Square Enix, Square Enix, Square Enix. We think we might have to sit down with you and talk you about these game names, because it's just getting ridiculous. We kind of understood Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD and 2.5 HD, being as they were HD "remasters" of earlier games, so the .5 addition kind of made sense. But 2.8? That just smacks of bad planning. And why 2.8? Why not 2.7, or 2.6? And then you go and tack the word 'Prologue' on the end too - with the idea of a 'Final Chapter Prologue' making our brain melt on first glance.
Sora is not impressed with the title of his newest game...
Still, as much as people hate on Kingdom Hearts and its story, the Disney-infused, action-packed adventure is still one of our favourites - after all, where else can you join up with Donald and Goofy, hang with The Little Mermaid, help Mulan prove herself in ancient China and save Jasmine from the evil Jafar, all in the same game? Taking in oodles of Disney films, from The Lion King to Winnie the Pooh and even Pirates of the Caribbean, it's a series that's spawned many, many sequels, spin-offs and remakes over the years - but with the main numbered games over ten years old now, and a third on the horizon, getting to grips with the story may seem a bit daunting to newcomers.
So, to help introduce a whole new set of people to the franchise, and rekindle the fond memories of existing fans, Square Enix recently released a couple of remastered collections of the games in an attempt to create a fairly robust, chronological, retelling of the Kingdom Hearts story. Taking in three titles each, Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix and Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix hit the Playstation 3 in 2013 and 2014 respectively, and, we assumed marked the end of the series, leaving the canon Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance for the 3DS kind of in the lurch. Whether it was always intended, or whether it's simply to fill in the gap before Kingdom Hearts III finally hits consoles, though, Square Enix have now announced that a third triple collection is on it's way… sometime soon, we assume.
As you might have guessed, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is a bundle of three more Kingdom Hearts games, consisting of two brand new spin-off thingies for the collection, and an HD port of 3DS role player Dream Drop Distance. Telling the tale of the series protagonist Sora and his friend Riku as they train to take their Mark of Mastery exams - a test which assesses whether they are truly worthy to be called Keyblade Masters - the game came complete with a much more fast-paced and reaction based battle system, where you can chain together huge combos with the help of rails, jumps and recruitable, raise-able animal sidekicks. Supposedly acting as a prequel to the upcoming Kingdom Hearts III, it at least makes sense that this one is getting a remake.
Dream Eaters have invaded all your favourite Disney films, causing colourful, colourful chaos
But what are perhaps the most interesting aspects of the collection are two totally new, never-before-seen titles. Again, showing off their skills at creating unnecessarily long, nonsensical titles, Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth By Sleep: A Fragmentary Passage is a new, playable 'episode' which links Kingdom Hearts III's story to that of Birth By Sleep (again about Mark of Mastery exams), this time told from the perspective of the game's female protagonist, Aqua. Rounding out the collection is Kingdom Hearts x [chi] Back Cover, a HD movie that "tells the mysterious story of the Foretellers, connecting the earliest parts of the series' history", as it will be told in the upcoming mobile game, Kingdom Hearts x Unchained [chi].Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue will be coming to the Playstation 4 at an as yet unspecified date, although we can't imagine it'll be too far away really. And with the Tokyo Game Show kicking off soon, more information will surely make it's way out of Japan shortly - Square Enix have already confirmed a debut trailer will be hitting the internet as of tomorrow, so make sure you check back then!
