Many years ago, a very unlikely game hit store shelves. It was a game
developed by SquareSoft, it featured characters from their Final Fantasy series, and it was a role-playing game. At first glance the game
may have seen like a standard RPG to fans, but there was one little
detail that made it stand out above the other games in the genre. The
game was called Kingdom Hearts, and it was a crossover game with
Disney.
When the game finally came out, despite the
seemingly odd premise it was based on, it soon became a hit. A large
fanbase formed around the game, and before we knew it, it had evolved
into a full fledged series. What started as a single game, soon branched
off into a set of six main games, with multiple ports and remakes
across the platforms, as well as a few mobile titles.
In
2013, Square Enix (as they're now known) officially announced that the third
numbered entry in the series was finally in the works for the upcoming
PlayStation 4 and Xbox One game consoles. Although the game would be the
first entry in the series to be developed for an HD console,
Square Enix had other plans to go along with it. Before Kingdom Hearts III was officially announced, Square Enix decided to jump aboard the HD
collection train. Just as other companies had done before it, Square
decided to bundle a few of their Kingdom Hearts games together, update
them to fit the HD standards, and then release them at a lower price.
Although, this time around they did handle things a bit differently.
Instead
of releasing every Kingdom Hearts game in a single pack, Square decided
to bundle them into what appears to be two separate collections. The
first collection is titled Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix and contains
two games as well as a movie, while the second collection is Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix and contains the next few games in the franchise. This is a review of the first collection, and due to its nature, the layout will be slightly different to a standard review. I've individually reviewed both Kingdom Hearts Final Mix HD and Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories HD. Instead of just copying and pasting exactly what I said in those reviews, I'll just link to both of them, where you can see my full thoughts on either game.
Related: Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance Review
Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix HD Review
Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories HD Review
The final feature included in Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix is a "movie" version of the Nintendo DS game Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. Originally the game was a DS exclusive with mission based gameplay. Each "day" the main character Roxas would wake up, and then go to one of the worlds to complete a mission. These missions normally involved killing a set number of heartless, or simply finding a specific item. At times the game could become quite the grind, but the story was enough to push you to finish it. Although some may be disappointed at the fact that 358/2 wasn't truly included in this collection, many will be happy to see the gameplay gone so that they can now just sit back and enjoy the story; now remastered in HD with full voice acting.
The Story of Roxas:
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 tells the story of a young man named Roxas. After waking up in front of a mansion with no memories of who he is, he is approached by a man named "Xemnas" and given the name "Roxas." Xemnas is the leader of a group called the "Organization XIII," which is an order formed by what are known as "Nobodies." When someone loses their heart, their heart turns into a Heartless, while their shell of a body turns into a Nobody. Since a nobody has no heart, they cannot truly feel any emotion, and they truly do not exist. It turns out that Xemnas wishes to collect hearts from Heartless, and then use them to create "Kingdom Hearts," only then will the Nobodies be able to become whole once again.
The story of 358/2 revolves around Roxas' life in the organization. He soon becomes friends with the member named Axel, the very one who first appeared in Chain of Memories, as well as a young girl named Xion. Each day, the three set out to complete their missions, only to then return to a clock tower where they enjoy ice cream together and hang out. The three do what they can to enjoy what life they have, but sadly their happiness doesn't last. 358/2 Days is a very emotional game filled with tragedy, and betrayal. As Roxas slowly begins to learn more about the group, he starts to question their motives, and before he knows it, he soon finds his life being twisted upside down. Unknown to him, he is the Nobody of Sora, and he is one of the things standing in the way of returning Sora to his original self. As Riku works behind the scenes to restore his now sleeping friend, Xion too finds herself struggling with her own existence. She knows that she is not like the other Nobodies, and that fact continues to haunt her daily. Just who is she, and where did she come from? Why was she brought in as a member of the organization? You will just have to watch and find out.
Like in the original game, Roxas, as well as a few others, keep a journal; however, it is no longer accessed in the same way. Originally each day a new entry would be in place for you to read, but this time around everything is unlocked from the start. Sure you can read it from the moment you see the title screen, but it really is something that is better left until you have watched the main story.
Although this "game" is in fact a movie, there are trophies to go along with it. By simply watching the story from start to finish you can unlock them, but unlike the other two titles in the collection, it does not feature a platinum trophy. 358/2 Days is counted as a mini game, and because of that, its trophies are limited.
VERDICT: Essential
Reviewed on PlayStation 3
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