Kingdom Hearts vs Final Mix: A Comprehensive Comparison [PART 1: Main Story]

[@pikareviews6250]

Nobody: The original game: N E W G A M E

[@Rocxfan]

*and everyone liked that *

[@andyfloss.]

Also, the original game: L O A D

[@MELTMYEYEZSEEURFUTURE]

Kingdom Hearts was so ahead of it’s time.

[@sunz480]

No it was at a perfect time.

[@finalgamergeek2599]

Still is. The plot is confused with it self and that captured us

[@BrennySpain]

Ikr? It truly is a masterpiece!

[@terminallychill8029]

@Russie How so?

[@LucasSantana-ws8po]

The models used for Sora and Ansem in KHPS4 are indeed the models taken from DDD, that's why Ansem now looks like de DDD Ansem

[@RoomUnderwater]

Sora's model is actually taken from Re:Com I believe.

[@ajmosutra7667]

They look HORRIBLE!!

[@robinanwaldt]

@@ajmosutra7667 Why? The textures and modeling look way better to me.

[@ajmosutra7667]

@@robinanwaldt better contrasts mainly, better subtleness of gestures

[@xXLunatikxXlul]

@@ajmosutra7667 true

[@usmcsgt46359]

I hope you keep this up..love to see all the remix done this way.

[@CaliGamer4321]

9:13 No wonder Roxas had a vision (well, more like a memory) of Sora in Traverse Town fighting that purple-armored heartless while he was doing the exact same thing at the coliseum. I had no idea it was the same one!

[@jackA925]

I'm a newcomer to Kingdom Hearts and started playing the first game, but I did things a little differently. Instead of playing the HD collection like everyone else was doing, I'm playing the Kingdom Hearts games that were released on original hardware, so I've played the first game on PS2. Once I finish playing the Kingdom Hearts games on their respected hardware (PS2, GBA, DS, PSP and 3DS), I am going to replay them again on the HD 1.5, 2.5 and 2.8 to compare the two and see the differences. I am also 100% completing the games.

[@gretelandcat6393]

That actually sounds like a great way to experience it. I hope you enjoy the series

[@jackA925]

@@gretelandcat6393 I will thank you. I completed Kingdom Hearts PS2, on to Chain of Memories GBA

[@ΆγγελοςΠαναγόπουλος-τ3ρ]

congratulations, bro. u might find the story very confusing but dont stop playing the series. if u want some explanation (cause the story is very confusing) we can talk via insta

[@jackA925]

@@ΆγγελοςΠαναγόπουλος-τ3ρ where exactly in insta?

[@ΆγγελοςΠαναγόπουλος-τ3ρ]

@@jackA925 to tell u my insta a send me e message if u want

[@williammatthews8684]

In my opinion, the title screen background and the fonts could have went unchanged.

[@Rocxfan]

same

[@leonardosanderle525]

Same

[@RoomUnderwater]

This is really interesting and informative and you did a great job on this, but just a suggestion: It would've been even more informative if you specifically noted which changes were made in FM and which were made in the HD collection(s). Since you're skipping all the way from the original game in 2002 to the second HD remaster in 2017, you're skipping a decent amount in-between.

[@mwhos66]

I specified that I was looking at the North American releases of each version, since FM was Japan-exclusive up to the HD collections. (quick edit: there are actually several differences from the original Japanese release and the first NA release of KH as well, but i decided not to include those and stuck with NA releases since I only legally own NA copies of the game)

[@binkyboy448]

The enemy recolors were always the most annoying changes. I just saw no point to them. At least other changes expanded the story and improved the gameplay, but the recolors just made things inconsistent.

[@xscaralienx9398]

They wanted to make the whole experience something new, so they recolored the heartless so you felt that they weren't just the same enemies. I also like the og colors

[@theoneandonly8403]

Honestly it's pretty weird since they would just change it back later in future games.

[@jbcatz5]

Birth by Sleep Final Mix recolored a lot of the Unversed designs as well.

[@kiddisley5890]

Its cool, but there definetly should be a toggle on or off button for the recolors

[@RodniDemental]

I thought it was super cool back when it was a version of the game that I couldn't play. Now that we're used to it, the original colours can have slightly more novelty.. It's a bit weird like that but at this point they are all familiar enough that would probably mix them up in my memory. I have to say when I play melody of memory with the original colours I still barely notice the difference.

[@IQ2992]

RIP SQUARE SOFT A TRUE LEGEND

[@justadragonnamemarcus1751]

What happened to them

[@DBZAOTA482]

@Xion Cinnamon Roll Princess They merged with Enix hence the name change.

[@Scsigs]

You gonna do one of these for KHIIFM too?

[@mwhos66]

of course, right after i'm finished with KH1

[@Scsigs]

@@mwhos66 Ok then.

[@underwrapsofficial]

@@mwhos66 I think it'd be cool to do re:chain and all the others instead of skipping to II. like a cutscene comparison of 358/2 would be cool.

[@Trashley652]

In KH1, Pressing Start, Select, L1, L2, R1, and R2 will reset to the title screen, but in KHFM on the ps4, you only need to press Options, L1, and R1.

[@aegisxiii2384]

Great quality of video. Thanks.

[@raizero_8]

Wow I can't imagine the time and heart put into making this. Subbed.

[@D1n0nlyD1v94]

8:24 I hate how they added so many cutscenes. As a kid I played not knowing if I would ever see riku again and not knowing what he was doing because I was Sora. This just takes away a lot of the mystery

[@Mqstodon]

Not really, you don't even know where he is

[@D1n0nlyD1v94]

@@Mqstodon final mix adds that cutscenes where he wakes up in hollow bastion. I hate that. I like in the original how the last time you see him is getting swallowed by darkness and sora gets the key then you don't see him until traverse town I lost my marbles at like 8 when I found out he was alive.

[@laststrike4411]

Yes, and you don't even know where Hollow Bastion is (Or the name of Hollow Bastion) until way later.

[@Schizobateman]

@@Mqstodon that's the point, it adds to the mystery and sense of dread

[@ginogatash4030]

@@D1n0nlyD1v94 I dunno, I feel like the new cutscenes don't really damage the mysterious aspect of Riku's story, they do a good job at teasing and foreshadowing while not revealing too much information, and they help make Riku a little more sympathetic in my opinion, plus no one was gonna believe he'd die 2 seconds after his introduction anyway, even the story excludes the possibility of Riku and Kairi being dead with its insistence on finding them. And I also kinda like his silent cutscenes, it's obviously due to them not being able to get the voice actor to do the lines, but it kinda works to make him feel more isolated and adds to the mystery because you can't hear him despite knowing well what he says, and it's especially effective when Mickey talks to him because you would recognize him immediately otherwise, and it helps teasing and foreshadowing the end of the game.

[@weebwari287]

Wasn't there a change with the charm Kiari made in the begining? She used to just hold it in her hand when she showed it and it was a somewhat normal color for shells, but in FM it spins on a chain and reflects the colors of oathkeeper and the other keyblade (I forget it's name)?

[@mwhos66]

After checking my footage, I can confirm this. However, she never really shows the charm in the original game.

[@battleonfan1]

One problem with the video. Kingdom Hearts Final Mix was released all the way back in 2002 exclusive to Japan.

[@mwhos66]

Yes, I've already noted in the video and the description that I'm looking at the North American releases.

[@IDK_Kat]

No, it was 2007

[@Grunttanamo]

@@IDK_Kat no - the Japanese Release of Final Mix was December 26, 2002 or what do you mean with 2007?

[@Glitchedd]

Shout out to you for this, I Speedrun OG and so many people don't understand the amount of differences so it's good to have something detailed to refer them to

[@Sneaky_racoon_sly]

is the og better? because it has german voice acting and i want to play it on ps2

[@Glitchedd]

@@Sneaky_racoon_sly For a casual playthrough not really, since youre missing a lot of extra content. I just enjoy the speedrun more than final mix's personally. The german dub is actually really good though, i've done a run on that version so i still recommend it lol Just be aware the framerate is going to suck ass if youre playing german cus its PAL, it'll be like 25 fps

[@jumugama]

Very well edited.

[@fademario2000]

3:37 Wow! The clock is actually different.

[@ankurbhaskar4634]

The Deep Dive secret ending from FM ATE. The SHEER amount of ambiguity in it all for a new timer who knows NOTHING about the future games & how much it teased is AMAZING. As with the ones in 2 teasing BBS & 3, and the stuff with 3 now only makes us wonder what Nomura has in store for us all! 😭😱🤯

[@treywickesser5821]

whelp you've earned my subscription

[@treywickesser5821]

also note on the video. while great a good amount of stuff is specific to the hd collection like situlation commands being triangle and loading screen icon that was listed as just final mix

[@mwhos66]

@@treywickesser5821 thanks for the sub! yeah, about that, at first i thought specifying that i was using the NA version of FM (essentially HD) would be enough but in the future i will more often be specifying at which point the features were introduced

[@Austin-xp2wt]

I wish all games had this much effort put into it…. I played this game as a kid . My number 1 game playing as a kid. I’d played this game for over a year as a kid it was that fun. The fighting is very fun and the story was interesting. Me and my friend would alway talk about all the key blades they got and then I heard someone say something about the ultama keyblade. He said you had to mix everything , but gave because i couldn’t figure it out as a child and currently at 22 out of 30.

[@Psychokyuubi666]

All these games, even though many of them I liked as a kid, I get much more enjoyment out of them as an adult. I’ve beat KH1 - 3 times & 2 - 3 times.

[@debutchi]

were the new cutscenes with riku in the original Japanese final mix release? It’s interesting that they weren’t voiced over when the rest of final mix was in English

[@kyky121911]

Seeing the differences is interesting since the original source code was lost so they had to remake the code from scratch useing retail copies

[@aortaplatinum]

Other than the up-rez and widescreen, were there any differences going from the PS2 release of FM to the 1.5 PS3 release? And were there any from 1.5 PS3 to the PS4 version?

[@mwhos66]

not really except for bug fixes and the transition to 60fps for the PS4 version

[@XETHTUBE]

Excellent video.

[@The-Majin-Glaceon]

I didn't notice there was a change to the Guard Armor the first time I played this.

[@TheeBananaGod]

Sora and Kairi: *reunited* I’ll always be with you wherever I go🥹🥹 Riku: Hello? Is this the afterworld?

[@karinderyeah]

dude, there's a final mix on ps2 of kingdom hearts 1 I still have the final mix on ps2 version and ps2 console

[@mwhos66]

It only released on PS2 for Japan. You must have gotten an outsource.

[@Rokabur]

@@mwhos66 www.kh-vids.net/threads/kingdom-hearts-final-mix-translation-patch-in-progress.121896/page-141 there is an English patch for the Japanese PS2 version but don't understand why a few bugs were left in.

[@mwhos66]

@@Rokabur This is a fanmade patch that uses the Japanese release as a source, it is still not an offical NA release

[@Rokabur]

@@mwhos66 The only 'official' releases of Kingdom Hearts 1.5 and 2.5 in NA are the PS3 and PS4 versions (PS2 was my last console and spending $400-$600 just to play less then a dozen exclusive games doesn't appeal to me).

[@mwhos66]

@@Rokabur Alright. The point of replying to either of these comments is to clarify that I'm using two of the North American versions of KH1 released by Square themselves; using an English patch of a Japanese release would be inconsistent.

[@AidGum]

Should've pointed out whenever certain changes are I.5 ReMIX exclusive changes. Like how the I.5 version uses the Japanese dub in the Japanese version as opposed to the English one in the PS2 Final Mix release.

[@mwhos66]

I believe I have pointed out changes that are exclusive to the 1.5 ReMIX version. The example you stated however I do not include because I have already specified that I am looking at the North American releases.

[@kingdanett4043]

So that's why there's no voice acting in the Riku landing in Hollow Bastion scene.

[@Alianger]

4:04 New Game part of the vid

[@hotdogmanful]

All I wanted to know was if they fixed the camera controls. Huge thanks

[@airoe_ltd2108]

I heard someone mention that the scene where sora is in the island cave, the messenger is different or something about it is. ?

[@okyxoo3914]

Its exactly the same game or its recommended to play kingdom hearts 1?

[@mwhos66]

Nah, definitely Final Mix is the the definitive version to play.

[@Rocxfan]

this is such a well done comparison video thank you so much i'll watch all of them ! are you going to make comparison videos with the pc version aswell?

[@KingdomHeartsFan-mu9cf]

I think the story in the original is better. Final Mix adds a cutscene with Riku in Hollow Bastion, which makes the reunion with him after Deep Jungle not nearly as meaningful and takes away some of the mystery.

[@David-es4pi]

I agree. Literally none of the new scenes did it for me. That being said, better camera, scene skipping, etc, all make FM still the definitive version of the game so those are minor issues

[@Mqstodon]

Except not, because you don't know where he is. "Hollow bastion" but you wouldn't know that at first would you?

[@destroyermcw626]

@@Mqstodon Agreed this made no sense cause I didn’t even know after playing on Xbox one X 2020

[@Schizobateman]

​@@David-es4pi i liked the orginal camera controls tbh

[@TiredHighProductions]

On that same note, it's not that big of a deal but still, dropping into Hollow Bastion for the first time was crazyyyyyy. I'm pretty sure the original spoiled the room you fight maleficent in before ever getting there yourself, but that was it and that's just a room. Seeing the water running up the falls instead of down was just so mysterious and crazy. But that seems to get teased/spoiled ASAP in the remix

[@IronCodyAlan]

I love you for this

[@ΑΝΑΣΤΑΣΗΣΖΥΓΟΥΝΑΣ]

8:45 anyone else heard him shouting?

[@ΆγγελοςΠαναγόπουλος-τ3ρ]

wtf eisai ellhnas kai paizeis kh kai esu, poso gamato?

[@ΑΝΑΣΤΑΣΗΣΖΥΓΟΥΝΑΣ]

@@ΆγγελοςΠαναγόπουλος-τ3ρ Δεν το περιμένεις από Έλληνες!

[@ΆγγελοςΠαναγόπουλος-τ3ρ]

@@ΑΝΑΣΤΑΣΗΣΖΥΓΟΥΝΑΣ ισχύει φίλε, δεν έχουν γούστο οι περισσότεροι😂 έχεις παίξει όλη την σειρά;

[@ΑΝΑΣΤΑΣΗΣΖΥΓΟΥΝΑΣ]

@@ΆγγελοςΠαναγόπουλος-τ3ρ Kh1, CoM (όχι το rebirth) kh2, Bbs έχω δει τα cinematics του days, τα cinematics του back cover, gameplays του 3d και του 0.2 και θέλω να δω και gameplay του ΜοΜ.

[@ΑΝΑΣΤΑΣΗΣΖΥΓΟΥΝΑΣ]

@@ΆγγελοςΠαναγόπουλος-τ3ρ Θέλω και να δω του Union X γιατί το είχα, αλλά είναι τεράστιο και μετά goodbye το Union X.

[@ElricSowrd]

I'd like to add that Sora's Model in the HD Remix actually came from Re: Coded because the Remasters apparently lost the original source material for Kingdom Hearts 1 (Including FFVII & FFVIII). I'm disappointed that the cutscenes in PS4 Version are NOT 60 Frames PerSeconds.

[@Thelango99]

From the DS game? I have that and the model has a far lower polygon count.

[@ElricSowrd]

@@Thelango99 I meant 3D Dream Drop Distance! I must have got the two games mixed up.

[@ginogatash4030]

Honestly who cares if the cutscenes don't run at 60 fps? You just watch them anyway, there's no real benefit nor loss to the framerate of cutscenes, and I much prefer having 30 fps cutscenes with 60 fps gameplay then them fucking up the animations of the cutscenes for the sake of having 60 fps always when it's not really necessary.

[@rustycookiepekka6875]

They also got rid of the reverb in areas and boss fights but its a minor change...

[@Order-Sol]

Final Mix, because it has more stories to tell that we are not aware of.

[@Gultykappa]

Can someone tell me what the secret episode is from sealing all the keyholes in Expert mode is? I 100% normal mode, but I've also never heard of the "secret episode" from my ps2 version.

[@mwhos66]

its the same secret episode you should have unlocked from 100%ing Normal; it unlocked this movie kzbin.info/www/bejne/gpeQhomtntSabZI which I didn't include because all versions have this movie

[@Gultykappa]

@@mwhos66 Oh, ok then. Thanks.

[@teresaroseheil3678]

My game the mixed one doesn’t even have theater mode for some reason and I finished the game twice because of it

[@D1n0nlyD1v94]

Huh? My final mix on ps4 doesn't have a theater Option but the rest of the games do on my ps4. Weird

[@mwhos66]

you need to download Theater on the playstation store

[@VentusK]

Shoulda used DB (KH1) for the intro but other than that it was a good video. Upvoted and shared on r/kingdomhearts

[@mwhos66]

noted, thank you!

[@JusticeSolaris85]

I still don't own a ps4/5 there's still a reason to play ps3 version in 2022?

[@mwhos66]

the ps3 version is a fine way to play the game, the only major thing you're missing is 60fps

[@OhKayEl]

This is good but the vanilla Kingdom Hearts is recorded in incorrect aspect ratio. The game isn't in 4:3, it actually renders at 640x448 and not 640x480 or whatever, so the aspect ratio is a bit different. You can see that if you compare the 2D stuff at the beginning between versions.

[@mwhos66]

a few things about your comment: 1. the game actually does not render at 640x448. in-game it renders at 512x447 and only switches to 640x448 when playing pre-rendered cutscenes. 2. the *render* resolution =/= the *output* resolution. the emulator i was using to record this had the option to keep the aspect ratio of the window at 4:3, which i opted for to ease recording. 3. what i should have done was have it said "Native Resolution (~480p)," but i essentially said so because it is closest to the conventional resolution, and the fact that displays at the time had many different output resolutions that were around so.

[@OhKayEl]

@@mwhos66 I knew about the whole 512x447 thing, but it's just an optimization trick so it doesn't really count when talking about the aspect ratio because it's still tailored for 640x448 (everything would look too narrow otherwise). They couldn't reach a stable 30FPS mid-development so they downsampled the resolution to 512x447, but the game was still always meant to be looked at at 640x448, which is 10:7 and not 4:3. 10:7 is the true aspect ratio of Kingdom Hearts on the PS2.

[@mwhos66]

@@OhKayEl considering 512x447 (and in kh2's case, 512x448) isnt even the same aspect ratio as 640x448, and the same logic of "tailoring" can apply to a resolution like 512x480, i highly doubt that this is the case unless there is a direct quote from the developers. 640x448 is merely the frame buffer of the PS2 hardware, and is not indicative of the output resolutions it supports.

[@OhKayEl]

@@mwhos66 Ugh... You're just being stubborn at this point. Have you seen what 512x447 looks like in-game? Everything is way too thin and narrow and looks like it should be stretched to a wider screen. If you stretch 512x447 to 640x448 everything looks normal and perfectly proportionate again, even compared to the HD ReMix. But, if you compare the 4:3 aspect to the HD ReMix, it's not perfectly proportionate, everything looks just a little thinner/stretched vertically, further proving that the original game is actually in 10:7 and the devs of the HD ReMix knew that. Also, there doesn't need to be a direct quote from the developers - at the beginning all developers target the max resolution and framerate a console can support (for the PS2 it's 640x480 and 60FPS), and keep lowering it if the game ends up being too demanding for said resolution and framerate, that's just how console development works. So if any game runs at a sub-native resolution then it's an optimization technique BY DEFAULT.

[@mwhos66]

@@OhKayEl you are fine to believe that 640x448 is the intended resolution based on your perception of it; however i simply do not agree with that the other two resolutions are too thin or narrow, unless you are comparing it to the HD ReMix that was developed for 16:9. i also find it interesting that you say the devs of ReMix knew the original game was 10:7 yet you still think the PS2 game in that resolution looks more proportional than the ReMix. also just the fact that the PS2 console itself does not output this resolution makes me skeptical the developers intended for an essentially unused aspect ratio.

[@mitchellalexander9162]

I'm Honestly More Partial to the Classic Game's Heartless Designs since its what I grew up on.

[@Rotodojo-yf9sq]

This is my opinion but I think the original one is better. Mainly because some of the heartless redesigns looked kind of silly in the remaster.

[@secondbestjojo1300]

So just because one minor thing is "better" it's a better version final mix added so many quality of live changes skipping cutscenes for example and other cool stuff like secret bosses and new cutscenes

[@raxes1144]

Thanks

[@WednesdayMan]

I find the final mix heartless recolours to be bad. however the final mix unversed recolours are good.

[@SentientPotatoXIII]

Wow... Everything looks so pixelated on ps2. I remember thinking kh and kh2 had the best graphics of that generation.

[@Schizobateman]

Because CRT tvs fix that.

[@ajmosutra7667]

I find kh 1 original more contrasted, natural and nicer animations overall. I dont understand the point of having more pixels with such ugly looking models and expessions... Such a shame! The original was really a work of art!

[@davidddhoi5569]

Idk but are we seeing the same video, I can’t see anything wrought about the models

[@parttimelazy4593]

Original's way of interacting with stuff made me wanna tear my hair out, so glad Original 2 made a triangle prompt the standard. For the main games at least...

[@Schizobateman]

I prefered it tbh

[@ReaIIyMac]

Hes playing ff14. IM TRYING TO MAKE HIM COMEBACK GUYS

[@vielserezo8035]

THE REMIX LOOKS EXACTLY THE SAME TO THE ORIGINAL IF YOU USE PCSX2 AND 3X NATIVE IT LMAO

[@mwhos66]

okay? what about everything else

[@solidbanjobanjo9367]

The ps2 version is cheaper, the new improvements are garbage

[@mwhos66]

Personally, as I already owned a PS4 when I was recommended Kingdom Hearts, it was better worth that I got the Story so Far collection for only $40 US.

[@RobloxAciko]

@@mwhos66 what order did you play the games in?

[@mwhos66]

Artvix release order

[@Reevro]

... Get a real Japanese final mix.

[@mwhos66]

yo that's racist

[@xero5x]

what game is this?? it looks dumb lololol wtf

[@azurviper513]

I'm guessing you can't read huh? "Lololol wtf" 😂😂😂

[@xero5x]

Azur Viper please don’t make fun of my reading ability! i’m only 5 years old!

[@azurviper513]

@@xero5x Ok. I'm sorry.

[@RobloxAciko]

@@xero5x its actually a really fun game its a anime fighting rpg story game has a entire story something like fnaf

[@Schizobateman]

Ok weeb