the best (and worst) chapters of the series

Kingdom Hearts is a long-running action-RPG series that combines the genuineness of Disney cartoons with the extravagance of Final Fantasy absurdities. In other words, it’s the perfect gaming series. Well, maybe she’s not perfect, but she’s damn beautiful.

What is the best Kingdom Hearts? | The ranking —

It’s had its ups and downs, like any good series, and the often convoluted plot is sometimes enough to make you want to pull your hair out, but at its core it’s a story of friendship, overcoming adversity, and how to make friends with cartoons from your childhood.

We’ve played all of Kingdom Hearts – more than once, but don’t tell anyone – and here’s our ranking from worst to best.

12Kingdom Hearts Coded

There are no Kingdom Hearts games that are truly bad, but Coded comes pretty close. The game was initially released in episodic form on Japanese smartphones and was later ported to the Nintendo DS under the name re:Coded. Coded has some light puzzle elements and some even lighter combat elements, but none of it is particularly satisfying or fun.

11.Kingdom Hearts Unchained X

Unchained X is in such a strange position. It’s absolutely necessary to understand the larger story that’s being told throughout the series, and KH3 improves so much for those who’ve played it, but the excellent storyline isn’t enough to make it a good game. It is – or was – a gacha game with live service and light combat, but you couldn’t ignore the gacha elements because you needed strong characters to get through the story mode.

10.Kingdom Hearts Dark Road

Dark Road largely uses the same combat system as UX and is contained within the same app, now being the only part of the title that is still playable. The difference is that the story is much more interesting and tells how the antagonist of the series, Xehanort, got involved in all this nonsense. It’s a simple, story-driven mobile game that will confuse and excite longtime fans in equal measure. But maybe don’t make it your first Kingdom Hearts.

9Kingdom Hearts

Sorry, but the first Kingdom Hearts is not that good. The controls and fights are cumbersome, the story is slow and filled with some of the worst dialogue in the series, and some boss fights are just plain bad. Still, this is the game that started it all, and while it holds up worse than other games in the series, Kingdom Hearts still has a simple charm.

8.Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories

Chain of Memories is weird. Set immediately after Kingdom Hearts, it tells the story of Sora, Donald, and Goofy exploring Castle Oblivion, where memories go to die (there are narrative reasons for that, but it’s complicated). Combat is replaced by a card-based and deck-building system, worlds are procedurally generated and, for the first time ever, we get to play as fan favorite Riku in a second campaign. This is all wonderful and weird and experimental, and both the GBA and PS2 versions of the game have their own take on the premise. However, the game has many frustrating spots, such as the boss fights, which have been improved in the PS2 version, but not enough.

7Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory

Melody of Memory is a rhythm game developed by the team that made Final Fantasy Theatrhythm, and it works in much the same way. So why is it so high on the list? Yoko Shimomura. Shimomura has been the main composer of the series since the first game and her music is absolutely amazing. Melody of Memory, despite its ridiculous story and the poor treatment of its only playable character, is a spectacular showcase of Shimomura’s best work, and for that alone it’s worth playing, even if the rest doesn’t interest you all that much.

6. Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage

KH0.2 was in a sense a tech demo of Kingdom Hearts III, running on the same engine and implementing some of the same combat systems that would later appear in that game. For this reason, it’s very enjoyable to play, with lots of quick and fast fighting, and very entertaining boss fights. It takes place right after Birth by Sleep, and shows Aqua’s descent into the realm of darkness, somewhat connecting that game to KH3 in a logical way. It’s also notable for providing a canonical reason why Mickey wasn’t wearing his shirt at the end of the first Kingdom Hearts, which is hilarious, but so incredibly Kingdom Hearts that we can’t help but love it.

5.Kingdom Hearts III

The grand finale of the Sora saga (until the next game), Kingdom Hearts III is the culmination of nearly 20 years of storytelling and mechanics. Its combat takes little bits from each previous chapter, adding its own layer of depth, while the boss fights are undeniably some of the best in the series. Every character known and loved thus far has a conclusion or rematch, and the game is packed with thrilling moments from start to finish. Unfortunately, there are some strange missteps and certain worlds seem to have been crushed by the heavy hand of Disney in the process of creation. However, for longtime fans it’s all one could hope for.

4.Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep

Placing Birth by Sleep so high on the list might be a bit controversial, but listen up. BBS tells the same story three times, from three different perspectives. It might seem frustrating, but the way these perspectives intertwine and relate to one another is an absolute storytelling marvel, with each path revealing further backstory for the others. It’s like a jigsaw puzzle, where each path provides more pieces, and eventually everything fits together.

3.Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

358/2 Days still makes us cry just thinking about it. It is the story of two lives, Roxas and Xion, linked and intertwined, but ultimately doomed to a tragic fate. It is the darkest story in the Kingdom Hearts series, the most emotionally engaging and, in terms of gameplay, one of the most entertaining. It’s mission-based, like all good games, with a nice sense of progression and great replay value. The best part, though, is the co-op play.

2.Kingdom Hearts II

We know, Kingdom Hearts II should be at the top of this ranking. It’s undeniably an excellent game, and there’s a reason it’s widely considered the best game in the series. The fights are the best in the series, fast, snappy, exciting and full of twists, the story is incredible and there is nothing that drags on too much like in other games. We’ll never stop saying how awesome KH2 is, but it narrowly misses the top spot due to its intro, which drags on a bit too long and isn’t particularly emotional.

1.Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance

And here it is, the best Kingdom Hearts. Dream Drop Distance is what Chain of Memories tried to be – experimental, fresh and interesting – with a more traditional combat system that takes the best parts of Kingdom Hearts II and Birth by Sleep, and creates something incredible with them. The story is wonderful, taking place between KH2 and KH3, and showing how Riku and Sora bond and relate to each other and others in this universe. What makes DDD shine is the drop system, which allows both stories to be played simultaneously, with a timer for each character’s segments.

Written by Oliver Brandt for GLHF