KINGDOM HEARTS III – RE:MIND

Underwhelming in key(blade) areas

For the most part in this extended DLC, you replay Kingdom Hearts III’s endgame. In battles you now have the option of playing as Sora or one of the other Keyblade wielders, each of them with new specials and linked attacks. While battles stay the same, it’s exciting to finally take control of old favourites such as Roxas and, at long last, even Kairi. 1 Some cutscenes have been extended, while others stay identical to the main game. You also get a chance to explore an enhanced version of Scala Ad Caelum, home to the Guardians of old, but the slightly longer visit amounts to another empty, linear level.

The best part of Re:Mind is the large group battle between the Guardians and the Heartless, complete with fresh character interactions and mighty finishers.

If you’re looking for a challenge you may find it in the Limitcut episode, the second part of the DLC. This is basically a boss rush arena, where you battle The Thirteen again, but at a much higher difficulty. Only then does the Secret Episode unlock. This takes place after the events of the game and hints at what awaits Sora in the next instalment. New content is thus pretty sparse, 2 and the noteworthy addition to the story requires the dedication of grinding long enough in the main game to make it through the boss rush stage in one piece, by which point you will have fought the same battles three times. It’s taking the Mickey somewhat.

Re:Mind could have been an additional world, or a new chapter to shorten the wait until the next game. Instead it’s more of the same, often literally so. A missed opportunity. Malindy Hetfeld

FOOTNOTES1 Finally we can experience the game as our favourite support characters. 2 There is also Data Greeting mode, essentially a photo mode in which you can arrange characters.