Kingdom Hearts III Re:Mind Review – Do you remember?

Now, I must preface this Kingdom Hearts III Re:Mind DLC review with that I am not exceptionally invested into the series, though I do keep up with the news on occasion. Thus, I aim to provide an objective review on the merits of the DLC itself. You can check out the review of the base game here.

Re:Mind includes a free update to the base game, and had fixed some parts. The changes can freshen up the game for you if you haven’t played it for a while. Some other changes may be more obvious to those with more discerning eyes, or if you’ve been playing it for a lot more.

Re:Mind‘s highlight is the ability to play as different characters who are not Sora. I would imagine this is more exciting for fans who have been asking to play as the other two of the main trio, namely Riku and Kairi, with how key – pardon the pun – they are to the story. The base game allows you to play as two characters in two different parts of the game, while Re:Mind allows you to play as four! This includes Riku, and Kairi herself.

The DLC itself is a essentially a boss rush section, which can be a let-down for those looking for more varied gameplay. It is most assuredly a DLC for the fans, providing more context to certain parts of the story. It even requires completion of the base game story before beginning Re:Mind. As an outsider to the story, the cutscenes expositing the tangled web of the verse feels can feel stretched out. Your mileage will vary depending on how you felt about the base game.

As it were, with the DLC primarily being a boss rush, there can be some new spice in using the different characters to battle these arguably climax battles. However, the initial fights can feel forced and repetitive until you are able to play someone who is not Sora. It can feel especially grinding if you dive into the DLC without “optimum stats”. You will need to get through the bosses to get to your story cutscenes, so this can be divisive once again on your feelings.

Speaking of the story, the reworked cutscenes as mentioned aim to add to and re-contextualize the story. The convoluted plotlines can suffer from awkwardness which fans are likely used to now, even finding it charming. For the DLC story itself, it kicks off with Sora wanting to get Kairi back which I understood, but Kairi herself doesn’t seem to have much of an impact within Re:Mind. This is yet another subjective point where people can argue about how the characters are treated within the story verse.

Fans might find the additional story to be reason enough to obtain the DLC, along with Data Greeting that allows you to take selfies with your favourite Kingdom Hearts characters. Re:Mind is also for those who want that extra challenge to throw down with the bosses, with secret bosses awaiting you. Casual players are very likely going to find themselves gated from further content as these “hidden” bosses will really push you to the limit. As for myself, a boss rush DLC is not what I’m looking for, and contextless story even less so.

It’s something lore fans and challenge seekers should look to get, but is probably otherwise fine to skip. Whatever it is, may your heart – and this Kingdom Hearts III Re:Mind review – be your guiding key.