Kingdom Hearts -HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMix
Review
May Your Heart Be Your Guiding Key
by Camrin Santchi
reviewed on PC
Dearly Beloved
It has been over three years since the Kingdom Hearts games arrived on the Epic Game Store - but they have now arrived on Steam, to much celebration from gamers. These games, while corny at times and outright silly at others, have a long running and loyal fanbase that have been incredibly dedicated ever since the first game released on the PS2 way back in 2002.
The series is quite extensive, and was split into three separate 'games' on Steam. The first, and the focus of this review, is on Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX, which contains PS4 remasterings of several games as well as cutscene 'movies' that depict the stories of a few other games that did not get the gameplay treatment.
For sake of legibility in this review, this reviewer will give a brief discussion on the games in release order, since that is still one of the best ways to experience this series for first-timers. Chronological is occasionally recommended, but that can get… a bit messy, so to say.
Simple and Clean
The series begins in Kingdom Hearts - originally released on the PS2 in 2002, this action RPG stars a young boy named Sora, who quickly becomes allied with Disney's Donald and Goofy when his home, the Destiny Islands, becomes consumed by darkness. Wielding an oversized unlocking implement appropriately called a Keyblade, Sora sets out into the worlds of Disney (Such as Agrabah of Aladdin fame or Halloween Town from Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas) to seal Keyholes and prevent Darkness from consuming more worlds, all while on the search for his friends Riku and Kairi, who he was separated from upon the destruction of Destiny Islands.
Picking up immediately after Kingdom Hearts is Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, originally released on the Game Boy Advance in 2004. Taking place immediately after the events of Kingdom Hearts, Chain of Memories throws Sora into the mysterious Castle Oblivion, a location where memories become warped, forcing Sora to rely on deck-building mechanics to defend himself as he traverses the Castle, dealing with a dangerous group called Organization XIII, and a mysterious girl named Namine who seems integral to the going-ons surrounding the Castle.
Kingdom Hearts II originally released on the PS2 in 2005, and deals with the fallout of the events within Chain of Memories, which left Sora's memories shattered for about a year. Upon reawakening, Sora again traverses a multitude of Disney worlds, some new and some returning from his previous adventure, to try and stop Organization XIII and their mysterious purposes from bringing ruin to the worlds, all the while dealing with feelings that aren’t quite his own, instead belonging to the peculiar Roxas.
The next release was Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days, which was on the Nintendo DS system in 2009. This release marks the first of the games which has not received a remastering treatment, so instead Square Enix remastered the cutscenes of the game, creating a 'movie' experience of sorts. Days takes place prior to Kingdom Hearts II, and goes into the backstory and motivations of several members of Organization XIII, most notably Roxas, Axel, and the newly introduced Xion. This is arguably one of the most emotional parts of the entire series, and this reviewer’s personal favorite story.
Funnily enough, moving forward only involves moving further backwards, as Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep is a PSP game originally released in 2010 that depicts events about a decade prior to Kingdom Hearts I, centered on a trio of Keyblade wielders named Terra, Aqua, and Ventus. Each Keyblade wielder has their own concurrent story alongside the others and plays slightly differently, making the experience feel not as repetitive as it might otherwise seem.
The final part of this collection is Kingdom Hearts: ReCoded, another cutscene compilation of a Nintendo DS game, though this one was released in 2010. ReCoded is about bringing most of the main cast up to speed of some of the events they weren't privy to, such as what happened to the Wayfinder Trio of Keyblade Wielders in Birth By Sleep, or putting together the truth behind Roxas and Xion from Days. This catches the characters up to where the fans are as far as knowledge of events they weren’t around for, and allows for the further connection of the Kingdom Hearts world going forward.
Hearts Connected
Prior to the games being bundled together in what is appropriately called the Final Mix, it was almost comical trying to keep track of everything Kingdom Hearts, with six games across four separate consoles (and that's without counting future games, to boot!), but this was fortunately resolved with this remastered repackaging of the games that were originally released for the PS4 in 2017. With a base pricing of $50 USD on Steam, Kingdom Hearts 1.5+2.5 ReMIX is a fantastic way to finally get into a much beloved RPG series, with several dozens of hours of content that make for a delightful experience. The games are cheesy and charming in the best ways, so long as you're a gamer that doesn't mind a healthy dose of cheesiness. There is a distinct reputation for being complicated plot-wise, but often that's exaggerated for comedic effect. The series is very enjoyable with amusing stories and satisfying combat, so if anyone has been interested but has yet to have an opportunity, now is as good a time as any to get into the franchise!
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9.4
fun score
Pros
A decently priced collection of beloved Action RPGs, as well as remastered cutscene 'movies'.
Cons
Occasionally seems complicated plot-wise, some gamers may think it 'too childish'
