Image via Square Enix
When Kingdom Hearts first came to the Nintendo Switch via the cloud versions of the game, I was beyond excited. The opportunity to play one of my favorite games of all time in any place at any time was more than I could ever have hoped for. Tragically, what was meant to be a dream come true turned into a nightmare, with poor performance and constant lagging plaguing playthroughs. Eventually, I cut my losses and uninstalled the games. However, KINGDOM HEARTS Collection [I～III] for the Nintendo Switch has salvaged my dreams and mended my broken heart, providing a truly incredible port of the games that helped shape my childhood.
This $75 bundle is bulky, providing access to all 10 games that currently makes up the storyline of Kingdom Hearts. This includes KINGDOM HEARTS -HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX-, KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, and KINGDOM HEARTS III + Re Mind (DLC). Each of the three included bundles can also be purchased separately for $40 a piece, making the bundle a “buy two get one free” deal that is worth the investment.
Key Details
- Developer: Square Enix
- Publisher: Square Enix
- Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2, PC, PlayStation, Xbox
- Price: $74.99
- Review Copy Provided: Yes, for the Nintendo Switch 2
A Warm Return To Magical Places
The Kingdom Hearts Collection isn’t small, and will require about 150GB in total to download in its entirety. Thankfully, the three-bundle breakdown does allow you to pick and choose what you might want to have on your Switch 2 at any given time.
Once downloaded, you will hope into a menu that will look very familiar if you have played the Cloud version or PC ports of the game. Each collection bundle has a menu that allows you to select which game you would like to play. From here, the desired adventure will launch.
Because Kingdom Hearts was originally adapted for the PlayStation, it feels fantastic on the Nintendo Joy-Cons. Movements, attacks, and hot keys are all very similar to the original PlayStation keybinds, making it easy to slip back into gameplay.
Overall, the navigation, controller settings, and visuals of the ports look fantastic, especially on the older games. This makes jumping into them less frustrating, and provides heaps of nostalgia without jittery graphics or fuzzy resolution.
No More Crashing Or Freezing
One of the biggest problems that I have faced when playing recent ports of Kingdom Hearts has been crashing. The PC collection has had issues with this, especially during Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II. The cloud versions for Nintendo Switch had crashing issues and major framerate delays and loading bottlenecks due to server response times.
Thankfully, the Kingdom Hearts Collection doesn’t seems to have any of these issues on the Nintendo Switch 2. I haven’t been able to test for changes on the PC versions, but specifically the Nintendo Switch 2 versions run like a hot knife through butter. The response times for the games are snappy and don’t hang or struggle. I have had no framerate drops, and I haven’t experienced any issues with stuttering or glitching while exploring different games included in the collection.
I was specifically pleased to find that so far, the cutscenes in Kingdom Hearts 2 that have had issues on PC have run without issue. This has offered a much higher quality of gameplay, and made the experience of replaying the older games satisfying and enjoyable.
Everything You Need With No Huge Changes
The bulk of this bundle is going to look familiar to fans of Kingdom Hearts. The games included range from the first entry through to Kingdom Hearts III plus its DLC. That said, there have been very few changes to this bundle when compared to the options currently available on Steam and the PS5. For many, this is going to be a really good way to get a complete set of the older titles, which were released across many different consoles, and to brush up on the series before Kingdom Hearts IV releases in the near future.
However, if you are looking for something brand new, this isn’t going to be the bundle that provides it. In fact, the style and format of the bundles is exactly like the Cloud and PC versions, a really just brings a reliable, non-cloud port to the Switch 2 while reimagining the existing bundle on other platforms.
That said, if you have been waiting to replay the earlier games of the series because you don’t want to fish out your Game Boy Advanced or PlayStation 2, this is the perfect opportunity to boost your accessibility to the series while drinking in the sweet nostalgia. I am deep in my replay of Kingdom Hearts II, and finished Kingdom Hearts shortly before. I am excited to jump back into Re:Chain of Memories next, so I can freshen up on the history of Organization XIII.
Final Score: 9/10
KINGDOM HEARTS Collection [I～III] for the Nintendo Switch 2 is a must-have bundle for fans of the series. It’s puts the entire storyline in your pocket, and the ports are solid and reliable. While the menus and navigation of the bundles feel a bit dated, and match the existing bundle launchers currently on Steam, I didn’t run into any crashing or bugs, making them some of the best options for those looking to replay the series.
With Kingdom Hearts IV just around the corner, this is the perfect way to catch up on the storyline, revisit old favorites, and dive back into the intense narrative that has kept fans deeply entrenched for decades. Personally, I am just here to look at Axel on my Switch 2 and gush about how deeply these games impacted me as a budding gamer in high school. The KINGDOM HEARTS Collection [I～III] is a great way to have all the games in one place, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to replay the series.
**Bonus Action was provided with a Nintendo Switch 2 copy of KINGDOM HEARTS Collection [I～III] for the purpose of this review**
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