Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue Review

Robert Knuckles

A small beginning of Kingdom Hearts III

We get the appetizer for Kingdom Hearts III with Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue. The third Installment in the Kingdom Hearts HD remakes. This time it includes a remastered version of Nintendo 3DS Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep- A fragmentary Passage a new short game and Kingdom Hearts X Back Cover. So let’s get to it.

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance is a remastered HD version of the 3DS on the PS4. I actually never got to play this game due to the the fact that well.. I didn’t have a 3DS so this was very exciting for me.

Dream Drop Distance takes place after Kingdom Hearts II and Coded. The story focus on both Sora and Riku. Yen Sid puts Sora and Riku through a Mastery Exam to prove themselves that they are true Keyblade Masters to prepare themselves for Xehanort. Sora and Riku are sent to restored worlds both being separated in a sleeping state. The heroes encounter new enemies called Dream Eaters. They are creatures born from the darkness. Sora and Riku must unlock the Keyholes of Sleep in each world. On their adventure the two encounter a new enemy in an Organization XIII jacket who’s accompanied by both Ansem and Xemnas. He keeps giving both Sora and Riku warnings about moving on so players will have to play the game to figure out the new enemy’s intentions.

Now let's dive into the gameplay of Dream Drop Distance. Players switch between Sora and Riku using the Drop Gauge. Players will have a time limit playing Sora and Riku before they go into a sleep state but players can still switch between characters before the time limit is done. You’re able to obtain more time by obtaining some items. Sora and Riku each have their own story reflection on the worlds they visit. So you’ll see the same characters but a different story and a different boss.

The gameplay is mixed from both Kingdom Hearts I, II and using the deck system from Chain of Memories. Dream Drop Distance is still a hack and slash system but players can also use their deck system to edit moves. So players can edit magic spells, special moves and items. I love the Flowmotion moves. Flowmotion allows players to bounce off walls, grinding on rails and swinging on poles. Another new system is the Reality Shift. Reality Shift occurs when they see a special icon on certain objects and enemies. This allows players to do special moves whether it’s shooting an enemy like catapult, hacking into an enemy or even turning the enemy into a water ball. There is so much to do. Each world has it’s own version of a Reality Shift.

When playing Kingdom Hearts players are aided by Disney characters but this time players will be accompanied by new allies called Dream Spirits. They are basically the good versions of the Dream Eaters and these Spirits are one of the most adorable things I’ve ever seen. They aid both Sora and Riku in battle. Players will have to create their own Spirit using certain ingredients. Each Spirit have certain special moves. The more enemies players defeat increases the Spirits Link. Players are able to link to their Spirit and create special moves. Sora link has him teaming up with his Spirit for powerful attacks. Riku has his Spirits turn into a giant weapon adding new attacks and combos. Players can also bond with their Spirits by petting them, feeding them and playing games with them. The more you bond the better your Spirit can be.

In the end Dream Drop Distance is a fun game. You’ll revisit old worlds and enter new worlds I’m still making new Spirits and I’m finally catching up on my Kingdom Hearts story with this game.

Now Kingdom Hearts 0.2 : Birth by Sleep Fragmentary Passage story follows after the original Birth by Sleep. The story focus on Aqua’s narrative in the Realm of Darkness. She’s still trying to find the light as she wonders on and still tries to find her friends Terra and Ventus.

The gameplay uses the Kingdom Hearts III technology and that will get players excited. Aqua is very very powerful. Her combos are crazy, her magic spells are ridiculous and her Situation Commands? Boy don’t get me started. Different Situations appear depending on your playstyle. If you attack more you’ll do amazing powerful combos with an awesome finish, if you use ice more and huge ice ball will appear it’s pretty amazing. As you go along with the game you can complete objectives that give Aqua new material to wear but not really a game changer.

There really isn’t much to say about Fragmentary Passage because it is a short game but the ending will get you ready for Kingdom Hearts III.

Now Kingdom Hearts X Back Cover is told by cinematics. Foretellers reveal new parts of the series history. It’s only an hour long but I still had more questions that needed to be answered.

In the end Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is fun. I had the most fun with Fragmentary Passage despite it being short. This game does get you ready for Kingdom Hearts III so I would recommend it to Kingdom Hearts Fans. I give this game an 8 out of 10.