As many of you know, I am a huge fan of the Kingdom Hearts numbered series (1 and 2, not the filler games like Chain of Memories). For listeners of the podcast, you also know that Square Enix scums me out of money every time they re-release, re-master, re-do, re-package, etc, either one of those two games in this series. That being said, I obviously picked up Kingdom Hearts 1.5 and 2.5 for the Playstation 4 on release day. Now I own Kingdom Hearts for the PS2, PS3, and PS4. The list of Kingdom Hearts titles in my collection are as follows:
- Kingdom Hearts (PS2)
- Kingdom Hearts 2 (PS2)
- Kingdom Hearts 1.5 Remix (PS3)
- Kingdom Hearts 2.5 Remix (PS3)
- Birth By Sleep (PSP)
- Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue (PS4)
- Kingdom Hearts 1.5 and 2.5 Remix (PS2)
So collectively I have all the games up to Kingdom Hearts 3 (which I am pretty sure we will never see).
Kingdom Hearts 1.5 2.5
When I purchased Kingdom Hearts 1.5 and 2.5 my heart and wallet hurt.
It angered me that I was yet again putting money out for a re-release, remastered, etc. version of the games I had already previously paid money for (twice!). I needed this game though, as I don’t own all the titles in the Kingdom Hearts series.
After getting home, the game sat on my table for about a week. I already played Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2 and wasn’t ready to re-visit these games again since I already bested them multiple times (and on Proud Mode for Kingdom Hearts 1). What’s the point in replaying these games then, right?
Well, this past weekend, boredom or curiosity got the best of me and I popped in the game. I chose Kingdom Hearts 1 as it’s my favorite in the series and started a new record. Right off, the way the game looked was amazing. I was very surprised how much cleaner the graphics and coloring felt. Sora’s big ass feet looked even bigger in these bold colors. The stained glass in the training/setup in the beginning of the game looked so amazing I had to call the wife in to show her.
After getting through the training I couldn’t wait to get to Utada Hikaru’s Simple and Clean sequence and rushed to see what that cut scene would look like. Again. Amaze-balls. This sequence always gives me chilly-bumps and brings a tear to my eye (yeah I am a bitch). The sequence pops and is just so…. “simple and clean”?
I then found myself back in old habits having a great time playing this game. I loved the fact that the transition to cut scenes too and from gameplay was pretty much seamless. Almost zero load time. I think because of this, it kept me playing. I had no time to let my mind wonder while watching the little heart in the corner spin waiting for the cutscene to start.
I continued playing through Destiny Islands and found myself back to having a great time playing the game. I ended up playing for about 2 hours in total and forced myself to stop as I would probably have wasted my whole day playing the game.
In the end, my first thoughts on this rerelease were that of Square Enix scumming money from it’s fans. That sentiment still holds true for me, but having all the Kingdom Hearts games for one console (including 2.8) is worth the money. I can now play through all titles in the Kingdom Hearts series without changing systems, controllers, etc. and have updated graphics and loading times. So if you are a Kingdom Hearts fan boy then the game is worth it, but for the casual Kingdom Hearts player you can probably skip this set.
Now with all the titles on PS4, Square Enix and Disney have no more excuses. Give Us Kingdom Hearts 3. That’s what we have been waiting over a decade for.
