Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue Reviews
For a fan, this is an essential purchase and it comes with a sense that this nearly 15 year old series is drawing to a logical conclusion. It’s also a great opportunity to not only unpick some of the more convoluted areas of the lore, but look to the future with its reveal of the sumptuous looking Kingdom Hearts 3 engine. It’s a shame that Square didn’t see fit to release a complete collection alongside the forthcoming reissues of the rest of the games in the series; casual fans and newcomers who are interested in getting into the series would do well to hold off til April and pick up both this and the 1.5/2.5 double pack.
A good game, but already seen on 3DS five years ago, plus an even better one, but too short.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is a fine entry in this crazy saga of games, even though it contains one of the least interesting games story wise with Dream Drop Distance. The taste of what we might be getting in Kingdom Hearts 3 certainly m
Birth by Sleep 0.2 is the the best part of this package, with great visuals, music and combat system, and as a teaser for the third part it largely succeeds despite its length, and is an overall great bite-sized entry, while Dream Drop Distance HD is an entertaining albeit flawed entry. This package is aimed more at series veterans than newcomers, and is better experienced after the upcoming 1.5+2.5 bundle in March.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Regardless, Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance HD is an enjoyable romp that'll last you a good number of hours. If this is your first Kingdom Hearts game, then for the love of God almighty PLAY ALL THE OTHERS PREVIOUSLY. You won't understand a single thing otherwise! The combat can be clunky at times, and can be a bit annoying to control, but once you get a knack for it, you'll be hooked.
It is tough to recommend this collection to even the biggest KH fan at its current price tag, because what Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 consists of is one of the weakest games in the series, a glorified demo and extremely short teaser of what to expect in Kingdom Hearts III, and a movie that many may find difficult to care about its characters. At a much lower price, however, this will be worth the investment, as the small story pieces in KH 0.2 alone set the stage and clear some things up. It is visually beautiful, and whilst the controls and combat need work, there is still a solid foundation there for fun and flashy gameplay. Anyone yet to dive into the franchise, wait for the PS4 combined bundle of 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX, then pick 2.8 up after it has reduced.
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is not some cheap cash-in collection. It’s a bridge to what is going come in the future backed up by an amazing remaster and an intriguing teaser to the next game.
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
Mandatory purchase for the Kingdom Hearts series fans, giving a foretaste of what will be in Kingdom Hearts 3. Unfortunately, compared to previous collections, this is extremely modest in content.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Kingdom Hearts is great but this collection isn’t good. There is a serious lack of content in this collection.
Kingdom Hearts 2.8 does exactly what it was meant to do. Get us ready for Kingdom Hearts 3.
A brief but precious look at what the future holds for Kingdom Hearts.
Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is a morsel that updates a small bit of the past with a very nice Dream Drop Distance HD Remaster, details a bit of the present with the χ Back Cover cinematic, and shows a smidge of the glorious future with Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage. The gaming content is high quality, but low quantity, leaving you wanting more. Great for junkies needing a Kingdom Hearts bump to get them through the long wait should get this immediately.
Visiting colourful worlds, exploring the meaning of friendship and raising some cute pets in the process, has made me rediscover why I enjoyed the Kingdom Hearts franchise in the first place.
Don’t let the convoluted title fool you. It’s worth the play, even if you’re new to the franchise.
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.
In conclusion the game is okay, it’s not for me specifically as I’ve never been a huge fan of Kingdom Hearts but I can see why it is as popular as it has become, thus as a result fans will enjoy it, I don’t know if they’ll love it though as the content level is minimal, one revamp of a full game, one short extra game lasting barely a couple hours and an hour long cinematic to fill the gaps for the cost of $69 AUD? Not the best value if you ask me. But no doubt many will pay for the small amount of content to fill their void until the release of Kingdom Hearts III the twelfth instalment of the series as a whole, and HD remakes are always a welcome addition giving a fresh new take on games that players can sometimes miss after replaying the originals as many times as I have playing mine. So in the end, Kingdom Hearts fans will feel their money was well spent.
Its value may fall depending on your investment in the series so far, but Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is both an enjoyable way to catch up on the story and a tantalising taste of what is to come.
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
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is a collection well worth every penny. Dream Drop Distance is a fun entry to the franchise, but not without its issues; Kingdom Hearts X is a fun little movie, especially for those invested in the franchise's lore and mythos; and A Fragmentary Passage is a wonderful tease of what is to come, by introducing new elements and setting the stage up for Kingdom Hearts 3. If you're looking for your Kingdom Hearts fix, look no further, but you may have to wait a while until they announce the release date of Kingdom Hearts 3.
