Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix
HD remaster of Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, Re:Chain of Memories, and 358/2 Days.
Square Enix released Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix for PlayStation 3 in Japan in March 2013, with a September 2013 launch in North America, Australia, and Europe. This HD remastered collection includes Kingdom Hearts Final Mix and Re:Chain of Memories, both with Trophy support, plus a cinematic remake of 358/2 Days. The Final Mix version was rebuilt from scratch due to lost assets and features gameplay adjustments like Reaction Commands and right-stick camera control. The collection received generally positive reviews.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Square Enix 1st Production Department
- Publisher
- Square Enix
- Director
- Tetsuya Nomura; Tai Yasue
- Producer
- Rie Nishi
- Designer
- Tetsuya Nomura
- Writer
- Jun Akiyama
- Daisuke Watanabe
- Kazushige Nojima
- Composer
- Yoko Shimomura
- Series
- Kingdom Hearts
Facts from the source article.
Games
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix includes Kingdom Hearts Final Mix and Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories in playable form, alongside a cinematic remake of Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, originally released in 2002, received the most gameplay adjustments: its command menu was updated to include Attack, Magic, Items, and Summons in the fourth slot, replacing the original context-sensitive command; Reaction Commands from Kingdom Hearts II were added, triggered by the Triangle Button; and the camera was made controllable with the right thumb stick, with the R3 button resetting it behind Sora, departing from the original shoulder-trigger camera system. These changes aimed to make the game play more consistently with Kingdom Hearts II and Re:Chain of Memories. This version of Final Mix was released in North America, Australia, and Europe for the first time as part of the collection. Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, a direct sequel set about a year before Kingdom Hearts II, follows Sora exploring a mysterious castle while Riku fights darkness in the basement levels. This version was also released in Europe and Australia for the first time in the collection, having previously been released in North America in December 2008. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, which takes place near the end of Kingdom Hearts and runs parallel to Chain of Memories, is presented as 2 hours and 50 minutes of HD cinematics rather than a playable game, with Trophy support on PlayStation 3.
Development
The idea for a high-definition version of Kingdom Hearts was on Tetsuya Nomura’s mind as early as August 2011, though he hadn’t locked in any plans at that point. This concept actually came before the notion of a Final Fantasy X HD re-release, and two programmers at Square Enix had been working on it for over a year. In September 2012, Square Enix officially revealed Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix for the PlayStation 3, handled by the company’s 1st Production Department. The package brought Kingdom Hearts Final Mix and Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories into high definition with Trophy support, and also included a non-playable HD cinematic of events from Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days to help players follow the story. Some character models from Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance were tested during development. Cutscenes from Final Mix were remastered with Japanese voice acting, and both Chain of Memories and 358/2 Days received extra voice work so that 70% of the main story scenes had full audio. A full remake of 358/2 Days was initially considered, but because it would have taken too long to develop, it was turned into an extended HD movie instead. Every cutscene from the original game, whether pre-rendered or using in-game graphics, was re-animated for this cinematic. In January 2013, Jesse McCartney, who voices Roxas, posted a now-deleted Instagram photo of himself in a recording booth with Roxas on screen, captioned about recording the next chapter.
Reception
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix received generally positive critical reception. On Metacritic, it scored 77 out of 100 based on 49 reviews. Kotaku gave a generally positive rating, praising the redone visuals, tweaked gameplay, and expanded content, but noted the game's age remained palpable. Game Informer praised the collection, stating that the core of the collection is the excellent original game and that the other two offerings are inessential bonus features. Joystiq gave a positive, unscored review, saying the collection captures the franchise at its purest simplicity and serves as a trip down memory lane for long-term fans while being a welcoming entry point for newcomers. GameSpot stated that the collection presents the earliest games in their best light and makes a revealing cinematic experience out of a third one, offering unique elements and welcome context for longtime fans and newcomers alike. GameTrailers felt the collection lived up to the HD part of its name but had shortcomings, noting that the original game's inclusion with revisions and Final Mix content is a worthy investment, and Chain of Memories is a nice gesture, though its card-based battle system might be off-putting; they criticized the reduction of 358/2 Days to a lengthy film. IGN called it an excellent way to replay the first two games in high-definition but was disappointed that the box art did not properly distinguish 358/2 Days as non-playable. Electronic Gaming Monthly stated the collection brings a PS2 classic to the modern age with a noticeable visual update, improved camera controls, and secondary and tertiary content all on one disc.
Additional collections
Back in October 2012, Tetsuya Nomura floated the idea that a high-definition version of Kingdom Hearts II would probably end up in another compilation, remarking that it would be strange if it didn't. The end credits of HD 1.5 Remix teased this possibility by showing footage from Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix, and Kingdom Hearts Re:coded. Square Enix made it official on October 14, 2013, with the announcement of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix. This set brought those titles into high definition, though Re:coded was presented as HD cutscenes, much like 358/2 Days had been in the earlier collection. The PlayStation 3 exclusive launched in Japan on October 2, 2014, followed by North America on December 2, Australia on December 4, and Europe on December 5 of the same year. After that, the credits of HD 2.5 Remix pointed toward yet another collection by showing clips from Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance and including a secret ending tied to that game. In September 2015, Square Enix unveiled Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue. This package contained an HD remaster of Dream Drop Distance, a cinematic retelling of Kingdom Hearts χ called Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover, and a brand-new game, Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage, which follows Aqua after the events of Birth by Sleep. It reached Japan on January 12, 2017, and other regions on January 24, 2017.
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