Pretty much the whole series (sans back cover since I don't have an interest in watching it).

Took advantage of that glorious Prime Day back in July and managed to get the whole series for $25. Was finally able to play them after looking into the series for over a decade.

Kingdom Hearts

I felt that while this game has aged a bit, I can still find a competent game with a heart. Story was easy to follow, the Disney worlds really felt like they were part of the plot and it just had this lovely sense of adventure. I think it's still worth playing in 2017, though those platforming sections are infuriating sometimes.

Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories

I played it for an hour and stopped. Hate hate hated the card system. I actually find it odd considering I played CoM on the Game Boy Advance back when I was a kid and I liked it. Maybe it was just something about the transition to 3D that didn't sit well with me. Gathering exp was stupid on the GBA version and it's even worse here with all the extra space. All the environments felt empty and soulless. I knew it was necessary to play this for KHII so I just watched a summary of it on YouTube.

Kingdom Hearts II

This game. THIS FUCKING GAME. Holy shit the jump from I & CoM was immense. No more platforming sections, much more focus on combat, fantastic boss fights and Goddamn, that combat system. THIS was the game that made me so envious of those PS2 players back when I was a kid. I can already see it taking place in my favorite RPGs of all time. Already played through it twice, standard then critical.

Fuck that Roxas opening though. Good Lord. 3 HOURS. I always complained about Okami and Twilight Princess' opening, but those are nothing compared to this. After that the game really shines. Though I was not a fan of the fact that the Disney worlds take a back seat in the overall plot. Atlantica was a nightmare to play through as well.

I feel like I need to talk about the bosses a little more and how fantastic they are; particularly, the Organiztion XIII fights and Terra of course. Some of the best bosses that I've faced in an action RPG.

Overall my favorite in the series.

Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days

Oh, they're eating ice cream on the balcony? That's nice. Wait they're doing it again? And again? I remember seeing criticisms about the game being repetitive back when it was on DS, but I didn't realize that also extended to the cutscenes. Overall wasn't a big fan of it. Nice to see a game from a villains side, but it wasn't all that interesting until the ending.

Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep

Easily the most depressing one story wise. NOTHING good happens to the 3 protagonists. All of them gets royally screwed over. One thing that really bothers me is how Aqua manages to stay in the dark realm for 10 years while Riku, Sora, Mickey and DiZ were able to pop in and out. Really? Not once did anyone cross paths with her and try to get her out? That just screams retcon to me. Yes Mickey did see her in 2.8 but what about during the 10 year gap? Or after that?

Gameplay wise, I was not a fan of the command styles and deck system. Felt so neutered compared to the glorious KHII. Though I do like how fast you were able to get some abilities and the fact that AP wasn't a thing anymore. Second Chance at level 10? Why yes, thank you. And the bosses... what the hell happened? They're not that fun at all. Can't believe they dropped the glorious revenge system from KHII for the garbage that we got. Yes KHII was easy, but the bosses in here just.. God. (Terra's final boss especially. FUCK THAT BOSS)

Kingdom Hearts Re: Coded

Garbage. Waste of time, waste of a game. Game has no plot relevance to the series until the very end. And even then, this was something that could've been talked about in II or in BBS.

Another retread of the KHI worlds, as if CoM didn't do that already. Game overall just felt pointless.

Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance

The genius in me decided to play this years ago after only playing CoM. It didn't even interest me so I sold it. Fast forward a few years later and I'm playing this on PS4 AFTER playing the previous games this time.

Plot officially lost me here. Any time that time travel becomes a plot element, I just completely zone out.

And, All the shit that he did in previous games should automatically qualify him as master. That shit infuriated me. One thing I will say about the story is how much it left me hyped for KHIII and I am so eager to fight this New Organization XIII. Hopefully the bosses will be similar to how they felt in KHII. Though it is a shame that Xehanort won't have Nimoy as his voice actor

Speaking of bosses, yup, still garbage. The final bosses especially just felt like a chore to go through. I guess it was the same team who worked on BBS while the A team are busy with KHIII. Still not a fan of the command deck system and they just had to throw the dream eater garbage into it. What really felt like a downgrade from BBS was the fact that your stat boosting abilities (Magic Haste, HP Boost etc.) are tied to specific Dream Eaters and you can't keep that ability when you switch them out. Horrible idea.

I will say that Flick Rush is an amazing mini game. Spent hours on it.

Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A Fragmentary Passage-

Pretty much a glorified demo of KHIII. This gave me hope that KHIII will be nothing like BBS and 3D gameplay wise (though it does have command styles it's actually better here since it doesn't force you to use them unlike in BBS). Though the drop to 30fps is a shame (it doesn't even maintain that). And the bosses were actually fun.

Also not a fan of the character models, they look too much like plastic. Thankfully they're already working on that since the models in KHIII look great.

And yup, Aqua just stays there and Mickey actually transverses the dark realm along with Riku and eventually get out. But as for Aqua? ¯\_(&#12484_/¯

Music
This deserves a separate section because holy fuck the music in the series is phenomenal.

Dearly Beloved
The Deep End
Hollow Bastion
Scherzo Di Notte
The Encounter
Vim & Vigor
Sinister Sundown
The Other Promise (I like the PS2 version more for this one actually).
The Thirteenth Dilemma
Darkness of the Unknown
Rage Awakened
Keyblade Graveyard
L'Impeto Oscuro
Final Boss Phase 1 (0.2)

Yoko Shimomura the GOAT. I always wondered why she got so much love here. It really shows in Kingdom Hearts.

Also
Sanctuary > Simple & Clean

My final ranking of the series would be:
II > I > Birth By Sleep > Dream Drop Distance > Chain of Memories > 358/2 > Coded

Overall, I'm a big fan of the series now and am currently anticipating Kingdom Hearts III (currently my most anticipated game of 2018).

What about you guys? What's your take on the series?

You rankings are similar to mine. Also Sanctuary being the best.

One thing I hope the Osaka Team gets down with KH3 is superbosses. Between BBS and DDD they've all been cool looking but horrible to play. The lack of hitstun and ridiculous mechanics are rough.

KZXcellent said:

You rankings are similar to mine. Also Sanctuary being the best.

One thing I hope the Osaka Team gets down with KH3 is superbosses. Between BBS and DDD they've all been cool looking but horrible to play. The lack of hitstun and ridiculous mechanics are rough.

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I took one look at Young Xehanort in BBS and just laughed. I knew that was gonna be complete bullshit of the highest caliber.

What I take from this OP is that the only good game is the second one.

Also, the series being written/directed by Nomura sounds like recipe for disaster.

A shame, because III /looks/ great.

This is why you play 358/2 before 2

Ahasverus said:

What I take from this OP is that the only good game is the second one.

Also, the series being written/directed by Nomura sounds like recipe for disaster.

A shame, because III /looks/ great.

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I liked the first one too. BBS and 3D were decent though I don't ever see myself playing those again.

sn00zer said:

This is why you play 358/2 before 2

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I can see the argument for this but I was way too anxious to finally play 2.

mrmickfran said:

I took one look at Young Xehanort in BBS and just laughed. I knew that was gonna be complete bullshit of the highest caliber.

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It's cool looking and music's great but just amounts to spamming dodge and hitting Thunder Surge occasionally.

mrmickfran said:

I guess it was the same team who worked on BBS while the A team are busy with KHIII.

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Quick correction: The Osaka team that developed Birth by Sleep and Dream Drop Distance is also the team in charge of Kingdom Hearts III.

If by A team you mean the Kingdom Hearts II team, I'm not sure if they exist in the same capacity anymore. I want to say they were originally planning to work on Final Fantasy Versus XIII, but we all know how that turned out.

KZXcellent said:

It's cool looking and music's great but just amounts to spamming dodge and hitting Thunder Surge occasionally.

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That's all the bosses in BBS and 3D unfortunately.

TheGreatLugia said:

Quick correction: The Osaka team that developed Birth by Sleep and Dream Drop Distance is also the team in charge of Kingdom Hearts III.

If by A team you mean the Kingdom Hearts II team, I'm not sure if they exist in the same capacity anymore. I want to say they were originally planning to work on Final Fantasy Versus XIII, but we all know how that turned out.

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I would be worried, but 0.2 was pretty good so I can keep some hype.

mrmickfran said:

I guess it was the same team who worked on BBS while the A team are busy with KHIII.

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I've got some bad news for you...

edit: KHII: Final Mix is the GOAT.

edit: edit: I adore the beginning of KHII as Roxas, mostly nostalgia but it has some good Boss fights and line deliveries i.e. Seifer's amazing.

I decided to dive into the series as well earlier this year and have a similar opinion of the first three I've played so far.

Couldn't stand CoM

mrmickfran said:

I liked the first one too. BBS and 3D were decent though I don't ever see myself playing those again.



I can see the argument for this but I was way too anxious to finally play 2.

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358 before 2 makes 2s opening incredible and Axel scenes hit like a brick.

One thing that really bothers me is how Aqua manages to stay in the dark realm for 10 years while Riku, Sora, Mickey and DiZ were able to pop in and out. Really? Not once did anyone cross paths with her and try to get her out? That just screams retcon to me. Yes Mickey did see her in 2.8 but what about during the 10 year gap? Or after that?

Click to expand...

You're understating how big the Realm of Darkness actually is. The place is supposed to be the counterpart to the Realm of Light, which is fucking huge. This is not a small-sized world we're talking about here, so yes, it makes sense why nobody has run into Aqua.

Only Riku and DiZ have been able to pop in and out because they had the ability to use the Corridors of Darkness, which is now lost to both of them. Mickey had to wait for an specific opening the only time he went it and Sora doesn't have the ability to go there.

The problem with BBS combat is that it was designed around PSP that has only one analog stick. It worked great on PSP but once you bring it on console it shows how simplify the combat actually is, especially compare to KHII FM.

sn00zer said:

358 before 2 makes 2s opening incredible and Axel scenes hit like a brick.

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It's a huge series of wham scenes either way.
Coming off CoM you're just getting the idea that the "black coat people" have a numbered hierarchy, and then Axel hits you with:

"Number 13... Roxas."

I fucking love the command styles, loved fucking around with that.

SoulUnison said:

It's a huge series of wham scenes either way.
Coming off CoM you're just getting the idea that the "black coat people" have a numbered hierarchy, and then Axel hits you with:

"Number 13... Roxas."

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I like KH2 first because you're not really supposed to know Roxas was an Organization member. After all, after CoM you assumed everyone from that group are up to no good so it was a shock to see that the innocent-looking kid you're playing as used to be part of that group.

Also, some of the scenes with callbacks in Days are not as strong when you haven't played KH2. The ending in particular gets hit hard and loses almost all emotional aspect without playing KH2 first.

sn00zer said:

This is why you play 358/2 before 2

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No, this is wrong.

Azuran said:

I like KH2 first because you're not really supposed to know Roxas was an Organization member. After all, after CoM you assumed everyone from that group are up to no good so it was a shock to see that the innocent-looking kid you're playing as used to be part of that group.

Also, some of the scenes with callbacks in Days are not as strong when you haven't played KH2.

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The ending to 358/2 is also much stronger/crueler when you know what the Roxas prologue of II represents.

"Maybe today we'll finally hit the beach!"
"Only seven days to go, and then my summer vacation's over."

HiroTSK5 said:

I've got some bad news for you...

edit: KHII: Final Mix is the GOAT.

edit: edit: I adore the beginning of KHII as Roxas, mostly nostalgia but it has some good Boss fights and line deliveries i.e. Seifer's amazing.

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I just think it goes on too long.

LAM09 said:

I decided to dive into the series as well earlier this year and have a similar opinion of the first three I've played so far.

Couldn't stand CoM

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Not many people do like CoM lol

sn00zer said:

358 before 2 makes 2s opening incredible and Axel scenes hit like a brick.

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I would probably still hate the Roxas opening. I think I'm just fine playing it after 2 since that's how it was released. Though it is interesting how they designed 358 without needing knowledge of 2.

Azuran said:

You're understating how big the Realm of Darkness actually is. The place is supposed to be the counterpart to the Realm of Light, which is fucking huge. This is not a small-sized world we're talking about here, so yes, it makes sense why nobody has run into Aqua.

Only Riku and DiZ have been able to pop in and out because they had the ability to use the Corridors of Darkness, which is now lost to both of them. Mickey had to wait for an specific opening the only time he went it and Sora doesn't have the ability to go there.

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Makes sense I guess. I just find it weird that Sora and Riku were in the dark realm for what seemed to be a long time, a door SUDDENLY appears in front of them and Aqua was just a few miles away when it happened.

Danjin44 said:

The problem with BBS combat is that it was designed around PSP that has only one analog stick. It worked great on PSP but once you bring it on console it shows how simplify the combat actually is, especially compare to KHII FM.

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I honestly think that BBS should've been a full fledged console game. It's one of the most important games in the series plot wise.

So maybe I'm crazy but am I the only that thinks 358/2 Days is a hunting game? I haven't played it since it came out but I've been thinking about how it's structured:

Instead of Acquiring Keyblades you craft them and other accessories.
Multiplayer Focused including ridiculously Damage Sponge Bosses.
Pick Missions from a Board.
Limited Inventory slots that you have to manage items and spells (which are treated as items in this game).

Also I recommend watching Back Cover if for nothing else the Master of Masters is fun to watch.

mrmickfran said:

Makes sense I guess. I just find it weird that Sora and Riku were in the dark realm for what seemed to be a long time, a door SUDDENLY appears in front of them and Aqua was just a few miles away when it happened.

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Aqua wasn't in the same area thought. She only reaches the Dark Magic after the events of KH2. I don't think it has ever been confirmed if that was the same place or not.

As for the door appearing, well that happened because Sora is like super special or something. I always go with the theory his really strong heart made the door appeared out of nowhere just so he could be reunited with his light aka Kairi. The kid has urges after all.

HiroTSK5 said:

Also I recommend watching Back Cover if for nothing else the Master of Masters is fun to watch.

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Back Cover gets way too much hate because people were expecting it to be something it's not. To get the most out of it you have to play (or watch) through the web version of Kingdom Hearts χ first, which sadly wasn't available for everyone outside of Japan.

I guess you can also play KHUX but that game hasn't introduced Luxu yet, so it's missing content for Back Cover.

The Last One said:

No, this is wrong.

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358/2 before 2 or give me death! I shall die upon this hill!

Relevant. I watched this happen in the GameSpot E3 warroom.

https://twitter.com/AlexBNewhouse/status/875184666453590016

Azuran said:

I guess you can also play KHUX but that game hasn't introduced Luxu yet, so it's missing content for Back Cover.

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I've spent most of today playing KHUX because every mission is 0 AP for the next week and at mission 335 I am about halfway through the current story line-up.

Can definitely agree that KH2 is the best one.

KH2 is a GOAT tier game.

Azuran said:

Aqua wasn't in the same area thought. She only reaches the Dark Magic after the events of KH2. I don't think it has ever been confirmed if that was the same place or not.

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It's called Dark Margin (assuming autocorrect mistake) It's been confirmed since Another Report (KH2 FM) a decade ago that Sora and Riku were on the shores of the realm of in-between. Across the ocean is the realm of darkness. In the BBS interviews 7 years ago, it was confirmed that Ansem the Wise was sent to the realm of darkness. Aqua's journey in the realm of darkness ends when she meets Ansem.

Huh, I didn't know KH2 had a revenge system. Reminds me of DMC3.

sn00zer said:

358/2 before 2 or give me death! I shall die upon this hill!

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I think 358/2 spoils too much of KH II. Like for example, the organization members appearance.

Diving back into this series earlier in the year was medicine I didn't know I needed. Delightful, silly as fuck series.

You hated the prologue to II? That was one of my favorite segments in the series tbqh.

I used to hate everything about Birth By Sleep’s ability system when I first tried playing it last year but these past two months, I’ve had a blast actually sitting down and playing through it and experimenting with things. Command Board is also secretly a lot of fun. Do agree that the bosses suck in this one compared to II though. You actually managed to get through Dream Drop Distance, so kudos, I’m still struggling through that one.

I feel like you should play games by their chronological release than their "game" time. I have this idea that "yeah sure it's a prequel, but that prequel might have some meaning if you played the game before".

Meowster said:

You hated the prologue to II? That was one of my favorite segments in the series tbqh.

I used to hate everything about Birth By Sleep’s ability system when I first tried playing it last year but these past two months, I’ve had a blast actually sitting down and playing through it and experimenting with things. Command Board is also secretly a lot of fun. Do agree that the bosses suck in this one compared to II though. You actually managed to get through Dream Drop Distance, so kudos, I’m still struggling through that one.

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My Critical playthrough I went through the Roxas prologue in under an hour and it still felt like a slog.

And yeah 3D's final bosses are pretty nasty, ESPECIALLY what the fuck.

Boss Doggie said:

I feel like you should play games by their chronological release than their "game" time. I have this idea that "yeah sure it's a prequel, but that prequel might have some meaning if you played the game before".

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Yeah, I feel the same way. Especially since this series in particular loves to throw the end game spoilers of a previous game right in the beginning of the next game.

I need to replay KH2. Played it back in the day but don't remember much from it. Be good to refresh it all and try out Final Mix in critical mode. Might do it closer to KH3 release .

Rob2K19 said:

It's called Dark Margin (assuming autocorrect mistake) It's been confirmed since Another Report (KH2 FM) a decade ago that Sora and Riku were on the shores of the realm of in-between. Across the ocean is the realm of darkness. In the BBS interviews 7 years ago, it was confirmed that Ansem the Wise was sent to the realm of darkness. Aqua's journey in the realm of darkness ends when she meets Ansem.

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Ah, I knew most of it. I just wasn't sure if Aqua and Ansem were in the exact spot Sora and Riku were.

Azuran said:

Back Cover gets way too much hate because people were expecting it to be something it's not. To get the most out of it you have to play (or watch) through the web version of Kingdom Hearts χ first, which sadly wasn't available for everyone outside of Japan.

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Is this up on YouTube in English? Still have to get around to this and Back Cover myself but I'm pretty confused with the mobile games' significance and it seems difficult to just find relevant cutscenes on YT without a heap of gameplay.

NateDog said:

Is this up on YouTube in English? Still have to get around to this and Back Cover myself but I'm pretty confused with the mobile games' significance and it seems difficult to just find relevant cutscenes on YT without a heap of gameplay.

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This playlist seems to have every cutscene of the main story. It doesn't have any Disney filler so everything that matters should be there after a quick skim.

Azuran said:

This playlist seems to have every cutscene of the main story. It doesn't have any Disney filler so everything that matters should be there after a quick skim.

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Thanks! I still need to nail down these bits especially towards 3.

Azuran said:

This playlist seems to have every cutscene of the main story. It doesn't have any Disney filler so everything that matters should be there after a quick skim.

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Yup. That's the one. KHinsider updates the playlist pretty promptly and does so with the JP release so it's actually a little ahead of the English.

HiroTSK5 said:

I've spent most of today playing KHUX because every mission is 0 AP for the next week and at mission 335 I am about halfway through the current story line-up.

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I just can't get into this game. I got to mission 60-something and I have no idea how I can continue to play for another 600 missions, which irks me since it's important to the story.