Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue

Video Game Review

Although the Kingdom Hearts franchise has only had two main numbered games in its line-up, both of which were first released on the PlayStation 2, it has continued all these years through a range of games on varying formats. These titles have continued the tale at different points in time and through the perspective of different characters. The creative teams behind these games have developed a rather complex storyline, much of which I imagine would need to be at least partially understood before diving into the tale of Kingdom Hearts III in the future.

One major downfall with the series has been that the games were released on varying formats, with copies of some games being out-of-print for many years. This means that if you didn’t own a PlayStation 2, Gameboy Advance, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Portable at some point – there is a chance you could have missed out on one or several instalments in the Kingdom Hearts series. Over recent years, Square Enix have worked to mitigate the impact of this issue by releasing two “Remix” collections on the PlayStation 3, each of which featured one of the two numbered games, another title originally released on a portable console, and another game adapted as a several-hour long cutscene movie. Although this may not be of much help if you are an Xbox gamer looking to pick up an Xbox One version of KH III, it has been great having the option of getting up to speed with each tale over recent years.

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is currently the final collection expected to be offered prior to the launch of Kingdom Hearts III (Outside of a PS4 port of KH 1.5 + 2.5), and is now available for purchase on the PlayStation 4. Unlike its predecessors which focused on porting across content, this set contains a mixture of old and new, and true to its title, serves as a prologue to the long-awaited next game. This collection includes a HD port of Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance – originally released on the Nintendo 3DS, a new playable game known as Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage, and a cinematic film titled Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover.

Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance

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When it came to bringing over Nintendo DS developed Kingdom Hearts games over to the PlayStation 3, Square Enix opted to adapt both Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days and Kingdom Hearts Re:coded into cinematic films spanning a couple of hours apiece. With this former Nintendo 3DS exclusive however, they have opted to bring it over as a playable game. This in my opinion was a great choice, and unless they had something else up their sleeve, a somewhat necessary one considering the content of the other two titles in this collection.

Taking on a similar role to Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II in their respective collections, Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance serves as the main playable game in Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue. Although not comparable to its numbered counterparts in terms of scale, this title delivers an interesting enough story and a battle system which in my opinion is a lot easier to immerse yourself in for longer sessions on a television compared to a small screen.

Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance follows the journey of both Sora and Riku, as they are tasked with restoring “Sleeping Worlds” as part of their Mark of Mastery exam, a major step in them both becoming Keyblade Masters. Spending a good amount of time separated from one another in alternate realities, each individually work at resolving a conflict in their version of a world. Starting off in Twilight Town which has been rethemed to represent Square Enix’s The World Ends with You (Subarashiki Kono Sekai), the pair begin travelling through a number of mostly new worlds, meeting both new and familiar faces along the way.

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New worlds introduced in Dream Drop Distance include La Cité des Cloches (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), Prankster’s Paradise (Pinocchio) and Country of the Musketeers (Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers). Having two separate realities with different protagonists means that the writing team were able to deliver different events for each. Using the example of La Cité des Cloches, there is a greater emphasis on Quasimodo on Sora’s side, while Captain Phoebus is more prominent a protagonist on Riku’s Side.

While I do like the idea of letting both characters have a role in each world, the stories themselves are fairly short and individually, nothing special. Therefore, I was left wondering if it would have been better for both Sora and Riku to have their own individual worlds, with the stories of both combined to deliver something a bit more meatier. There is also an overarching story surrounding the return of Master Xehanort which is drawn out as you progress through each world and later becomes of greater focus, and was overall an adequately written series of events.

Despite its origins on the Nintendo 3DS, this PlayStation 4 version of Dream Drop Distance does look visually comparable to the other Kingdom Hearts games which have recently received HD ports. That being said, while the characters and environment designs are well detailed, some areas do still feel sparse, and would have benefited from a bit more creativity when it came to populating the world. Moreso than usual, there is quite often a sense of feeling alone in some of the worlds, as characters who appear in a cutscene frequently disappear the second you resume control of your character. This has been mitigated in some earlier games by having these characters join your party, but due to the Dream Spirit system, this is not the case with Dream Drop Distance.

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As with the original Nintendo 3DS release, Dream Drop Distance features full English voice acting. Main Kingdom Hearts voice cast members including Haley Joel Osment (Sora) and David Gallagher (Riku) make a return, while VA’s from The World Ends with You such as Aaron Spann (Joshua), Jesse David Corti (Neku) and Heather Hogan (Shiki) also retain their roles. As expected, there are also a lot of Disney characters who make an appearance. Differing on a case-by-case basic, each character either has their current active VA take on the role, or one which in many cases sound very authentic to the original.

It is clear that Square Enix would have had to spend some time remaking certain portions of the gameplay to support the one-screen, non-touchscreen nature of the PlayStation 4. For example, the ‘Reality Shift’ commands and ‘Flick Rush’ games are done exclusively through the DUALSHOCK controller, while some of the spirit-raising mechanics can be done through the small touchpad on the front of the controller. Outside of these and a few small version-exclusive additions, the gameplay mechanics haven’t received a major overhaul. However, as someone who regularly found the Nintendo 3DS controls to be finicky during fast-paced battles, the transition over to the DUALSHOCK controller was welcome.

Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance features many systems similar to past games, although has a few quirks of its own. The battle system is once again action RPG style, where players as either Sora or Riku usually find themselves slashing their way through wave upon wave of enemies known as “Dream Eaters”. The use of skills comes down to a ‘Command Deck’ system comparable to the one first introduced in Birth by Sleep, where outside of battle, you can equip a character with a set number of skills (physical, magic) which run on a timer, or items. Dream Drop Distance introduces a Flowmotion system, allowing characters to speedily navigate the area by rail grinding, bouncing between walls and flinging from poles. Especially when there are some fairly large areas to explore, having a way to traverse them slightly faster was a nice addition. There are also ‘Reality Shifts’ which are unique to each world, allowing Sora and Riku to perform skills tailored to the area they are in. Ultimately, this game offered a few nice additions, but at its core is more or less a similar experience to past games.

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Even though Sora and Riku will meet many friendly characters on their journey, they are the only humans who battle in their party. The other three slots are filled with Spirits, “good” counterparts of the antagonistic Dream Eaters who can be created through their drops. I am torn between their inclusion. On the one hand they add some diversity to your party, meaning you aren’t necessarily locked to the – for example – offensive-defender and mage roles filled by Goofy and Donald respectively in Kingdom Hearts. On the other hand, they do have have occasionally iffy AI and some rather bland although at least not time-consuming raising mechanics behind them.

One system which I both appreciated yet didn’t always like was the “Drop” system. In a way which comes across as a decent attempt at keeping Sora and Riku progressing at a similar rate, each character has a Drop Gauge which depletes over time. While there are ways to replenish this gauge, once it is depleted, you will be forced to take control of the other character irrespective of where you are in a particular world. This is annoying as it can hit you at an inopportune time. However, depending on how much you have accomplished since last dropping, you can spend accumulated ‘Drop Points’ on perks for the next character.

Overall, Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance doesn’t compare to either of the numbered games when it comes to sheer amount of content offered or the weight of its gameplay. It is however an enjoyable game in its own right, delivering an interesting story, visuals which are comparable to earlier Kingdom Hearts HD releases, and gameplay mechanics which are in my opinion are better suited to the television screen than a portable console.

Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage

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For those going into Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage expecting it to be a game of similar scale of other “second” games in the Kingdom Hearts HD re-releases… you may be left disappointed… or impressed nevertheless. This is a game unique to this collection, and comes in at approximately two hours in length. It presents an ever-consistent storyline with a good number of puzzles and boss fights to match. In my mind, this is clearly being offered as a chance to have a small glimpse at some of the technology and systems to be present in Kingdom Hearts III when it eventually launches on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Serving as a continuation to both the events of Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance and Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, A Fragmentary Passage follows the events of Aqua, who is trapped within the Realm of Darkness. Finding herself trapped within a number of dark, fragmentary worlds from Cinderella’s Castle to the mineshafts of Dwarf Woodlands – this follows her tale – as the chance of escape becomes a possibility. The storyline is adequate for the game’s length, and is structured so that players get to experience new bits of gameplay with every fragmented world visited. By its conclusion, this game does offer many possibilities for Kingdom Hearts III, providing goals for each character during the events that lie ahead.

Considering the capabilities of the now current-generation video game consoles, it should come as no surprise that Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage is by far the most visually pleasing game in the series to date. It offers a level of quality and detailed scale which hasn’t really been offered by the franchise before. Provided they manage to tackle some of the occasional frame rate issues, this is a level of quality I wouldn’t object to seeing in the final release of Kingdom Hearts III.

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A Fragmentary Passage features a mix of both new and returning gameplay features, many of which are in my opinion best experienced by diving into this game and uncovering them for yourself. While combat at its core is similar to earlier games, the shotlock system from Birth by Sleep returns, at least high level magic such as Firaga and Blizzaga can now cause environmental effects, and an updated version of “Reaction Commands” known as “Situation Commands” are introduced, which provide special abilities and attacks depending on your battle style.

A Fragmentary Passage is short, but this doesn’t mean it is devoid of challenge. Although each puzzle it puts infront of players are rudimentary at best, the boss battles in particular do encourage players to try out different skills and take full advantage of what it has to offer. I for one was particularly fond of the final boss, which really highlighted the scale of enemies and environment which the game will be able to handle. There are also a decent number of challenges to complete while playing, providing new customisation options for Aqua such as head wear and outfit patterns.

Without having played Kingdom Hearts III, it isn’t exactly possible to say how much from A Fragmentary Passage will make it into the final game. However, not only is this a respectable albeit short game in its own right, it paints a positive vision for the Kingdom Hearts franchise going forward. 

Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover

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The final title in Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is the usual cinematic film, this time being an original work titled Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover. This is based on the iOS and Android smartphone game Kingdom Hearts Unchained χwhich launched internationally in the first half of 2016. 

While finding myself with more time to enjoy mobile games in recent months, such as Cygame’ RPG Granblue Fantasy, this is not one game I have had the chance to really dive too deeply into. Despite going into this unawares about the backstory, this was still a fairly approachable story in my perspective, although I envision the full experience would come out of knowing the events of both game and film.

Taking place prior to the events of the Keyblade War, this film follows the story of the game’s five Foretellers – prior apprentices of “The Master of Masters” – each of whom were entrusted with a Book of Prophecies telling of events to come prior to his mysterious disappearance. Concluding with more questions than answers from my point of view, this film chronicles the events of a potential rift between the group and provides further insights into Foretellers and their respective unions.

While this is arguably the weakest of the three titles included in Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, it was nevertheless worth the watch in my opinion. And has it tempted me to try and get back into Kingdom Hearts Unchained χYes!

Final Words on Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue

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Although Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue might not beat either Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX and Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX in terms of sheer content, it does paint a promising vision for the franchise’s future. Quite fitting given its title, this collection clearly set out to get things in motion for Kingdom Hearts III on the one console, and that is exactly what it managed to do. Plus, having a sneak peek at the mechanics and technology possibly behind the game we have been waiting more than eleven years is quite exciting.

Final Score
The Quick Brief
Although Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue might not beat either Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX and Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX in terms of sheer content, it does paint a promising vision for the franchise's future. Quite fitting given its title, this collection clearly set out to get things in motion for Kingdom Hearts III on the one console, and that is exactly what it managed to do. Plus, having a sneak peek at the mechanics and technology possibly behind the game we have been waiting more than eleven years is quite exciting.
Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance
8
Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep
7.5
Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover
6
7.2
Out of 10
Sam
Sam
Founder of The Otaku's Study. I have been exploring this labyrinth of fandom these last fifteen years, and still nowhere close to the exit yet. Probably searching for a long time to come.

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