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Yesterday, Epic made an announcement that they would be selling PC ports of all the major Kingdom Hearts titles.
It will be arriving in a series of three collections, and one standalone title, all currently available for pre-order on the Epic Games Store.
Kingdom Hearts first released in 2002, and was praised for being a unique take on a traditional JRPG, with fun and original gameplay, and its iconic blending of Disney and Square Enix branded characters. The series as a whole has a sprawling story that stretched over multiple consoles, including handhelds. But now, fans can get most of them all together on PC.
Available Kingdom Hearts titles
Hardcore fans of the series will already know the difference between the games and their non-standard titling, but for curious newcomers, it can sometimes be confusing. The three bundles each include different parts of the Kingdom Hearts story, and for the most, part players can simply play them in the order listed on the Epic Games Store if they want to experience the story as intended.
But for anyone who doesn’t want to commit to the $230 price tag to get every Kingdom Hearts title coming to the Epic Games Store, it can help to know exactly what is being sold.
KINGDOM HEARTS HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX
The first collection is the cheapest and perhaps the highest value, as it comes with the HD remasters of Kingdom Hearts 1.5 and 2.5, as well as Re:Chain of Memories, 358/2 Days, Birth by Sleep, and Re:coded.
Anyone curious about the series as a whole should start here as it has the two most critically acclaimed and well-remembered entries into the series, Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2. The other, more intricately named titles, were each released across multiple handheld consoles, making it unlikely that all but the most dedicated fans experienced all of them.
KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue
This second collection features Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance, χ Back Cover, and 0.2 Birth by Sleep (an epilogue to Birth by Sleep). Dream Drop Distance originally released for the Nintendo 3DS, but later got ports to the PS4 and Xbox One. 0.2 Birth By Sleep has never been released outside of the 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue collection, originally released for PS4 in 2017.
KINGDOM HEARTS III + Re Mind (DLC)
Kingdom Hearts III is the latest mainline release. Fans had been waiting to play since Kingdom Hearts II released in 2005, but had to wait until 2019 to find out if the wait had been worth it. This collection also features the Re Mind DLC that came out the following year.
This collection is effectively the end of the series, though reports from some fans say that the story can be a little confusing for anyone who hasn’t played through Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2.
KINGDOM HEARTS Melody of Memory
Melody of Memory is a Kingdom Hearts themed rhythm game that was released last year. Because this was the latest release, it’s being sold as a standalone game. This game is a basic retelling of much of the story, as well as backstory for some of the series' core characters.
Making sense of the Kingdom Hearts story
Trying to understand the Kingdom Hearts story can be an exercise in futility, and listening to diehard fans talk about the game can leave uninitiated members confused about exactly what’s being said.
That said, playing these collections is the best shot anyone has at figuring out just what’s going on with Sora, Donald, Goofy, Roxas, Kairi, Roxas, Riku, the heartless, Organization XIII, the Nobodies, Mickey Mouse, and so on.
To call the plot of these games complex barely covers it. Fortunately, many other people have already attempted to summarize the story to the best of their ability, with mixed results. Still, nothing beats experiencing it.
