Trying to decipher the convoluted mess of a story that is Kingdom Hearts is certainly no easy task. The series hosts fun and engaging gameplay and a cast of lovable characters that'll make you want to dive right in, but figuring out where to start is daunting.
Questions often arise about whether or not to play the games in order of release, or in relation to their place in the timeline. With Kingdom Hearts, it's better to play according to release order, as key plot points and terminology present in the prequel games become confusing without context from other titles.
10 Kingdom Hearts
Let's go all the way back to when Kingdom Hearts was simple and clean. Released in 2003 for the PlayStation 2, it was a cultural phenomenon that somehow allowed for two very different franchises, being Final Fantasy and Disney to converge into one amazing package.
As a standalone title, it's complicated enough to give some food for thought when it comes to the story but easy enough to understand and familiarize yourself with what's to come. Kingdom Hearts' ending leads right into the next game, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.
9 Kingdom Hearts: Chain Of Memories
Originally released for the Game Boy Advance, and later again on the PS2, Chain of Memories began Square Enix's trend of forcing devoted Kingdom Hearts fans to spend their hard-earned Munny on a multitude of consoles to continue playing the series.
Chain of Memories shifted away from hack-and-slash combat to a slower, more strategic card-based system. Many fans disliked this change but knowing the story of this game is integral to understanding key parts of the highly anticipated Kingdom Hearts II.
8 Kingdom Hearts II
Still regarded by many as the best game in the series, Kingdom Hearts II released in 2005 to extremely positive reception. This game ties up the loose ends from the previous two entries, but not without creating its own fair share of "what is this and why is it happening" moments.
The beginning of the game is especially head-scratching if you haven't played Chain of Memories, which was a big turn off for fans who couldn't get ahold of a Game Boy Advance. Still, make sure to brush up on your Kingdom Hearts knowledge, because this game is well worth it.
7 Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days is an odd one, with a title coming straight out of a name generator. Released on the Nintendo DS in 2009, this prequel to Kingdom Hearts II explains the origins of characters like Roxas and Axel and shows the aftermath of the original Kingdom Hearts.
The DS, like the GBA, isn't the most optimal platform for a 3D action-RPG such as Kingdom Hearts, so it was released with the Kingdom Hearts 1.5 ReMIX as a nearly three-hour-long movie consistent of cutscenes. If you'd prefer to skip through the cutscenes just to get the PlayStation theme, no one would blame you.
6 Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep
At the time of its launch, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep told the origin story of the series, taking place before the events of the original Kingdom Hearts. Three playable characters are featured in the game, with one looking strikingly similar to Roxas with the exact same character model, even though he's an entirely different character.
The story can start to become a bit convoluted with this entry, but that doesn't undermine the importance that it plays when viewing the story as a whole. All three of these characters are essential plot points in other games, so this one is a must-play.
5 Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded
In all honesty, Re:Coded is entirely skippable. The story "virtually" goes nowhere, as the majority of it takes place in a digitized world made up of older Kingdom Hearts levels. The only important sections of the game are seen towards the end, and most would argue that getting through the rest of the game isn't necessary at all.
Like 358/2 Days, Re:Coded was re-released in the form of a movie in the Kingdom Hearts 2.5 ReMIX to replace the clunky gameplay featured on the Nintendo DS. Unless you're a truly devout fan of the series, this one can be mostly overlooked.
4 Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
If the "3D" in the title didn't give away what console this was released on, The Nintendo 3DS was a much better fit for the series given the enhanced graphical capabilities and the circle-pad. Taking place before Kingdom Hearts III, Dream Drop Distance's messy story takes Sora and Riku through the "Mark of Mastery" exam for them to become true Keyblade Masters.
As weird as it may get, it will help tremendously to piece together everything seen in Kingdom Hearts III, and you can play its updated version in the Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue.
3 Kingdom Hearts χ
"X?", "chi?", "key?". While the name is, well, unique, this entry tells the beginning of all, even before Birth by Sleep. This browser/mobile game may seem like a cash-in MMORPG with a Kingdom Hearts skin on it, but the story presented is more important than you'd think, especially in regards to Kingdom Hearts III.
If like the DS games, you'd prefer to have all your Kingdom Hearts games sit nicely next to your other PlayStation titles, this game was turned into a short movie within Kingdom Hearts 2.8 that utilizes the same cutscene engine present in KH3.
2 Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep: A Fragmentary Passage
Following a depressed Aqua through a strange world after the events of Birth by Sleep, this short tech-demo sets up nicely into Kingdom Hearts III. It's only a few hours in length, but some very important tidbits of exposition are thrown at you while you're distracted by jumping 50 feet into the air with your favorite blue-haired Keyblade Master.
By this point, make sure to brush up on all that you've learned from your previous adventures, as we're about to step into the grand tale that is Kingdom Hearts III.
1 Kingdom Hearts III
The story built up to this game after 15 years is absolutely massive, and following along can be difficult for even the biggest fans of the series. KH3 attempts to tie up any and all plot-points presented from previous games, and remembering just what the heck happened in a game like 358/2 Days to make sense of this entry can be frustrating.
But, it is more than rewarding to become fluent with this series' quirks to get the full experience out of this long-awaited title, and there's still more to come with the Kingdom Hearts III Re:Mind DLC.