December 26, 2002Kingdom Hearts Final Mix is a re-release of Kingdom Hearts, originally released exclusively in Japan. It is largely identical to its original counterpart, but features new bosses, additional cutscenes, and extra gameplay features.
Kingdom Hearts Final Mix released exclusively in Japan on December 26, 2002. It was re-released in 2013 as part of Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX, which was then re-released as part of Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX and Kingdom Hearts -The Story So Far-.
Changes[edit | edit source]
- The title screen illustration has been replaced.
- The title screen has a third item, after "New Game" and "Load Game", labeled "Special Movie", which plays a trailer for Final Fantasy X-2.
- The "Normal" and "Expert" difficulty levels have been replaced with "Final Mix: Beginner" and "Final Mix". A third difficulty level, named "Final Mix: Proud", has been introduced.
- Final Mix: Beginner now gives Sora a Ribbon, EXP Necklace, 8 Power Ups, 8 Defense Ups, and 4 AP Ups at the start. The Drill Gummi's attack power is now 9,999.
- Final Mix now limits damage by Sora by a third, and the Gummi Ship takes double the damage.
- Final Mix: Proud limits the Gummi Ship's attack power by one-half, and damage dealt to the Gummi Ship is increased four times.
- Dialogue is now in English with Japanese subtitles.
- Most cutscenes that have already been viewed once can now be skipped.
- A red Trinity mark located in Oogie's Manor has been moved to an arch at the foot of the manor so as to allow the player to collect all the Trinity marks, even after completing Halloween Town; originally, the mark would disappear if it was not activated before the end of the story in Halloween Town.
- Missions were added to the Gummi Ship
- Three additional Ansem Reports were added.
- Rewards for treasure chests, trinities, Olympus Coliseum cups, and mini-games were adjusted.
- Statistics for certain items were adjusted.
Story[edit | edit source]
- Seven new cutscenes were added, though they did not feature new voice-acting:
- A scene featuring Kairi crafting her Wayfinder was added to the beginning of the second day on Destiny Islands.
- "Riku Awakens" was added to Traverse Town, showing Riku awakening in Hollow Bastion and calling out for Sora and Kairi while Maleficent watches. Riku's dialogue is sub-titled
- "Within the Darkness" was added to Hollow Bastion, showing Riku wandering the realm of darkness after Ansem takes his body, where he meets King Mickey. The King and Riku's conversation is sub-titled.
- "The Showdown" was added to Olympus Coliseum after Sora completes the Platinum Match, showing Cloud and Sephiroth begin to fight.
- "The Unknown" was added before the new fight against The Unknown, showing the mysterious figure speak cryptically to Sora. Dialogue from Sora and Goofy is actually recycled from "Leon" and "The Chosen One".[Verified source needed]
- "Closing the Door" was expanded with a flashback showing additional scenes of Sora and Riku playing together.
- An additional secret ending, "Another Side, Another Story: deep dive", was added to follow the original "Another Side, Another Story".
Enemies[edit | edit source]
- Most of the Heartless have been palette-swapped.
- Some heartless appear in new areas, while others no longer appear in others.
- Kurt Zisa, Ice Titan, and Sephiroth, who were introduced in the international versions of Kingdom Hearts, were added.
- Destroyed Behemoth, Arch Behemoth, Red Armor, and Sneak Army, palette-swapped versions of Behemoth, Guard Armor, and Stealth Sneak, were added to Olympus Coliseum.
- A new, optional, secret boss, "Unknown", was introduced in Hollow Bastion after the defeat of Ansem.
- Eleven new Heartless were added:
Equipment[edit | edit source]
- Two new weapons were added for Sora, Donald, and Goofy each.
- Sora gained One-Winged Angel and Diamond Dust.
- Donald gained Meteor Strike and Fantasista.
- Goofy gained Mighty Shield and Seven Elements.
- Fifteen accessories were added:
Abilities[edit | edit source]
- Eleven abilities were added:
Music[edit | edit source]
- Four new tracks were added along with the new cutscenes and additional bosses:
- "Disappeared", heard when fighting The Unknown.
- "One-Winged Angel", heard when fighting Sephiroth in the Platinum Match.
- "Night on Bald Mountain", heard when fighting Chernabog.
- "Another Side", heard during "Another Side, Another Story [deep dive]".
Synthesis[edit | edit source]
Development and Release[edit | edit source]
Kingdom Hearts Final Mix released in Japan on December 26, 2002, for the PlayStation 2. The title could be pre-ordered, and those who did could get either a CD with the new tracks from the game or a playing card set.[1] A limited "Platinum Edition" version was released later, which contained, in addition to the game, an action figure of Sora, a set of eight stickers, and artwork by Tetsuya Nomura.[Verified source needed]
Kingdom Hearts Final Mix was released in North America, Europe, and Australia for the first time as part of Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX in 2013 for the PlayStation 3. As part of that bundle, it was later re-released in Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX in 2014 worldwide for the PlayStation 4.