Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix Preview – Simple and Clean

The original Kingdom Hearts’ theme song is called “Simple and Clean”, and that’s a surprisingly apt footnote for this HD scrub up. In fact, I’d have been tempted to call the game “Kingdom Hearts 1.5: Simple and Clean Edition”, which would have gone down well with fans even if it would have confused everyone else. I would say “Good thing I don’t work in Square Enix’s naming department, then”, but these are the guys that called a game 358/2 Days…

But yes, simple and clean. Simple, in that not much has been done in terms of changing the gameplay of this kooky Disney/Square Enix Action RPG mashup, and clean as in dayum, those visuals look nice.

Ok, gameplay first. To be fair to the collection, this is first time that Kingdom Hearts Final Mix has been made available to us English speaking Neanderthals (and in Europe, the first time Chain of Memories has been released, too), which is grand. Originally released on the PS2 in Japan, Final Mix adds both extra content and a number of improvements to the PS2 original, the most notable improvements being in the camera department.

With that said, the gameplay of Final Mix was still somewhat janky in certain areas, and this HD re-release does nothing to fix that. Jumping remains a tedious trial and the game’s collectathons remain absolutely intact. This is certainly not a Wind Waker HD attempt at ironing over an old game’s creases, this is Kingdom Hearts exactly as you’d remember it: sparkling with all of its spiky haired, Disney-infused majesty, but still rocking all those annoying foibles that plagued it back on the PS2.

Visually, though, it’s hard to fault Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix. Kingdom Hearts was already a looker on the Playstation 2 thanks to its cohesive stylings, but given the added detail and widescreen support, Square Enix’s rounded, exuberant, big-boot art style is allowed to flourish. Thanks to being in HD you can see every wibble of Goofy’s jaw, every wiggle of Donald’s tail. Even Sora’s expression’s feel more animated thanks to the silky framerate and perfectly realised visuals noting every frame of movement, each sway of his impossible hair and every change of his lanky posture.

Kingdom Hearts really took its Disney heritage to heart in terms of animation, with every smidgen of motion in the game seemingly a labour of love, and this really helps sell it as a visual treat even now. In many ways, due to its high quality puppetry, Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix actually manages to look better than most current-gen Disney games, and that is an impressive feat.

Occasionally, you’ll notice a hangover from the PS2 days – Jimminy Cricket’s mouth being a particular sprite based offender – but these moments are few and far between and tend to appear more in the remake of the GBA game Chain of Memories than in the main Kingdom Hearts title.

Even the third movie portion of this HD re-release, the section of the disc dedicated to the cutscenes of aforementioned terribly-titled DS game 358/2 Days, feels warranted due to just how bloomin’ lovely they are to look at. Previously only available to watch on the tiddly DS screen, these fully-fledged narrative scenes can finally be seen as Square Enix’s cinematics team intended. Full of subtle tweaks and exaggerated bounce, these cutscenes are a nice addition to the disc and a lovely treat for fans that have had to endure painful DS compression until now.

Kingdom Hearts might have aged a bit, already, but it’s pleasing that Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix still feels and looks more than good enough to appeal all over again. Combat remains exciting and engaging, and while the platforming is still a pain in the bum, that didn’t stop the game finding an audience back in 2002. Platformers were great in 2002, and Kingdom Hearts had no excuse back at launch for its jumping to be so fiddly, but it managed to get away with it even back then, because Kingdom Hearts is lovely.

The only issue I see with it being released again now is that it’s not quite as relevant as it was upon its initial release. Indeed, many modern gamers might look at Tidus and co. on Destiny Islands with empty eyes, and yet more might not even know who Sephiroth is. But there’s still a substantial degree of charm to be found in this bizarre mess of JRPG brats and Disney princesses, and most of that appeal remains due to Square Enix doing such a good job with retaining Kingdom Heart’s unique feel. So simple and clean…