Feb 18, 2019
*DISCLAIMER: As I mentioned in my review of the “HD 1.5 ReMIX,” this review will not be an overly-critical assessment of the individual games*DISCLAIMER: As I mentioned in my review of the “HD 1.5 ReMIX,” this review will not be an overly-critical assessment of the individual games in the collection, but rather a basic assessment of the collection as a whole.*
When the “Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX” released in 2013, fans fell in love, but almost immediately wanted one thing: an “HD 2.5 ReMIX.” And it only seemed logical: after all, “Kingdom Hearts III” had just been announced, and fans finally got the “Final Mix” version of the first entry in the series with the “HD 1.5 ReMIX,” so it only seemed right for Square Enix to not only bring over the “Final Mix” version of the second game, but also include the “Final Mix” version of “Birth by Sleep,” the popular prequel to the series. So Square Enix did that, and boy howdy, are we glad they did.
“Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX” succeeds on the strength that it includes the best versions of two of the franchise’s best games: “Kingdom Hearts 2” and “Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep.” These are two of the series’s most popular entries, and to finally be able to experience the “Final Mix” versions is a dream-come-true. What’s more, the games still hold up: visually, they are still splendid, the soundtracks are timeless, and both games feature very refined and rock-solid combat. Where the “HD 1.5 ReMIX” only had one “new” version of a game, this one has two great, refined versions of great games, and throwing in the “Re:Coded” film is certainly a nice touch.
That said, I do think the inclusion of “Re:Coded,” while necessary to complete the story and have all the games included, is controversial and was unfortunately bound to please no one: for starters, as a game, it’s seen as the “black sheep” of the series, being a merely-updated version of a phone game that even seems content to retread (and often complicate) plot elements from other games, but even so, much like “358/2 Days” in the last collection, some fans were upset that the game was stiffed to just being a cinematic retelling, instead of being included as it’s own playable game. It’s polarizing whether it should’ve been included or not, but the unfortunate truth is that it would’ve pleased no one.
Even so, considering that the package includes two long-awaited versions of two of the series’s most popular games, it’s more than a worthwhile investment. Naturally, make sure you’ve also got the “HD 1.5 ReMIX” along with this one, but still, you should make it a point to pick this one up. You won’t be disappointed by what these games have to offer.
Final rating: 9 out of 10 “Awesome”… Expand
