Square Enix just announced that Kingdom Hearts is headed to the Nintendo Switch on February 10. The games will be cloud-based and can either be bought in one big bundle worth $90 or individually. At the time of writing this article, Nintendo currently has their bundle pre-order price marked down to $72. With that in mind, this might be the best time to snag it. For those who are unfamiliar with the series and just want to check it out, demos for all three titles are now available.
As for individual purchase prices, the two-pack that includes Kingdom Hearts 1.5 and 2.5 ReMIX will cost $40. Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is set at a $50 price point, and Kingdom Hearts III with the "Re Mind" DLC will also cost $50.
All games will be in HD, as they are PlayStation 2 remastered editions, but the biggest highlight of the announcement is that they will be cloud-based; this means that they are only playable by streaming. Needless to say, this garnered a lot of mixed reactions from fans, as some prefer a different port to the Switch or have issues streaming games due to poor internet connection.
Square Enix previously explained their decision to make Kingdom Hearts cloud-based in an interview with Nintendo Life. Video game producer, Ichiro Hazama, stated that the company wanted to bring this series to the Nintendo Switch due to high demand from fans, but “it proved difficult” because of the “storage capacity of the hardware” and other “various” reasons.
Kingdom Hearts is a fantasy action role-playing game developed by Square Enix in collaboration with The Walt Disney company. The first installment of the franchise was released in 2002 and follows the main protagonist, Sora, as he goes on a quest to find his missing friends, Riku and Kairi, as well as defeat the Heartless with various Disney character companions. Each installment of the franchise adds to the fantastically complex lore of the world of Kingdom Hearts. It was received very positive overall and continues to have a dedicated fanbase. It has grown beyond video game media to print, trading cards, and even television. The franchise has won several awards over the years.
Kingdom Hearts made waves in the gaming industry last October when Sora was revealed as the final Super Smash Bros. Ultimate fighter added to the roster. A decision that received loads of positive fan reactions.
Finally, with the addition of the beloved Kingdom Hearts on PC last year, and now on Nintendo Switch consoles, fans can eagerly revisit the games in more ways than ever.