This is the ultimate sign post for people who are just getting into the Kingdom Hearts series. We’ll go through all the games, the order you should play them, and the important parts of each one. No spoilers. First and foremost: Why play Kingdom Hearts? No one will be able to explain this better than Casen Sperry in this video:(Please do not click the video link unless you are outright against playing this series and need some solid convincing. There are minor KH1 spoilers.) “Kingdom Hearts may not seem appealing to anyone over the age of twelve, but its deep storyline, beautiful soundtrack, innovative battle system, and heartfelt characters make playing this game an immersive and unforgettable experience. The parallels between the player and Sora himself are what make it so easy to connect to this game. We want to explore other worlds. We want to help people. We welcome people we don’t know into our hearts. There’s a separate criteria than just the objective ‘was a game technically good or not’. The additional criteria involves the immeasurable. How can you measure an emotional connection or a relationship? I use words like ‘powerful’ and ‘beautiful’ to describe things I find difficult to quantify. What I can quantify, however, is that only a handful of games have ever evoked such a response from me. Kingdom Hearts is on that list, and I’m willing to bet that whatever your opinion was of the game, you know what I’m referring to.” If you’re not a huge fan of Disney, please read this post where I explain the relevance of Disney in the franchise and why you don’t necessarily have to be a fan of Disney to be a fan of Kingdom Hearts. Now that I’ve got you hooked, let’s get into the good stuff! The series, in release order, looks like this: Like most video game series, these are not chronological. Birth by Sleep and x are prequels to KH1, while 358 takes place between Chain of Memories and KH2. I advise you play the games in release order rather than chronological order for a couple reasons: Additionally, there are five compilation remakes I will be making reference to throughout this guide. They are as follows: Alright, let’s get started. The absolute easiest way to handle this is to buy a PS4. Kingdom Hearts: The Story So Far is a compilation of almost every game in the KH series, available only on PS4. Then the only games you are missing arex, a cell phone game, and KH3(PS4/Xbox One). Alternatively, if you have a PS3, KH1.5 and KH2.5 are a great way to get started. You can play Dream Drop Distance on a 3DS. But ultimately you’ll need to get a PS4, as 0.2 and Back Cover are exclusives. Technically you need an iPhone or Android phone to play x, but there are some alternatives. Additionally, the PS2 games (KH1, CoM, and KH2) can be emulated on PC, but they have no official release. Xbox has KH3, but will get none of the other games. Sorry Xbox people! Media: PS2/PS3/PS4/Manga; preferred: PS4/PS3 Difficulty: Standard (called Final Mix in PS3/PS4 version) The PlayStation 3/4 remake of this game is actually a remake of the Japanese extended edition: Kingdom Hearts Final Mix. This adds extra bosses, new abilities, secret reports, and a really cool video. The PS3/4 remake specifically puts the camera on the analog stick rather than the R2L2 triggers, which is a vast improvement, as well as a huge graphics overhaul. They also fix a missable trinity marker, thank the lord. While KH2 might still be playable on the PS2, I really advise you find a PS3 or PS4 to play this game. KH1 also has four non-canon manga volumes. The manga is a more comical telling of the story and definitely doesn’t have the emotional impact of certain scenes. In this vain, it leaves out a few things that the game draws attention to for the continuation of the series. It’s a great supplementary read, but it should in no way replace the game, especially for someone new to the series. KH1 is the bread and butter of the franchise and you really should aim to get the whole experience. That’s Standard mode. Proud can be very difficult and Beginner can be very easy, though this depends on a variety of choices. At the beginning, you’ll be asked to select a weapon to use and one to give up. Stay true to your play style: attack, defend, and magic. Though I implore you not to give up Shield. You’ll die much more often. After this, sometime later, you’ll start your adventure at dawn, midday, or nightfall. If you’re in it for the story, do not start at nightfall. If you want to 100% the game, choose nightfall. After you start, please push through Destiny Islands. It’s a really boring opening, but I promise it picks up! So often I hear people never get off the Islands and I am so sad for them! Once you beat the game, do the following: Media: GBA/PS2/PS3/PS4/Manga; preferred: GBA/PS4/PS3 Difficulty: Beginner This Gameboy Advance game served as the bridge between KH1 and KH2. A lot of people skip it because of its card-based battle system over the Kingdom Hearts traditional hack and slash combat. At least half of the fanbase outright hates this game, so I’ll play devil’s advocate. The GBA was not a system that could render KH in the way you and I know it. Despite this, Chain of Memories has an amazing story, remarkable graphics, and was one of the first GBA games to incorporate full motion video. When this game was eventually ported to the PS2 (retitled Re:Chain of Memories), it continued to keep the card based system in spirit of the handheld counterpart, which many players didn’t like. Re:CoM also includes voiced cutscenes, though Sora sounds considerably older since it was recorded after KH2 and his voice actor had hit puberty. For fans of KH1, this can be a little off putting, but the fight scenes are gorgeous. I am torn on recommending the PS4/PS3 version or the GBA version. Firstly, though it is much the same, the combat system makes a lot more sense on the GBA. Especially coming from KH1, I think you’re more likely to hate the combat in Re:CoM when you know full well you shouldn’t have to play by the stupid card rules. Secondly, though the voice isn’t an issue after a couple cutscenes, it is more in the spirit of growing up with KH to hear Sora’s mature voice for the first time in KH2. It’s also easier to emulate GBA than PS2. However, the 3D fight scenes are really cool in Re:CoM, and you are given a lot more depth to some of the characters who reappear in KH2 (and some that don’t!). There’s actually an entire extra boss fight that they just gloss over in the GBA version. I will say this, however. If you play Re:CoM on the PS4/PS3 copy, please do NOT watch the 358 video first. If the video shows as watched on your system, it unlocks a set of cards you can obtain that are spoilers for KH2! This was a nice easter egg for the fans, but it can be a detriment to newcomers. The manga, released in two volumes, is overwhelmingly not canon. But it’s really funny! Again, don’t replace the game with the manga. I recommend playing this game on Beginner for two reasons: 1.) It’s long and tedious, and 2.) until the battle system“clicks” with you, the bosses can be really hard. This isn’t the game you’re going to enjoy getting 100%. This is the game you want to push through for the story, spend as little time on as possible, and move on. By selecting Beginner and using specific overpowered sleights (Sonic Blade!) you can breeze through this thing without much trouble. There is no post-game, no optional bosses, no reports to read. After you beat the game, you unlock a new mode called Reverse/Rebirth. This allows you to play Riku’s story and is absolutely mandatory for his character development into KH2. Whereas Sora’s combat involved strategy and planning, Riku’s is literally just button mashing. Select Beginner. You’ll finish it in no time. After the credits and the final cinematic, get ready for KH2! Media: PS2/PS3/PS4/Manga; preferred: PS4/PS3 Difficulty: Standard As with KH1, the PlayStation 3/4 remake of this game includes the Japanese exclusive content from Final Mix+. Things like Critical Mode, Theater Mode, Puzzle collection, and a TON of optional bosses. Seriously, there are so many. Graphical updates, a new drive form, new keyblades, updated drive gauge. But most importantly: there are tons of new cutscenes that start to tie KH2 into later parts of the franchise, specifically Birth by Sleep! Though the PS2 version still holds up, I really do recommend the PS3/PS4 for this one. The manga went on hiatus for a long time but Yen Press just finished it! Again, it’s no substitute for the game, but it is a really fun read. This game isn’t hard. Where you might have had to grind to beat the final boss in KH1, I doubt you’ll have trouble in KH2. Reaction commands really trivialize a lot of the fights and drive forms fill in the gaps. At the beginning, you’ll choose again between the sword, shield, and staff. (Actually you do this twice - it is the SECOND time that matters.) This time you do not pick a trait to give up. Magic is much stronger in this game than KH1 and a lot more fun to use. If I had to advise you, I would steer clear of the sword because certain survival abilities are unlocked very late in the leveling process. But on Standard itwon’t be an issue anyway. Hopefully no one spoiled the beginning of the game for you! It’s always fun to watch new KH fans start KH2. When you finish the game - congratulations! - be sure to do the following: Media: DS/Movie/Manga; preferred: DS Difficulty: Standard/Beginner 358/2 Days (pronounced“three-five-eight days over two” believe it or not) is actually an interquel, wherein it begins at the very end of KH1, takes place throughout Chain of Memories, and ends just before the start of KH2. Although this technically takes place before KH2, and is actually bundled with KH1 and CoM in the KH1.5 compilation, you should definitely play KH2 first. 358 gives you a lot of information up front that you have to work to unravel throughout KH2, which would really take away from the mystery of KH2. Additionally, the cameos in 358 may appear one-dimensional and underdeveloped, but after interacting with those characters in KH2 they become a welcome (and logical) addition. A lot of the 358 story is self-contained, but it covers in depth elements of KH2 that went unexplained, such as what’s up with Riku and how the beginning of KH2 came to be. As it stands, it is made to fill in the gaps more than move the story forward, but with certain allusions to KH3 its story quickly becomes plot centric. Also, it’s just a really great story! So don’t skip it. Here’s the problem: the game is incredibly tedious. Similar to doing side Missions in Crisis Core or Chapter 5 in Peace Walker, you’ll often have to slug through a lot of pointless levels to get to the next bout of story. At first this isn’t so bad, but it becomes taxing if you try to binge the game. Do NOT try to 100% everything as you go. A lot of the items are locked behind abilities you won’t get until late in the game. If you start to get bored, skip the optional missions. They aren’t that important and you can always go back to them later. Lastly, if you’re finding enemies take a long time to die, try using magic. You can easily hack and slash your way through this game, but the magic is incredibly overpowered if you use it right. Read the mission logs before you go out on a mission; they will tell you what magic to bring. Standard mode is good, but if you are easily frustrated you should choose Beginner. My wholehearted recommendation is to play this game on the Nintendo DS (or 3DS since it is backwards compatible). The movie version for PS3/PS4 is a collection of high quality DS cutscenes interspaced by walls of“this is what happened” scrolling dialogue, Star Wars-esque. You miss out on character interactions, boss battles, and a lot of really good music. The emotional impact of the second to last mission is undermined without the actual boss fight. And the epic satisfaction of playing out the final mission is something I would never deny a Kingdom Hearts fan. The HD cutscenes are beautiful, and if you really enjoyed the game you should watch them, but as a standalone product it really falls short. The manga was published in five volumes and is non-canon. In every other instance I’ve said the manga is supplementary material, but I’m going to make an exception. If you can’t emulate or get a hold of the DS game, or if the tedium of pushing through missions gets the best of you, please read these books before watching the movie. Though you don’t get the excitement of playing out the ending, it does a better job of giving you an emotional tie to the characters than the PS3/PS4 movie does. Here’s a spoiler-freereview I did for the manga. Though there are no optional bosses or secret endings, if you complete all the missions and obtain at least one trial sigil in each group of missions you’ll unlock“Secret Reports”. Alongside Roxas’s diary, these are pages written by various other characters. In game, they don’t tell you who wrote what page, but the KH Ultimania guide broke it down. I recommend, after completing the game, you go to this website and read all the Secret Reports since it lists the authors. Media: PSP/PS3/PS4; preferred: PS4/PS3 Difficulty: Standard Birth by Sleep is a prequel set ten years before the events of KH1. Though it draws heavily on information from KH2, specifically concerning the franchise’s villain, it has very little overlap with 358. If you are having trouble getting your hands on 358, there is little reason you can’t play BBS first. However, you should absolutely play KH2 first! The PS3/PS4 remake includes Japanese exclusive content from Final Mix, just as KH1 and KH2 did. This includes new command styles, mini game levels, Critical mode, boss fights, and most importantly the Secret Episode. We’ll get to that. The remake also gives better camera and movement controls with two proper analog sticks. PS3/PS4 recommended, mostly for the Secret Episode, but the PSP version doesn’t hinder you as long as you follow this guide. In this game, you actually play as three different characters and none of them are Sora! The intent is to alternate between the three as you progress, but no one ever does. Each character has their own play style and feels very different to control. Switching between them is actually sort of unwieldy. The canon order is as they appear in the select screen. T. Then V. Then A. A’s story spoils V’s story, but T can technically go anywhere as long as V is before A. It can get a little tedious going through the game three times and it’s not an easy game like KH2, but Standard gives you the option to get the Secret Episode without it being too difficult. You can choose different difficulties per character, but that messes up the requirements for the end of the game. Once you beat the game on all three characters and collected all twelve Xehanort Reports, theFinal Episode will unlock. If you are missing any reports, this website will tell you where to get them. At this point, you should read all the reports as well. Depending on the difficulty you completed the game (it has to be the same difficulty for all characters!), you can unlock the Secret Episode as well. Standard Mode requires you to collect all the stickers and kill 9,999 heartless. Proud Mode requires only to collect all the stickers. Critical has no additional requirements. Here’s a guide for the stickers. Once you satisfy the requirements above and beat the Final Episode, it will unlock the Secret Episode. If you don’t satisfy the requirements, you can always beat it again later to unlock the episode. The Secret Episodestarts with Blank Points, the original secret ending from the PSP version. Afterward, you’ll start the new secret ending called AFragmentary Passage, wherein you actually play through the ending like an extra level! For those who are playing the PSP game or are not planning to unlock the Secret Episode, please watch ithere. The first thirteen minutes are Blank Points. The rest is A Fragmentary Passage. Lastly, there is one story-relevant optional boss but it’s a lot of effort. After you beat Final Episode, go to the Graveyard. Fight the Lingering Spirit. Kill him. Then go to Land of Departure. You’ll meet the Mysterious Figure. You can do this on any character. Here’s a videoto save you the time and trouble. Media: DS/Movie; preferred: Movie Difficulty: Standard Coded began as a cell phone game that released over a three year period and never outside of Japan. In 2011, the game was given an English release as a DS game called Re:Coded. It still plays a lot like a cell phone game and the boss fights are silly and atypical, but the game is remarkably beautiful. With the release of the KH2.5 compilation, the game was turned into a movie like 358, though it seems like Square learned from its mistakes. Though it’s not a perfect representation of the game and it still cuts out all the combat, almost all of Re:Coded’s story took place in the cutscenes to begin with. The“this is what happened” slides are fewer and short combat scenes were added in place of boss fights to fit the pacing. The movie holds the tone of the game’s more serious points without burdening you with its morerepetitive tasks, accompanied with orchestrated music and new voice acting. More than anything, though: Square added additional scenes not in the original game tying Re:Coded into Dream Drop Distance and Kingdom Hearts x. Where the 358 movie felt like a collection of cutscenes, this feels more like a completed product. Because this game had a very loose story to begin with, and because the new scenes added in the KH2.5 compilation, I have to recommend the movie this time (though, it is very long and sometimes a little boring). If you enjoyed 358, you’ll probably love Re:Coded! It’s a real step up from 358 in terms of ability and design. The story is trite until close to the end, but the mechanics are exciting and unique compared to other KH games. If you opt out of the movie, please make sure you watch the secret ending Destinyand this added scene that references x. Media: 3DS/PS4 Difficulty: Standard Originally called Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, the game has since dropped the 3D in its shift to PS4, likely because it isn’t in 3D anymore. There were very few content changes to the PS4 version given that the 3DS version never had a Final Mix. The Drop Gauge in the PS4 version is longer than the 3DS version, which gives the PS4 copy a leg up. The graphics were updated and a few Spirits were added. You won’t miss anything by playing one or the other. This game takes place directly after the ending of KH2. Some people think they will be able to get away with understanding KH3 based on having played KH1 and KH2, but that is absolutely wrong. Dream Drop literally turns the plot of Kingdom Hearts upside down, almost trivializing all the work you’ve done so far. It wraps up every game until now into this insane deus ex machina grand master plan. Where before this game you might think the plot of the franchise was linear, you come to realize that everything is actually a tiny piece to a very large, very complicated puzzle. This game was obviously made explicitly to set up KH3′s story and there is no way you’ll be able to fully understand the series without it. That being said. In this game you alternate play between both Sora and Riku which can get a little annoying. You can advance much further with one character than another, but the game won’t end until you get both characters to a certain point. Once that happens, things will shift into a sort of“part two”. Follow the story to the end. Standard Mode is respectable, but honestly Proud isn’t that bad. Once you understand how to manipulate the Flowmotion mechanic - something you will spend a long time trying to understand - the game becomes remarkably easy. Once you beat the game, you can unlock the secret ending based on how many in-game trophies you’ve collected. Beginner needs 13, Standard needs 7, Proud needs 5, and Critical doesn’t need any. Once you have the trophies, at the end of the game, be sure to answer the three questions correctly. This will unlock the video Another Guardian of Light in Theater Mode. You can also watch the video here. Media: iPhone/Android Kingdom Hearts x[chi] (pronounced“key”) began as a Japanese only browser game that eventually came out on cell phones. Since the browser game is officially concluded and available only in Japanese, we are going to talk instead about the worldwide cell phone equivalent, titled Kingdom Hearts KHUx is a free to play game for iOS and Android. It’s also the first and only Kingdom Hearts game that allows you to create your own character. What’s even cooler: this character is technically canon! The point of the game is to acquire medals of famous KH characters to use as weapons to power up your attacks. Through missions, events, and micro-transactions, you can acquire more and more of these medals to get stronger. KHUx takes place more than a hundred years prior to the rest of the series, before the events that lead to one of the key plots of KH1. Though this event seemed at one point unnecessary to explain, now that KHUx is out and the story is beginning to unfold, it’s a welcome addition to the franchise. I recommend you at least complete KH1, KH2, CoM, and BBS before starting this game to get a better understanding of the lore taking place in KHUx. Currently there are over 800 missions in the game and they are constantly adding more. Most of these missions are retellings of Disney plots and it is sometimes annoying to wade through all the content for real story. To make things more complicated, events come up every week for limited time medals and abilities. Don’t worry, though! If you join KHUx sometime down the road, the story missions will always be there! Actually, because of how powerful medals are getting, starting later will trivialize most of the early game content. I made a guide for new players to the KHUx world! Be sure to read it if you want to get into the phone game! I understand, however, that not everyone is willing to put up with 500 missions for a glimpse at actual story, which is why I compiled KHUX Theater Mode: a collection of cutscenes from KHUX that pertain to the overarching plot of Kingdom Hearts. If KHUx isn’t your thing or you don’t have a phone appropriate for the app, just watch those videos! With the release of KH3, a question arises: should new KHUX missions be watched after KH3? So far, the answer is no. Watch everything in the KHUX Theater Mode link above prior to playing KH3 for the best understanding. If this changes, I’ll update the guide. Media: Movie KHUx Back Cover is a movie in the same vein as 358 and Re:Coded, paired with KH0.2 and DDD in the KH2.8 compilation. Unlike the other two movies, however, Back Cover is entirely original content and will act like an actual movie rather than a collection of cutscenes. Back Cover’s narrative tells the story of KHUx from the perspective of the Foretellers, the leaders of the factions to which your KHUx character belongs. At only an hour long, it is one of the most exciting, inspiring, and amusing additions to the KH franchise in a long time. This movie is not a replacement for the phone game, but rather a companion to it. Back Cover explains the origins and purposes of the unions but offers very little in terms of answers. Playing Unionx through mission 555 - or watching through Episode 20 of KHUX Theater Mode- and then watching Back Cover offers the most in terms of world building and ambiance. Plus, there is an emotional connection you build with a specific character throughout the KHUx storyline who makes a cameo in Back Cover! Though you need to technically own 2.8 on the PS4 to watch this movie, there are rips of the video file plastered all over the internet. It’s not hard to find! Media: PS4 KH0.2 was released alongside DDD and Back Cover in the KH2.8 compilation for PS4. This original content served as something of a tech demo for KH3 and should be a demonstration of what to expect. KH0.2 is a direct sequel to the Secret Episode of the same name in Birth by Sleep. Although 0.2 is not a full game, it runs at about three to four hours of story content that explains some of the more unexplored avenues associated with KH1. There are also a lot of fun side-objectives to work toward if you are so inclined! 0.2 has no secret ending - all you have to do is beat it on any difficulty and you’ll get all the content you need. Between DDD, Back Cover, KHUx, and KH0.2, all the loose ends come together for Kingdom Hearts III. Media: PS4/Xbox One Difficulty: Standard The long awaited KH3 begins just where 0.2 left off. This game works very hard to tie up the loose threads of a very complicated series, while at the same time giving new threads to follow. Though this game doesn’t appropriately conclude the KH franchise, it gives us more answers than questions. Filled with call-back after call-back, resolution after resolution, there’s no doubt about where this game goes in play-order: at the end. KH3 is very easy. I recommend Standard, but Proud is not out of anyone’s wheelhouse. There are so many crazy attacks, invincibility frames, and huge one-shot spells that veteran players won’t find a single challenge throughout the entire game. After you beat the game, there are a few things you need to do: Unfortunately, that’s everything. With that secret ending, as well as some new plot points introduced in KH3, there’s a good chance this title will be expanded upon in some KH3 DLCs and new KHUX story missions. Stay tuned! Thank you for reading and I hope this helps along your Kingdom Hearts journey! If you ever have any questions related to any Kingdom Hearts media, please feel free to send me an Ask! May your heart be your guiding key! <3 KCMGames
What You’ll Need
Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
Kingdom Hearts II
Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep
Kingdom Hearts: Coded
Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance
Kingdom Hearts x
UnchainedUnionx. KHUx also surpasses KHx with a second season of story content.Kingdom Hearts x: Back Cover
Kingdom Hearts 0.2: A Fragmentary Passage
Kingdom Hearts III
THAT’S ALL!
