If you haven’t been keeping up with the Kingdom Hearts games over the years, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll have absolutely no idea what’s going on in Kingdom Hearts III. Ahead of that game’s release next year, Square Enix is offering up Kingdom Hearts — The Story So Far, a bundle that will get you all caught up on the lore and history to date.
Kingdom Hearts – The Story So Far is a bundle containing two other compilations. Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX includes seven different games. They are Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories, 358/2 Days, Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix, and Kingdom Hearts Re: coded.
Confused yet? If you are, that may be because Kingdom Hearts 2D 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is also included in the bundle. That compilation includes the games Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD, Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep — A fragmentary passage — as well as the Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover movie.
Known by many for its rather confusing timeline and story, the compilation should give you what you need to prepare for Kingdom Hearts III. It’s the most cohesive collection of the series to date and will make a lovely addition to any Kingdom Hearts fan’s collection.
You won’t be getting the original experience for Chain of Memories, however, which was first released on Game Boy Advance and remade later for the PlayStation 2 with visuals more in line with the rest of the series. The latter is the version included in The Story So Far collection.
The only setback is that Square Enix doesn’t include a timeline for the series with the Kingdom Hearts – The Story So Far collection so you’ll have to do a little research before embarking on your journey. The good news is, you should have no trouble as there is plenty of information on the Kingdom Hearts lore available on the web.
Kingdom Hearts – The Story So Far is available now on the Square Enix store, and on Amazon. It released for PlayStation 4 on October 30, followed by Kingdom Hearts III for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on January 25, 2019. The latter game has been delayed numerous times, and is the first true numbered sequel in more than 13 years.
