Kingdom Hearts V CAST

Kingdom Hearts V CAST is a  game that was developed exclusively for V Cast, 's broadband service. It was released on October 1, 2004 in Japan and on February 4, 2005 in the United States as one of the launch games for the V Cast services. It was developed by Superscape and published by Disney Interactive Media Group (formerly known as Walt Disney Internet Group), making this installment of the series to be the first to be made by a company other than Jupiter and Square Enix.

Story
The story of Kingdom Hearts V CAST, aside from some familiar characters and settings, has no connection to the plot of the Kingdom Hearts series, and is considered non-canonical.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy Cricket are traveling across the universe in the Gummi Ship when they decide to go to sleep. They put the Gummi Ship on autopilot, and in their sleep, a strange creature creeps undetected into the vessel and subsumes the dreams of Sora. When he wakes up, he is shipwrecked on a deserted island called Swordman Island, and Donald and Goofy are nowhere to be found. His goal is to find his friends and leave the island, but even after searching every nook and cranny of the island, Sora cannot find Donald and Goofy, so he builds a raft and leaves the island to find them.

Gameplay
Kingdom Hearts V CAST brings back the gameplay elements featured in the original Kingdom Hearts, though it was modified for compatibility with mobile phones. Sora moves similar to a tank, with one button on the control pad moving him forward, another moving him backwards, and two more turning him left or right. Even with these new controls, Sora can still perform a number of moves aside from running and jumping. He can climb trees and ladders, grasp the edges of platforms and pull himself up, lift and throw objects, and use the Keyblade to slide down zip lines. A single context-sensitive button allows Sora to perform a range of actions, such as attacking an enemy and opening a Treasure Chest.

Sora can still use the Keyblade and also magic, the first spell he learns being Blizzard, to fight like in Kingdom Hearts. Munny and Experience are still earned by defeating Heartless. As opposed to Kingdom Hearts, however, Kingdom Hearts V CAST introduced "assistant characters," such as the Caterpillar and Swordman Parrot, as opposed to guest party members.

Characters
Sora is the main protagonist of the game and the only playable character. The game revolves around Sora searching for his missing friends, Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy Cricket.

 is an entirely new character that hasn't appeared in the canon series. He assists Sora in the first chapter, suggesting that he should build a raft to leave Swordman Island.

The Caterpillar from  also makes an appearance in Kingdom Hearts V CAST, despite his lack of appearances in the canon series, aside from the manga adaptations. He can be given Potions to make him talk or activate other effects, similar to the Flowers from Kingdom Hearts.

Several gaming websites have said that Sora is helped by "more than 20 characters" over the course of the game. The full list of those characters is unknown.

Maleficent is the main villain in Kingdom Hearts V CAST, and she is often shown after chapters looking down at Sora from a magical cauldron filled with green, misty water. Jafar is a villain of his homeworld, Agrabah, and transforms into a cobra during his boss fight.

Shadows, Bandits, and AntiSora have also been seen in some screenshots, although there are more Heartless that are unknown.

Worlds

 * Swordman Island
 * Wonderland
 * Agrabah
 * Maleficent's Fortress

The ', also called ', is a world and the first "chapter" in Kingdom Hearts V CAST. Sora is shipwrecked there alone, but the Swordman Parrot assists him around the island. Sora does not find his friends on the island so he builds a raft at the parrot's suggestion. To do this, he collects parts from all over the island, taking him to beaches, coves, a watchtower that requires a kite puzzle to enter, a lava-filled chamber, and high rocks, where Sora must uncover four gems on a strange altar. After retrieving the four gems and all the parts, Sora assembles the raft and leaves the island, concluding the chapter.

Wonderland contains the Caterpillar, who must be given Potions to initiate dialogue and other effects.

In Agrabah, there is a boss battle against Jafar, who is in the form of a cobra.

 is the final level in Kingdom Hearts V CAST. This is where Sora battles Maleficent in the final chapter. It has the strongest Heartless in the entire game.

Both Swordman Island and Maleficent's Fortress are exclusive to Kingdom Hearts V CAST and do not exist in the official Kingdom Hearts universe.

Notes and references
Kingdom Hearts V CAST Kingdom Hearts V CAST