“What is Kingdom Hearts about?” and “Which order should I play the games in?” are questions I always struggle to answer as a passionate Kingdom Hearts fan — and I know I’m not alone. It’s not because I haven’t ‘got it memorised’, but because there is simply so much lore to keep track of. So much, in fact, that Square Enix is now releasing a new collection, KINGDOM HEARTS Collection [I~III], designed to help players make sense of it all.
While this new collection doesn’t include every entry in the series, it covers the key titles to date on the latest generation consoles. It’s a handy collection for newcomers and for long-time fans to revisit their favourite (or most hated) moments before KINGDOM HEARTS IV next year.
As a ‘chosen one’, I had the opportunity to take a sneak peak at KINGDOM HEARTS Collection [I~III]. I’m excited that there is another updated and accessible collection to relive the ‘dearly beloved’ world of Kingdom Hearts.
Great Value for Munny
There’s plenty to dive into in KINGDOM HEARTS Collection [I~III]. Though the name suggests there are only three games, it’s actually three compilations, making up pretty much the entire series: KINGDOM HEARTS -HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX-, KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue and KINGDOM HEARTS III + Re Mind (DLC). This means there are seven playable titles, translating to over 200 hundred hours of gameplay — gawrsh, that’s a lot!
Additionally, KINGDOM HEARTS: 358/2 Days, Re:Coded and χ Back Cover are adapted as high quality, cinematic cut scenes for players to enjoy chapter by chapter, or as a movie. The spin-offs KINGDOM HEARTS Union χ, Dark Road and Melody of Memory are not included, although this doesn’t detract much from the lore.
Compilations are not a new concept for the Kingdom Hearts series. If you have the PS4 compilation KINGDOM HEARTS All-In-One Package, it is mostly the same, but this collection includes the Re Mind DLC.
The Ultimate Adventure
The beauty of the KINGDOM HEARTS Collection [I~III] is seeing how the graphics, style and gameplay have evolved over time. This was particularly noticeable from KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue onwards. Throughout the collection, audio was consistent in and out of cut scenes, and the stirring soundtrack was beautiful. The voice work in this series also brought me back to some core memories. You can also really see the improvements in performance and shift in graphics from KINGDOM HEARTS I to III, a good reminder of how far the series has come.
Despite KINGDOM HEARTS -HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX- being an older remastered compilation, it held up well on PS5 with no frame rate drops or major performance issues, though gameplay was still clunkier than the newer games. I wasn’t a fan of the blurred background effect in some of the cut scenes however.
KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue felt pretty polished overall. The Flowmotion movement was clean in KINGDOM HEARTS Dream Drop Distance HD. Although there were minor glitches in KINGDOM HEARTS 0.2: Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage, the short entry was absolutely stunning and ported well for the PS5.
Unsurprisingly, the KINGDOM HEARTS III + Re Mind DLC compilation was the most seamless experience of them all, being the latest entry and on the PS4. Movement was so fluid, and swinging my keyblade around never felt so good. Visually, I loved the details: the texture of Sora’s hair, the nuance of the facial expressions, and honestly, just how incredible Donald Duck and Goofy looked.
Not So Simple And Clean
In KINGDOM HEARTS Collection [I~III], you’ll mostly play as Sora and accompany him and his friends across a vast universe made up of original and Disney/Pixar worlds, with iconic Final Fantasy characters thrown into the mix. Along the way, you’ll fight the ultimate battle of Light versus Darkness in order to save the universe and the ones you love.
Having played the titles in release order in the past, I tried out the collection in compilation order. While this might be the best way to unravel the intricate story of Kingdom Hearts, it leaves gameplay between some of the titles feeling really disconnected. I had whiplash from playing KINGDOM HEARTS: Chain of Memories between the two main titles because of its distinctive style of gameplay.
On the other hand, a new player looking to get a general feel of the series may choose to start with KINGDOM HEARTS Final Mix, II Final Mix and III for a cohesive experience before diving deep into the lore with the other titles in the collection.
Wherever you decide to start, destiny is calling as KINGDOM HEARTS Collection [I~III] is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC (via Xbox) on October 8, 2026.
