Often times, side stories and games in between installments do not garner as much interest as the main titles of video game franchises. This is one thing that "Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue" is aiming to avoid once it sees the light of day in a couple of months.
GameRant offers a sneak peek and initial review of the standalone title via sampling its 20-minute demo. The high-definition remastered collection includes handpicked titles from the franchise including "Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance" as well as two new games.
First is "Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover" which is a cinematic treatment of "Kingdom Hearts χ." Meanwhile, "Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth By Sleep — A Fragmentary Passage" has a fresh narrative and it takes place after the events of "Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep."
Fans will surely be pleased with the mini review, specifically with the claim that the audio and video quality of the title is the best in the "Kingdom Hearts" franchise thus far. Aqua's motivation for the mission is still quite vague as well as the reason for why the Heartless have taken over the new setting. But if director Tai Yasue's previous comments are to be referenced, it is safe to assume that the game will somehow be connected to upcoming titles in the franchise.
"And I think from Kingdom Hearts 2.8, as the numbering suggests, it's really necessary before you play Kingdom Hearts 3. 0.2, with you playing with Aqua, who is trapped inside the Dark World, that connects to Birth by Sleep," Yasue told GameSpot last summer. "You experience her sorrow and torment. And she's a Keyblade Master, and her destiny is really intertwined with Sora's in Kingdom Hearts 3, so learning about her adventure, and her pain, really gives meaning to when you start Kingdom Hearts 3."
"Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue" is mostly geared toward core players of its main series. The overall narrative of the more-than-a-decade-long franchise is convoluted and the upcoming release is by no means trying to fix that. Nevertheless, it is still tipped to be a well-made game delivering an enjoyable experience. Exclusive to PlayStation 4, it is scheduled to be released on Jan. 12, 2017, in Japan and on Jan. 24, 2017, worldwide.
