Kingdom Hearts 2 will continue in a new game called Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue for the PlayStation 4.
Okay, that was a mouthful, so let’s break it down. If you need a beginner’s guide to the Kingdom Hearts games, scroll to the bottom of this article.
Kingdom Hearts 2.8 will that take place between Kingdom Hearts 2 (released in 2005) and the upcoming Kingdom Hearts 3. Since Kingdom Hearts 2 came out, Square Enix has released several games that take place in that in-between period. One of those was called Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance for the Nintendo 3DS. That came out in 2012.
Kingdom Hearts 2.8 will contain a remastered version of Dream Drop Distance, called Dream Drop Distance HD. In Dream Drop Distance, Kingdom Hearts protagonists Sora and Riku take an exam called the Mark of Mastery to prepare for the final battle with Master Xehanort. This will be the first time that Dream Drop Distance is brought to a console.
Kingdom Hearts 2.8 will also have a new gameplay sequence called Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep 0.2. This is an ending of sorts for Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep, which came out for the PlayStation Portable in 2005.
Finally, Kingdom Hearts Chi is a movie that will be included in Kingdom Hearts 2.8. It details a sort of backstory for the Kingdom Hearts world, and it will connect to the upcoming mobile title Kingdom Hearts Chi.
Earlier, it was rumored that a game called Kingdom Hearts 2.9 would be released. It looks like this is probably the game those rumors were pertaining to. It has yet to receive a release date, but we’ll keep you posted. It has yet to be confirmed that Square Enix will release a game with a name that makes sense, but if it happens, we’ll make sure you’re the first to know.
A Latecomer’s Guide to Kingdom Hearts
So you haven’t been keeping up with Kingdom Hearts since 2002, when the first game was released? No worries. While the series was originally broken up into tiny pieces and sprinkled liberally over every Sony and Nintendo console released since then, it’s been condensed into a few new, HD titles.
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix for the PlayStation 3 contains the remastered first Kingdom Hearts, along with the sequel, Chain of Memories. It also has all the cutscenes for Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, another game that takes place in between Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts 2.
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix for the PlayStation 3 contains Kingdom Hearts 2, as well as the prequel game Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep. It also has all the cinematics from Kingdom Hearts Re:coded, another game which takes place after Kingdom Hearts 2.
With those two collections, you should be able to catch up on Kingdom Hearts, if that’s not too daunting an idea.
