Finally on PC! We had to be patient for non-consoles like me who have never been able to enjoy the Kingdom Hearts saga... 19 years to be more precise!
And it's now done, with the whole saga in its entirety being found on the Epic Games Store... a very good move for Epic, which will have been able to beat the pawn on other platforms, Steam in the lead. .
We thus find, in the ReMix versions, the entire saga already released on PS3, then later on PS4 and Xbox One, in several packs:
- KINGDOM HEARTS HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX, including a total of six separate games:
- Kingdom Hearts Final Mix
- Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories
- Kingdom Hearts 358 / 2 Days
- Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix
- Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix
- Kingdom Hearts Re:coded
- KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, with three different experiences:
- Kingdom Hearts III : Dream Drop Distance HD
- Kingdom Hearts χ chi Back Cover (a cinematic in HD)
- Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep – A fragmentary passage
- KINGDOM HEARTS III + Re Mind (DLC)
- KINGDOM HEARTS Melody of Memory
Let's talk right away about the things that annoy, as it is done: the price. As much to be frank, if you want to enjoy the saga on PC, it will be at full price, each “pack” costing between 49,99 and 59,99€. It hurts the wallet, especially for games that have been out for a good number of years on consoles. One can decently what can justify such a high cost.
The beginnings of the saga
Let's put financial considerations aside, it's up to everyone now to make up their own mind and see if the desire to play the saga justifies the purchase price and let's take a direct interest in the games, and in particular the first pack, containing the 1.5 and 2.5 (and their respective complements).
In 2002, the Final Fantasy saga was one of the leading licenses in the video game world. In 1997, Final Fantasy 7 was released, certainly the most appreciated episode globally by players and bringing the J-RPG to the forefront of the Western scene. Then come episodes 8 and 9, confirming the undeniable success.
Then it's the turn of the tenth episode, which appears on the Playstation 2, released 2 years earlier (an episode which will also be the last offering the turn-by-turn system, snif).
It is in this context that a partnership between Square (which had not yet merged with Enix at the time) and Disney was announced. The clash of cultures between East and West, one might say. And this partnership will lead straight to Kingdom Hearts, in 2002, bringing together Disney characters (like Mickey, Donald, Goofy, etc.) and others from the Final Fantasy universe (let's mention Squall, Aerith, Youffie, Cid), as well as new characters, like the hero Sora.
We precisely follow in the footsteps of Sora, bearer of the Keyblade and teaming up with Donald and Goofy, to find the trace of his friends while his world has been annihilated by the Heartless. His adventure will take us from world to world, each time revisiting the great classics of the Disney universe: Tarzan, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Peter Pan, Beauty and the Beast... the references are extremely numerous.
The game dates from 2002, 19 years later (after an HD release in 2013). And it feels! The gameplay remains rather pleasant, with a well-felt Action-RPG side. But on the travel side, we clearly feel the weight of the years weighing on our characters. And more particularly in the platforming phases (fortunately few).
But the main downside for me is the camera, which is often very badly placed. An option is available to switch from automatic control to manual control. An essential change, so capricious is the automatic camera. Even manually, there are passages, especially in somewhat confined places (sorry, I know that word is taboo at the moment!), where the point of view is completely out of place, but it's still more manageable .
Let's also not forget the shoot'em up phases with the Gummi ship, acting as a "transition" between the different worlds. A rather interesting idea (although incongruous in an RPG), but with a rather basic gameplay and ultimately not very catchy. The shipbuilder is also a real pain, clearly not making you want to invest.
Despite these small flaws, that didn't prevent me from going through the whole game (in just over twenty hours) in a short week. Suffice to say that it's been a very, very long time since I've been so glued to a game. I had a lot of fun browsing through them. Without being a hardcore Disney fan like the editor's friend Dheuz, I like these references enough to appreciate them (at least most of them) and have a good time every time.
Transitions
Before talking directly about Kingdom Hearts 2.5 Final Mix, let's take a little digression with Re:Chain of Memories and 358/2 Days, which are direct sequels to 1.5.
Originally released on Game Boy Advance, it was brought up to date on Playstation 2, then 3. The game is completely different, since the combat system is based on cards. A rather "nice" system at the base, without being frankly transcendent. To be frank, he didn't convince me of the masses, I found him rather clumsy. If the basic idea on a Game Boy Advance is rather interesting, the interest is clearly less on more modern platforms.
On the side of 358/2 Days, the gameplay is more like "classic" games (1.5 and 2.5). The progression is still a bit boring, the game offering a simple succession of missions without any real sequence.
Despite the shortcomings of these two games, they have a certain interest for the story. While Kingdom Hearts offered an assumed adventure on the meeting of the universes of Final Fantasy and Disney, with a relatively simple story, we can see, especially with Kingdom Hearts II, that ambitions have been revised upwards, with a more complex scenario (even a little too much at times). These two "transition" episodes thus allow us to discover more about the universe and the motivations of Organization XIII, the backdrop for the following episodes.
And what's next
And that brings us to Kingdom Hearts 2.5, the "direct" sequel (well, not quite suddenly). A rather confusing sequel at first glance. The first hours of play (roughly the first 3-4) focus on another character, Roxas, who we wonder a bit what he is doing there, especially if we haven't played 358/2 Days. The pace is slow, the story not very foliochonne.
Fortunately, after this looooong appetizer, serious things resume, with the trio Sora, Donald and Goofy. We find the same principle of passages between the worlds, interspersed with shoot'em up sessions with the Gummi ship. Phases that have benefited from clear improvements, becoming much more dynamic and therefore interesting. The construction interface has also been improved, but still remains quite cumbersome and unintuitive.
The main improvement of the game concerns the combat system. Admittedly, the basics remain the same, with attacks, combos, magic and summons (fewer, but more "useful"). But small novelties spice up the experience, such as Reaction Commands (actions to be carried out in the form of QTEs). Sora can also "merge" with one of his partners (or even both later) for even more power and different attacks. Cooperation between companions will also be at the heart of combat, with common attacks being able to be launched at various times.
Conclusion
Hard to judge games that originally came out almost 15-20 years ago, since they are based on clearly dated foundations. This results in gameplay and narrative flaws that we would no longer see in current productions. Could these flaws be excusable if it wasn't Kingdom Hearts? I am not sure.
Nevertheless, they are clearly excusable here, given the other qualities of this series of games. The improbable meeting between the two universes works wonderfully, and if we have a minimum of affection for them, it takes us on an adventure that is certainly rather classic as far as the first opus is concerned, but which is hard to let go. In any case, for my part, I was completely transported.
Now remains the problem of the price, totally unjustified, which deserves to be reduced by a few euros to be really fair play.
- KINGDOM HEARTS HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX - 49,99€
- KINGDOM HEARTS Melody of Memory - 59,99€
- KINGDOM HEARTS-HD 2.8 Final Chapter - 59,99€
