Back in the heyday of the PlayStation 2, I completely missed the Kingdom Hearts releases. From afar, I have appreciated and loved them, but I completely missed the boat the first time around. Thankfully, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX has allowed me to catch up to the best in the series.
{media load=media,id=3007,width=720,align=center,display=inline}
Square Enix has taken their 2006 game and re-released it for the PlayStation 3 console as Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX. They’ve added a few new elements to the overall look of the title and improved it, as well as added two more titles into the purchase Re:coded and Birth by Sleep Final Mix. Not bad stuff for a re-release of a beloved game that probably could have stood on its own without the extras thrown in. All of this for around $40 bucks, which isn’t bad.
Let’s talk about that extra content. Birth by Sleep has been retooled to accommodate the journey from PlayStation Portable to the PlayStation 3 (improvements in gameplay, adjusted AI, etc). While it works to an extent, it still has the Peace Walker bad translation to it from little to big screen. You can tell that this was on a portable system, despite the visual upgrades and improvements to gameplay. I had that issue with Peace Walker, though the story helped to save the dreadful inflation of the title to the big screen. Birth by Sleep, while interesting, is still somewhat confusing, which makes you relay on the visuals — which are tough to take in some areas. The gameplay certainly helps to alleviate some of that visual awkwardness, but it certainly doesn’t trump the main feature, which is Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix.
As for Re: Coded…take it or leave it depending on your dedication to the series right now. For hardcore fans, they might appreciate it, but for people like myself, who have only been somewhat acquainted with the series, my main focus lies on Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix. I’ve been through enough cutscenes in the other games to not want to sit through more. After experiencing Metal Gear Solid 4’s endless amount of cutscenes, I’ve been a fan of just getting the gist of what’s going on and moving forward. I literally don’t want a movie presented to me through a game…unless it’s an interactive movie (c’mon, Dragon’s Lair IV).
Now, let’s talk about Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix improvements.
Starting with the presentation upgrade, you now have a game that was originally released in a 4:3 format upgraded to a 16:9 format (widescreen). More real estate means more room for graphical improvements, and Square Enix certainly does a great job with the upgrades. Textures of the Disney-esque environments are smoother and sometimes more detailed than the original. You’re certainly still going to find some bland and flat textures here and there, but the overall scope of the upgraded design still fits and works within the visual scheme of the game. The cutscenes and true animated moments also are upgraded and seem a bit more refined. Excellent texture detail and smoother animation help to make this HD upgrade a bit more defined and justified in the purchase department.
Accompanying the visual upgrade to the game, the audio has also been remixed to add a bit more value to the presentation package. Since this game has some pretty spectacular audio from composer Yoko Shimomura, it’s a nice improvement. Of course, on top of the audio, you also get a bevy of talented actors giving it their all in a confusing bundle of joy. The one that stood out to me the most from my experience is the wonderful Christopher Lee, who just commands the screen — even if it’s just his voice.
As for the actual gameplay, the improvement from Kingdom Hearts to Kingdom Hearts II translates well to the PlayStation 3. Even though you will still pin your eyes on the command window in the lower left side of the screen to keep track of your action options, the macro system to assign buttons on the Dual Shock 3 is still very much intact. I’m not sure how people of the original game survived with just scrolling through the command window via the directional pad because oh-my-GOD it would have irritated the heck out of me. Of course, if I played KI for the first time on the PlayStation 2, I probably wouldn’t know better or expect better. Now that I’m seasoned on the PS3/PS4, I expect such options and I’m glad that Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix still delivers in that area.
Anyway, everything you know and love about the original Kingdom Hearts II gameplay style is still very much intact. The GUI, the action commands, the drive and the macros are there as a reminder of how improved the sequel was compared to the original. Now, that’s not to say that everything in the game aged well since Kingdom Hearts II’s initial release. The cutscenes are overwhelming long and break away from the action way too much. As I mentioned previously, sitting through some of the cutscenes felt like I was playing MGS4 again — so many and for an older gamer it feels like a waste of time, especially since the story really doesn’t connect with me (and that’s my fault, as I skipped the first one completely — I will rectify that).
Cutscenes aside, the real charm of Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix is still the mixture of Disney/Square Enix’s worlds. The developers still make the worlds of KH2 feel like something truly special. Seeing Disney characters in a role-playing game sounds odd, but works better than expected. Seeing someone like King Mickey in action or the useless Goofy, makes the kiddy characters you might have grown up with seem cooler than they should be. I think that’s the everlasting beauty of Kingdom Hearts II and why people connected to it so well, as most fans were transitioning from their childhood into teenagers about this time, and they could take their favorite Disney characters (thanks to KH2) with them.
This remixed adventure is definitely worth you time and money, if not only to re-experience what you loved about it the first time around. The additional content packaged with the game certainly helps to justify the cost, it’s not the reason you want to play this again. Consider this a refresher course before KH3 finally makes it home.