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Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue Review; Setting the Perfect Tone for Kingdom Hearts 3’s Arrival
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Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue Review; Setting the Perfect Tone for Kingdom Hearts 3’s Arrival

by March 8, 2017
Positives

+ A compilation that is will entertainment throughout
+ Manages to tie up some loose end that the previous games left
+ Makes you look forward to Kingdom Hearts 3 even more
+ 60 FPS Kingdom Hearts game is awesome
+ Your typical Kingdom Hearts-style combat system is better than ever

Negatives

- A bit too short for a full-priced game
- Lack of Final Fantasy characters
- Really wants you to have Kingdom Hearts 3 as soon as possible

Pokde Scoreboard
Pokde Rating
Value
8.0
Gameplay
9.0
Visuals
9.0
Replayability
4.0
Storyline
8.0
Bottom Line

If you have not played Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance for whatever reason, this is the perfect opportunity to do so and you would have even more Kingdom Hearts content to swallow.

7.6
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It’s a brand new Kingdom Hearts game! Well, it is a new game but not all of the content in the game is new. Following the trend of recent Kingdom Hearts games, this one is yet another compilation consisting of a HD remastered version of ‘Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance’ that was initially released for the Nintendo 3DS, and 2 brand new Kingdom Hearts content in ‘Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep 0.2: A Fragmentary Passage’ and ‘Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover’.

And since this is a compilation, I will be dividing the review into 3 parts; one for each multimedia content. So without further ado, let’s dive into Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue.

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue

Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance HD

kingdom hearts hd 2.8 final mix

This is the bulk of what makes Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8. As mentioned before, this is a HD remastered version of the game with same name that initially came out on the Nintendo 3DS. This game counts as a direct sequel as the story takes place after Kingdom Hearts 2, and sets the tone for what’s to come in Kingdom Hearts 3. In this game, Sora and Riku are tasked at undertaking the Mark of Mastery exam in order to officially become a full-fledged Keyblade Master.

kingdom hearts hd 2.8 final chapter prologue

You will be playing as both Sora and Riku, as you move across multiple worlds known as ‘Sleeping Worlds’. These worlds will contain their own set of characters and mini-plot points that will help advance the story onwards. And yes, following the tradition of the Kingdom Hearts series, you will be meeting with various Disney characters in your journey.

You will definitely see yourself playing in the same world as both Sora and Riku within a short span of time as the game only allows you to utilize one character for a specific amount of time, in which the game will force the change in character once the timer is up no matter what. This is a rather annoying feature especially when you’re already in the middle of an important battle. On the plus side, it makes story progression more fluid.

kingdom hearts hd 2.8 final chapter prologue

The game’s combat system seems to be a mix of Kingdom Hearts 2 and Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep with the exception of ‘Shotlock’ commands. You have a deck of usable skills which will be on cooldown after using them, and you can freely use magic as long as it’s not on cooldown as there is no MP gauge here. Your skill deck is customizable so you can freely change it to any skills you’ve obtained throughout your journey. Initially, you have a limited number of decks but it will grow as you go through the story.

When I first played this, I couldn’t figure out why the gameplay felt so smooth. Turns out, Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance HD is running on 60 frames per second (fps). I am using a regular PlayStation 4 console, not the Pro version, and the combat feels even more fluid and fast-paced than ever thanks to its higher frame rates.

kingdom hearts hd 2.8 final chapter prologue

If there was anything I didn’t like about this, it would only be one thing. In some worlds, it feels like you are repeating the same story when played with both characters, albeit with minor differences for each. And since you can’t use the same character for long, you’ll still have a particular world’s story fresh in your mind when you swap characters.

Overall, due to some important plot points, which I will not spoil here, that is building towards Kingdom Hearts 3 makes this a must-play for Kingdom Hearts fans. On the plus side, now you don’t need to get a Nintendo 3DS just to play this.

Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth By Sleep: A Fragmentary Passage

kingdom hearts hd 2.8 final chapter prologue a fragmentary passage dream drop distance

This part of the Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 compilation serves 2 purposes; a demo of Kingdom Hearts 3 as well as an explanation of Aqua’s fate after Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. Terra has lost his body to Xehanort and Ventus’s heart has taken refuge in Sora, which makes Aqua the only one that is alive and active among the three. In terms of timeline, it takes place right after Birth by Sleep and ends at the end of the first Kingdom Hearts game.

Aqua is wandering around the realm of darkness and looking for a way out. The realm of darkness is depicted by a number of Disney worlds that have fallen into darkness, and Aqua is to move from place to place in order to escape.

kingdom hearts hd 2.8 final chapter prologue a fragmentary passage dream drop distance

The graphics is what you’d expect from a current generation Kingdom Hearts game, with it looking much more visually appealing than Dream Drop Distance HD. It looks more like Kingdom Hearts 3, with more realistic body proportions as opposed to Dream Drop Distance’s cartoony look. But that’s not the only thing alluding to Kingdom Hearts 3.

kingdom hearts hd 2.8 final chapter prologue a fragmentary passage dream drop distance kingdom hearts hd 2.8 final chapter prologue a fragmentary passage dream drop distance

The user interface and the combat system are eerily similar to what we’ve seen before in the Kingdom Hearts 3 trailer. Aqua starts out at Level 50 and she immediately has access to high-level magic like Firaga and Curaga. Unlike in Dream Drop Distance, you can use Shotlock commands, where you aim at your enemies and try to lock on to as many enemies as many times as possible to unleash a devastating area-of-effect offense.

kingdom hearts hd 2.8 final chapter prologue a fragmentary passage dream drop distance

And just like with the original Birth by Sleep, Aqua can change combat styles in the middle of combat after executing specific offensive/defensive commands. You do not have deck skills in this one, and the combat is more akin to Kingdom Hearts 2 where you actually have an MP gauge that will reset once it reaches zero.

Not only did this part showed good signs of things to come for Kingdom Hearts 3, it also explains how they’ve managed to bridge the timeline issue between Birth by Sleep and the main Kingdom Hearts games.

Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover

kingdom hearts hd 2.8 final chapter prologue a fragmentary passage dream drop distance

Unlike the other 2 things in this Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 compilation, Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover is actually a 1-hour movie. It tells a brand new story of the Foretellers and the origin of the Keyblade. The Master of Masters prophesized of a calamity about to hit the world and that he will soon disappear. He gave a set of instructions to his 6 apprentices; Ira, Ava, Aced, Invi, Gula, and Luxu .

This is the story of those 6 apprentices, their internal struggles, and how they’ve managed to ensure the future of the Keyblade wielders after the calamity hits. It’s hard to talk about this without spoiling but I can definitely say this. If you are a Kingdom Hearts fan, this is an animated movie that will definitely not disappoint you. I was honestly amazed at the fact that this was included in the compilation instead of releasing it at the cinemas.

Conclusion

kingdom hearts hd 2.8 final chapter prologue a fragmentary passage dream drop distance

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is the best remastered compilation that the series has ever had. It sets the perfect tone for the arrival of Kingdom Hearts 3, gives us a number of ideas as to what to expect in the sequel, and ties up some loose ends that the previous games have left. I honestly enjoyed this more than Final Fantasy XV thanks to the game’s refined combat system.

Sure, this game has a number of cliffhanger-type endings but it needs to be that way in order to build the hype towards Kingdom Hearts 3. As good as this game is, it still made me feel like it’s lacking in length to constitute a full game. It’s obvious since it’s a compilation but even Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance felt kinda short. It’s not Kingdom Hearts in it’s full glory. That, we gotta wait for the 3rd entry.

If you have not played Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance for whatever reason, this is the perfect opportunity to do so and you would have even more Kingdom Hearts content to swallow.

With that in mind, I award Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue with our Silver Pokdeward!

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue Review; Setting the Perfect Tone for Kingdom Hearts 3’s Arrival 20

About The Author
Aiman Maulana
Jack of all trades, master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one. YouTuber, video editor, tech head, and a wizard of gaming. What's up? :)

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