Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue Reviews

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue is ranked in the 63rd percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
7.5 / 10.0
Jan 24, 2017

But, if you’re a longtime fan, this is still a solid entry in the series, and A Fragmentary Passage might be worth the price of admission alone. There are moments throughout when the underlying gameplay and combat exceed the limitations of the collection, and you become totally swept up in eliminating as many goofy enemies as quickly as possible, bouncing off walls, flying through the air, hurling fireballs. For these moments, Final Chapter Prologue is a success.

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7 / 10.0
Feb 9, 2017

It should be an easier purchase to make if you haven’t played DDD before, but other than that, it’s hard to recommend this collection if you’re only getting it for 0.2, however awesome it may be. I do also understand just how starved Kingdom Hearts fans are however, so do know what you’re getting yourself into, but take solace in the fact that even though 0.2 is short, it’s a thrilling ride.

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Atomix
Top Critic
82 / 100
Jan 23, 2017

Even this compilation has not the same amount of contents that past remastered Kingdom Hearts packages, it's exciting to see a little bit of the future of the series on the actual generation of consoles with a great remasterization of a portable game and a short game that showed us the evolution of the franchise.

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77 / 100
Jan 30, 2017

A collection of well-made PS4 ports, preparing fans of the series for Kingdom Hearts 3. But for everybody else it's not worth buying.

Review in German | Read full review

Jan 23, 2017

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is a meaty and highly distinctive package which should delight cartoon-obsessed youngsters and those who live to play Japanese RPGs. But, despite the Disney involvement, it doesn’t feel likely to challenge the mainstream. In certain respects – albeit in the grand tradition of Japanese RPGs – it’s so complex as to be baffling.

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Jan 23, 2017

The best parts of this new Kingdom Hearts collection — the remaster of Dream Drop Distance and Aqua's miniature adventure — offer plenty of fun and a tantalizing taste of what Kingdom Hearts III will be like. The series' narrative absurdity is ever-present, but so is the addictive fun of its hack-and-slash gameplay.

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7 / 10.0
Jan 23, 2017

I’d heartily recommend this for KH fans, although I caution that perhaps they should wait for the price to drop. Newcomers to the franchise entirely should avoid this title until the first two anthologies are under the belt. This is definitely not an installment that is easy to jump into.

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7.5 / 10.0
Jan 23, 2017

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue is a collection which fans of the saga should not miss. Despite not overflowing with contents, this anthological prologue to the story of Kingdom Hearts is the missing piece of the series created by Nomura.

Review in Italian | Read full review

4.5 / 5.0
Jan 23, 2017

While it’s not the new Kingdom Hearts game that many may have wanted, it’s much more than just a simple collection of old titles or some cheap cash-in. It’s a bridge to what awaits, and I can’t help but feel excited after watching the credits roll for the umpteenth time.

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8.5 / 10.0
Jan 24, 2017

While the gaming community shared a collective groan when Kingdom Hearts 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue was announced, the remake is one of the best HD packages the Kingdom Hearts series has ever produced. Holding two entirely-knew Kingdom Hearts experiences and a criminally underplayed title in the franchise, Final Chapter Prologue is a collection that every likely Kingdom Hearts III player should experience.

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7.3 / 10.0
Feb 2, 2017

There’s a decent amount of content in Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue, but it doesn’t explain much for newcomers playing their first Kingdom Hearts game on the PS4. In addition, Back Cover will feel like a waste of time to some, and Birth by Sleep will feel too short. Dream Drop Distance translates fairly well, but alone it’s not worth the price of admission. As a bundle, the entire package offers a decent value and a great lead-in to Kingdom Hearts III.

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7.5 / 10.0
Mar 8, 2017

As its fittingly long name implies, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue should serve as the last appetizer before the long-awaited main course that is Kingdom Hearts 3. The best part is arguably Aqua's new chapter, a short but sweet entry that teases the promise of KH3. It's too bad that it couldn't be longer but for fans burned out from waiting, it just might rekindle their interest in the series, provided the price of entry isn't too high.

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Nintendo Life
Stuart Gipp
Top Critic
4 / 10
Feb 18, 2022

While both Dream Drop Distance and Fragmentary Passage are good stuff, this is a much more niche product than the previous compilation, and far more difficult to recommend. It's essential if you're a fan, but... let's face it, if you're a fan, you've already played these games. And on a system on which they run natively, rather than this (again!) erratic, temperamental Cloud Version. We feel like it's our destiny to repeat ourselves on the matter, but if you can buy this package for another system we'd earnestly implore you to do so - it may not be handheld, but at least it would be yours to keep and it would run reliably and consistently. As it stands, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue on Nintendo Switch is yet another compromise. If your internet connection is consistent and strong, it runs great... when it's running great. But, you know, stuff happens. Using Ethernet while docked helps, but it's still putting a sticking plaster on a glaring wound. So, once again, another good package but presented in the worst way. And slightly less good than the last one.

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GameMAG
ACE
Top Critic
7 / 10
Feb 8, 2017

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is a great opportunity to look at what players can expect in Kingdom Hearts III due to A Fragmentary Passage and partly χ Back Cover.

Review in Russian | Read full review

Chris Wray
Top Critic
6.5 / 10.0
Feb 13, 2017

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is an adequate collection of what's left over from the series, with what also acts as an exquisite demo for the upcoming Kindom Hearts 3. This isn't to say that hard work hasn't gone into the remaster, but for a premium price point the game just isn't worth what it's asking, and the core component shows its age and origins a little more than could be hoped for.

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8 / 10.0
Feb 15, 2017

Kingdom Hearts 2.8 is thoroughly enjoyable, even as a newcomer, but it requires a lot of homework via YouTube clips and Wiki. The characters are varied and vibrant, and the lineup includes some classic headliners. It's a great taste of what's to come in Kingdom Hearts III, but I feel it's priced a bit high for what it delivers.

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89 / 100
Jan 23, 2017

The content is great, but the relative value is horrible. If you are a big Kingdom Hearts fan (and really that’s who this collection is intended for), you’re going to be overjoyed.

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9 / 10.0
Jan 23, 2017

Thanks to some excellent all-new content and the most polished HD remaster the series has yet seen, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue successfully and beautifully sets the stage for the big showdown of light versus dark in Kingdom Hearts 3. A must-have for fans, and a primo starting point for newcomers.

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7 / 10
Jan 25, 2017

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is a strong but unnecessarily pricey collection for die-hard fans, especially for those who don't intend to play Dream Drop Distance. For those who do, it most certainly is a wonderful game that has undergone an admirable transition between platforms. With a fair film and enticing episode in tow, there's only so much more our hearts can bear in anticipating Kingdom Hearts III.

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Drew Leachman
Top Critic
7.5 / 10.0
Jan 25, 2017

While it’s not my favorite bundle they have released, it most certainly has some fun times in it. RPG and Kingdom Hearts fans should not shy away from this one. Still, seeing as how 2.5 HD had both Kingdom Hearts 2 and Birth by Sleep in it and this package only has a full game and a 2 hour episode, I would say at least wait for a slight price drop.

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