Summary
Throughout theKingdom Heartsgames, Sora and his friends have explored many worlds from other Disney properties, withKingdom Hearts 2having a lot of memorable ones.KH2is 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.
After their firstKingdom Heartsjourney, 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 Jul 15, 2025, 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
Though The Keyblade Graveyard didn’t become a full world until the release ofKingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, it was a location that players could visit in theFinal Mixversion ofKingdom 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 otherKingdom Hearts 2worlds do, but it certainly stands out for being one of the most unnerving yet fascinating locations in the game.
15Disney Castle
A Small Yet Charming World That Harbors A Much More Enjoyable One
WhileDisney Castledoesn’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 normalKH2world 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 the1995 “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 inKingdom Hearts 2.
14Atlantica
An Underwater World That Features Rhythm Games And Little Else
AtlanticafromThe Little Mermaidwas never a world that the majority ofKH1fans enjoyed, but the treatment of this world inKingdom Hearts 2was 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 inKH2is 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 ofKH2’s most powerful spells. While some players will wish to avoid Atlantica at all costs, those who wish to acquirethe best abilitiesin the game will need to push through it.
13Port Royal
The First Live-Action Disney World In Kingdom Hearts
Based onPirates of the Caribbean, Sora, Donald, and Goofy meet Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, and Elizabeth Swann inPort Royal. Here, the party fights Barbossa and Luxord (for the first time) while attempting to break an Aztec Curse.
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, inKH3,the return to thePirates of the Caribbeanuniverse 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 theKHworlds that basically retells the story of the first game, but with Sora, Donald, and Goofy involved.
12100 Acre Wood
A Charming World Full Of Relaxing Mini-Games
The100 Acre Woodis a world inside Merlin’s book that can be found in Radiant Garden. In the original game,Sora became friendswith Pooh, Piglet, and the other characters in the story, acting as a pseudo-Christopher Robin. And when he gets his memory back inKH2, 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 inKingdom Hearts 3.
11The Land Of Dragons
A Big Yet Somewhat Empty World
Like many of the Disney worlds inKingdom Hearts 2, Sora, Donald, and Goofy go toThe Land of Dragons, fromMulanof 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 inKH2offer 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 belovedKH2worlds. What redeems it slightly is how well the story ofKingdom Hearts2is implemented into it, but it’s still somewhat difficult to ignore how plain it is.
10Agrabah
An Upgraded World That Replaces The Original’s Platforming Sections With Bigger Environments
Agrabah(fromAladdin)has changed a lotsince 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.
9Twilight Town
A Immersive World That Features Beautiful Scenery
Twilight Townis where the adventure begins and is also a big barrier that stops some people from replayingKH2nowadays. 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 likeone gigantic tutorialor introduction sequence.
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 inKH2and inKH3. 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 theKingdom Heartsseries take place here, and it’s hard not to enjoy watching the plot-crucial events unfold in such an inviting and familiar location.
8Space Paranoids
A Visually Stunning World That Brilliantly Implements Kingdom Hearts 2’s Story
Inside of Hollow Bastion, Ansem the Wise’s computer can be found, which brings Sora, Donald, and Goofy toSpace Paranoids, a world quite obviously based onTron. Space Paranoids has one of the most unique designs out of all of the worlds inKingdom 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 ofKingdom Heartsmakes for a really immersive experience. Some players were even unaware that Tron wasn’t an originalKingdom Heartscharacter because of how well-utilized he was in the narrative.
7Pride Land
A Huge World That Brings With It New Mechanics And Fun Character Designs
Pride Land, aka theLion Kingworld, has to be the most unique approach to a world thatKingdom Heartshas 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 thoughits areas are quite big, many of them feel somewhat empty.
6Beast’s Castle
A Hauntingly Dark Castle That Makes Great Use Of An Organization Member
Back in the original title, Sora met Beast and Belle (Beast even helps him climb Hollow Bastion inKH1) but never went to their world. Now, traveling to it inKH2,Beast’s Castleis probably one of the best in terms of difficulty, enemy placements, and overall story. It’s one of the onlyKH2worlds 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 combiningBeauty and the Beast’s story with the main plot ofKingdom Hearts 2, painting Xaldin as a true force to be reckoned with, both for Sora and his Disney companions.
