Overview
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX is a compilation of the first entries in Square Enix and Disney's action-RPG saga, remastered in HD. The two volumes first came out separately on PS3, were then bundled together on PS4, and finally arrived on PC, which is where I played them.
I was fairly reluctant to catch up on the whole series, known for its scattered timeline spread across a multitude of consoles. This compilation is the perfect opportunity to discover it in order.
Here is the list of games in the compilation:
- Kingdom Hearts I
- Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories
- Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (cutscenes only)
- Kingdom Hearts II
- Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
- Kingdom Hearts Re:coded (cutscenes only)
Kingdom Hearts I
For a game this old, I was surprised by how well it has aged visually.
The combat system is pretty good, although I didn't expect so many mechanics to unlock as the adventure goes on (dodge roll, enemy health bars, travelling between worlds without replaying the space levels, etc.).
The camera impressed me too: it's a far cry from old PS1/PS2 games that were discovering 3D and struggled to keep up with the character.
This first entry offers a fairly smooth way into the series, and it convinced me to keep going.
Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories
A rather controversial entry: most of the opinions I read hated the card system. On my side, I struggled a bit at first to understand how map cards work to open doors.
The start is hard to get into: deck-building is limited and there aren't many possible combinations. But once you understand how map cards and card combos work, the game becomes really fun.
The only downside is that map cards are random. You can end up short on cards of a certain value or colour, and have to farm enemies over and over, praying to get the right one.
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Nothing to say: the game wasn't ported, the compilation only offers a movie made of its cutscenes.
Kingdom Hearts II
This Kingdom Hearts is truly great, both for its worlds and its story. You do feel a bit lost at the start if you haven't followed Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, though.
I really liked the combat system, with its various transformations, fewer magic spells and an MP bar that recharges over time once emptied.
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
I really enjoyed the story, getting to play each character .
Each character brings a different point of view and different gameplay (I loved Aqua's charged attack, for example).
On top of that, there's no more MP, but a command deck with a cooldown after each use. It makes the game smoother: you don't have to plan your spell usage like in a turn-based RPG (saving mana, going all out against a boss, etc.).
Kingdom Hearts Re:coded
Nothing to say: as with 358/2 Days, the game wasn't ported and only its cutscenes are included.
Verdict
An excellent gateway into the saga. Kingdom Hearts I has aged very well, Re:Chain of Memories pleasantly surprises once you've tamed its card system, and Kingdom Hearts II and Birth by Sleep are the two highlights of the compilation. My only regret: 358/2 Days and Re:coded are only included as cutscenes, which sometimes makes the story hard to follow.