Since its inception, the Kingdom Hearts franchise has been primarily associated with PlayStation with a sprinkling of Nintendo here and there. It wasn’t till 2019 that the mainline series broke from PlayStation, with Kingdom Hearts III landing on Xbox One. That move opened the doorway for more players to enjoy the series, and now even more can with the game’s release on PC. The entirety of the Kingdom Hearts series (minus mobile title Union χ) is available on PC via the Epic Games Store. That list includesKingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix,Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue,Kingdom Hearts III(including theRe Mind DLC) andKingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory. In total, that’s eight games, a DLC, and three movies. That’s a lot of Kingdom Hearts, but how is the conversion to PC?
Control-wise, the games feature a wide range of options. The default keyboard controls work well with three base options to choose from, plus additional key rebinding. Keyboard and mouse is a surprisingly competent way to enjoy all Kingdom Hearts titles. For those who’d rather play with a gamepad, that option exists with setups for DualShock 4, Xbox Wireless Controller, and other third-party controllers available out of the gate. No matter how you want to play Kingdom Hearts, the PC versions offer perfectly viable ways to enjoy them.
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix consists of the most titles with Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts II, Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep and Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories all included. Of the four Kingdom Hearts titles on PC, 1.5 + 2.5 is the least-graphically intensive and the one that feels most like a straight port. There are fewer options to tweak in the settings, but there are also great options. Probably the best news is just how easy it is to get running on a wide range of hardware thanks to low system requirements.
Digging into the games, probably the best addition are the frame rate options. Running at a standard 60fps, players can also toggle between 120fps and unlocked frame rate modes. There’s also a wide range of resolution options to get the games looking as crisp as their PS2 and PSP-era graphics can get. The games still look decent, but you can tell their ages, particularly Birth By Sleep, which was a product of the PSP era. Of the four games, it’s the most in need of a visual overhaul. Then there are the two movies. In 2013, Square Enix opted to turn the DS titles 358/2 Days or Re:Coded into cinematic movies rather than remake them. For PC, Square Enix doesn’t appear to have done much to touch up these films. While Re:Coded is entirely skippable, 358/2 Days is somewhat necessary for the overarching story. It’s just unfortunate that it doesn’t look touched up at all.
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue features two games (Dream Drop Distance and 0.2: Birth By Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage) and a movie (χ Back Cover). This package retains many of the same graphical options as 1.5 + 2.5. Both Dream Drop Distance and 0.2 look and play well on PC. χ Back Cover doesn’t have any of the issues as 1.5 + 2.5’s cinematic movies.
Kingdom Hearts III is where Square Enix has put most of its effort. A modern game built with Unreal 4, Kingdom Hearts III should provide options and features expected of a modern PC title. Thankfully, it does just that. In addition to the other games' options, Kingdom Hearts III also includes toggles for HDR, texture and shadow quality, lighting and more. It’s the most demanding game of the lot, so don’t expect it to run as easily or smoothly on older machines as the other two collections. Still, it’s not that hard to get an experience that surpasses the base PS4 and Xbox One builds. Combined with the excellent frame rate options, keyboard and mouse controls, and gamepad options, Kingdom Hearts III provides a great PC experience.
Melody of Memory is the latest entry in the franchise and the least complex of the ports. Though capable of going all the way to 120fps, the game is capped at a 1080p resolution. As a rhythm game requiring precise timing, especially on higher difficulties, the focus on delivering high frame rates is more important. Still, it would have been nice to get more graphical options for a game that’s not even a year old yet.
Overall, Square Enix has put together a solid group of PC ports, though some artificial barriers stand in the way. For one, as of publication, the only way to play these games on PC is through the Epic Games Store. If you were hoping to nab these on Steam or Windows Store, you’d need to wait longer. Then there’s the price, which comes in at $49.99 (1.5 + 2.5) and $59.99 (2.8, III, and Melody of Memory). These are the same prices currently on PS4 and Xbox One, but there are more advantages to getting the games on those platforms. On PS4, there’s an All-in-One Package for $99.99 ($39.99 if you go physical), while on Xbox One the games are available on Xbox Games Pass (the Re Mind DLC and Melody of Memory aren’t included with the bundle or Games Pass). While there was a launch discount on the Epic Games Store, it has since ended, making playing the Kingdom Hearts saga on PC a costly proposition.
Kingdom Hearts’ arrival on PC is an excellent way to play the beloved saga. There are plenty of options to tailor the experience to your rig and play style. For a franchise with such deep roots on consoles, Square Enix has done a good job getting the whole saga running on PC; just don’t expect it to come cheap.
