Kingdom Hearts: The Story So Far

Kingdom Hearts: The Story So Far is a complete set of all installments in the popular jRPG series called Kingdom Hearts, which were released before the premiere of Kingdom Hearts III in 2019. The series was started in the early 2000s and was the result of an unusual cooperation between Disney and the Japanese developer Square, which was responsible for the legendary jRPG games, including the Final Fantasy series. Kingdom Hearts appeared on PlayStation 2 in 2002 and combined Final Fantasy elements with the worlds and heroes known from Disney animated films and series, building its own comprehensive mythology in subsequent editions. In Kingdom Hearts: The Story So Far players will find two compilations of remasters, which have already been released on PlayStation 4: Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX and Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue.

Kingdom Hearts: The Story So Far includes the following games:

1. Kingdom Hearts FINAL MIX - the first installment of the series, which was released on PlayStation 2 in 2002. The game depicts the story of the teenager named Sora - the main protagonist of the series, who sets off on a journey between the worlds, looking for two missing friends. He meets faithful allies (Goofy, Donald, King Mickey) and opponents who control a dangerous creature called Heartless.
2. Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories - a spin-off to the series, which originally appeared on Game Boy Advance in 2004, which bridges stories between the first and second installments of the series. The game introduces new antagonists (Organisation XIII), and also offers a unique combat system based on the use of capability cards and attacks.
3. Kingdom Hearts II FINAL MIX - the second installment of the series, which hit PlayStation 2 in 2006. Sora and his friends have to face the evil plans of the members of the Organization XIII. The game develops a combat system and introduces many new elements of gameplay, as well as Disney worlds that are new to the series.
4. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days - the second spin-off to the series, which combines the first two parts by shedding some light on the time Roxas spent in the ranks of Organisation XIII. The game was originally released on Nintendo DS back in 2009.
5. Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep FINAL MIX - is a prequel to Kingdom Hearts, which takes place 10 years before the events presented in the original game. This prequel appeared for the first time on PSP console in 2010. The game expands the mythology of the in-game world and allows players to control three new heroes - Ventus, Terra, and Aqua.
6. Kingdom Hearts Re:coded - another spin-off, which takes place right after Kingdom Hearts II and was originally released on Nintendo DS in 2010.
7. Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance HD - a spin-off taking place right after the events presented in the second installment of the series. Sora and Riku start training under the eye of Yen Sid to prepare themselves to confront the imminent threat from Master Xehanort. In order to test the skills acquired by friends, the teacher instructs them to defeat creatures called Dream Eaters. They conquered the worlds liberated from the influence of Heartless and Organization XIII. The game was originally released on Nintendo 3DS.
8. Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep: A fragmentary passage - is a short prologue to Kingdom Hearts III, the plot of which was placed right after the end of Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. Players accompany Aqua on her journey through the world of darkness. Production debuted in the compilation of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue.
9. Kingdom Hearts: Back Cover - a prequel telling the story of events that took place long before the rest of the series. It sheds new light on the universe created in the series and shows the beginning of a great conflict between Keyblade owners. The game was released only on mobile devices in Japan.

Technical aspects

Games that are included in Kingdom Hearts: The Story So Far offer completely re-mastered visuals, minor gameplay fixes (including new difficulty levels), as well as additional cutscenes and boss fights, which were available only in Japanese editions of the games. The most interesting novelty for fans is that the remasters operate at 60 frames per second. The 30-frame lock was one of the main drawbacks of the games on PlayStation 3 and a step forward for the originals on PlayStation 2.

Last updated on May 7, 2019