:strip_icc()/pic7264854.jpg)
You've seen the memes. The ones with the massive red strings on a corkboard, or the jokes about how you need a PhD in Disney lore just to figure out who is a clone of whom. Honestly, Kingdom Hearts The Story So Far exists because Square Enix realized that tracking this narrative across the Game Boy Advance, PSP, Nintendo DS, and mobile phones was a logistical nightmare for the average human being.
It’s a mess. But it’s a beautiful mess.
The reality is that Kingdom Hearts isn't actually "incomprehensible." It’s just long. It’s a decade-spanning epic that treats every single spin-off like a core numbered entry. If you skip a "side game," you’re lost. That’s the trap. Most people who say the story makes no sense are the ones who jumped from Kingdom Hearts II straight to Kingdom Hearts III and wondered why there were suddenly three different guys who looked like the main character, Sora.
What Kingdom Hearts The Story So Far Is Trying to Fix
Think of this collection as a massive corrective measure. Before this bundle dropped, the lore was scattered across a dozen different hardware platforms. You had Birth by Sleep on the PSP and Dream Drop Distance on the 3DS. If you didn't own a handheld, you missed the entire explanation for why the villain, Xehanort, is obsessed with a legendary blade called the χ-blade.
The collection basically stitches together the "Dark Seeker Saga." It’s the story of a boy from a tropical island who gets swept up in a cosmic war between light and darkness. But it’s also about heartless monsters, empty shells called Nobodies, and the metaphysical weight of a memory.
The central conflict? It’s basically a massive, multi-generational chess match played by an old man named Master Xehanort. He’s convinced the world is out of balance and wants to reset the universe. He’s the ultimate "ends justify the means" guy. To stop him, Sora has to team up with Donald Duck and Goofy—which sounds ridiculous until you see Goofy take a boulder to the head for his friends.
The Timeline Problem (And the Solution)
If you play these games in the order they were released, you’ll be fine. The mistake people make is trying to play chronologically. Don't do that. Don't start with Birth by Sleep. You’ll miss the impact of the reveals.
The heart of Kingdom Hearts The Story So Far is the first game. It’s simple. Sora, Riku, and Kairi want to leave their island. Darkness happens. Sora gets the Keyblade. He spends the game looking for his friends while visiting Disney worlds. It’s a classic "hero’s journey" with a Mickey Mouse twist.
✨ Don't miss: Teenager Playing Video Games: What Most Parents Get Wrong About the Screen Time Debate
But then things get weird.
Chain of Memories introduced the idea that memories can be manipulated and rewritten. This is where we meet Organization XIII, a group of dudes in black leather coats who lack hearts. They aren't "evil" in the traditional sense; they just want to exist. They’re effectively zombies with existential crises. This game is crucial because it sets up the "Nobody" lore that dominates the rest of the series. Without it, the beginning of Kingdom Hearts II makes zero sense. You’d be playing as a kid named Roxas and asking, "Where is Sora?"
Roxas is arguably the most tragic character in the franchise. He’s Sora’s "Nobody," born when Sora briefly lost his heart in the first game. The tragedy is that Roxas developed his own personality, his own friends, and his own love for sea-salt ice cream, only to realize he had to disappear so Sora could wake up. It’s heavy stuff for a game that features Winnie the Pooh.
Why Does Everyone Look Like Sora?
This is the big one. This is the part that makes people've given up on the series.
Basically, Sora’s heart is like a high-end apartment with a lot of roommates. At various points in the story, other people's hearts have taken refuge inside him. Ventus, a hero from the prequel era, tucked his heart inside a young Sora to heal. Because of this, Sora’s "Nobody" (Roxas) looks like Ventus instead of Sora.
Then there’s Xion. She’s a "replica," a man-made puppet designed to siphon Sora’s powers. She looks like Kairi because she was built from Sora’s memories of Kairi. It sounds like a headache, but when you’re actually playing Kingdom Hearts The Story So Far, the emotional beats carry the logic. You care about these kids. You want them to have a real life outside of being cosmic spare parts.
The Real Villain Isn't Just One Guy
Master Xehanort is a bit of a freak. He figured out how to put pieces of his own heart into other people. He calls this "Xehanortification." His goal was to create thirteen "vessels" of himself to clash with seven "guardians of light."
🔗 Read more: Swimmers Tube Crossword Clue: Why Snorkel and Inner Tube Aren't the Same Thing
Why? Because the clash would recreate the χ-blade and open Kingdom Hearts, the source of all knowledge and power.
This is why you see different versions of the same villain. There’s Ansem (Xehanort’s Heartless), Xemnas (Xehanort’s Nobody), and a time-traveling Young Xehanort. It’s a literal army of one man across different points in time. It’s convoluted, sure. But it’s also an incredibly creative way to keep a single antagonist relevant over twenty years of storytelling.
The Role of Disney in All This Chaos
Some fans complain that the Disney worlds are "filler." They’re wrong.
While it’s true that Sora visiting Frozen or Pirates of the Caribbean doesn't always move the plot forward, these worlds serve as thematic mirrors. When Sora watches Hercules struggle with being a hero, it’s reflecting his own doubts. When he sees the bond between Sulley and Mike in Monsters, Inc., it reinforces the series' core mantra: "My friends are my power."
The Disney elements ground the high-concept anime nonsense. They provide a familiar framework. You might not understand what a "Data-Riku" is, but you know that Maleficent is up to no good. That familiarity is the anchor that keeps the series from drifting too far into the surreal.
Beyond the Gameplay: The Music and the Vibe
You can't talk about Kingdom Hearts The Story So Far without mentioning Yoko Shimomura. Her score is the glue. It doesn't matter how confusing the plot gets; when "Dearly Beloved" starts playing on the title screen, you feel something.
The series has a specific "vibe"—a mix of early 2000s "emo" aesthetic and classic Disney whimsy. It’s earnest. It’s unironic. In an era where every game is trying to be gritty or cynical, Kingdom Hearts is out here unironically talking about the power of a smile.
💡 You might also like: Stuck on Today's Connections? Here is How to Actually Solve the NYT Grid Without Losing Your Mind
That’s why people stay. It’s not just for the lore. It’s for the feeling of being part of this weird, sprawling family.
Common Misconceptions to Toss Out
- "It’s a kids' game." Tell that to the people who spent hours trying to beat the Lingering Will boss fight or those who cried during the ending of 358/2 Days. It deals with identity loss, depression, and the fear of being forgotten.
- "You can skip the mobile games." Sadly, no. Kingdom Hearts Union χ (included in the collection as a cinematic movie) contains the deepest lore about the ancient Keyblade War and characters like the Master of Masters, who is currently the biggest mystery in the series.
- "Mickey Mouse is just a cameo." King Mickey is a legitimate powerhouse and a key political figure in this universe. He’s a battle-hardened warrior who has seen some dark things.
How to Actually Tackle This Collection
If you're jumping in now, don't try to memorize every name. Just follow Sora. If you stick with his perspective, the world expands naturally.
Kingdom Hearts The Story So Far includes:
- Kingdom Hearts Final Mix
- Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories
- Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (Cinematics)
- Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix
- Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix
- Kingdom Hearts Re:coded (Cinematics)
- Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD
- Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage
- Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover (Movie)
That is hundreds of hours of content.
The best way to experience it is to watch the credits of each game. Don't rush. Let the weirdness wash over you. The series is less about "logic" and more about "connections." If two characters have a connection, their hearts will find a way. That’s the "science" of Kingdom Hearts.
Getting Started the Right Way
To get the most out of your time with the series, follow these practical steps:
- Play in Release Order: Start with the first Kingdom Hearts, move to Re:Chain of Memories, then Kingdom Hearts II. This preserves the mystery and the intended emotional payoffs.
- Don't Grind Too Early: Most of these games are designed so you can beat them by just playing naturally. Save the "superbosses" for the post-game if you're just here for the story.
- Watch the "Movies": The cinematic entries like 358/2 Days are long (about 3 hours), but they are essential for understanding why certain characters appear in later games. Treat them like a Netflix miniseries.
- Use the Journal: Every game has a "Jiminy’s Journal" or a reports section. If you forget who someone is, read the character bios there. They’re updated as you progress and clarify things the cutscenes might gloss over.
- Embrace the Confusion: It’s okay to not know what "Kingdom Hearts" actually is for the first fifty hours. Even the characters in the game are frequently guessing.
The beauty of the franchise is that it rewards persistence. By the time you reach the end of A Fragmentary Passage, you'll realize that all those confusing threads have woven into a massive, coherent tapestry. You just have to be willing to pick up the controller and start.