KINGDOM HEARTS COLLECTION [I~III]: FINDING MY WAY BACK TO THE KEYBLADE

Courtesy of: Square Enix, Inc. Written By: William Antie

There are some video games that you remember because you played them.

Then there are the ones you remember because of when you played them.

For me, Kingdom Hearts is one of those games.

Long before the series became the sprawling saga it is today, my introduction to Kingdom Hearts was much simpler. I remember picking up the original game on PlayStation 2 and stepping into a world that somehow managed to bring together Disney characters, Square Enix’s RPG storytelling, and an entirely new cast of characters without feeling like it should have worked.

And somehow, it did.

Years later, I found myself returning to that world with Kingdom Hearts II on PlayStation 2. At the time, I wasn’t thinking about where the series would eventually go. I wasn’t thinking about a massive collection containing multiple games, movies, expansions, and years of additional story.

I was just playing Kingdom Hearts.

Now, in 2026, SQUARE ENIX has brought that journey together in one place with KINGDOM HEARTS Collection [I~III], and for someone like me who remembers those early PlayStation years, its arrival feels a little different.

It feels like opening an old game case and discovering that the adventure never really ended.

A JOURNEY THAT GREW FAR BEYOND THE ORIGINAL

Available now on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via the Microsoft Store on Windows, KINGDOM HEARTS Collection [I~III] brings together a substantial portion of the series in one package.

The collection includes three major releases:

KINGDOM HEARTS -HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX-

• KINGDOM HEARTS FINAL MIX
• KINGDOM HEARTS Re:Chain of Memories
• KINGDOM HEARTS II FINAL MIX
• KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 Days, presented as an HD cutscene compilation
• KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep FINAL MIX
• KINGDOM HEARTS Re:coded, presented as an HD cutscene compilation

KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue

• KINGDOM HEARTS Dream Drop Distance HD
• KINGDOM HEARTS χ Back Cover
• KINGDOM HEARTS 0.2 Birth by Sleep – A fragmentary passage –

And finally, KINGDOM HEARTS III + Re Mind.

That is a lot of Kingdom Hearts.

And that is precisely what makes this collection so interesting to me.

For players who have followed the series over the years, having these adventures together offers an opportunity to revisit familiar stories and explore the connections between them. For someone whose experience stopped after the second main installment, it represents an opportunity to discover just how much the series has grown.

MY KINGDOM HEARTS STORY STARTED WITH TWO GAMES

My experience with the series is not the same as someone who has followed every release.

I played the original Kingdom Hearts on PlayStation 2.

I played Kingdom Hearts II on PlayStation 2.

And that was where my personal journey with the series stopped.

I didn’t play every side story. I didn’t follow every release. I didn’t jump into every remaster or additional chapter as they arrived.

There was something particularly memorable about those first two games, though.

The original Kingdom Hearts introduced me to Sora, Donald and Goofy and sent me through Disney worlds that I already knew, but presented them through an entirely different kind of adventure. Then Kingdom Hearts II took that foundation and expanded it into something bigger.

Those games belong to a very specific period of my gaming life.

The PlayStation 2 era was a time when discovering a game could feel like discovering a new world. You could put a disc into the console, sit down, and simply disappear into it for hours. Kingdom Hearts was one of those games for me.

AND THEN THERE WAS KINGDOM HEARTS III

This is where my own history with the series takes a turn.

I never played Kingdom Hearts III.

I didn't have an XBOX ONE and ultimately chose not to pursue the game on another platform. So while Sora's journey continued, mine essentially remained back with the first two numbered adventures.

That makes the arrival of KINGDOM HEARTS Collection [I~III] particularly fascinating.

For many longtime fans, this collection represents an opportunity to revisit a story they have followed for years.

For me, it represents something slightly different.

It is a chance to look back at where I started and finally see just how far the journey went.

MORE THAN JUST KINGDOM HEARTS I, II AND III

One of the things that stands out about KINGDOM HEARTS Collection [I~III] is that the name doesn't tell the entire story.

This isn't simply three numbered games placed into one collection.

The collection brings together the three larger packages that make up the modern Kingdom Hearts experience, including games and story material that fill in the enormous amount of history between those numbered installments.

For someone who stepped away after Kingdom Hearts II, that is both exciting and slightly intimidating.

There is a lot of catching up to do.

But maybe that is part of the appeal.

The series has spent years building its own mythology, and now the pieces are gathered together in a way that makes it possible to start the journey again from the beginning.

Only this time, I know there is considerably more waiting at the other end of that Keyblade.

A NEW WAY TO EXPERIENCE AN OLD MEMORY

There is also something wonderfully appropriate about the collection arriving on today's hardware.

The original Kingdom Hearts was a PlayStation 2 experience for me. Kingdom Hearts II was a PlayStation 2 experience too.

Now the same larger journey is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

That evolution says something about how much the series has changed.

But it also says something about how much gaming has changed.

The worlds that I once explored from a television in the PlayStation 2 era can now be revisited through modern hardware and modern displays.

The technology changed.

The adventure remained.

THE KEYBLADE STILL HAS A STORY TO TELL

I don't know yet what my experience with the entire Kingdom Hearts saga will ultimately look like.

And I don't think I need to pretend that I do.

What I do know is that seeing KINGDOM HEARTS Collection [I~III] arrive today brought back memories of playing that first game on PlayStation 2 and then continuing the adventure with Kingdom Hearts II on PlayStation 2.

Back then, I had no idea that the series would grow into something this expansive.

I certainly didn't know that years later I would be looking at a collection that brings together the journey I experienced, the chapters I missed, and the Kingdom Hearts III adventure I never played.

That's what makes this release meaningful to me.

It isn't simply a collection of games.

It is a reminder of where I was when I first picked up that Keyblade.

And now, after all these years, there is a much bigger kingdom waiting on the other side.

Source: ChrisWill Media About the Authors: Christopher L. Antie and William Antie are podcast journalists and media personalities covering entertainment, travel, culture, events, and stories from across a wide range of industries. Together, they bring a conversational and experience-driven approach to the stories they share. Follow more from Chris & Will through their podcast, What About Our Life?, on iHeartRadio and at chrisandwill.com.