Summer Of Kingdom Hearts – Part 4 – Kingdom Hearts II Final Remix Review

It’s honestly been a joy to do my “Summer of Kingdom Hearts” series, as I’ve loved seeing these titles in a new light, not just in their upgraded forms, but some more “experience” under my belt to judge them in a new way. So far, I’ve only reviewed the games I’ve played in the past, including the original title, the 3D version of a beloved GBA game, and the DS title that was…just cutscenes. However, as I start my Kingdom Hearts II Final Remix Review, I’m overjoyed to say that this game is the best of the lot, and you can clearly see why it stands above all that came before it.

Even from the start of the game, you see why the title stands out, as you don’t play as Sora, or even Riku, you play as the mysterious Roxas. Who is he? How is he connected to Sora? Why is Axel, Diz and others after him? This setup was a unique and fun part of a grand journey that would lead us to many worlds and help connect the threads from the original game and Chain of Memories. It was quite a ride, and I’m honestly a little sad it’s over.

Once you get to be Sora again, you go, once again, through a menagerie of Disney worlds (mixed with some Final Fantasy at times) to try and stop Organization XIII, while also trying to find Riku, the King, and get back to Kairi. It might sound simple, but it’s done in a way that feels complex. Plus, the way everything looks, feels, plays, and even the worlds themselves feels like a huge upgrade to what came before.

How so? Well, in the original Kingdom Hearts, you could argue that the worlds that were picked were “basic.” They were the many “Disney Princess” worlds mixed in with a few other classics to keep things in line with the “feeling” they were going for. With Kingdom Hearts II, they swung for the fences to to to places people wouldn’t expect at times. We got to see Tron via Space Paranoids, and Mulan in her version of China! We even got to see Mickey Castle and go strolling down the Timeless River! Oh, and did I mention Pirates of the Caribbean?

These additions, while also revisiting some classics, helped the game feel bigger and fresh. Even the worlds we revisited, like Olympus Coliseum and Atlantica, had big changes to keep themselves unique from what happened before.

To that end, the gameplay feels the same as before, but with some key upgrades. First, there are “Reaction” commands, which allow you to do special moves to enemies, especially bosses and the Nobodies, that you have to precisely time to make work. Then, there are Limit Commands, which are awesome tag team moves you can do with the various partners you make in the game. Plus, there are the Drive forms, which give Sora transformations that act differently depending on the version you’re in. I’m a Valor Form stan, and I’m proud of that!

Even the visuals and the animations are upgraded from what came before to add more flair and style to the mix. I approve of this, as it highlighted what the Disney and Square Enix team were able to do with the PS2 from one stage to the other, and the Final Remix form added more cutscenes, improved character models, added new things to collect, and so on.

As for the game’s story, I feel it holds up well while also improving certain things to set up the next game. Furthermore, I enjoyed having “episodes” within the worlds, so you can do one part of the story, have fun elsewhere, and then come back to enjoy them again. The weaving of tale between Sora, Roxas, Kairi, Riku, Diz and the Organization was almost mostly well handled, outside of one odd cutscene or two that I didn’t feel added anything in this Final Remix because of context. Regardless, if you’re a fan of these worlds and characters, you’re going to have a blast, especially given the voice talents that absolutely elevate everything.

They got freaking Christopher Lee to be Ansem the Wise! How did that happen?!?! And when you hear the classic voices of Disney characters again (I personally geeked out for Ming-Na Wen and Bruce Boxleitner), you’ll be overjoyed.

That being said, my Kingdom Hearts II Final Remix Review wouldn’t be complete without some drawbacks, and there are some. For example, while there are noticeable improvements, some of the flaws of the past games still hold true. There were MULTIPLE times within the game when a clear cutscene would suddenly go pixelated, and that made no sense. I don’t remember this ever happening on PS2, so it’s sad it’s happening on Steam when this is supposed to be the “upgraded version.”

Second, while I did like some of the additions, the boss fight between Sora and Roxas (which was just a cutscene previously) was a bit baffling. It was a “git gud” kind of boss fight, and I struggled with him as much as I did with Dark Riku and Vexen in Chain of Memories. Yet, just like that game, once I beat him, all the other bosses weren’t that difficult. That’s a bit odd that this kind of things keeps happening.

Furthermore, I did have some control issues at times, including how easy it is to accidentally shift between the two versions of the action buttons and wind up in a spot you didn’t mean to get to. Plus, there were some odd continuity errors within the game’s story and cutscenes that were odd. For example, Ariel’s interaction with Ursula made her seem like she just met her, and yet we beat her in the first game. Not to mention, certain characters “vanish from sight” in the World That Never Was, only to reappear later like they were always there. They weren’t, I know they weren’t!!!

Finally, there were times with certain boss fights and battles hinged on doing things in a very specific way, and that was kind of frustrating given the freedom that the game gives you in other circumstances.

Even with those flaws, I’m ending my Kingdom Hearts II Final Remix Review on a positive note. This game really does shine as the best of the lot so far, and there’s a joy and whimsy to this game that can’t be ignored. In fact, as I noted in the latest episode of the Nintendo Entertainment Podcast, if they ended the series right then and there…it would’ve been on a high note.

Next up in the Summer of Kingdom Hearts? Birth By Sleep!