Kingdom Hearts Final Mix
Originally released only in Japan on December 26, 2002, Kingdom Hearts Final Mix has several events and a number of gameplay tweaks that are not in previous releases. Spoken dialogue is in English, with Japanese subtitles. New scenes, clarifying certain plot points, such as Riku's journey and foreshadowing of Kingdom Hearts II, were included, but no new dialogue was recorded. A gameplay option allows the player to skip cutscenes after seeing them once. The optional bosses first included in the English version were introduced to Japanese players for the first time, along with a new fight against "Unknown Man," in an attempt to raise interest for the sequel.
78Wit Score
Details
DeveloperSquare Product Development Division 1
PublisherDisney Interactive, Square
ReleasedDecember 26, 2002
StatusReleased
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Wit-Index Intelligence
Community Score
Worth Playing78/100
About This Game
This release adds several new cutscenes to the original game. The first, shown after Sora fights Leon in Traverse Town, finds Riku lost in Hollow Bastion, calling out for his friends as Maleficent looks on. Another, played after Sora speaks with Kairi in the underground waterway, shows Riku stranded in the Realm of Darkness after Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, takes over his body, where King Mickey aids him and reveals he holds the realm's Keyblade — both scenes presented with subtitles over a black screen rather than new audio. An optional cutscene depicts a confrontation between Cloud and Sephiroth, seen after the player defeats Sephiroth, and additional scenes were provided for the Unknown, using spliced voice acting for Sora and Goofy alongside shaking text on a black screen for the Unknown himself. A smaller addition near the start of the game, on the second day on Destiny Islands, reveals that the lucky charm Kairi crafts from Thalassa Shells is the Oathkeeper charm she later gives to Sora.