With Kingdom Hearts IV looming, Square Enix and Bandai Namco have prepared a new all-in-one collection of past Kingdom Hearts games coming this August.
The tamely named Kingdom Hearts Collection [I~III] (that’s a tilde instead of hyphen) includes the previous two separate collection of Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5+2.5 Remix, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue as well as Kingdom Hearts III + ReMind DLC.
These separate collections, previously released on previous generation consoles, are also now available natively on PS5, PC (Microsoft Store), Xbox Series X|S and Switch 2.
Kingdom Hearts Collection [I~III] will natively run the games on Nintendo Switch 2. A demo of Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind is also available on Switch 2 right now.
In addition, Kingdom Hearts Collection [I~III] will be released in physical form for the PS5 and Switch 2 in Southeast Asia. However, it has been disclosed upfront that the disc/cartridge won’t work as is, and will require an internet connection to download additional data.
Here’s all the included games in each collection. Note that not all of them are “games” per se, as a few titles only represented through a cutscene compilation.
KINGDOM HEARTS -HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX- (Digital only)
- KINGDOM HEARTS FINAL MIX
- KINGDOM HEARTS Re:Chain of Memories
- KINGDOM HEARTS II FINAL MIX
- KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 Days (HD cutscene compilation)
- KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep FINAL MIX
- KINGDOM HEARTS Re:coded (HD cutscene compilation
KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue (Digital only)
- KINGDOM HEARTS Dream Drop Distance HD
- KINGDOM HEARTS χ Back Cover (movie)
- KINGDOM HEARTS 0.2 Birth By Sleep
KINGDOM HEARTS III + Re Mind (DLC) (Digital only)
- KINGDOM HEARTS III
- KINGDOM HEARTS Re Mind (DLC)
KINGDOM HEARTS Collection [I~III] (Physical and Digital)
- All games from the KINGDOM HEARTS -HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX-, KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue and KINGDOM HEARTS III + Re Mind (DLC) bundles
Kingdom Hearts is a long and winding tale of Sora, Donald and Goofy as they travel across various Disney and Pixar worlds as they fight against the darkness. The series used to be pitched as a Final Fantasy X Disney crossover, but the original characters and their elaborate backstories have taken a more prominent role over the FF guest appearances in more recent entries.
The story of Kingdom Hearts can be… a lot. And despite only having three numbered entries so far, all of the spin-off titles spread across handhelds and delisted mobile games are all pertinent to the main plot. Hence, the inclusion of some games as a cutscene compilation. Even if the game can’t be ported or adapted, the story remains crucial to the experience.
If you haven’t delve deep into the entire Kingdom Hearts lore, despite its reputation, you’ll find a genuine sincere, heartfelt story about, and this is directly quoting the press release: “the power of friendship.”
Also, Kingdom Hearts is the series that laid the foundation of action-RPG combat that modern Final Fantasy games riffed on afterwards. The usage of a command list in a real-time combat system seen in Final Fantasy XV and the Final Fantasy VII Remake series can be attributed to Kingdom Hearts’ influence.
Kingdom Hearts Collection [I~III] releases on October 8 for the PS5, PC (Microsoft Store), Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2. Physical release of the game will launch the same day for PS5 and Switch 2 in Southeast Asia.