| Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer | Square Enix 1st Production Department |
| Publisher | Square Enix |
| Directors |
|
| Producer | Rie Nishi |
| Designer | Tetsuya Nomura |
| Writers |
|
| Composer | Yoko Shimomura |
| Series | Kingdom Hearts |
| Platforms | |
| Release | PlayStation 3HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix PlayStation 4Xbox One
|
| Genre | Action role-playing |
| Mode | Single-player |
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix[a] is anHD remastered collection of three games inSquare Enix'sKingdom Hearts series:Kingdom Hearts II,Birth by Sleep andRe:coded. A successor to the series'HD 1.5 Remix collection, it was released for thePlayStation 3 in Japan in October 2014 and internationally two months later.
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix includesKingdom Hearts II Final Mix[b] (2007) andKingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix (2011) in high definition and with trophy support. Additionally, the collection features a cinematic remake ofKingdom Hearts Re:coded that features remastered cutscenes from the original game as well as new content. A third collection,Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, was released on January 24, 2017.2.5 Remix was released in a single, combined collection with1.5 Remix on thePlayStation 4 on March 28, 2017, on theXbox One on February 18, 2020, and onWindows viaEpic Games Store andSteam on March 30, 2021, and June 13, 2024, respectively. Acloud version of the collection was released for theNintendo Switch on February 10, 2022.
In the credits ofKingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix, clips of the games featured in this collection were shown, hinting at the collection. Additionally, whenIGN interviewedShinji Hashimoto aboutKingdom Hearts III, he stated that the studio would consider another HD collection if the reaction to the first one was positive enough. The collection was announced on October 14, 2013, exclusively for thePlayStation 3.[2] As withHD 1.5 Remix, the collection was developed mainly by the Square Enix1st Production Department in Osaka, along with Square Enix's Tokyo team.[3] In July 2017,Tetsuya Nomura spoke on bringing the collection to theXbox One, saying he did not believe there was much demand for it outside of North America, but felt it could be a possibility after Square Enix completed development onKingdom Hearts III.[4] At the X019 event in November 2019, Hashimoto and Ichiro Hazama announced that the collection along with1.5 and2.8 would be released on the Xbox One in 2020; the collection was released for the platform on February 18, 2020.[5][6] The game was also released onWindows exclusively viaEpic Games Store on March 30, 2021,[7] and later onSteam on June 13, 2024, following the expiration of the exclusivity.[8]
In October 2021, it was announced that acloud version of the game was in development forNintendo Switch.[9][10]
Kingdom Hearts II picks up one year after the events ofKingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.Sora, the protagonist of the first two games, returns to search for his lost friends. Like the previous games,Kingdom Hearts II features a large cast of characters from Disney films andFinal Fantasy games.Organization XIII, a group introduced inChain of Memories, also reappears to impede Sora's progress.
The backgrounds and textures of the game had to be adjusted to change from the game's original4:3 aspect ratio to the HD16:9. Additional imagery was added to the menu screens and Gummi Ship area to compensate for areas that were lacking from the ratio shift. According to co-director Tai Yasue, approximately 80% of the original audio was remixed, as well as additional orchestral elements added to the songs. Yasue said, "Yoko Shimomura's music is an undeniable trait of theKingdom Hearts series, I feel like without the atmosphere she creates, it isn'tKingdom Hearts, so the mix of the final audio was carefully controlled but also provides a new depth to the familiar sound."[3]Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix was released outside Japan for the first time as part of the collection.[2]
Birth by Sleep is a prequel to the originalKingdom Hearts, taking place ten years before the title's events. The game centers on the journeys ofTerra,Aqua, andVentus, characters briefly featured inKingdom Hearts II, and their quest to locate the missing MasterXehanort and protect the worlds from creatures known as theUnversed.
Moving from thePlayStation Portable to the PlayStation 3 allowed the development team to add more details to the character designs, additional atmospheric sounds, as well as slightly tweak the gameplay system, now allowing camera control with the right analog stick. In addition, the Mirage Arena, a multiplayer component from the original game, was reworked to only be a single-player experience. Yasue said enemy strengths and AI in the arena were adjusted to account for this.[3] The inclusion of theFinal Mix version in the collection marked the first time for this version to be released outside Japan.[2]
Kingdom Hearts Re:coded was also included in the collection, featuring theNintendo DS game adapted into a cinematic retelling, similar to howKingdom Hearts 358/2 Days was included inKingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix.[2] The title is set afterKingdom Hearts II and follows the discovery ofJiminy Cricket's journal, which chronicles Sora's fight against theHeartless and Organization XIII, which is found to have two secret messages written by persons unknown. Once the journal is digitized for further analysis, the contents become corrupted. This leadsMickey Mouse and his friends to make a digital Sora to enter and repair the journal so that the meaning of the hidden messages can be deciphered.
For theRe:coded cinematics, additional events occur that were not seen in the original. Nomura added that new voice acting had been recorded and hinted at the inclusion of a new battle scene and a scene that tiesRe:coded andKingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance together.[11] Yasue revealed that approximately two hours of the total three-hour cinematic would be newly created content and subsequently recorded with voice acting, as well as featuring additional scenes that flesh out the backstories of otherKingdom Hearts titles.[3]
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix was released in Japan on October 2, 2014,[12] in North America on December 2,[13] in Australia on December 4,[14] and in Europe on December 5.[13] Preorders for the game in North America and Australia included an officialDisney Collector's Pin for the game.[14][15] Square Enix also released the collection in two bundles in Japan, with both featuringKingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix and a code to get an Anniversary Set forKingdom Hearts χ [chi]. The first, titledKingdom Hearts Starter Pack: HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix, features the previously mentioned material and limited edition casing, while the second,Kingdom Hearts Collector's Pack: HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix features limited edition casing, a promo soundtrack and a booklet with art from the series in addition to the previous material.[12] A collector's edition for North America and Europe was also released, featuring both HD collections, a steelbook case, art book, Disney Kingdom Hearts pin, and a Heartless plush doll.[16][17]
In October 2016, Square Enix announced a single-disc compilation release ofKingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix andKingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix for thePlayStation 4. It was released on March 9, 2017, in Japan, March 28, 2017, in North America, and March 31, 2017, in Europe and Australia.[18] An additional bundle,Kingdom Hearts: The Story So Far, includes theKingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix PlayStation 4 collection andKingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue and was released in North America on October 30, 2018 for the PlayStation 4.[19]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 81/100[20] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 8.0/10[21] |
| Game Informer | 9/10[22] |
| GameTrailers | 8.7/10[23] |
| Hardcore Gamer | 4/5[24] |
| IGN | 8.4/10[25] |
The collection sold 84,935 units during its first week of release in Japan[26] and since sales figures were last reported for the game on November 9, 2014, 129,660 units have been sold in Japan.[27]
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix received "generally favorable" reviews, according to video game review aggregatorMetacritic.[20]Game Informer praised the collection, praising the upgrades toKingdom Hearts II, the transition ofBirth By Sleep from thePlayStation Portable to the PlayStation 3 and criticizing theRe:coded movie as just being "there for completionists and easy to ignore for everyone else."[22]Electronic Gaming Monthly called the collection a great deal for fans of the series, praising the combat system and series charming characters, but noting the questionable overall narrative quality.[21]GameTrailers noted the improved selection of games over the 1.5 Remix, extolling the inclusion of two of theKingdom Hearts series best games in the collection, as well as previously Japan-only content such as special boss battles. They also praised the new music arrangements and the cinematic retelling ofRe:coded, though this was not a universally shared opinion.[23]IGN propounded the same points, noting the improved music, graphics, and "high-level challenges", but criticized the aging controls fromKingdom Hearts II and the camera system inBirth by Sleep.[25]Hardcore Gamer had more mixed views of the collection, noting that the games were not cutting edge graphically, particularlyKingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep Final Mix, but was still a major improvement.[24]
In the credits ofHD 2.5 Remix, clips ofKingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance were shown as well as the inclusion of a secret ending related to the game, hinting at a possible additional collection.[28] In September 2015, Square Enix announcedKingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue. The collection features an HD remaster ofDream Drop Distance as well asKingdom Hearts χ Back Cover, a cinematic retelling ofKingdom Hearts χ andKingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage, a new game taking place after the events of the originalBirth by Sleep, told from the perspective of Aqua.[29] It was released on January 12, 2017 in Japan and January 24, 2017 for other countries.[30]
Games directed byTetsuya Nomura | |
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| Kingdom Hearts | |
| Final Fantasy VII | |
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