Warning: Spoilers for the end of Kingdom Hearts 3
Kingdom Hearts 3 Re: Mind’s DLC details the events of Sora as he tries to find a way to bring Kairi back after the Keyblade War comes to an end. The end of Kingdom Hearts 3 shows us that he does succeed at reviving her, but how was left to multiple fan interpretations and theories. Flash forward one year to the present day and we now must ask does Kingdom Hearts Re:Mind line the pieces back up?
The short, definitive answer is yes, but at a cost, and seemingly one that is not without controversy from fans and casuals alike. Re:Mind, for half of it’s 4-hour long campaign, is more or less, a retread of all of the final battles in the Keyblade Graveyard during Kingdom Hearts 3 climax quarrel. It is a time travel episode, one that deals with Sora trying again to save Kairi. Long story short, since he has used a power to rescue his friends from a fated defeat once before, to use it again in an effort to save Kairi could erase him from that universe forever.
Searching for a way to reach Kairi before she is ultimately eliminated, Sora tries to reach her by going back in time again, but this time as his heart, separated from his body, and delving into the guardians of light’s heart one by one, as they participate in each of the climactic battles. The result is having to watch nearly every cutscene from the drawn-out conflict over again.
The plus side is that you have the option to play as new characters during these battles compared to only being able to play as Sora, Riku, and Aqua towards the end of Kingdom Hearts 3. Playing as Roxas, Kairi, and Ventus is exhilarating and adds a bit more tension to the story as well, but the time spent with them is far too short, with each newly playable character being available only for their own respective battle.
While the game does retread the events at the end of Kingdom Hearts 3 during it’s first half, the last half offers a breath of fresh air. Scala Ad Caelum, the world revealed at the end of Kingdom Hearts 3, is fully explorable and a marvel to look at. Other events happen during Re:Mind’s conclusion that beautifully wraps up how Sora ends up saving Kairi and they’re final battle, together, against Master Xehanort.
To add to this, once Re:Mind is completed, Limitcut Episode is unlocked. You can think of this as kind of a boss rush where you fight a rigorous battle with each of the New Organization XIII, one on one. The combat is challenging but ultimately rewarding. Defeating each of the bosses, plus the Secret Boss, will unlock a Secret Movie which gives some insight into the series future.
Also included with Re: Mind, is a feature called Data Greetings. It’s basically photo mode. There are many characters, items, objects, effects, and locations that can be used to recreate a scene from Kingdom Hearts, or whatever montage you want to make. There’s been some great looking photos and memes created by the Kingdom Hearts community alone and I’m looking forward to seeing more of them as people get more creative with it’s features.
Re: Mind also comes with Premium Mode, which allows you to start a new game and tinker with the difficulty to your liking, making it easier (ex: auto-blocking) or harder (ex: no battle items). The game’s ending cinematic has also been polished and with a free update, the iconic keyblades Oblivion and Oathkeeper are available to obtain as well.
The biggest argument for fans however is the price point. Starting at $30 you can get the Re:Mind DLC. By paying an extra $10 you can get the Kingdom Hearts concert video “World of Tres” for a total of $40. The divisive question is, is the game worth $30 for only 2 hours worth of notably new cutscenes and story, 13 boss battles, plus a secret boss, a photo mode, and a difficulty moderator?
The answer will depend on what you want out of it. If by chance you are a hardcore Kingdom Hearts fan that wants more things to do post-Kingdom Hearts 3 ending then this is for you. The battles in the Limit Cut episode are exceptionally challenging and will give you your money’s worth. However, if you’re hoping for a supplemental chunk of story after the main scenario, you’re better off waiting until the next game in the series comes out and watching the new cutscenes online or waiting for the DLC to go on sale.
I am personally a HUGE Kingdom Hearts fan, so I overall enjoyed my experience and am relishing the fact that I have more content to go back to after completing Kingdom Hearts 3. But if your only interest is in the story or exploring Disney worlds, this may be one adventure you might want to pass on. Whatever path you choose to take, may your heart be your guiding key.
Final Score: 8 slices of Pizza out of 10
Kaz is a closeted weeb who spends more time playing videogames/watching anime than he should be writing.
