The Kingdom Hearts Games are crossover action role-playing games that have been developed by Square Enix. In collaboration with Disney Interactive, the game was first released in 2002 and since then, a good number of other games have found their ways in the series.
After years of waiting, Square Enix has announced that it is releasing the Kingdom Hearts III, and so we have decided to take a look at the games that have been released thus far in the franchise.
Kingdom Hearts Games Order of Release
Table of Contents
Kingdom Hearts
Release Date: March 28, 2002
Platform: PlayStation 2 (PS2)
This is not just the first game in the series, it is also one of the best games in the franchise. The storyline of the game was very intelligent as it brought together the story of Halloween Town and Agrabah and Wonderland as well as Final Fantasy to tell the adventures of a boy, Sako, who is traveling through different worlds to find his hometown and friends.
The gameplay took a diversion from what was typical of Square to give some elements of hack and slash as well as some action. The success is mainly due to the storyline as well as bringing together action and role-playing features. The game was remastered as Kingdom Hearts Final Mix in December 2002 and more contents were added to it. The next time it was remastered again was in 2013 when it was made to high definition.
Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories
Release Date: November 11, 2004
Platform: Game Boy Advance
This game did not go down too well with a lot of people because it was designed for a game boy. The second game in the series, it also enjoyed good sales and reviews although it was not as popular as the first.
More characters are brought in and the plot is also extended. With everything that was said about the game, it still does well by laying the foundation for the games to come after it including the Kingdom Hearts II.
Kingdom Hearts II
Release Date: 22 December 2005
Platform: PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3
This game takes over from Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories which is rather divisive to give a story that has a fantastic plot and a gameplay that is likewise great. It dwells more on the Final Fantasy characters than on the Disney Worlds.
It continues with the search of Sora for his friends and his battles against the Organization XIII. The organization plays an important role in the game and this means that you get to have good boss fights. The interesting thing with this part of the game is how it is able to build on.
Kingdom Hearts coded
Release Date: 18 November 2008
Platform: PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS
Developed for Nintendo and PS3, this is probably one of the worst Kingdom hearts games that you would get to play. Not like it is something for the dustbin, it doesn’t just make it to the league of the other games in the franchise. The story is not the best and neither is the gameplay. The good thing is that unless you want to feel it for yourself, you can decide not to play it and still you will not miss anything; not the fun or even the story.
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Release Date: 30 May 2009
Platform: Nintendo DS
This time around, instead of Saro, the main character is Roxas. He becomes a part of the Organization XIII. Better than the gameplay, the storyline will keep you going in this game. Needless to say, it has one of the best storylines in the franchise but it gets repetitive sometimes and that can be boring. Another issue you may have with it is that the world is not very original as it is made of the worlds from the titles before it.
It is very similar to Re:coded, sharing some of the problems that gamers found with it, but again, the salvation is in the story even as the gameplay has nothing significant to offer.
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
Release Date: 9 January 2010
Platform: PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3
As a result of the performance of the last two Kingdom Hearts Games, fans were already getting tired of the game, and obviously, the next game to come would either be the resurrection for the franchise or the last nail to its coffin. Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep managed somehow to wake the franchise from its slumber and give in a new breath of life. The storyline was good and the gameplay left hardly a thing to complain about. As far as KH is concerned, BBS is the best when you are talking about the storyline. It also brought in the Command Deck system which made the use of items and abilities seamless.
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
Release Date: 29 March 2012
Platform: Nintendo 3DS
Dream Drop Distance is another title that hits it rather well among other Kingdom Hearts Games. The 3Ds gets it right with both the story and the gameplay. We get to meet Sora and Riku, but one of the best things about the title is that Square Enix lets you explore new worlds.
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You can play as Riku and Flowmotion is also introduced in the title which works by helping you leap from buildings. More so, the combat included is quite impressive.
Kingdom Hearts χ
Release Date: 18 July 2013
Platform: Android, iOS, Web browser
Coming as a prequel of the game, Kingdom Hearts χ is a simplistic game that still has a lot to offer although it will not be on the top of your list. You are allowed to create the characters you want and customize them. While it is a little slow, the story here brings you in on the background information of some of the things that you will later meet in the Kingdom Hearts itself.
Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage
Release Date: January 12, 2017
Platform: PlayStation 4
This is not among the popular titles in the franchise but it is not the one that is not important as it links the Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and the Kingdom Hearts III. You will find some lists where this game is not included.
Kingdom Hearts III
Release Date: 25 January 2019
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One
The next game in the series will be released in 2019. Continuing from the Kingdom Hearts 3D, it will end the chapter of Dark Seeker saga. The gameplay will be the same as the previous Kingdom Hearts games.
Conclusion
The main games of KH have been re-released in HD through the years but those are not included on the list because there is hardly any significant addition to them. More so, there have also been some spinoffs, Kingdom Hearts V CAST (created for V Cast) and the Kingdom Hearts Mobile (for Docomo Prime Series-P-01A cell phones).
