In preparation for Square Enix’s highly anticipated Kingdom Hearts 3, the company has released HD remasters of their previous games on the PlayStation 3. Sony announced today that a third collection shall skip that console and grace the PlayStation 4 instead in 2016. That third installment of this ultimate cross-over series was announced at Sony’s E3 press conference in 2013. The same year, a remastered version of the original game and Re:Chain of Memories, along with all of the cinematic cutscenes from 358/2 Days was released. A year later, 2.5 Remix was released and it included a remastered version of Kingdom Hearts 2 and Birth by Sleep plus the cinematic scenes from Re:Coded.
The third collection will be titled HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue and it will be playable for PlayStation 4 users in 2016. This collection will include Dream Drop Distance, which was originally released for the Nintendo 3DS, 0.2 Birth by Sleep – a Fragmentary Passage, and Kingdom Hearts x [chi] Black Cover.
In Dream Drop Distance, you are able to play as both Sora and Riku, as they are entrusted with the task of protecting parallel worlds, in preparation for Master Xehanort’s arrival. The combat system is similar to that of Birth by Sleep and the plot of the game is supposed to give players a glimpse into what the long-awaited third entry’s story line will be like. Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep will be an additional episode that also links back to the story of KH 3. It takes place after the events of the game itself and the player will see events unfold through the eyes of Aqua. Black Cover is an HD movie that will give the player more insight on the Foretellers and will connect the earliest parts of this heart-filled kingdom’s history together.
According to the trailer, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is currently in development and will be hitting shelves in 2016 for PlayStation 4.
