The Kingdom Hearts spin-off games are numerous, and on their face each seems to hold something crucial to understanding the series’ main plot. In reality, though, this isn’t really the case.
Each spin-off has some interesting bits and nuggets of information, but some have far more than others. With so little time until the release of Kingdom Hearts 3, we thought we’d clear things up by ranking every spin-off from least to most crucial.
Note that this only covers one version of each spin-off game, typically the version that saw a wider release. As such, the HD rereleases and console ports like Re: Chain of Memories won’t be made into additional entries.
Kingdom Hearts Spin-off Games Ranked by Necessity
7. Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded
More of an attempt at a creative retelling of the first game as a spin-off than a continuation, Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded is about the least important entry in the series.
Placing players in the role of a digital copy of Sora, the game requires them to delete bugs and data from a digitized version of Jiminy Cricket’s Journal.
Doing so will reveal the meaning behind a line he doesn’t remember writing that leads to the letter Mickey sends Sora at the end of Kingdom Hearts 2, and could be the key to stopping Xehanort and his forces from driving the worlds into darkness in Kingdom Hearts 3.
Most of this is revealed at the very end of the game though. The rest is a mediocre retreading of the first game and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, complete with flat gameplay and a heap of repeated story elements.
It’s easily the most skippable entry in the series, and with the important story bits readily available on YouTube, there’s not really a reason to go back to or play this game.
Kingdom Hearts Spin-off Games Ranked by Necessity
6. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
It’s surprising how little of Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days you need to understand the main plot, especially considering how much it covers.
Set during the year when Sora was asleep and Roxas was working for Organization XIII, 358/2 Days does cover some pretty interesting story beats.
It explores the relationships Roxas built up with Axel and other Organization XIII members, and it introduces a forgotten fourteenth member named Xion who may or may not appear in Kingdom Hearts 3.
On top of these things, it also shows what happened to Riku during this period and how he came to resemble Ansem in the second game.
As it stands though, most of the rest of the game is pretty unnecessary. Roxas’ relationships with the rest of Organization XIII aren’t essential to what’s going on, and Xion’s erasure by the end of the game makes her chance for a return slim at best.
If you have the time and really love Roxas, it’s still worth looking into. Otherwise, stick to the game’s recap film released as part of the recent rerelease collections.
Kingdom Hearts Spin-off Games Ranked by Necessity
5. Kingdom Hearts Union χ[Cross]
Kingdom Hearts Union χ[Cross] may be a mobile game, but the amount of crucial story elements packed into it is staggering.
Covering the events that led to the Keyblade War and kicked off the events that led to the series proper, it introduces several key plot points that have a bearing on later events.
Elements like the five different factions fighting each other, and the land ruled by the Master of Masters, all play into the plot, and as an ongoing game, there’s still more that has yet to be revealed.
This also plays against the game’s necessity to the plot, however. With it being ongoing, it’s clear that not everything it offers will be necessary to understand the main plot, which will be wrapped up via Kingdom Hearts 3.
As such, there’s not much reason to go back to it if you haven’t been keeping up since it launched. There’s also the fact that its story elements are doled out at a different rate in the U.S. vs. Japan, making it all the harder to validate a lengthy play through.
Kingdom Hearts Spin-off Games Ranked by Necessity
4. Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage
While it could be argued that the game is more of a demo than an actual entry, there’s enough content in A Fragmentary Passage to make it worth checking out at the very least, especially since it’s included in the Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Collection.
Returning players to the role of Aqua, the game covers what she experienced during her time within the Realm of Darkness. This includes her battles with the demons inside her own head as well as a dark force that hounds her relentlessly through the Realm.
It also shows some of the key moments from the first mainline entry from a new perspective, giving players a glimpse of what King Mickey and Aqua were up to when the door to Kingdom Hearts was being sealed.
Aside from that though, not a whole lot of this game is key to the plot. Some cutscenes at the very end explain where each character is headed for at the start of Kingdom Hearts 3, but the rest is fluff meant to tide fans over until its release.
All the same, it’s a short and sweet title which will leave Aqua fans and regular fans alike excited to see what’s in store.
Kingdom Hearts Spin-off Games Ranked by Necessity
3. Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
Drama about relevant to the second mainline game aside, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories is a spin-off that holds modest importance to the series proper.
Introducing Organization XIII, Castle Oblivion and several other elements that are now crucial to the series’ main plot, it gives gamers a primer on several pieces of the larger puzzle that is Kingdom Hearts’ universe.
It also provides context for why Sora was asleep between Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2, and allows for the introduction of key players like Roxas and Namine into the fold.
Granted, most of the context needed to understand what happened in the game has been hinted at or provided in the entries since.
To fully understand the story though, this is an important entry to cover, and it only takes a few hours to complete vs. some of the lengthier entries in the series.
Kingdom Hearts Spin-off Games Ranked by Necessity
2. Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep
Of the spin-off titles tied to the Kingdom Hearts series, Birth by Sleep is one of the most crucial.
Setting up not only the series’ main villain Xehanort but also key protagonists Terra, Ventus and Aqua, the game is essential playing to understand who each of the characters are.
It also provides context for the actions and reactions of several other characters throughout the series, from Maleficent’s discovery of other worlds to Mickey’s discovery of a plot to drag the worlds into darkness.
That’s not even mentioning key elements like Aqua’s falling into the Realm of Darkness, Ventus’ ties to Sora and Roxas or how Terra came to be associated with Xehanort and turn into Xemnas.
It’s all crucial to the main plot, and those that don’t play it or at least see its plot points before Kingdom Hearts 3 will be thoroughly lost.
Kingdom Hearts Spin-off Games Ranked by Necessity
1. Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
Only slightly beating out Birth by Sleep due to the sheer mass of integral plot points packed into it, Dream Drop Distance is hands down the most important spin-off of the bunch.
Directly preceding Kingdom Hearts 3 and offering up several key twists and plot points needed to understand what’s happening in the plot’s final act, it covers an almost absurd amount in its brief runtime.
It explains how Xehanort came to the present, his interest in Sora, how the universe’s lore ties into everything and even why the plot of the third mainline game even needs to happen.
As a result of this cram-packed narrative, it’s easy to get lost in everything thrown at you all at once, especially near the end, with some plot points potentially going right over your head as a result.
And yet, if you want to understand Kingdom Hearts’ plot completely, you need to play this game, no ifs ands or buts. Even after you play it, you’ll probably need to play it again or watch a recap to make sure you didn’t miss something.
Hopefully, this makes it easier to catch up in time for Kingdom Hearts 3. If you’re still struggling to understand the whole, convoluted plot, check out our full series story summary for all of the integral plot points.
You can also take a look at our ranking of the entire series, or the best Kingdom Hearts worlds.
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