Experiment
Like Agrabah, Halloween Town has changed a lot since Sora, Donald, and Goofy last visited in the first game. A lot of fans liked this newer version more as it also added Christmas Town, the other main setting in The Nightmare Before Christmas. Halloween Town in KH1 was so incredibly memorable thanks to the costumes the crew was wearing, as well as the overall faithful implementation of the original's style, but the levels felt very cramped and tight.
Kingdom Hearts: 5 Most Fun Game-Breaking Techniques In The Franchise
Playing through Kingdom Hearts the way developers intended can be enjoyable, but breaking the game with certain techniques is often incredibly fun.
In KH2, that's all been improved upon, giving Sora a whole other "Town" to explore, making it an overall more enjoyable upgrade to the first version of the world. Though the world is quite small when compared to most of the other KH2 worlds, it manages to stay interesting thanks to its contrasting areas. While the first visit loosely follows the plot of the movie, Sora's second journey there allows him to learn more about the heart before fighting one of the most unsettling bosses in the entire series.
3 Timeless River
An Adorable And Beautifully-Designed World
- Origin: Steamboat Willie (1928)
- Allies: N/A
- Assistants: Past Pete
- Bosses: Past Pete, Pete (Steamboat), Pete
Timeless River is the realm that players access through Disney Castle, but it's by far large enough to be considered its own "world." Everything about this old-fashioned Steamboat Mickey-esque design is just nailed so perfectly, especially the Monochrome Keyblade, one of the best-designed weapons in the franchise. From the designs of Sora, Donald, and Goofy to the sound effects and animations, it's all fantastic.
Timeless River is, by far, the best-designed world in KH2 visually. The only reason it isn't at the top of this list is simply that the gameplay of Timeless River, at its core, boils down to a lot of repeated rooms and tediousness. While it felt like an inconsequential world during the game's release, it was the first world to touch on the concept of time travel before developers fully embraced the idea in Dream Drop Distance.
2 The World That Never Was
An Unsettling World Full Of Beautiful Visuals And Challenging Boss Fights
- Origin: Original Creation
- Allies: Riku
- Assistants: N/A
- Bosses: Roxas, Xigbar, Luxord, Saix, Xemnas
The World That Never Was was Organization 13's headquarters and where players spend the last few hours of the game. It's a completely original world that isn't an homage to some other Disney or Final Fantasy property, and it feels like it. The sprawling cityscape, the literal Kingdom Heart moon, and all the neon lights work perfectly together to create one of the biggest fan-favorite worlds in any Kingdom Hearts game.
Combine that with the lightsaber-esque duel against Xemnas and the gauntlet that Sora has to fight through to defeat all the remaining Organization members, and many will agree that The World That Never Was is clearly one of the best worlds in Kingdom Hearts 2.
1 Radiant Garden / Hollow Bastion
An Immersive Hub World Full Of Iconic Characters, Important Story Beats, And Powerful Enemies
- Origin: Original Creation
- Allies: N/A
- Assistants: Cloud, Leon, Yuffie, Tifa
- Bosses: Demyx, 1,000 Heartless, Sephiroth
Radiant Garden is the best world in both Kingdom Hearts 1 and Kingdom Hearts 2. In the original title, Sora went to Hollow Bastion, which was just a small part of a much greater world. Fans can go inside Hollow Bastion once again in KH2, though it looks very different than it did when Maleficent took over the place.
This world is also connected to 100 Acre Wood and Space Paranoids, which means that players will have to return here quite often if they wish to experience everything the world has to offer. This world also features the Cave of Remembrance, one of the best-designed platforming areas and also where all the Data Organization 13 battles take place. Finally, it's the world where the most memorable moments in the game happen, such as reuniting with Mickey, fighting 1,000 heartless at once, and (hopefully) defeating Sephiroth. Sadly, the only time the player gets to visit this reclaimed town in KH3 is during the Re Mind DLC, and even then, they are confined to Merlin's House. Radiant Garden is one of the best worlds in the series, but its best depiction came from KH2.
