Though an enticing but short-lived look at the future of the “Kingdom Hearts” series, “Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue” should only be important to long-time fans who want to get the most out of the series. “Kingdom Hearts 2.8” is segmented into three parts: a remastered version of “Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance,” a new hybrid spinoff/prologue from “Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep,” entitled “0.2 Birth By Sleep: A Fragmentary Passage,” which uses a brand new game engine and a CGI movie prequel to the series called “Kingdom Hearts X Back Cover.”
“Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD” is simply a remaster of the original game -- initially released on the 3DS, and is optimized for the PS4. Unfortunately, there are little to no gameplay differences between the old version and the remastered one.
The only impactful differences are minor graphical improvements, changes to the user interface to work on a PS4 controller and the inclusion of three new party members. Despite this, the game is completely the same with no additional story content —meaning anyone who has already played the game need not revisit “Dream Drop Distance” and won’t miss anything besides a prettier version of the same game.
The least interesting segment of new content comes in the form of “Kingdom Hearts X Back Cover,” which, according to the game’s trailer, is a “new HD cinematic revealing a story untold, according to the game’s trailer.” The cinematic movie looks very pretty, but is not very exciting and only adds confusion to the series as a whole.
The animation utilizes similar resources from the new game engine being used in “Kingdom Hearts 3,” which is a positive reinforcement to the quality of cut scenes to be expected in the next game. Despite this, it feels like a fan-edited montage instead of a succinct movie. Actors’ performances flip-flop from being tacky and unexciting, causing much discomfort and forced cringe while viewing.
On top of all of this, much of the exposition is convoluted and multi-layered to the point where only hardcore fans would enjoy it. “Back Cover” is a confusing addition unjustified by the overall quality of the viewing experience.
The most interesting and exciting segment of the bundle is “0.2 Birth By Sleep: A Fragmentary Passage,” which is essentially a demo that is the final prequel to the long-awaited “Kingdom Hearts 3.” The player follows the lost “Master Aqua” on her journey through the “Realm of Darkness,” the hellish underworld where she was left at the end of “Birth By Sleep.”
“0.2” is a promising glimpse in to what the next game in the series is going to be like, showcasing gameplay mechanics, graphical fidelity and the rest of what fans of the series have in store for them down the road when “Kingdom Hearts 3” is released.
The battle gameplay feels very fluidly dynamic and takes a lot of cues from the original “Kingdom Hearts 2” battle system, but improves upon them to make a smooth combat experience. Attacking with physical strikes as well as magic does not feel clunky at all, and the interchangeability between them does not interrupt the flow of battle.
The new modern art style being employed for the future of “Kingdom Hearts” looks beautiful and runs incredibly well already; there were not any noticeable graphical hiccups throughout the entire playthrough of “0.2.” Environments are much more dynamic and the world features much more interactivity, a great improvement to the lackluster worlds in previous games.
Dodging spoilers, “0.2” creates a nice enough prologue and sneak preview on what to expect from “Kingdom Hearts 3.” For fans of the series, it piques interest hopefully long enough to tide them over until the eventual release of “Kingdom Hearts 3.”
“Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue” shows that “Kingdom Hearts 3” will be the next big step for the series, but “2.8” appeals only to the hardcore fans. If players are not well-versed or do not significantly enjoy the “Kingdom Hearts” series, it might be best to continue waiting for “Kingdom Hearts 3.”
