We begged for this, you know. We begged on our damn, dirty knees for Kingdom Hearts to come to Switch. Not Melody of Memory, that's a half-measure. We wanted the full shebang, 1.5 + 2.5 ReMix. And now we've got it... in the most cursed form possible, a Cloud Version.
Don't worry, we're not going to spend the whole review complaining about this means of delivery, though we probably could. Let's just take the drawbacks as read; an unstable or weaker internet connection will hamper performance (stuttering, hitching and freezing), introduce significant input lag or, worst of all, simply kick you back to the menu, potentially losing extensive progress. This is far from an ideal way to play Kingdom Hearts, and in truth, we don't understand why 1.5 + 2.5 ReMix couldn't simply have been ported to a system that could plainly handle it. Square Enix certainly has the resources, and it's incredibly disappointing for fans of this series to see that the company simply wasn't willing to invest the time, effort and funds to make a native port a reality.
But these are well-worn criticisms of cloud gaming — let's focus on the strength of the package itself.
Thankfully, it's all here, and it's all good. Well, almost all. The 1.5 + 2.5 ReMix package crams in six games' worth of material (though not, as you'll soon see, six actual games). You've got Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts re:Chain of Memories, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Kingdom Hearts 2, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts re:coded all represented here, comprising (almost) the entire story to date in one handy-dandy package.
Note that we said story. The Nintendo DS games 358/2 Days and re:Coded are here as a compilation of cutscenes, rather than ports of the games proper. This decision sucks and has always sucked because 358/2 Days is an absurdly underrated gaming experience, a marriage of gameplay and story that has rarely been bettered in terms of melding its story and themes with the actual in-game action. But that's another day and another essay. The fact is, the cutscenes in 358/2 and re:Coded don't stand up as enjoyable "movies"; they're a collection of cutscenes, directed as cutscenes and intended to supplement games that are no longer present.
Thankfully, the actual playable portions of the package remain as good as ever. Kingdom Hearts, its sequel and PSP prequel are all presented here in their expanded, content-rich "Final Mix" forms and offer at least 150 hours of action-RPG fun for all. Opinions vary on which game in the series is best, but we'd give the crown to Kingdom Hearts 2; despite a very, very long tutorial/prologue (nonetheless devastating if you've played 358/2 Days), we feel that it offers the most enjoyable set of worlds, setpieces and fantastic combat of the whole lot. Many favour Birth by Sleep, but we think it's too limited in its scope and reliant on repetition; while revisiting worlds is part and parcel with the Kingdom Hearts series, going to the same not-that-interesting Disney worlds three times minimum per character is a big ask, especially when they're so small and empty. It's not a bad game — the customisable combat is a lot of fun to mess around with and there's plenty of challenge — but it's the weak link in the pack when the original Kingdom Hearts offers up such charm in its more old-school, platforming-based environments and the most coherent story of the set.
That's not to say it's especially coherent, but complaints about the story in the Kingdom Hearts series are a) passé and b) overstated, usually coming from folks who jumped into the plot six games in. Criticism is warranted — there is a lot of repetition and portentous monologuing here — but ultimately these games are played for the fun of the combat. And there's plenty to be had, as you'd genuinely struggle to find a character action game as richly enjoyable than Kingdom Hearts games on Critical difficulty, a special mode that grants access to more moves from the start but increases damage output amongst other things.
Ultimately, though, it's the fun kind of button-mashy, with the exception of re:Chain of Memories with its entirely card-based offence. This quasi-roguelike addition to the package is a lot of fun but worth noting that the difficulty spikes pretty hard around two thirds into the game, potentially requiring a bit of grinding to overcome.
Most everything is here, then, and it's all full-featured and runs beautifully — providing you have a stable connection. Sat with the Switch on the same floor as the router we found the game ran at 60fps, no stutters and no hitches. Docked, or moving between rooms, it would falter and fail to the point of being essentially an unplayable waste of time. We lost our session once simply for putting the console into sleep mode for a matter of seconds. Your mileage will vary on this. Our internet connection is generally fast and strong and should have been fine, but it wasn't 100% even in the most agreeable conditions.
Conclusion
What we have here remains a fine collection of games and an interesting demonstration of the first decade of the Kingdom Hearts series. If you have a reliable enough internet connection, this is almost as good a way to play Kingdom Hearts as any other. If you don't, absolutely leave it on the digital shelf. We'd like to score Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 HD ReMix on the assumption that you can run it, but that's not necessarily an accurate representation of what many people's experience is going to be, and our experience — with robust and rapid internet — was patchy. If you have any other way at all of playing these games, we recommend you do so. Ultimately, this is a great package delivered in the worst possible way.
Comments 107
remarkably condensed review for how much is technically covered here! (not a bad thing, mind you)
These games have always been a mess to play. You needed about 4 consoles to play the whole series, never mind all the different versions. Just add one more to the trash heap.
None of these Cloud releases are even available in my country. With them being so unattractive to the general public, and limited to a few countries, it makes me wonder just how lucrative they really are.
Even a 5 is still 5 points to much
Always say no to cloud ports.
Especially for last gen games.
This practice is horrible and Switch users deserve better.
@Medic_Alert For games that will never come to Switch otherwise, they have their place. This one just feels bizarre, they’re PS2 games for God’s sake!
Cloud games should automatically be given a zero and a warning to never purchase
This might forever be the most disappointing release on switch for me personally. I don't think anything else has ever made me so happy and then instantly disappointed like this release when it was announced
Just buy them on PC, you can mod them to play as your favourite character with mine being King Mickey. I know there are those that don't like Epic Games but still at least you can play them without an internet connection there and they run very well too.
I wasn't expecting any more than this.
But I'll take this chance to also complain about the original compilation not having the DS games, they're totally worthy of playing, but the very least they could've done is include the best bits of the game as gameplay, like the final bosses or the worlds that are only available in 358/2 Days, etc.
Disney developers are just lazy...plain and simple. Can it be any easier to explain.
@AlienX 358/2 Days is honestly better than Birth By Sleep imo. RE:Coded is trash though 😂
@nessisonett Tangled up Spaghetti Bolognese here there and everywhere springs to mind if you ask me to summarise the story for you lol
Imagine trying to play these on Critical Mode Level One, where split second twitch reflexes are a must to survive.
A shame this is all Switch users get, but they exist in better shape on other platforms.
@nessisonett technically they’re ps3 games. They lost the source codes for KH1 and 2 FM so they remade them from the ground up for ps3 nativily. Still the switch should be able to run ps3 games.
I love the KH games, but seeing them given to switch users like this just hurts
@Eel They have a higher profit margin because they don't have to spend any money actually porting the games. In other words: they're being cheap.
So another hard pass on a game that came from the recent direct, that's a bit disheartening, oh well I hope the rest of the games I'm hyped about will be good.
5 points? Really? That’s way too many! IT SHOULD BE NO POINTS!!!😡😡😡😡😡😡
I wouldn't buy them because they're cloud versions and expensive ones but I feel bad for players who are into the series and would like to try them. It's horrible to know the package is a mess for such a steep price
I don't see the purpose of purchasing cloud games. The concept makes perfect sense with Gamepass as it's all a part of a subscription, but purchasing a game like that? That makes zero sense.
I tried the demo of KH3 and it was attrocious. It's crazy that devs are even considering releasing games like this. Well at least it was terrible on my end, maybe it was my Internet connection, but my connection is pretty solid. Probably not good enough for could gaming
Funnily enough, this isn't even available in the Australian eShop, but if the US/UK prices are anything to go by, this would have cost just shy of AU$150 for the three games!
For that kind of money, they should damn well have all three games on a single 64GB cart!
If the game is unplayable most of the time, shouldn't it score far lower than a 5? Kingdom Hearts, like you've said, is a wonderful series with iconic characters and moments, beautiful locales and one of the best OST's ever made. But what's the point of it in this context when the game can quite literally break at any moment? Just bloody buy a Playstation 4 at that point.
It's frustrating because the first 2 could easily run if ported, and 3 uses UE4 so it's literally a turn key operation.
@nessisonett You needed about 4 consoles to play the whole series
As opposed to the Zelda series, which is all playable on one console right?
Average for something unplayable is unpleasant.
Never will buy cloud games! 👎
No thanks, Square. Until you bring out digital or physical versions, I am out.
unacceptable that Square Enix can't make Switch run PS2 games, Kingdom Hearts 1/2 could easily run on Switch even Kingdom Hearts 3, there no excuse for a cloud version for this game.
@Matty1988 except the difference is zelda is not a series where you need to play all spin offs to understand or follow the story and zelda isn’t spread over 2 console manufacturers and 2 phone manufacturers.
Not counting rereleases there’s 3 KH games on nintendo devices, 1 on nokia phones, 1 on smart phones and all the others are on PlayStation.
EDIT: keep in mind all of these are maingames when it comes to story understanding.
I believe we all saw this coming. A lazy terrible version of the KH series. Don't buy this like the other Cloud versions.
Really bizarre they didn't take the time to do a real port with the ever growing size of Switch users and it being a game that is playable and enjoyed by all age groups..seems like a ton of money they're leaving off the table.
Just makes me appreciate it even more when it's done right. (Looking at you sWitcher 3)
@Giancarlothomaz like I said earlier. It isn’t fair to say that KH1 and 2 are ps2 games as the versions in this collection where remade from the ground up for ps3 due to SE losing the source code of the ps2 originals. Still switch should be able to run them but it’s incorrect to say that they’re ps2 games.
@mariomaster96 it shouldn’t be reviewed in the first place
I've played all the games apart from the PSP one (not yet anyway) and if someone asked me to explain the story I wouldn't have the faintest idea. Still good action rpg's though
I did just test the demo last night on my garbage mobile data hotspot on 1 bar of 4g getting 6.6mbps down and 1mbps up and I actually had zero issues. Bugs me that it isn’t a port yes but honestly the games aren’t that great, but the service is really crazy efficient somehow and I hope that games that cannot feasibly be on switch due to Nintendos negligence would use the same service because wow it’s responsive and looks good has no latency or audio problems. Honestly some impressive cloud tech
@nessisonett such drama. Yes, we needed severl consoles over 20 years. Not an obstacle at all except if you havent upgraded your gaming console in 2 decades 🤷♂️
I have never played these games but I might try out the demo of them just to see if I would actually like to play them, but I would get the either for the PS4 or Xbox. Because I will never support the purchase/rental of a cloud game.
Cloud looooool
If I ever get these games (which I might, they look cool) I’ll get them on PS.
@Matty1988 These games are all one interconnected story. You need absolutely every single bit of lore to understand 5 minutes of Kingdom Hearts III. Not comparable in the slightest to Zelda.
I said it once, and I will say it again, no reason (Maybe 3) these couldn't be ports, they just cheap't out on one of the most beloved games in the world, Just because they didn't want to work on a port for some ps2 games, an one of them was on the 3ds!.
@Fulgor_Astral But to be fair, they kinda just throw them on whatever console, one is on the GBA, another is on the playstation, another on the ds, another on the ds again, another one on the 3ds, another one on the playstation, and now another one on the switch.
Kinda makes it hard to play the whole thing without owning every console. I mean this problem has been fix since then, but you still can't play all of them, because they wanted to make some of these into movies.
What hurts more is that people are still buying this (#16 in US eshop & #2 in Japan eshop from last week). Switch is NOT a cloud machine, and this is setting a horrible precedent
I'm gonna say that, as someone who hasn't played the Kingdom Hearts series, I feel the series has gotten too big for its own good.
Still doesn't change the fact these Cloud versions are just Square Enix, and perhaps Disney, being cheap.
@Matty1988 I mean, twilight princess HD, lttp, zelda 1-2, oot, majoras mask, wind waker HD, botw, and skyward sword (maybe minish cap and the ds games, dont know enough about that part of VC) are all on one console technically
I guess the UK should invest in better internet then..
I think the roof just caved in at the House of Mouse. Ya who who who ie!
0/10 = I only try the demo and even that was garbage. This is unacceptable especially when the Edge Of Eternity demo, Hitman 3 demo, and Control demo, all cloud games work just fine with less issues.
Really no reason for these not to be native ports. I get KH3, but these ports were originally made for the PS3. The Switch could easily run these. No good excuse.
I think it hurts worse because other cloud games run better, but the SE cloud team is not having a good time, and SE should push for better quality cloud games if this is the only option they are going to give Switch Gamers.
Dont buy these games. Everyone should boycot cloudgaming
Personally I'd rather Square (and everyone else) made some new bloody games than devoted resources to making these available on yet another format. So many remakes, remasters and ports on all consoles these days and people lap it all up and beg for more.
Removed - inappropriate language
@ShadowofTwilight22 Most are probably just trying the demo like I am, not really purchasing. I only try it to kill times anyways.
People should definitely try the demo before slagging this one off, I was surprised by how well it ran considering my internet is pretty basic
Surprisingly high score for this hot pile of garbage.
E for effort on square-enix
Get the PS3 / PS4 version, guys.
@Medic_Alert "in the bin with it"
We can't even dispose of this version, in an angry manner, what with it being on the cloud and all. Besting us, even over our anger!
I honestly find you guys extremely merciful for not giving it 0/10.
I bought some of this on PS4 and yeah, the DS game being only cutscenes disappointed me as I was looking forward to that one. I actually liked it. I never played too much of it since it's not my PS4 and I've been too busy with the Switch. >.<
@darkswabber ModernVintageGamer had a whole thing about it and said that PS3 games are notoriously hard to port so a proper port would have taken a long time and been expensive to do, which is fine, but…they ported it to PC and Xbox? Realistically if you’re going to put the time and effort into porting Kingdom Hearts onto a platform why go for Xbox over Switch where the audience overlap is likely to be way stronger (unless Microsoft money hatted the Xbox release in some way)? Weird and frustrating. I’d rather have waited for as long as it would take for an actual port to be made than stream them.
Square gets 3 character added in smash and treats fans like crap I'm not surprised really.
@Kingbaard i don't think i've ever seen you comment out of anything but frothing rage, so i'm not sure why you come here
Removed - flaming/arguing
Other people act like they're being forced to buy these cloud versions of Kingdom hearts for their Nintendo switches.
I still have my Kingdom Hearts 1.5 and 2.0 Collections for my Playstation 3 and thats good enough.
i just get tired of other people here piss and moan about them acting like theyre being forced to go and buy the Cloud version or whatever of Kingdom Hearts for their Nintendo Switches.
If you dont like the Cloud version then dont frikkin buy it and/or stop acting like youre being forced to buy it
@RubyCarbuncle The KH game prices on the EGS are absolutely disgusting
@XandertheWise People have been asking for these games on switch for years. The only way switch only users can play these games is by this heinous collection, the prices are disgusting and so is the connection. If people want to boycott these games, it's fine, but you have a point.
@Edwirichuu Can't argue with that. I happened to have a bit of spare cash at the time otherwise I wouldn't have purchased them.
I tried out the demo for 1 and it ran terribly despite being able to run cloud games on my Xbox and PS5 without issue. I miiiight gamble on it for like $15 but for $30-$40, nope.
I've been playing 1.5 and haven't really encountered any issues that I can notice. I get this isn't the choice for most players, but so far I've found it pretty enjoyable. I bought the collection as an expensive curiosity really. I'm in Ireland, but I think my Internet is actually relatively good. Not trying to defend this or say others are wrong, it's not the way I'd choose to play but for someone with good Internet who plays at home, I've found it fine thus far. Maybe other entries I've yet to play run more poorly.
As soon as I read "cloud version", I made the decision not to purchase it. I want to be able to play the games I buy even after they decide to "not in the cloud anymore, folks".
@Medic_Alert 😆ha!
I’m named after this series and I refuse to support this garbage. If size was really an issue for non native ports, why not just sell the games as digital exclusives? Come on Square
A bad way to play bad games.
Been playing through the first Kingdom Hearts and it’s been flawless so far. No lag, no drops. Mind you, I’m playing docked with Ethernet, and my very fast and reliable. Not an option for everyone.
Just playing devils advocate one more time on these switch cloud versions, i live in japan and have just the most basic internet connection at my apartment, and have played through the RE7 cloud version several times and have never run into slowdown or crashes. The game plays beautifully. I don't know if the infrastructure or connection capability is just not up to par in most of america/europe but i wouldnt blame cloud technology in and of itself.
But yes i agree, theres no reason KH 1 and 2 arent ports thats a weird choice.
Would rather play the games on my PC via Epic then touch the Switch Cloud “port”. $90 for an unstable online only glorified rental is a joke.
I love the Switch and think it's my favorite console of all time, but there have been many decisions with it that just leave me puzzled. This is one of them. Why, even after 100+ million units sold, is it so hard for certain games to come to the console in native form? Where's Madden? Where's COD? Where's this game? There are so many games that could come out for this console and for some reason or another never do, and I just don't get it.
I'm not buying this in this state, it's clearly unfinished. Square just isn't what it used to be.
Throw in some NFTs and a gacha mechanic, and make the entire second half of the game be part of a Limited Time Early Bird Platinum Level Battle Pass, and you got a real Square Enix game.
I'll get these games on a DEEP sale...
Further evidence as to why I won't buy cloud based games. The game either sits on my storage media or I have a hard copy. This kind of crap is shovelware, far as I'm concerned. I was looking forward to it too.
Ah yes, nothing like paying 90 dollars for a "port" that you really can't take anywhere without a stable internet connection. Totally not the antithesis of what the Switch stands for.
@Matty1988 almost. My Wii U has almost every one, and the few it doesn’t, I have my 3ds. I think that a few more years will go by, and switch will have most as well.
If gaming via cloud is the future of Nintendo, then Nintendo has no future. Really sad. People would have bought a physical copy of this gladly, even at a bit higher than average price. But as a cloud game? Nope.
Here is better ideas.
Release the games separatedly so each version can fit into 16 GB Switch cartridge.
It's depressing seeing this climb the eShop best sellers list. Last I looked it was at number 14 in the rankings here in the US. Expect to see more of this in the future from SquareEnix.
This release is embarrassing to be honest. I have a love-hate relationship with the series, but I would've bought genuine ports if they had come to the Switch. Instead, I'll just wait for the collections to come to Steam so I can play on the Steam Deck.
Also, on the note of the DS games not being included, that's something that's always bugged me as well. I'll be honest and admit I'm in the camp that can't stand 358/2 Days, but the cutscene collection is even worse and the co-op mission mode would've been fun to have online at least. Re:Coded is a game I think gets way more hate than it warrants and I would've loved to see that included as well.
So to play cloud games, ethernet is damn near the required method-- Got it.
Cloud games largely defeat the purpose of the Switch and reduce it to a graphically superior Wii U. Not sure why Nintendo even allows this. Why couldn't the games have been sold as a download-only package?
Moral of the story? Don't trust Cloud, because he'll scam the heck out of you with overpriced subscriptions.
My daughters and I probably would have been playing these games if Square was kind enough to release them properly, on cartridge.
As it is… Well, I’ll just say thank you Square for letting me save a little on game expenditures this year.
Such a shame. These games would be perfect to play on the go. Can't do that with the cloud. Might as well just get these on PS4 or Xbox.
It seems fitting. A garbage way to play a garbage series. 🤷🏽♂️
Yes... yes... give in to the hatred...
If the Cloud Versions are even worse than the original PS2 versions, they really messed up.
@Teksetter The only console where you can get physical copies of all of the games are on PS4/PS5.
But the best versions of these games are on PC, even if they are on Epic Games Store.
this turned me into a heartless.
I bought this for our PS4 at a fraction of the price. I did however, only buy the first set of games. I figured if I play through those and like them, then I'll go and buy KH3.
I don't support cloud anything. Booo to those who do.
@iLikeUrAttitude Nah we don't "deserve" anything for being consumers. We pay for products we want without ever contributing to them to in any way "earn" them, other than with the currency of whatever country we reside in. I absolutely hate the phrase "that fans deserve," implying they did anything outside pay for the products and whine about it online.
That said, the cloud play is complete BS and I'm not spending my money on it, but I sure as heck didn't do anything to "deserve" it.
A score worthy of the package offered.
When we are presented with a good few games coming at us all within a short time, like we seen in the last Direct, games seemingly worth playing, I look for negatives.
These negatives are sometimes dresses up with an unrealistic score. 5/10 tells me to forget it even though my wifi speed is 268mbps.
@iLikeUrAttitude
While internet comments aren't the best way to gauge the general consensus of something it is nice to see that in the comments section there's very few comments dismissing criticisms of the cloud or Calling people "entitled" and/or "whiners" or the like.
Square has put out some great ports on the system too like DQXI, or those ps2 FF ports (FFX, X-2, XII:zodiac age) so it is disappointing that the ps2/psp games aren't available as native ports, i would definitely double dip on these games if that were the case though as they are im going to have to give a big pass.
@Mgalens Yeah I'm agree completely.
If anything I'm critical on these cloud ports in general is because I know Square is completely capable of delivering us something better. There the same company that gave us DQ11, Octopath, TWEWY and more. Not to mention these are PS2 games we're talking about.
I know I’m probably the outlier here, but I’m a Switch-only player and I’ve wanted to play the Kingdom Hearts games for a long time. I tried all the demos and I didn’t experience any input lag, the frame rate isn’t perfect but it’s not a dealbreaker for me, and so I decided to snag the full collection. Sure, it’s not ideal, but we’ve got pretty great internet and I rarely take my Switch out of the house (stay at home dad here) so I’m happy with the decision. Plus, my kids love watching me play so that’s always a win. I don’t know, I guess I’m just not as hung up on all the perceived cons as everyone else, but I’m having a great time so far and they’ll probably continue to patch & work on it so it may be only upward from here. I don’t have the time or money for multiple consoles so this is a rad opportunity for me, I totally get the negative side for some but I’m just speaking for me.
Found this gem and felt it needed to be posted here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEc7hU4EHqE
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