When it comes to all things Kingdom Hearts, our feelings toward the franchise are torn between intense cynicism—darkness, if you will—and unabashed joy. True to form, Square Enix’s announcement today of Kingdom Hearts: The Story So Far falls somewhere between those two extremes.
For newcomers to the franchise who haven’t already purchased the prior Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX or Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, this all-in-one collection includes all of the content that’s trickled out across various consoles since the series began in 2002:
Kingdom Hearts Final Mix
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (HD Remastered Cinematics)
Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix
Kingdom Hearts Re:coded (HD Remastered Cinematics)
Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD
Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep (A Fragmentary Passage)
Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover (Movie)
For longtime fans, the collection offers only another opportunity to shell out money on the franchise before the long-awaited, often-teased Kingdom Hearts III finally releases. As for those hoping to play this all-in-one-collection on an Xbox One: Sorry, Square Enix’s announcement only references a PlayStation edition.
Pre-orders are now available for The Story So Far, which releases on October 30. Kingdom Hearts III remains scheduled for January 29, 2019.
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