April 17, 2017 Home, (p)Reviews, PlayStation 0 Comments
Kingdom Hearts 3 is one of the most anticipated games at the moment. The series has a very loyal fan base and everybody is super hyped for the game to come out but there is still no release date. But what could be a better game to ease the pain of waiting for Kingdom Hearts 3 than Kingdom Hearts – HD 1.5 + 2.5 REMIX, the game that bundles the first 6 Kingdom Hearts games.
As somebody who grew up in the 90’s, I watched a lot of Disney films during my youth. I was/am a very big fan and we used to collect all the movies. Disney was definitely a big part of my youth, one of the first games I remember playing was a Tarzan video game that I played for 2 years, it was such a cool game at the time. I played my fair share of Disney games but somehow I never got to play a game from the Kingdom Hearts series. I heard many people’s excitement for the games, so I got intrigued by the concept of the game. When I got the opportunity to play Kingdom Hearts – HD 1.5 + 2.5 REMIX I was very happy.
Kingdom Hearts – HD 1.5 + 2.5 REMIX is a bundle of two Kingdom Hearts collections, pretty confusing but in total it features 6 different games.
-Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix
-Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days
Heroes of might and magic 5 gameplay fr. Players will follow the steps of the Necrolord Arantir as he uncovers the prophecy of the Dark Messiah of Might and Magic and exposes the Demon Sovereign's conspiracy.For the first time, players can be part of the Orc faction and recruit heroes, build armies and manage cities as you explore and conquer legendary lands.
-Kingdom Hearts: Re:Chain of Memories
-Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix
-Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep Final Mix
-Kingdom Hearts: Re:coded
Kingdom Hearts is a series of crossover action role-playing games owned by Disney Interactive Studios and developed and published by Square Enix. It’s an action RPG with an amazing story where you play in all the Disney universes during an epic journey. The thing that makes this game so good is the great story it tells you during the adventure while still be able to keep it light weighted and exciting for both children and adults.
When I started with Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, the first game of the series, I was pretty confident I was able to play through the 6 games but I later got to the realisation that the Kingdom Hearts series is a very big collection and I would only be able to touch the beginnings of a very big story, that it would be impossible to play through them all so I asked the help of one of my colleague’s and Kingdom Hearts veteran Stijn if he could give his thoughts on the games that were featured in the collection.
Kingdom Hearts is one of my favorite series ever. I don’t know when I started playing actually. I was about 8 years old I think and just the concept of combining Final Fantasy with Disney got my attention. The first KH was hard for me. I always got stuck at the Maleficent boss battle, but the second one was easier, but also more dramatic in my opinion. What I liked about KH is that it starts off really light. You first travel the worlds and see all your favorite Disney characters. You also have some really funny intervals in between. But towards the end, things got really serious and dramatic. You finally get to see Kairi again but then she’s gone for again… And then seeing one of your friends fall into darkness and despair… Kingdom Hearts is one of those games that make you reflect on your life and possible chances you have missed. But it still gives you hope.
The whole game revolves around the battle between light and dark. And even though Disney plays a huge role, it is not a fairytale. They don’t say that the world is made from sugar, spice and everything nice. No, they are realistic and say that darkness is in everyone’s heart. But some give in to it and others fight it. When I was younger I didn’t get the story like I would now, but it didn’t matter. It just is a good, atmospheric game. And while I’m writing this, I can’t help but think about the main menu music of the game. So in the first KH Sora is still a little boy, just like I was when I started playing. It is like Sora grew up with the people who played it. In the second one, the story was much more serious and mature. Just like Sora was.
I truly liked KH1 and 2. The one game I really didn’t like was Chain Of Memories. They really took a wrong turn there. But hey it was a Game Boy game. Square Enix probably just wanted to play around a bit. And they did, but the card combat system did not work. So they left it out.
Verdict:
Kingdom Hearts – HD 1.5 + 2.5 REMIX is definitely a game you should pick up if you are into the Kingdom Heart series or if you are like me: wanting to play the game but never knew where to start. It’s a great game with a very long story so it will keep you busy until the new Kingdom Hearts III hits stores.
I originally intended to create this mod only for my private entertainment, but I noticed when looking at other Kingdom Hearts mods that a lot of you have been searching for one with summonable keyblades. Please give me feed back, although not too harshly since this is my very first mod. I created this page for anyone who doesn't use steam for their mods. Its my dream to become an animator for Disney Studios when I grow up, so constructive criticism would be nice!
And yes, my textures are currently broken, so I just added some filler textures for now until I can repair or remake some new ones. My goal is to eventually add all the keyblades in Kingdom Hearts to date, all complete with summoning spells for them.
UPDATE (4/19/2014): New easter egg (now the nexus is up to date with my steam post, sorry for the delays!) adds a new spell for funzies!!! If you don't feel like searching for it, check out my steam post and it'll have info on the new spell in the description. And for those too lazy for even that, scroll to the bottom of the page for what to search with the help command. SPELL TOMES WERE ALSO ADDED FOR ALL THE KEYBLADE SUMMONING SPELLS WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE EASTER EGG!! THEY CAN BE FOUND SITTING ON A DESK BEHIND THE MAP IN FARENGAR'S DRAGONSREACH QUARTERS!!!! Hope you like it! ~Rncg15
Keyblades and stats
Kingdom Key-no enchantments (so you can utilize elemental fury and other weapon enhancing magic), strength 12, reach 1.0, speed 1.0
Oathkeeper-(magic steal enchantment-deleted on 4/5/2014 to boost compatibility with a keyblade wielder magic mod I'm working on) adds 70 magic points to your current mp value and max cap when wielded, strength 11, reach .90, speed 1.0
Wayward Wind-no enchantments, boosts stamina regeneration speed by 15%, strength 9, reach .75, speed 1.5
New! 4/9/2014 (sorry these came late on the nexus, I've been a bit busy lately. Originally added these on 4/5 on steam)
Rainfell-no enchantments, boosts magic regeneration by 20% when wielded, strength 11, reach .90, speed 1.0
Earthshaker-no enchantments, boosts armor rating by 30 points when wielded, strength 14, reach 1.2, speed .95
Hope you all like it! ~Rncg15 (Kingdom Hearts, Keyblades, and related concepts are copyright of Square enix and Disney Interactive studios. All my weapon meshes and textures are originals made by me; this mod is purely for non-profit entertainment!!)
Easter Egg: Search the term 'levitate'
And yes, my textures are currently broken, so I just added some filler textures for now until I can repair or remake some new ones. My goal is to eventually add all the keyblades in Kingdom Hearts to date, all complete with summoning spells for them.
UPDATE (4/19/2014): New easter egg (now the nexus is up to date with my steam post, sorry for the delays!) adds a new spell for funzies!!! If you don't feel like searching for it, check out my steam post and it'll have info on the new spell in the description. And for those too lazy for even that, scroll to the bottom of the page for what to search with the help command. SPELL TOMES WERE ALSO ADDED FOR ALL THE KEYBLADE SUMMONING SPELLS WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE EASTER EGG!! THEY CAN BE FOUND SITTING ON A DESK BEHIND THE MAP IN FARENGAR'S DRAGONSREACH QUARTERS!!!! Hope you like it! ~Rncg15
Keyblades and stats
Kingdom Key-no enchantments (so you can utilize elemental fury and other weapon enhancing magic), strength 12, reach 1.0, speed 1.0
Oathkeeper-(magic steal enchantment-deleted on 4/5/2014 to boost compatibility with a keyblade wielder magic mod I'm working on) adds 70 magic points to your current mp value and max cap when wielded, strength 11, reach .90, speed 1.0
Wayward Wind-no enchantments, boosts stamina regeneration speed by 15%, strength 9, reach .75, speed 1.5
New! 4/9/2014 (sorry these came late on the nexus, I've been a bit busy lately. Originally added these on 4/5 on steam)
Rainfell-no enchantments, boosts magic regeneration by 20% when wielded, strength 11, reach .90, speed 1.0
Earthshaker-no enchantments, boosts armor rating by 30 points when wielded, strength 14, reach 1.2, speed .95
Hope you all like it! ~Rncg15 (Kingdom Hearts, Keyblades, and related concepts are copyright of Square enix and Disney Interactive studios. All my weapon meshes and textures are originals made by me; this mod is purely for non-profit entertainment!!)
Easter Egg: Search the term 'levitate'
Strategy Guide/Walkthrough/FAQ - Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep - Final Mix
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ThemesSuccessfully complete the indicated task to unlock the corresponding theme for your PlayStation 3:
- Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix Theme: Successfully complete Kingdom Hearts 2: Final Mix.
- Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep - Final Mix Theme: Successfully complete Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep - Final Mix.
- Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded Theme: Earn the 'Re:coded Master' trophy, and read all the character bios.
Kingdom Hearts 2: Final Mix
Organization XIII member Absent Silhouette battles
Go to the indicated location to start the corresponding Absent Silhouette battle against a Organization XIII member:
- Larxene: Port Royal, Isla de la Muerte
- Lexaeus: Twilight Town (second time), The Sandlot
- Marluxia: Beast's Castle (second time), Beast's Room
- Vexen: Agrabah (second time), Merchant's Shop
- Zexion: Underworld, Cave of the Dead
Defeat the five Organization XIII members in the Absent Silhouette battles. Defeat Xemnas and successfully complete the game. Then use the new portal in Disney Castle Hall of the CornerStone area to reach ES/AU.
Theater modeSuccessfully complete Sora's story on any difficulty setting to unlock the 'Theater' option at the main menu and all intermission sequences from his story with English audio. Successfully complete Riku's story on any difficulty setting to unlock all of his intermission sequences in Theater mode with English audio. Successfully complete the game on any difficulty setting and have a saved game file from Re: Chain of Memories to unlock the intermission sequences with Japanese audio.
Alternate endingSuccessfully complete one of the following tasks to unlock the new 'Birth By Sleep' ending sequence:
In Critical mode, get all three Proofs (Proof Of Connection - Terra, Proof Of Non-existence - Org. Data Rematches, Proof Of Tranquility - Mushroom XIII).
In Proud mode, finish Jiminy's journal (marked with a Mickey sign).
In Standard mode, finish Jiminy's journal (marked with a Mickey sign) and collect all treasures from the Gummi Missions (including the EX missions).
Successfully complete one of the following tasks to get a trophy:
- Level Master (Silver): Get Sora to Level 99.
- Rookie (Bronze): Win the Pain and Panic Cup.
- Novice Hero (Bronze): Win the Cerberus Cup.
- Artisan Hero (Bronze): Win the Titan Cup.
- True Hero (Bronze): Win the Goddess of Fate Cup.
- A Timeless World (Bronze): Complete the Timeless River episode.
- Above Honor (Bronze): Complete the Land of Dragons episodes.
- A Budding Romance (Bronze): Complete the Beast's Castle episodes.
- Hail the Hero (Bronze): Complete the Olympus Coliseum episodes.
- Lifting the Curse (Bronze): Complete the Port Royal episodes.
- What Friends Are For (Bronze): Complete the Agrabah episodes.
- The Gift of Love (Bronze): Complete the Halloween Town episodes.
- Return of the King (Bronze): Complete the Pride Lands episodes.
- Electric Spark (Bronze): Complete the Space Paranoids episodes.
- Always Together (Bronze): Complete the 100 Acre Wood episode.
- Kindred Spirits (Bronze): Complete the Atlantica episodes.
- A Taste of the Past (Bronze): Complete the Twilight Town episodes.
- Searcher (Bronze): Collect all Ansem Reports in Jiminy's Journal.
- Professor (Bronze): Collect all Character entries in Jiminy's Journal.
- Heartless Highbrow (Bronze): Collect all Heartless entries in Jiminy's Journal.
- Nobody Know-It-All (Bronze): Collect all Nobody entries in Jiminy's Journal.
- Treasure Hunter (Bronze): Collect all Treasures in Jiminy's Journal.
- Puzzler (Bronze): Complete all Puzzles in Jiminy's Journal.
- Navigator (Bronze): Collect all Maps in Jiminy's Journal.
- Conqueror (Bronze): Collect all Mission entries in Jiminy's Journal.
- Minigame Maniac (Bronze): Collect all Minigame entries in Jiminy's Journal.
- Limit Master (Bronze): Collect all Limit entries in Jiminy's Journal.
- Craftsman (Bronze): Collect all Synthesis Note entries in Jiminy's Journal.
- Seeker (Bronze): Collect all Character Link entries in Jiminy's Journal.
- Pro Skater (Bronze): Obtain 5,000 points with skateboard tricks.
- Struggle Champion (Bronze): Win by obtaining all of the opponent's orbs.
- Veteran Pilot (Bronze): Obtain an S rank on a gummi ship mission.
- Ace Pilot (Bronze): Obtain an S rank on a gummi ship mission for all routes.
- Gummi Ship Collector (Silver): Obtain all blueprints.
Additionally, there are 17 secret trophies:
- KINGDOM HEARTS II Master (Platinum): Obtain all trophies.
- Critical Competitor (Gold): Clear game on Critical.
- Proud Player (Silver): Clear game on Proud.
- Ambitious Adventurer (Silver): Clear the game and watch the ending sequence.
- My Hero (Bronze): Get rescued by the King.
- Lingering Will (Silver): Defeat the Lingering Will.
- One-Winged Angel (Silver): Defeat Sephiroth.
- To Rule Them All (Gold): Defeat all Organization XIII Replica Data.
- Mushroom Master (Silver): Satisfy every member of Mushroom XIII.
- Coliseum Competitor (Bronze): Win the Pain and Panic Paradox Cup.
- Coliseum Star (Bronze): Win the Cerberus Paradox Cup.
- Hero of the Coliseum (Bronze): Win the Titan Paradox Cup.
- Coliseum Champion (Silver): Win the Hades Paradox Cup.
- Summer's End (Bronze): Complete Roxas's episode.
- Reunion (Bronze): Reunite with Riku and Kairi.
- Corroded by Darkness (Bronze): Activate Antiform 13 times.
- Top Gun (Bronze): Obtain an S rank on a gummi ship EX mission for all routes.
Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep - Final Mix
Final Story
Collect all Xehanort Reports with each character and complete their story modes to unlock the Final Story.
Trinity Archives optionSuccessfully complete Story mode with any character to unlock the 'Trinity Archives' option.
Trinity Archives trophiesSuccessfully complete the indicated task to unlock the corresponding trophy in the 'Trinity Archives' menu:
- Arena Sweeper: Successfully complete every quest.
- Clockwork: Accumulate 80 hours of game play time.
- Dairy Devotee: Activate Frozen Fortune thirty times.
- In the Munny: Have 33,333 munny.
- Keyslinger: Take out 9,999 Unversed.
- One Down: Successfully complete any character's story.
- Power Walker: Take 99,999 steps.
- Trinity Trophy: Successfully complete all stories in Proud mode or better.
Successfully complete all of the following tasks to unlock a preview of the next game in the series. Successfully complete the Final Story in Critical, Proud, and Standard modes, and have a 100% Xehanort Reports completion in Standard mode. The preview will appear at the end of the game.
Fight against Lingering Spirit VanitasSuccessfully complete the Final Story to fight Lingering Spirit Vanitas during Terra, Ventus, and Aqua's Story.
Fight against Mysterious FigureDefeat Lingering Spirit Vanitas at Keyblade Graveyard to fight the Mysterious Figure during Terra, Ventus, and Aqua's Story.
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Mysterious FigureDefeat Vanita's Sentiment to unlock the Mysterious Figure in the Land Of Departure.
No Name KeybladeKingdom Hearts 2.5 Mods
Defeat the Mysterious Figure in the Land Of Departure to unlock the No Name Keyblade.
Vanitas's KeybladeSuccessfully complete the stories of all three characters, then defeat Vanitas's Lingering Sentiment in the Badlands Of The Keyblade Graveyard to unlock Vanitas's Keyblade.
Strongest ShotlockReach Level 29 in the Mirage Arena, and the Strongest Shotlock will appear in your inventory.
Ultima WeaponReach Level 30 in the Mirage Arena, and successfully complete the final arena challenge, Arena's Ruler. Then, the Ultima Weapon will appear in your inventory.
Mastering D-linksTo level D-links, you must first use it and kill enemies until a star-shaped item is dropped. Two of these are required to completely master a D-link.
Gaining abilitiesAbilities such as Last Chance, Combo Boost, and HP Boost can be obtained through Command Fusion. You must combine two commands and add an item, which will give the command an ability to learn. For example, if you combine Cura and Cura, and also add a Rise Crystal, the result will be a Curaga command with the 'Air Combo Boost' ability. Once you master the Curaga command, the 'Air Combo Boost' ability will still be available even if you unequip the command.
Mirage Arena Command BoardsIn each character's story, you will have the option to visit the Mirage Arena. In addition to Rumble Racing and Battle Arena, you can play on the Command Boards. You will unlock more Command Boards as you progress through your story. By the end, six Command Boards will be unlocked. You will have to play and win all six Command Boards to unlock the seventh Command Board, Secret Board. If you want to reach Arena level 30, you must play and win all seven Command Boards.
Defeating GantuIn Aqua's story in Deep Space, you will encounter Gantu several times. The final battle with him happens when you find Experiment 626 and Dr. Jumba. Stay close to him during the battle. Gantu shoots his gun most of the time, which will not hit you if you are very close, landing combos. When he dashes, follow him, and repeat the process.
Xehanort Report locationsSearch the indicated location to find the corresponding report:
Report | Character | Location |
Xehanort's Letter | Ventus | Successfully complete the Land Of Departure |
Report 1 | Ventus | In a chest located in Deep Space, Sortie Deck |
Report 2 | Terra | Successfully complete the Radiant Garden |
Report 3 | Aqua | In a chest in Merlin’s house, Radiant Garden |
Report 4 | Aqua | Successfully complete the Mysterious Tower |
Report 5 | Terra | Successfully complete the Prison Guard Challenge in the Mirage Arena |
Report 6 | Aqua | Successfully complete the Enchanted Dominion |
Report 7 | Aqua | Successfully complete Aqua's Story |
Report 8 | Terra | Successfully complete the Land Of Departure, which is done near the end of the story |
Report 9 | Ventus | Automatically obtained during an event at Disney Town |
Report 10 | Ventus | Successfully complete Ventus' Story |
Report 11 | Terra | Successfully complete Terra's Story |
Report 12 | Ventus | In a chest at the Keyblade Graveyard, in an empty area behind the starting spawn point |
Successfully complete one of the following tasks to get a trophy:
- Critical Competitor (Gold): Clear game on Critical.
- Savage Slayer (Silver): Complete all Unversed battle missions with the highest rank.
- Collector (Silver): Collect all stickers.
- The Adventurer: Terra (Bronze): Complete Reports with Terra.
- The Adventurer: Ventus (Bronze): Complete Reports with Ventus.
- The Adventurer: Aqua (Bronze): Complete Reports with Aqua.
- Perfect Shot (Bronze): Use Shotlock 50 times.
- Justice & Dark (Bronze): Use the Pete D-Link 10 times.
- D.J. (Bronze): Use the Rhythm Mixer Command Style 20 times.
- The Warrior: Terra (Bronze): Learn all of Terra's Finish Commands.
- The Warrior: Ventus (Bronze): Learn all of Ventus's Finish Commands.
- The Warrior: Aqua (Bronze): Learn all of Aqua's Finish Commands.
- Musclehead (Bronze): Unleash Break Time with Terra.
- B-Boy (Bronze): Unleash Break Time with Ventus.
- Majorette (Bronze): Unleash Break Time with Aqua.
- Pâtissier (Bronze): Create all flavors of ice cream.
- Command Board Conqueror (Bronze): Win each playable Command Board.
- Maestro (Bronze): Obtain a Fantastic rating for each song in Ice Cream Beat Master Mode.
- Rapid Racer (Bronze): Finish first in all Rumble Racing courses.
- Fantasista (Bronze): Beat all opponents in Fruitball.
- The Journey Begins (Bronze): Clear the prologue, 'The Land of Departure.'
- Pursuit of Truth (Bronze): Clear the Mysterious Tower episode of Terra's story.
- Defying Darkness (Bronze): Clear the Disney Town episode of Terra's story.
- Entrusting Power (Bronze): Clear the Destiny Islands episode of Terra's story.
- Encounters (Bronze): Clear the Badlands episode of Ventus's story.
- A Moment of Rest (Bronze): Clear the Disney Town episode of Ventus's story.
- A Friend in Need (Bronze): Clear the Mysterious Tower episode of Ventus's story.
- Drifting Apart (Bronze): Clear the Radiant Garden episode of Aqua's story.
- Hopeful Hearts (Bronze): Clear the Destiny Islands episode of Aqua's story.
- Pawn of the Arena (Bronze): Complete all one-star missions in the Mirage Arena.
- Knight of the Arena (Bronze): Complete all two-star missions in the Mirage Arena.
- Queen of the Arena (Bronze): Complete all three-star missions in the Mirage Arena.
- King of the Arena (Bronze): Complete all four-star missions in the Mirage Arena.
- Keepers of the Arena (Bronze): Win the Keepers of the Arena battle in the Mirage Arena.
- Villains' Vendetta (Bronze): Win the Villains' Vendetta battle in the Mirage Arena.
Additionally, there are 11 secret trophies:
- Birth by Sleep Master (Platinum): Obtain all trophies.
- The Lost Chapter (Gold): Complete the secret episode.
- The Vessel (Silver): Clear Terra's story mode.
- The Dormant (Silver): Clear Ventus's story mode.
- The Seeker (Silver): Clear Aqua's story mode.
- Connected Hearts (Silver): Complete the final episode.
- A Mere Shell (Silver): Defeat the Vanitas Remnant.
- Time's Teller (Silver): Defeat the Unknown.
- Darkness's Will (Silver): Defeat No Heart.
- Light's Will (Silver): Defeat Armor of Eraqus.
- Profiler (Silver): Collect all Secret Reports.
Sony Playstation 2 / PS2 ISOs
Genre: Role-PlayingAction-AdventureRating: ESRB: E, CERO: A, PEGI: 7+, OFLC: G8+
How to Play this Game ?
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Game Description & Reviews:
OverviewA unique mix of Disney and Square Enix characters join spiky-haired hero Sora on his epic journey to save multiple worlds from the evil of the Heartless and find his lost friends Riku and Kairi.
Anonymous says:Game is based on a group of friends wanting to get out and explore the world. Then one night heartless shows up and send the group of friends into massive trouble so the you play as sora and your goal is to find riku and kairi along the way you meet tons of new ppl and they all become your friends who help you in some way
James rates this game: 5/5Sora, a 14-year-old boy whose world is shattered when a violent storm separates him from his two closest friends, Riku and Kairi. Sora, while searching for his friends in a strange and mysterious land, meets Court Wizard Donald and Captain Goofy, protectors of the Disney Castle, who are on a mission to find King Mickey. The three learn of ominous creatures known as the Heartless, beings without hearts derived from an unknown dimension and, as it turns out, the ones responsible for the devastating storm. Upon discovering the link between the Heartless, the storm and the disappearance of the King, Sora, Donald and Goofy join forces to recover Sora's friends, return the King to his rightful position and save the universe from the Heartless.
LeftyGuitar rates this game: 4/5In Kingdom Hearts you play as a young teen named Sora. You are soon accompanied by Donald and Goofy from the Disney universe. You fight with a keyblade and are on a quest to defeat the heartless and Ansem. KH uses a real-time battle system where you do not take turns hitting each other, you can also be attacked when casting magic or using an item. You level up by defeating heartless. Kingdom Hearts is a very enjoyable game and any fan of RPGs or those that like a good story for a RPG are in for a treat with this game.
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Download Kingdom Hearts (USA) (2.0G)
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Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.- Platforms: PS4 |
- Developer: Square Enix
- Publisher:Square Enix
- Release: March 28, 2017
The Kingdom Hearts franchise is a story fractured across multiple devices. Before 2013, players needed a PS2, Nintendo DS, PSP and Nintendo 3DS to experience the entire saga. Then came the HD remasters, which brought six of the games onto PS3, and then the PS4 came out. Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue may have brought the final game, Dream Drop Distance, to a PlayStation platform, but the series was once again fractured. Square Enix hopes to remedy this with Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix, which brings the remaining games to PS4. Is this the ultimate Kingdom Hearts collection or does it fall into the depths of darkness?
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix is a compilation of two previous collections. Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix came out in 2013 on PS3 with Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days cinematic cutscenes. Meanwhile, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix launched in 2014 on PS3 with Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep Final Mix, and Kingdom Hearts Re: Coded cinematic cutscenes. 1.5 + 2.5 rounds up both collections into one, very appealing package. Comprised of four games and two movies, 1.5 + 2.5 tells the events of the Dark Seeker saga. Players will learn of Master Xehanort’s rising threat in Birth By Sleep, follow Sora on his journeys to conquer the Heartless and Organization XIII, suffer heartbreak alongside Roxas, and tie it all together with a trip into a Jiminy’s digitized journal. While the story ranges from excellent to mediocre, it isn’t hard to become invested in the characters and their plights.
Suffice it so say, there’s a whole lot content here. The 358/2 Days and Re: Coded films will take three hours apiece, and the four games easily surpass twenty hours each. Unless you’re speed running the six titles, there’s far more than eighty hours’ worth of content to explore at an attractive price. There, sadly, isn’t anything new here for old players, and, unfortunately, the level of quality across all of the titles.
Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix fairs the best, looking quite pristine running on PS4. Every title in the collection is set to run at 60 frames-per-second, but Kingdom Hearts II feels the best to play. The game was already fluid running on PS3, and it feels even more snappy and fluid on PS4. Models and textures have been adequately updated, though some blockiness remains. The game does stutter on occasion, but it wasn’t enough to dampen the experience.
Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep fairs the second-best. It was a technical wonder on the PSP and ran very well on the PS3. One of our chief complaints in our 2.5 Remix review was that Birth By Sleep didn’t feel like it received the graphical overhaul it deserved. Despite some decent updates, it was apparent back then that it was a port of a handheld game, and now, on PS4, it’s even more evident. Environments lack detail, and the terrains retain their boxy shape. Considering how much effort went into updating Dream Drop Distance, a 3DS game, for its PS4 release, it feels lazy the same amount of attention wasn’t put into Birth By Sleep. It doesn’t diminish how great the game still is in the story and gameplay departments. Running at 60fps, the game has never played better.
Then we have Kingdom Hearts Final Mix. Like the previous two games, Kingdom Hearts’ gameplay feels significantly more fluid thanks to the bump in framerate. While models don’t look quite as smooth as Kingdom Hearts II, they still look the best they’ve ever looked. All the improvements that came with the PS3 edition remain intact. The camera is still controlled with the right stick, and players can interact with chests and NPCs with a tap of the Triangle button. These are important updates, but they do little to hide that Kingdom Hearts feels old and suffers from archaic design decisions (i.e. the swimming in Atlantica and flying in Wonderland). It feels like there should have been more updates to make the game feel a little better.
Birth By Sleep needed some more visual improvements, and Kingdom Hearts needed some more gameplay enhancements, but Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories needs a lot more work. The quality of work put into this remaster is pitiful. While the previous games have been smoothed out to take advantage of the more powerful hardware, cutscenes in Chain of Memories are filled with jaggies. However, the poor quality of the cutscenes doesn’t extend to gameplay. In fact, in-game assets look just as good as Kingdom Hearts, but the card-based gameplay will likely remain a sore spot for most players. While the card-based gameplay worked well as a 2.5D game on the Gameboy Advance, its transition to 3D has remained divisive. 1.5 + 2.5 Remix does nothing to improve the experience and this is by far the weakest entry in the collection.
Rounding out the experience are the two films, 358/2 Days and Re: Coded. Both have a runtime of about three hours. While 358/2 Days’ opening cutscene looks quite rough, the rest of the film has graphical standards on par with the other games. It would have been nice if Square Enix built a few new cutscenes to replace the text-based sections in the story. Re: Coded, however, looks significantly better and does not contain any of the text sections found in 358/2 Days. While both titles are more side-stories to the Kingdom Hearts narrative, they do provide vital information essential to understanding the rest of the story.
While Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix does bring the remaining six Kingdom Hearts games to PS4, it doesn’t encompass the full collection. Players will still need to pick up Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue. Still, for $49.99 for four games and two movies is a pretty good deal, even if it is missing the latest adventure.
Closing Comments:
Kingdom Hearts is fractured no more. Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix accomplishes what it sets out to do by bringing the remaining six titles to PS4. With all games running at 60fps, this is the most fluid way to experience Kingdom Hearts. There isn’t anything new here for series fans, nor have any of the games been updated in any meaningful capacity. While Birth By Sleep could have used some visual upgrades, and Kingdom Hearts some gameplay upgrades, this does little to diminish how fun these two, and Kingdom Hearts II, are. The only blotch on the collection is Re: Chain of Memories, which feels lazily put together. Despite this, Square Enix has put together an ambitious collection that gives PS4 players a one-stop ticket for everything Kingdom Hearts. With over eighty hours of content, Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix is the ultimate way to experience the franchise and the perfect time sink as we wait for Kingdom Hearts III.
Kevin Dunsmore
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5
4
Version Reviewed: PlayStation 4