How to Play Kingdom Hearts in 2024

With the release of the entire Kingdom Hearts series on Steam, you can basically play Kingdom Hearts on every modern platform! This video is designed to give a primer to the Kingdom Hearts series and tell you where you should start in the series, and how to play through it!
Timecodes:
Intro - 00:00
What is Kingdom Hearts? - 00:59
Where do I start? - 06:00
Kingdom Hearts - 06:18
Different Versions / Final Mix - 06:38
Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories - 09:33
Kingdom Hearts II - 11:00
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days - 12:04
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep - 14:11
Kingdom Hearts Re: Coded - 15:27
Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance - 17:04
Kingdom Heart X / Union X / Back Cover - 18:21
Kingdom Hearts 0.2 A Fragmentary Passage - 21:06
Kingdom Hearts III - 21:49
Kingdom Hearts Dark Road - 22:10
Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory - 22:51
Kingdom Hearts Missing Link and Kingdom Hearts IV - 23:33
Outro - 23:58
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****IGNORE (Alternate Titles)****
Kingdom Hearts: Your Ultimate Beginner's Guide
Starting Kingdom Hearts: A Newbie's Roadmap
Where to Begin with Kingdom Hearts: A Complete Guide
Kingdom Hearts 101: Best Entry Points for New Players
Jumping into Kingdom Hearts: The Perfect Starting Point
Your First Kingdom Hearts Adventure: Where to Begin
Navigating Kingdom Hearts: A Starter’s Handbook
Kingdom Hearts for Beginners: Finding Your Path
Beginner's Guide to Kingdom Hearts: Starting Strong
Kingdom Hearts Simplified: The Best Game to Start With
Getting Into Kingdom Hearts: A Starter's Guide
Kingdom Hearts: The Ultimate Beginner's Path
Your First Step into Kingdom Hearts: Where to Begin
Kingdom Hearts: Entry Points for New Players
Starting Kingdom Hearts: The Essential Guide
Kingdom Hearts Newcomers: Where to Dive In
A New Player's Journey in Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts Explained: The Best Place to Start
Finding Your Way in Kingdom Hearts: A Beginner's Guide
Unlocking Kingdom Hearts: A New Player's Guide
kingdom hearts 1 best starting choices
kingdom hearts final mix best starting choices
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kingdom hearts story explained
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square enix
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kingdom hearts story explained
kingdom hearts story
358/2 days
chain of memories
video essay
retrospective
video essay movie
kingdom hearts retrospective

[@shaggysaurus]

Bought the whole series (minus Melody of Memory) on steam recently. Been playing in my free time. I've beaten Kh1 and am currently halfway through ReCom and having a blast so far!

[@overleveledgames]

I'm glad you're enjoying the series so far! You're about to experience some GREAT stuff!

[@SkilitoPWNS]

My first Kingdom hearts game was birth by sleep on psp and did not expect much but I had the physical copy played out of boredom and I remember it was an amazing experience

[@Cloikkk]

High quality videos always come from the most underrated creators. New sub ❤

[@railgunedits]

New to the channel and this is just the video i was hoping you would make!

[@overleveledgames]

So glad you're here!

[@super8bitvideos]

MoM is such a surprising entry. What looks like a rhythm spin-off ends up having huge lore implications and a crazy in-depth storymode, pvp mode and item synth system. It's honestly my 2nd favorite behind III.

[@overleveledgames]

Very underrated in my opinion!

[@shinseijuurou6229]

I'm 37 and i started playing Kingdom Hearts when the first game came out. KH 1 and 2 are in my top 10 video games of all time. That being said, i only played 1, 2, 3, Birth By Sleep and 2.8. The rest i watched the movies or youtube videos explaining it. Still i consider myself a huge Kingdom Hearts fan, but the gameplay of some of the other games really throws me off.

[@DragonDio]

I was always confused how to get started on kingdom hearts but with this it seems very simple

[@overleveledgames]

Glad I could help clear up some things!

[@FieryAnubis]

Release order. For any continuous story type of series, release order is king and law. Release order gives you the story in the intended order, future games will reference past games and want you to know them even if they happen sooner chronologically (BBS in this case, you won't fully get it unless you know KH1 and 2, and you won't fully get Days unless you played 2 and CoM first). You can start wherever, but to get the most of it, go in order. That's it. There's no need to complicate it, that's how it is when a series has a continuous, inter connected story.

[@Mushrooman]

KH2 was the most recent game i beat in the series, and i loved it so much (minus the R boss fight). I own 358 on the DS, and I've always wanted to play it as a kid, so I'll eventually get on it next.

[@overleveledgames]

KH2 is the GOAT

[@allsparkwarrier]

I played the series from 1 to 3 with the occasional random game sprinkled between each game to prevent series fatigue. It took me roughly a year and a half with that plan in mind, and I still need to play MoM before 4 comes out

[@DanKatana13]

Well said & yeah I'm a veteran to the series

[@MoTheGuy]

I played every KH game (except Recoded) to a completion even union Cross lol. And this video was recommended for me. Glad i watched it, loved your presentation :)

[@overleveledgames]

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@jonathanhamlett8667]

Beat the first game back when it came out (except for Seph). Then beat kingdom hearts 2 after it came out. Never played any of the other games. Just recently bought the collection and completed the story on 1.5. Trying to decide if I want to grind out the coliseum and secret bosses or push through the story on the next games.

[@overleveledgames]

Those Coliseum challenges are tough! Come back and tell me how it goes, haha

[@Sightless-vz2wh]

I have the same idea just play them based on when they came out it really is a great series!! 😊

[@overleveledgames]

Agreed!

[@alexcesan1271]

The order you have explained is perfect. But I have a question: what difference would there be in playing “358/2 Days” before “KH2”? Would it be a bad decision?

[@overleveledgames]

I hold on strongly to playing 358/2 Days after KH2. Chain of Memories built up so much mystery around Organization XIII. Kingdom Hearts 2 releases shortly after CoM and continues to build the mystery around the Organization. On top of all that, KH2 begins with other mysteries like Roxas, Riku, and Xemnas' motivations, and much of that mystery is paid off in the 10/10 ending hours of KH2. I feel like playing Days before KH2 diminishes many revelations in KH2. Sure, you get context to what the Organization is and who Roxas is, and all of that may help you when you start KH2, but it ultimately leaves it's structure in poor storytelling. It's worth being confused and having the answeres later, rather than mixing up the structure of the story just so you can have immediate answers. On the topic of play order in the collections, Nomura (the series creator) has explicitly said that he NOW intends people to play Days before KH2. However, I disagree with the man. This is clearly him just changing his mind, but he clearly originally thought that the release order was the optimal order. If he alway thought Days was meant to be played before 2, he would have made Days before 2. I'm not saying that anyone who decides to play Days or watch the movie before 2 is "wrong". But if you're new to the series, the optimal way to play those 2 games is to play KH2, and then get context afterwards with Days.

[@Japhox45]

im playing KH2.5 on crit for the first time. i was jumping up on the hydra back well it played. (edit: first time playing crit not kh2.5)

[@overleveledgames]

@@Japhox45 the hydra's back was designed to be jumped on

[@stevensoraastro1124]

Release order. Final Mix is just a way to say Directors cut. Always go with release order of anything.

[@sjakkalul]

i did enjoy kingdom hearts as a young one, played at least 1 and 2 mayba a side game (know for sure i only played on ps2). so when it released on steam i bought the full collection, now at the end of 1,halfway into the hollow bastion. maybe im too old, maybe its the hurcilian task of the upcoming 10 games or maybe its the fanbase........... but i am not enjoying myself......... and i dont know why, its a great classic game ,one of the best on ps2. id rather play the OG ff's or just a disney game. there wil be a day when im gonna finish them all i dunno but you made a great video my man

[@overleveledgames]

The first one is likely the hardest one to complete because it's still that early PS2 game at the end of the day. The series is worth it if you put in the time, but don't force yourself to keep going if you're not having a good time! Games are meant to be enjoyed, so don't burn yourself out!

[@Snickritz]

I'd say that on a first go, Either Choose Between Release order, or Collection order, Atleast, thats what i think.

[@MrAnonymouselol]

RIP stuck on kh 1.5 atlantica mission 3.

[@overleveledgames]

@MrAnonymouselol I was stuck in Atlantica for MONTHS when I first played the game! If I'm remembering correctly, you either have to grab ahold of the dolphin, or equip dolphin kick in the group abilities menu to swim through the current

[@bryanrosal3615]

im broke i played kh1 in ps2 didn't able to finish it

[@LombaxOttsel]

I treat 0.2 as the “Roxas section” of 3, I don’t start a playthrough of III without playing 0.2

[@overleveledgames]

That's a good way to put it!

[@roquea.deleon6175]

Its pretty simple just play 123 in that order. If you can only play one, play part 2

[@overleveledgames]

Hoo boy

[@tubguinace]

While 358/2 days was released after KH2, i still think it should be played before KH2, it adds so much context that makes the story better once you know the dynamic of certain characters that isnt really shown in KH2. Even in the collections, 358/2 days is always listed before 2. And playing the actual DS game even just through emulation is a must imo, the cutscenes have so much missing. It's my favorite game in the series and as much as I love the story I was frankly bored just watching the cutscenes in the HD collection, it would not have ended up being my favorite if I experienced the story that way for the first time.

[@overleveledgames]

I agree that playing 358/2 Days is the optimal way to digest the story. However, I still hold on strongly to playing it after KH2. Chain of Memories built up so much mystery around Organization XIII. Kingdom Hearts 2 releases shortly after CoM and continues to build the mystery around the Organization. On top of all that, KH2 begins with other mysteries like Roxas, Riku, and Xemnas' motivations, and much of that mystery is paid off in the 10/10 ending hours of KH2. I feel like playing Days before KH2 diminishes many revelations in KH2. Sure, you get context to what the Organization is and who Roxas is, and all of that may help you when you start KH2, but it ultimately leaves it's structure in poor storytelling. It's worth being confused and having the answeres later, rather than mixing up the structure of the story just so you can have immediate answers. On the topic of play order in the collections, Nomira has explicitly said that he NOW intends people to play Days before KH2. However, I disagree with the man. This is clearly him just changing his mind, but he clearly originally thought that the release order was the optimal order. If he alway thought Days was meant to be played before 2, he would have made Days before 2. I'm not saying that anyone who decides to play Days or watch the movie before 2 is "wrong". But if you're new to the series, the optimal way to play those 2 games is to play KH2, and then get context afterwards with Days.

[@tubguinace]

@@overleveledgames You make a lot of great points, it's true that the mystery behind who the organization is has a much better payoff in KH2, but at the same time you feel a lot less for Roxas and Axel as characters in KH2 if you don't know the context behind them from 358/2 days, I think in this instance there is no wrong way to go, each option has pros and cons.

[@overleveledgames]

Very true! Everything with Axel and Roxas is great in KH2! I feel like when you start with 2, you at least get the feeling of "wow, there's a lot to these characters that I don't know about. Why do they care about each other so much? What happened between them?" And then when you start Days after 2, your first interaction with the characters is uncomfortable and unnatural. It takes a little while for their relationship to grow, and it's exciting to see their arc be played out, because you know what their fate is, so Days becomes 10x more emotional. And then, you inevitably play KH2 AGAIN! Haha, how could you not play that game a thousand times lol. And then every time you see Axel and Roxas, everything is clear, and you know how it all ends, and the story is so, so, so SWEET! But yes, I agree that there's no shame in starting either or. Just so long as you at least play KH1 and CoM beforehand, haha

[@tubguinace]

@@overleveledgames Well what do you know, you've convinced me, you're right

[@shizuru-2809]

Sorry for sounding weird but damn are you handsome

[@overleveledgames]

Haha, thank you!

[@mikeg8768]

Why would anyone ever play the ps3 remasters

[@overleveledgames]

I suppose if someone had a PS3 and didn't have any new hardware, that's probably the best option for them

[@SamLoser2]

The X/Union X is embarrassingly convoluted. Everything up to the end of the original Japan-only browser game "X" seems to be what is needed to appreciate the Back Cover cutscenes and KH3, while everything new to the mobile remake/sequel "Union X" is really setting up KH4 & beyond. I'd advise not going to the Union X stuff before KH3 because it will set up new threads and ideas that simply won't get any attention in KH3.

[@overleveledgames]

I think that's a safe position. KH3 wraps up a saga, and the mobile games build up a new one. Obviously, there are some cool character reveals towards the end of KH3 that stand out to you if you know the X series, but it's so minimal, I think it's fine to wait until after 3 to dive into that side of the franchise

[@saphirolink8738]

Now for new players, the way to feel the wait that us, elderly 🥲, endure to get KH3 is to play every games before it, similarly.😅