Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX, stylized as Kingdom Hearts HD II.5 ReMIX, is a compilation of various games from the Kingdom Hearts series that have been fully remastered in HD. It is a follow-up to Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX and includes remastered versions of Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix and Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix. It also features Kingdom Hearts Re:coded remade as a movie of HD cutscenes. The release of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX marks the first time Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix and Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix have been available outside of Japan.

The ending credits feature scenes from Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance and the E3 2013 announcement trailer for Kingdom Hearts III, teasing Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue.

The collection itself was remastered and released with Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX as Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX for the PlayStation 4 in March 2017.

Development
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX was first hinted at during the ending credits of Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX, as they contain footage from Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, and Kingdom Hearts Re:coded. In October 2013, Tetsuya Nomura said that Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX will contain more graphical improvements than Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX. In December 2013, Nomura also said that due to Kingdom Hearts Re:coded being shorter than Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, new scenes featuring events that took place in Disney worlds and during battles were added. In addition, new scenes connecting Kingdom Hearts Re:coded and Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance have been included. Nomura lastly stated that development of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX was faster than that of its predecessor because the team that developed Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX had established a system for making games in HD. As of March, 2014, all lines in Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX had been recorded. In an interview with Famitsu Weekly in April 2014, Shinji Hashimoto stated that the additional cutscenes had also been completed and the game was nearing its final stage of development.

On June 5, 2014, Square Enix announced the release dates for the Japanese, European, and North American versions of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX. Along with this announcement came a new trailer for the game compilation that was featured at E3 2014. Announcement of an Ultimania dealing with the entire Kingdom Hearts series would be sold with the game, and an official soundtrack was to be released, as well. On June 6, 2014, Square Enix France released a ten-minute video featuring gameplay from both Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix and Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix from the HD compilation. In an interview during E3 2014 on June 10, 2014, Tai Yasue said that the development of the compilation was far easier than the development of Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX, that the Kingdom Hearts Re:coded cutscenes extended to three hours (two of which were completely new), and that the Mirage Arena in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix would not have multiplayer capabilities. Following this bit of news, Yasue said the Mirage Arena had been tweaked to be more enjoyable as a single-player arena. On June 12, 2014, Tai Yasue confirmed in an interview with IGN that there would be new secret cutscenes in Kingdom Hearts Re:coded that would relate to the previous games in the Kingdom Hearts series, as well as to Kingdom Hearts III. Yasue also mentioned during E3 2014 that over ninety instrumental tracks in Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX had been reorchestrated in Boston. The Video Game Orchestra and its recording division, SoundtRec Boston, confirmed this on June 13, 2014 via Facebook.

Changes
Changes to all three games in Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX include support for various video outputs (480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p), as well as audio output supported by Dolby Digital 5.1 sound and DTS Digital Surround 5.1. There is now PlayStation 3 trophy and an unlockable PlayStation 3 theme for each title. In addition, English voice acting is available for all cutscenes in Theater Mode in the Japanese release. Textures have been updated.

Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix

 * Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix features improved graphics and a completely re-orchestrated soundtrack by Yoko Shimomura's original score team and performed by the Boston Video Game Orchestra.
 * All cutscenes exclusive to the original Japanese version of Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix (mostly the cutscenes that were not later adapted to Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days) now have been recorded in English. However, none of the actors whose characters were not in the original Kingdom Hearts II (along with Meaghan Jette Martin who replaced Brittany Snow for the only Final Mix cutscene Naminé appeared in) were listed in the credits.
 * In the English version, the Absent Silhouettes and their respective Organization XIII's Replica Data's grunts and laughs are now provided by archived recordings from their English voice actors from Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, while Roxas's battle grunts incorporate those of his Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days incarnation and some of Ventus's voice clips from Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep.
 * In the Japanese version, Roxas uses bits of his younger Japanese voice in his boss fight.
 * In Jiminy's Journal, the "Combo Attacks" section is renamed to "Limits".
 * While the English localization of the game retained most of the censorship from Kingdom Hearts II, Xigbar's ability to merge his Arrowguns into a sniper rifle to snipe at Sora and company (which was replaced in the international versions of Kingdom Hearts II by Xigbar sniping at the party with one gun while using the other to steady his aim) was uncensored.

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix

 * Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix features improved graphics, and its controls have been adjusted for the game's transition from the PlayStation Portable to the PlayStation 3. For instance, the camera can now be controlled using the right analog stick, rather than and.
 * The various environments the player visits over the course of the game are more detailed in appearance, and new sound effects have been added to these areas, as well.
 * In the final cutscene in Terra's scenario, the Lingering Will sprouts a cape to maintain continuity between Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix and its later appearance in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix.
 * The Mirage Arena no longer has multiplayer capabilities, meaning that Mirage Arena D-Links cannot be used. Events and battles in the Arena have been tweaked, and additional challenges are present. Due to the lack of multiplayer, the Taunt command has been replaced with Victory Pose in all appearances, and Group Esuna has been completely removed. The ability to pause the game during Mirage Arena events has also been added.
 * While the entire soundtrack of Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix has been re-orchestrated, only the pieces "Keyblade Graveyard Horizon" and "Dismiss" have been re-orchestrated in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix.
 * The stars emitted from the Master's Defender change from lavender blue stars resembling shuriken to golden ones bearing Terra's Mark.
 * The cutscenes in A Fragmentary Passage are now recorded with English voice acting, while they featured Japanese voice acting in the original release.

Kingdom Hearts Re:coded

 * Kingdom Hearts Re:coded is featured in the form of over three hours of fully voiced, high definition cutscenes. In addition, it includes character reports.
 * Unlike Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days in Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX, Kingdom Hearts Re:coded features cutscenes from the Disney worlds, as well as battle scenes, and narration by Mickey.
 * Several scenes that the original game presented with only 2D sprites and text, are now represented with 3D models and environments.
 * Most of the characters who were silent in the original game now have new audio dialogue. A few exceptions to this include Tidus, Aladdin, Jasmine, and Phil, who only appeared in the text-based cutscenes.
 * Cutscenes have been added so players can better understand the Kingdom Hearts series, including:
 * A scene with Pete and Maleficent that connects to the story of Kingdom Hearts χ.
 * An additional secret ending, titled "Destiny," which connects to the events of Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.
 * While the entire soundtrack of Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix and a few pieces from Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix were re-orchestrated for Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX, Kingdom Hearts Re:coded does not feature the remade soundtracks from either game. However, the music selection was still given a major overhaul, with around a quarter of the cutscenes having a different music from the original.
 * Several tracks that did not appear in the original Kingdom Hearts Re:coded were added to this version, most notably the Piano Collections Kingdom Hearts versions of "" and "The Other Promise", the hitherto unused Kingdom Hearts recording of "Destati", and "Link to All" (which was not composed until after the release of Kingdom Hearts Re:coded).

Reported bugs
Several new bugs are present in this collection, such as:
 * Random crashes. A consistent crash point is the battle against Xemnas at the Memory Skyscraper.
 * Slow load times, which sometimes also effect the length of Drive Form transformations and D-Link transformations, and thus may require pause buffering.
 * Most sound effects that are played consecutively (i.e. Xigbar's lasers, Sephiroth's Reaction Command) are not played properly.
 * The Reversal Reaction Command failing to execute during the battle with Xemnas (Final Form).
 * Vexen's snowflakes suddenly disappear, and sudden deaths may occur during his data battle.

Special editions
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX has special edition releases that differ from the retail edition of the game.

Japanese releases of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX have two different Collector's Edition versions of the game that are only available through the Square Enix eshop. The first is "KINGDOM HEARTS Starter Pack HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX", which contains both Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX and Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX. The second is the "KINGDOM HEARTS Collectors Pack HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX", which contains both Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX and Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX, a Blu-ray Music Disc containing tracks from the Kingdom Hearts series, and an artwork booklet. Both have the option to include a Play Arts Kai figurine of Sora in his Limit Form. . Purchasing the game from Amazon.co.jp grants a downloadable PlayStation 3 theme.

On July 24, Square Enix announced a pre-order bonus for the international release of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX via the Kingdom Hearts Facebook page. By pre-ordering, one receives a free, automatic upgrade to the Limited Edition that includes a Disney Parks Pin Trading collectible pin featuring Sora and Mickey.

On November 5, 2014, Square Enix announced a Collector's Edition of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX for the United States, United Kingdom, and France. The collector's edition includes a 9.4-inch Shadow plush toy, 30-page hardcover artbook with dust jacket, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX and Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX, along with a special steelbook to house the two game discs, and the Disney collectors pin. The Collector's Edition is only available through Square Enix's online store.

Notes and references
Kingdom Hearts -HD 2.5 ReMIX-