Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD ReMIX

I'll admit to being swept up in the excitement of the original Kingdom Hearts on PlayStation 2. Despite a few misfires, I was still largely on board with anything Square Enix produced and the promise of role-playing through some of my favorite Disney cartoons was too much to resist. The fact that it also included some of my favorite Final Fantasy stars was the icing on the cookie, and I couldn't wait to devour every tasty bite.
    
But despite my initial excitement for Kingdom Hearts, the last dozen years have left me both disappointed and angry at the series. Every installment strayed further from what I loved about the 2002 original, constantly expanding on the worst elements. Final Fantasy and Disney started to take a backseat to an original story filled with unlikeable characters and an impossibly convoluted narrative that will make your head hurt if you think about it too long.

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX is the perfect compilation disc to demonstrate exactly what went wrong with this once-great franchise. Not only does this brand new PlayStation 3 game feature an enhanced version of Kingdom Hearts II, but it also includes two portable games making their console debut -- Birth By Sleep and Re:coded. This is a solid collection that will remind fans of the highs and lows of Kingdom Hearts.

It's no surprise that the best game in the series is Kingdom Hearts II, a genuinely riveting adventure that picks up right where the first game and Chain of Memories (both found in last year's Kingdom Hearts 1.5 compilation) left off. For player who missed either of those two installments, the first few hours of this sequel will make little to no sense. It introduces us to new characters and a brand new conspiracy, all while mixing together confusing flashbacks from the first game.

The good news is that the game eventually settles down and everything starts to make sense. It only takes a few hours for Sora, Goofy and Donald Duck to wake from their slumber, and then it's back to using the dreaded Gummy Ship to fly to different worlds based on old (and new) Disney properties.

Much like the first game, the real joy comes from fighting alongside some of the greatest movie heroes of all time. While there are a few repeats from the original Kingdom Hearts, this sequel offers an impressive list of Disney properties, including Mulan, The Lion King, Pirates of the Caribbean, Tron and even Steamboat Willie. Each of these worlds is beautifully recreated and they spring to life with the help of a lot of the original voice actors (James Woods, Bruce Boxleitner, Zach Braff, etc.).

Each world plays out like its own self-contained vignette, usually revolving around the events found in the original movie. You'll meet familiar faces and square off against some of Disney's most fiendish villains. And even though the formula becomes repetitive after a while, the result is always satisfying. I couldn't wait to see where the game would take our hero next.

The Disney fan service isn't limited to only a few exciting worlds, players will run into cameos throughout their adventure. Best of all, we're able to summon the likes of Chicken Little, the Genie from Aladdin, Stitch and Peter Pan. Doing this gives players new attacks to wield, making some of the boss battles a lot easier to manage.

But as good as Kingdom Hearts II is, you can see some of the troubling elements starting to bleed through. This 2006 sequel spends a lot of time setting up its own storyline, all of which is completely overshadowed by the exciting Disney worlds. I find it impossible to care about Roxas and the Organization XIII when I'm racing through Tron on a light cycle. Maybe it's because I'm already familiar with Scrooge McDuck, Simba and Jack Sparrow, but I found all of Kingdom Heart's original characters to be underdeveloped and hard to connect with.

It doesn't help that Kingdom Hearts II is ridiculously easy, to the point where most battles (including boss fights) can be completed by little more than mashing the "X" button. The game attempts to add more variety, but there isn't much of a reason to experiment with other attacks. And because the bad guys don't scale in difficulty, it's far too easy to overpower the hordes of similar looking enemies.

Kingdom Hearts II also signaled a shift from role-playing game to action/adventure. While the 2002 original wasn't exactly a hardcore RPG, this sequel ditches almost all of those elements in favor of fast-paced action. Thankfully, the action is a lot of fun, but I was definitely disappointed by the linear stages and limited character customization.

Although it's easy to see the negative elements seeping into Kingdom Hearts II, it still manages to be a compelling action game with a lot of fun worlds to explore and Disney characters to interact with. The fresh content helps me overlook some of the game's weaker elements, which is more than I can say about either of the other two games found in this package.

Chronologically speaking, Birth By Sleep is a prequel to the first two Kingdom Hearts adventures. Here we learn all about the world, the struggle between light and dark, and who Sora was before he set off on his epic quest. For fans of the series this additional information will help fill in some gaps, while new players will take part in a gripping story that manages to stand on its own.
    
This prequel is played out in three different stories, each involving a different character. There's Terra, a headstrong young man who is fighting back the darkness in his own heart. We are also introduced to a young boy named Ventus, who is a little too anxious (and whiny) for his own good. Rounding off the list is Aqua, who is not just the only female character, but also the only one that seems to have their head screwed on straight.

Each of these three stories involves the player going to the same group of surrounding planets, mostly based on popular Disney movies. Fans of the series will already recognize many of the Disney-themed planets, which include worlds based on Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Lilo & Stitch, Peter Pan and more. There is also Disney Town, which houses many familiar faces and popular mini-games.

Early in the game your character can only equip a few commands, however by the end of the game you will have a complete deck full of over-the-top magic attacks, health spells and maybe even a few secret melded attacks you've been saving up for.

The result is a combat system that is surprisingly fun to play. In order to cycle through your various deck commands, all you need to do is fiddle with the D-pad. You can even do this in the middle of combat, which allows players to plan out attacks ahead of time. What's more, these special abilities and spells level up with each enemy you take down, allowing you to create even more impressive attacks.

It's a good thing the combat is so much fun, because going through the same levels can sometimes be a real drag. The good news is that most levels play out differently depending on which story you're going through. Some boss battles are exclusive to one character, while another character might get an entirely new part of the planet to explore. Unfortunately, from time to time the three stories will come together for boss battles. This isn't so bad the first time, but if you go through all three stories, you'll be forced to sit through the same lengthy cinema and battle the same boss.

If you can overlook some of these gameplay problems, you'll discover that there's a shocking amount of content for what was a portable game. Each of the three stories will take a good 10 - 15 hours to beat, longer if you are looking to collect all of the junk on each planet. And this is a much better companion than Chains of Memories or Re:coded.

Speaking of which, fans looking to play through Re:coded will be disappointed by this collection. Originally a Japanese cell phone game, this spin-off was later remade for the Nintendo DS. Now you can experience some of the journey in this PlayStation 3 compilation.

Unlike Kingdom Hearts II and Birth By Sleep, the Re:coded remaster only features the game's cinemas and none of the actual gameplay. This helps to fill in some of the Kingdom Hearts lore, but it's disappointing the developers didn't go the extra step and port the full game. On the other hand, Re:coded is one of the worst games in the franchise and wouldn't be worth playing even if it was included in the package. Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise.

Visually speaking, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX is all over the place.  Fans will be happy to know that Kingdom Hearts II looks incredible on the PlayStation 3, with the bright colors and stylish worlds coming to life in 720p. Birth By Sleep also looks good, though it's clear that it was originally developed for less powerful hardware. Unfortunately, Re:coded looks awful. I'm sure they did their best upscaling the Nintendo DS graphics, but the cinemas are a big step down from what we get from the other two games.

Watching the Re:coded cinemas only helps to illustrate what has gone wrong with this series. The Disney worlds are inconsequential in this adventure, and so much of the story revolves around the original characters and conflicts. This was also a complaint I had with Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, which can be found in Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX. What little Disney content there is often feels like it has been recycled from better games.

Still, as frustrated as I am with the current state of Kingdom Hearts, I can't help but be optimistic about its future. If anything, playing Kingdom Hearts II reminded me just how much fun it was to experience brand new Disney worlds. I can only imagine that the next-generation sequel will bring a new group of Disney properties with it and the magic will finally return. In the meantime, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX will keep you busy while you wait for Sora's return.