The Kingdom Hearts series is a blast–zipping around with your pals Donald and Goofy while slipping into distinct Disney-themed levels functions a whole lot better than it sounds like it should. However, for a game that is largely a wacky Disney/Final Fantasy crossover event, Kingdom Hearts is incredibly dense with lore. Every single match is canon for a certain reason, and there are an awful lot of those.
Together with the entire series heading to PC on March 30, it could be overpowering knowing where to begin. As PC Gamer’s resident Kingdom Hearts nerd, I have whipped up a listing of the games you should definitely play, the ones you’ll be able to play, and also the ones it is simple to give a miss.
It is best to experience these games about where they published instead of in which they lie chronologically on the often bonkers Kingdom Hearts timeline. A good deal of those games rely on circumstance from those that came before them, even if it’s a prequel.
While this may appear largely obvious, I’ve made a point of calling it out since while Kingdom Hearts was the first game to launch, it’s not the primary game chronologically. Birth By Sleep requires that name, but do not hesitate to dive into the prequel straight away. BBS is based on a great deal of prior knowledge and context for the game’s settings that are not all that favorable for new players.
Kingdom Hearts, but does a fantastic job of setting the scene, giving you an idea about what is in store for the rest of the series. It’s also a lot lighter on the convoluted narrative, matters would not go loco until the sequels: therefore it is a more readable experience for novices.
There are more characters, more sub-stories and it is normally a lot more to take in than the prior mainline game.
Nearly every spin-off match from here on out branches away from Kingdom Hearts 2 to some degree, and you would be missing out on a mighty chunk of the story if you passed over this to head straight to Kingdom Hearts 3.
Birth By Sleep is easily one of the most crucial games you must be playingfor Kingdom Hearts 3 especially. Birth By Sleep happens prior to the events of the original Kingdom Hearts, and each character in the game ends up taking on fairly big roles further down the line. Birth By Sleep is absolutely paramount to understanding exactly what the hell is going on, and it helps that it is a complete blast to play.
Ideally, play this following 358/2 days, but anytime between Kingdom Hearts 2 and Kingdom Hearts 3 ought to suffice.
It goes without saying that if you’ve made it through all the other games, you’d be daft to not find out its own conclusion.
Kingdom Hearts 3 is just one of the weaker games in my view, both for story and gameplay. However it’s a half-decent task of tying up loose ends and eventually bringing an end to Sora’s story.
Don’t think I have to say it, but just in the event of play this one last.
Re: Chain of Memories bridges the gap between Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts 2. A lot happens here, and you may be somewhat confused by the beginning of Kingdom Hearts 2 if you do not dive into this game.
The gameplay is a far cry from the remainder of the series though, with the usual hack-and-slash action being replaced with cards and deck-building, and can be a small roadblock if it is not your style.
Perform this 1 right after Kingdom Hearts.
This is less of a’possibly play’ and more of a’maybe watch’ viewing as 358/2 Days has been due to the gameplay, instead being a group of text and cutscenes in the original DS game. It takes place roughly around precisely the exact same time Re: Chain of Memories does, between the first two mainline games.
Its main characters do have a nice degree of importance in Kingdom Hearts 3, so if you’ve got a couple of hours to spare it is well worth plowing through the cutscenes just to get a fundamental understanding of the throw. Nevertheless, it’s also easy enough to do a little bit of light reading online.
View this after playing Kingdom Hearts 2.
