KH13's Kingdom Hearts PC Impressions

[OrpheusJoshua 126]

NOTE: Thank you very much to Square Enix for providing KH13 with these PC codes. That has not affected our opinions and advisories in this piece, however. 

Orpheus Joshua

The Kingdom Hearts series making its way to PC is a massive step up for accessibility for prospective fans. The first and definitely most worthwhile purchase any interested party should make is Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX.

This compilation includes Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, (HD Cinematics) Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix, and Kingdom Hearts Re: coded. (HD Cinematics) 

Each of these ports is qualitative and performs quite well. There are full screen, windowed, and borderless full-screen modes alongside a slew of other display features. 30, 60, 120, and Unlocked frame rate options are available with a refresh rate option accompanying those. 

Brightness adjustments and colorblind filters are available as well. The menu for the colorblind filters is a bit odd since it features a screenshot from the Japanese version of the title, but that's just a minor nitpick. 

Sound sliders for the master volume, background music, sound effects, and voices are available too, which is a first for the series. 

Regarding controller inputs, PlayStation, Xbox, Keyboard, and Switch Pro Controllers all seamlessly work without issue. Buttons can also be re-calibrated, providing further individual player agency in how one chooses to play.

As you can see, there is a significant amount of added quality of life features to these PC versions of the titles, which makes them both excellent entry points for new players and compelling reasons for revisiting for veteran fans.

There are some issues to be wary of regarding the titles, though. There are seemingly random crashes in Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories, Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, and Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix. I personally experienced crashes in all of the aforementioned titles minus Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories. Still, I have both seen and talked to individuals who have dealt with crashes in Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories as well.

These crashes seemed to be random, as the ones I experienced occurred just as I was standing still or walking around. Thankfully the severity and frequency of them are nowhere near the level of Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix's infamous save crashing during its initial play state on PlayStation 4. However, they are still worth being wary of. 

There are also some new issues the community is finding as we speak too, so once again, keep the potential of encountering problematic occurrences in mind. If you choose to purchase this title, be sure to save often to supplement any loss of progress you may find yourself facing.

Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix seems to be the most contentious of the ports as there are reports of some players crashing more frequently here than in the other titles. Speaking from individual experience, I dealt with a total of 4 crashes during my time playing Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, 2 crashes in Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, and 1 crash in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix.

There is not much to say regarding the HD Cinematics of Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days and Kingdom Hearts Re: coded. Still, it is worth mentioning that the entirety of the Chapters across both titles and Roxas' Diary in the former title are fully available for viewing from the start. 

The free update scene for Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days is also present, for those wondering.

Curiously though, the Characters section of Kingdom Hearts Re: coded is unlocked and naturally updated from viewing the cinematics, which is a bizarre choice when accompanied by everything else being initially unlocked.

Lastly, it seems that it is not possible to alter the voice acting of any of these games to Japanese despite that being an advertised feature. While one can alter the game's language entirely from the Epic Game Store settings menu, that also changes the language of the text itself, and it also seemingly doesn't alter the dubbed language for some players. This is by far one of the oddest exclusions, erroneous or not since this feature is listed on the store page of the title.

Of the 4 Kingdom Hearts PC releases, Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX is certainly one of the most worthwhile purchases a customer can make. While some technical issues need sorting out, the ports are all relatively reliable and consistent in performance. The added PC optimizations and several other features make these arguably the definitive way to experience these titles, doubly so once their issues get ironed out.

Orpheus Joshua

There is not much to say regarding Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue. This collection contains the least bang for your buck as it only includes Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD, Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep ~A fragmentary passage~ and Kingdom Hearts χ[chi] Back Cover.

Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD and the other titles in this collection have the same PC optimization options that Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX had, and its performance is smooth and up to snuff. If you want more details on what is included, read our section on the prior collection above, but expect the same general level of quality and performance that the former titles have.

Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep ~A fragmentary passage~ is a graphical step up from the past titles and requires a beefier set up to run comfortably. Oddly enough, though, its optimization options for display are identical to the prior titles. This is a bit strange given the higher tier of graphical fidelity this title offers, so one would expect more options, perhaps akin to what Kingdom Hearts III's PC port provides. Regardless, however, this title runs beautifully. This is a far cry from the stuttery performance back on PlayStation 4, and it does this title more than enough justice. I have a relatively modest PC, and this title ran smoothly with little to no slowdown whatsoever. 

I did not experience crashes or any noticeable bugs during my experiences in either of these 2 titles, and I have not seen any reports of this occurring with other players. Still, best to be cautious and save whenever possible.

Lastly, as for Kingdom Hearts χ[chi] Back Cover, there is literally nothing unique or noteworthy to comment on. While it likely does look better compared to its console counterparts, the experience is still the same.

Additionally, just like Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX, there is no option to change to Japanese audio for any of these titles. This is an advertised feature listed on the store page, so its exclusion is incredibly bizarre. 

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is arguably the package with the least incentive to purchase, even with the PC enhancements. Aside from the noticeable performance upgrades for Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep ~A fragmentary passage~, there is little reason to buy this collection, especially given its unnecessarily high price tag. One should wait for a considerable sale before potentially picking up this product.

WakelessDream

Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind DLC has finally arrived on PC alongside the rest of the Kingdom Hearts series through the Epic Games Store. 

The port offers many of the same features present in the PC ports of Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, and Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory with an added graphics settings menu. The PC specific settings menu allows for adjustments to be made to the game's languages, display settings, graphics, sounds, and gamepad and keyboard customizations. 

The game supports both Japanese and English voices/audio and allows for the player to also choose between eight different languages for the text, including but not limited to Japanese and English.

As with the other HD collections now available for PC, Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind DLC also offers options to adjust the frame rates between 30, 60, 120, and Unlocked, preset graphic settings ranging from Low to Max or Custom, colorblind filters, and a range of sound settings for adjusting volume, background music, sound effects, and voices. 

Additionally, the game supports PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch Pro, and Keyboard controls. I started my playthrough using keyboard and mouse controls but found it awkward to lock on to enemies. As someone who has played most of the series on the PlayStation 4, I found myself gravitating back to using my PlayStation 4 controller quickly. Needless to say, however, the game provides for a wide assortment of customizations to accommodate a variety of player preferences and play styles. 

Two notable perks players will receive for purchasing the Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind DLC through the Epic Games Store are a three-month subscription to Disney+(for select countries only) and the exclusive Elemental Encoder Keyblade. 

Perhaps the more curious of the two is the Elemental Encoder Keyblade, which is similar in appearance to King Mickey's Star Cluster Keyblade, with a metallic silver and black palette swap. The Keyblade allows for a form change that is a variation of Sora's Second Form, "Second Form E." Additionally, it comes with two abilities, Lucky Strike and Magic Roulette. Because this Keyblade is available from the get-go, I found it coming in handy personally for early on in the game. Specifically, after filling up the command gauges, Magic Roulette grants the player the ability to cast a random Grand Magic spell which is a more powerful tier of magic you normally wouldn't receive until progressing later into the game.  

Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind DLC is very well optimized for PC. As with Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep ~A Fragmentary Passage~, the better your setup, the better you'll be able to enjoy the game at its full potential. I was pleasantly surprised to see how seamlessly movement was both in cutscenes and gameplay. Magic spells and Attraction Flows glow with color, environments look more vibrant, shadows, reflections and textures appear more prominent. Upon its initial release on console, the game was already visually stunning. Small enhancements such as the lighting and level of overall detail on the PC port go a long way to making this stunning game look even more spectacular. 

For the most part, the game runs very smoothly, and much to my delight I was having a difficult time finding topics to complain about. I did however encounter a noticeable drop in the frame rate during the final battle against all three Titans, but it was nothing super disruptive. Perhaps this is just due to the scale of that particular boss battle. Fortunately, I did not experience any of the random crashes reported in the other titles' PC ports. However, it is worth noting that there are reports from the community regarding a bug pertaining to receiving the Proof of Times Past, which then prevents players from obtaining the Oblivion Keyblade. I have not reached this point in my playthrough, so I have yet to confirm it myself. Hopefully such issues will be addressed in future updates. 

Whether you're someone trying Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind DLC for the first time or a fan of the series wanting to experience the title on PC, Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind DLC is sure to provide players with a smooth, crisp, and clean experience. 

Orpheus Joshua

Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory includes a noticeable amount of options not present in its initial release. There is an option for Japanese audio, just like Kingdom Hearts III. Options for resolution, frame rate, and anti-aliasing are also present alongside some more unexpected features such as movie opacity alteration and staff transparency for the tracks.

There are notable problems with this port, however. Firstly, the online mode functionality is still as barebones as it was on consoles and still does not allow private matches between players online. For those who were desiring this mode to be fixed for this release, I sympathize greatly.

Additionally, perhaps the most grievous of any of the issues present in all of the PC ports thus far is that both the Dualsense and Nintendo Switch Pro controllers do not work with this port. I am personally unsure if Xbox controllers work, but having 2 modern controllers not currently compatible is already a massive detriment. The only control methodology that worked in my experience, aside from the keyboard, was the Dualshock 4. This is a vital problem that will hopefully be patched as soon as possible.

The port functions well aside from those critical faults, thankfully. For those who have not experienced Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory yet, though, or desired a platform where you could use whatever controller you desired, you are certainly better off waiting for a patch and a sale, as the title's base price is quite steep.

At the end of the day, the two purchases Wakeless and I recommend any fan making are of Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX and Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind DLC. While this collection has crashing concerns, and the latter has some glitches of its own, their issues are relatively minor in the grand scope of enjoyability. As long as one frequently saves, their experiences should not be hindered too greatly.

Additionally, the port of Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind DLC is fantastic, and is by leaps and bounds the definitive medium to play through this title for any whose PC can optimally run it. Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX has the most bang for your buck, as it contains a considerable amount of content for a worthwhile price.

However, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is difficult to justify a purchase of due to its unnecessarily high price tag, and Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory has its slew of controller related issues and untouched online implementation. We only advise purchasing these two titles if they are on sale, if Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory's controller related faults get patched if it actively affects your playstyle, or if one has not yet experienced their contents at all.

Orpheus Joshua's Specs:

Processor: Intel Core i5-9400F CPU @2.90GHz
Graphics Card: NVIDIA Geforce GTX 1660
Installed Ram: 8.00 GB

WakelessDream's Specs:

Processor: 3.8GHz 12-core AMD Ryzen 3900x
Graphics Card: 24GB NVIDIA Titan RTX
Installed Ram: 64GB Corsair Vengeance DDR4 3600MHz

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Edited April 15, 2021 by OrpheusJoshua

[0]

put on steam and il care square

[King_Graham 135]

Hot damn, I would totally........look for a PC capable of playing KH3.

[Lavaheadat100 2]

Quote

put on steam and il care square

Same here. Detroit Become Human was the same when it came out on PC two years ago on the Epic Game Store and it wasn't until sometime last year that it was finally put onto Steam since Steam makes more sense due to the huge amount of people using it that shows up before logging in.  

[Lavaheadat100 2]

On 4/15/2021 at 3:10 PM, King_Graham said:

Hot damn, I would totally........look for a PC capable of playing KH3.

The minimum requirements aren't that much since I was able to get a laptop that has the processor which is a AMD Ryzen 3 and this is needed for the minimum requirements. Graphics on the other hand, my laptop doesn't say what type because it only says AMD Radeon Graphics. 

[King_Graham 135]

11 hours ago, Lavaheadat100 said:

The minimum requirements aren't that much since I was able to get a laptop that has the processor which is a AMD Ryzen 3 and this is needed for the minimum requirements. Graphics on the other hand, my laptop doesn't say what type because it only says AMD Radeon Graphics. 

Yeah, I'm saving up for a desktop and my laptop is an old Acer model with one of the worst screens I've seen for a laptop.

[JokerLvX 0]

I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get the Pro Controller to work. It just doesn't connect and only charges and is only recognized through Steam. If anyone has any ideas on how, I'm all ears.