Kingdom Hearts has been a saga of… well, it’s been a saga. It all began way back in 2002 with its bizarre mix of Disney, Final Fantasy, and original content. The series quickly got a reputation for being convoluted. Well, you can experience it all at once, if you can stand it anyway, with a new super collection coming soon.

As announced by Square Enix, the Kingdom Hearts All-In-One Package will come to the PS4 in March. It includes 10 different “experiences” from the franchise, beginning with all the HD Remix Collections, up until the latest entry, Kingdom Hearts 3. Some of the titles are represented as cutscenes instead of the original games. It’s worth noting that it doesn’t include the Re:Mind DLC recently released for Kingdom Hearts 3.

The All-In-One Package will be a physical release and will seemingly only release on the PlayStation 4 on March 17th. Kingdom Hearts will also continue  with a new mobile title, Kingdom Hearts: Dark Road, sometime after mid-February.

• 1. Development
• 2. Story
• 3. Gameplay
• 4. Characters

Development

In September 2012 Square Enix officially announced that Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix would be coming to the PlayStation 3and that it would include Kingdom Hearts Final Mix and Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories in full HD with added trophy support.

Also included in this HD collection is Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days in a new feature called the “theatre mode”, this will last 2 hours and 50 minutes and features all the cinematic sequences from the game remastered in high definition, there will also be new scenes included. This cinematic sequence also features trophy support.

They also revealed that the characters in game models from Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance would be being used in the HD 1.5 remix for characters like Sora and Riku. Cutscenes included in Kingdom Hearts Final Mix which lacked voice acting or instead used English voice acting will be using the original Japanese voice acting.

Following speculation from the games dedicated fanbase Square Enix finally publicly announced the games Q3-Q4 release dates on February 25^th 2013. At one point, speaking with Famitsu it was announced that more than 60 musical tracks (covering all three games but mostly centered on the newer Kingdom Hearts Final Mix) have been recorded again, but this time with live instrumentals instead of using the PlayStations 2’s in built tone generator for the music and backing tracks. This received a warm reaction from the fan community that had often cited this as one of the games best, but most poorly developed aspects.

Much of this new work on the games is because, according to Nomura “[The game data] was lost, so we had to research, and we had to dig out from the actual game what was available and recreate everything for HD. We had to recreate all the graphics and it was actually not that easy.”

Tetsuya Nomura (a prominent figure in all of the important Kingdom Hearts decisions) had always told members of the media that he had plans to re-release Kingdom Heats in a high definition remake, but at the time (some time in August 2013) he had yet to confirm that such plans where any more than just a personal dream. The idea behind a HD remix of the game had been in the pipe for some time and had apparently been scheduled for development since before the release of the FFX remake.

Story

The story of the Kingdom Hearts series initially  begins on the Destiny Islands, where 3 young friends live. Their names are Sora, Riku and Kairi. These three friends have always wanted to leave the islands so they can explore the land and discover new worlds, but late one night, the islands are besieged by a race of shadow creatures known as “The heartless”. Sora quickly sets out to find his friends and soon encounters

Riku who then vanishes into a dark portal. Sora then obtains the weapon known as the Keyblade, a weapon that can effectively combat The Heartless, but the islands are soon destroyed and Sora is left drifting through space. King Mickey has departed from his world, but left a set of instructions behind for Goofy and Donald to follow, in an attempt to help them find the “key” that can save the worlds from the oncoming darkness. A group of villains being led by Maleficent ( a prominent female villain from Disney) are seeking the seven princesses of heart in an attempt to unlock the final keyhole, leading to Kingdom Hearts. A secret depository of knowledge and power.

Gameplay

Being heavily influenced by the series that spawned it (Final Fantasy) the game plays very similarly to entries into that series. There is however, more of a hack and slash approach to Kingdom Hearts. However unlike Final Fantasy, combat in Kingdom Hearts takes place in real time, with various on screen menus that can help the player select powers and abilities. Battle parties (player teams) consist of teams of three: Sora Goofy and Donald Duck. The player takes control of Sora in a 3^rd person camera perspective, all other team members are computer controlled.  Although, like in Final Fantasy, the player can influence their combat style and behavior through a series of menus.

Each world visited brings a new 3^rd character to your party, this character can only be used in the confines of that world and each has their own special and unique powers. In certain parts of the game, when the player reaches a new world the players party will undergo cosmetic changes and gain abilities that are exclusive to that world. For example the player can fly when they are in Neverland, homage to Peter Pan costumes to better blend in within Halloween Town.  Like most other games in the RPG genre, Kingdom Hearts features an experience point system that allows players to allocate points to specific skills and determine their characters growth and play style.  Although there are a number of side quests available for the player to undertake, Kingdom Hearts is a linear game with predetermined progression. The player may tackle different areas in whichever order they choose, but this won’t change the final outcome.

Characters

• Sora: a young 14 year old boy, Sora has been chosen to be the wielder of the Keyblade. A large key shaped weapon used to combat the darkness. Sora makes repeat appearances through the series and is often the key character in the development of the game.
• Donald Duck: A Disney character with an iconic history plays the roles of the courts wizard in Kingdom Hearts.
• Goofy Goof: Another Disney character of legendary status, Goofy fulfils the role of Captain of The Royal Guard.
• King Mickey: Perhaps the most well-known cartoon character of all time, Mickey Mouse leads with the role of King Mickey Mouse.
• Ansem: An evil being searching for power and sources of knowledge, he uses the heartless to help accomplish his goals.

Meanwhile, Square Enix’s Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix, which delivers a remastered visual experience for the first game and Re:Chain of Memories enters the charts at number 2. Diablo 3, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist and Disney Infinity round out the remaining top five.

Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition, Payday 2, Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, Lego The Lord Of The Rings and Rome: Total War II make up the sixth to tenth positions on the charts. Given that Grand Theft Auto V will be releasing on September 17th worldwide, we would say it isn’t long before the Saints are dethroned. Stay tuned for more details.

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix is the combination of the HD updates for Kingdom Hearts Final Mix and Re:Chain of Memories, which released on the Game Boy Advance first before arriving on the PlayStation 2. Both games have had their combat and other mechanics revamped, especially the former which been adjusted to make it more in line with Kingdom Hearts 2.

The other addition is Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, which wraps up the story of the Nintendo DS title with roughly 2 hours and 50 minutes of HD remastered cinematics. The game features support for Trophies on the PlayStation 3, and you can even net a Trophy for watching the entire cinematic for 358/2 Days.

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix is available in Japan for PlayStation 3 and will be releasing on September 10th in North America and on September 13th in Europe.

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX will feature updated visuals for the game along with Reaction Commands from the second game and other enhancements to keep it in line with recent titles. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days is also featured, although not in playable form – instead, players will be able to experience the entire story in the form of 2 hours and 50 minutes of cutscenes.

The game may not have necessarily set the charts on fire in Japan, but the Western release should be much better given the hype created by Kingdom Hearts 3 when it was recently showcased at E3. Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX will release on September 10th in North America and on September 13th in Europe, exclusively for the PlayStation 3.

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix features HD graphics with updated texture resolutions, character models and full trophy support. This is going to be the most packed Kingdom Hearts yet and will have a ton of replay-value for the fans of the series.

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix is also an excellent excuse to experience the magic of the franchise and catch up on the story in order to prepare for the next entry in the series, Kingdom Hearts III. Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix is already out in Japan but will be available in the United States on September 10th 2013.

Let us know if you’re looking forward to playing Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix in the comments section down below.

Stay tuned to GamingBolt for more news, updates and our review of the game in the coming months.

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix was originally exclusive to Japan and was called Final Mix. However, the HD version of the Kingdom Hearts series is now coming to the West on September 13th 2013 according to the in-game E3 trailer.

Many fans have been waiting for a Kingdom Hearts HD collection and it has finally happened and I personally cannot wait to get my feet wet in it. Kingdom Hearts was one of my personal favorite franchises back in the PlayStation 2 era and it will be super exciting to play it again on the PlayStation prior to the PlayStation 4 launch and enjoy the nostalgia.

Let us know if you’re excited to play the HD collection of Kingdom Hearts on your PlayStation 3 later this year in the comments section below.

Check back on GamingBolt for more updates as we get closer to E3 2013 and our review of the game in the coming months.

Those who pre-order the game can receive a special limited run art book, which contains art from each of the titles features in ReMIX.

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX is essentially an update of Kingdom Hearts Final Mix and Re:Chain of Memories, along with a cinematics retelling the events of the Nintendo DS spin-off, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. However, along with several gameplay changes to the first game to better suit Kingdom Hearts 2 veterans, the graphics have also been completely reworked in lovely HD.

The collection also has support for PlayStation 3 trophies for the completists out there. It may not be Kingdom Hearts 3 but it’s still a damn fun experience overall.

The games garnered the number 1 and 2 positions respectively. Sword Art Online: Infinity Moment managed to sell 138,180 units while Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix sold 128,414 units.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the week that would see the PlayStation Vita continue its reign of dominance following the recent price cut. It fell from 63,581 units the week before to 36,028 units sold the week ending March 17th. This allowed the Nintendo 3DS XL to regain its footing. Hopefully sales stay consistent and don’t drop any further for Sony.

Another key title in the franchise is Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix, which will release the original game in glorious HD (with a few tweaks and changes to improve the gameplay), along with Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories and some long, long cutscene movies to summarize the events of Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (that focuses on Organization XIII).

The game is set for a March 14th release in Japan for PS3, but it appears the North America may yet see the game in the near future.

Voice actor Jesse McCartney who plays Roxas shared a picture on Instagram (since removed) with the caption, “For all you ‘Kingdom Hearts’ Fans. Recording the next chapter!” The scene being shown appears to be from 358/2 Days, indicating that the game is currently being localized for North America.

And not a moment too soon, eh?