Overview
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is a compilation of the entries in Square Enix and Disney's action-RPG saga that take place after those in Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX, remastered in HD. As its name suggests, it serves as a prologue to Kingdom Hearts III.
Here is the list of games in the compilation:
- Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD
- Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage
- Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover (movie)
Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD
The game takes place after the events of Kingdom Hearts Re:coded, and it's genuinely enjoyable to play.
Mechanics-wise, you get a command deck with a cooldown for each spell or ability. On top of that comes the Flowmotion system, which I really enjoyed: it lets you grind on rails, explore maps faster and chain special attacks.
The game also features a collection of Dream Eaters, the creatures of this entry. Each one has its own ability tree with passives, spells and skills to unlock. You can bring a team of three Dream Eaters: two fight by your side, and the third is a backup. In combat, you can also link with one or both of them. Personally, I preferred Sora's links, which are more interesting than Riku's.
Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage
The game follows Birth by Sleep .
Visually, it's really beautiful. You play Aqua starting at level 51, which fits her story better than starting over at level 1. It's also because the game is short: expect around 2 hours to finish the story.
Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover
Nothing to say: it's a movie.
Verdict
A shorter compilation than the previous one, but essential before diving into Kingdom Hearts III. Dream Drop Distance is the main course, carried by its Flowmotion system and Dream Eaters, while Kingdom Hearts 0.2 offers a very convincing glimpse of the saga on a more recent console generation. My only regret: as in the previous compilation, χ Back Cover is just a movie.