Living as a console exclusive throughout the series' history, theKingdom Heartsseries will be surprise-releasing on PC next month. With the exception of emulation,Kingdom Heartsgames spent a majority of the franchise’s lifetime being PlayStation exclusive. It wasn’t until February of last year where Xbox fans finally got to “experience the magic” of theKingdom Heartsfranchise, notwithstanding the fact thatKingdom Hearts 3released on Xbox One beforehand. Now thatKingdom Heartsfinally finds its way to PC, there may be several new fans jumping into the series for the first time, but PC ports largely benefit the hardcoreKingdom Heartsfans the most.
Regardless of the fact that futureKingdom Heartsentries may end up on the platform, the most hardcore fans of the franchise benefit the most from the PC ports. Before theKingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5remasters released on PS4 and Xbox One,Kingdom Heartsthrived on PC via emulation, thanks to mods and overhauls. Granted theKingdom Heartsremasters were available on PS3, that was the only way to play theFinal Mixversions in the west. Whether it was graphical upgrades and revamps, additional scenarios and original content via extensive mods, playingKingdom Heartson PC provided extra content and capability far beyond the original release.
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Kingdom Hearts: Huge Graphical Improvements on PC
Of course, the biggest benefit to come from a port on PC is the improved graphical fidelity. Granted, the PS4 versions ofKingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5already run at 60 FPS, with the PS4 Pro version also running at 4K as well. However, the PC can always take things a step further thanks to the wide variety of high-end hardware. That means upscaling, higher resolutions, greater anti-aliasing, and more. Any of these graphical improvements could come from Square Enix itself, assuming the PC port is populated with all sorts of graphical tweaks and options. Even if that’s not the case, andtheKingdom Heartsports aren’t as feature intensive, fans can always pick up the baton.
PS2 emulator PCSX2 already has several options for tweaking how the game runs via emulation settings. Savvy PC players can up the resolution and anti-aliasing considerably, assuming they have a legal copy ofKingdom Heartsripped on to their PC. Additionally, considering the few “HD” revamp/overhaul mods that mimic Square Enix’s remasters on the originalFinal Mixreleases,Kingdom Heartsmods could be adapted for the official PC release in due time. However,Square Enix’s PC ports of the classicFinal Fantasygameshave shown they’re more than capable of bringing extensive graphics options toKingdom Heartson PC, so graphical upgrades are expected.
Adapting Many Existing Mods For Kingdom Hearts On PC
However, the more important thing that will extend the longevity ofKingdom Heartson PC is mods and overhauls. Similar to games likeElder ScrollsorFallout, mods forKingdom Heartshave helped introduce new content into the original 2007Final Mixrelease. One of the most popular mods recently, similar to many RPGs, was theKingdom Hearts 2randomizer. Randomizers have helped reintroduce variety and unpredictability into classic games likeSkyrim,The Legend of Zelda,Dark Souls, and more.Kingdom Hearts 2in particular has a very highly-developed randomizer, one which saw huge popularity among theKingdom Heartscommunity last year.
Additionally, mods could also bring even more new content to the game, outside of what’s offered in the base experience.Final Fantasy 15is the prime example of this, as the most recent entry in the franchise received several different mod tools reshaping the game on PC. There are re-texture mods, audio replacements, visual/graphical overhauls, stat changes, among other unofficial features that change howFinal Fantasy 15is played. The same treatment could be given to theKingdom Heartsports, even if it may be difficult to get Disney to play ball. Regardless, unofficialKingdom Heartsmods have already existed since before the PC port, so fans will find a way.
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New Players May ‘Experience the Magic’ First On PC
These examples are all great reasons forexistingfans ofKingdom Heartsto enjoy the PC ports, but there’s also new fans jumping into the games for the first time on PC.Kingdom Hearts, being a small part of the powerhouse universe that is Disney franchises, will almost certainly draw in new players on the platform to the strange crossover series. It’s hard to imagine there areanyFinal Fantasyfans on PC who haven’t played, or at least triedKingdom Heartsonce, but they are out there. A small but noteworthy amount of players may be playingKingdom Heartsfor the first time on PC, which is a huge moment in and of itself, but this port largely supports existing fans.
Mods are a huge part of the nicheKingdom Heartscommunity, who will undoubtedly have a field day with the PC ports in March. TheKingdom Hearts 2randomizer in particular may see new life with the PC ports, as fans no longer have to source an English patch for the Japanese release ofKingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix. That’s assuming the original creator of theKingdom Hearts 2randomizer mod can adapt the existing randomizer to the official PC port. Regardless, even outside of mods,Kingdom Heartson PC with higher-fidelity graphics options may be the definitive way to play the wholeKingdom Heartsseries.
