After 4 Years, Kingdom Hearts Is Finally Becoming a Real Nintendo Game

I have to say, the Kingdom Hearts Collection [1～3] announcement has made me awfully nostalgic. It has really ramped up the excitement for the Switch 2 release, and many Kingdom Hearts fans have been waiting around five years for a native Nintendo version.

When Kingdom Hearts originally came to Switch in 2022, Nintendo didn’t receive conventional native ports. However, the October 8 Switch 2 releases are native versions, and in other words, the games are actually going to run on the Switch 2 rather than requiring the cloud version’s streaming infrastructure. I think this is definitely a more conventional way to play Kingdom Hearts Collection [1～3], especially if you have problems relying on your internet connection—a major pain for some of us. This offline play only adds to the nostalgia of playing Kingdom Hearts, but it shines a light on the issues that Nintendo had during the original Switch release.

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Kingdom Hearts Was a Nintendo Game Long Before It Needed the Cloud

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Image via Square Enix, Disney

Image via Square Enix

If we look back at the history of Kingdom Hearts’ relationship and Nintendo, we can see that it didn’t actually begin with Switch. Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories was originally released on the Game Boy Advance in 2004, and following releases came on the Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, and the numbered mainline games were traditionally associated with PlayStation, Xbox and PC. It is clearly worth looking back at this connection between Kingdom Hearts and Nintendo, and most importantly to note that none of the older Nintendo games were cloud games. Players did not require a constant internet connection to play, which is how many fans first enjoyed playing Kingdom Hearts.

Nintendo had received perfectly normal, offline Kingdom Hearts games for years, which is what made the Switch’s cloud-only approach somewhat trying for fans. In October 2021, Kingdom Hearts’ 20th anniversary boasted that three major collections were coming to the Nintendo Switch: Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + ReMIX, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, and Kingdom Hearts 3 + Re Mind.

The catch was that they were all announced as cloud versions. I remember how mixed the reactions were to this announcement, and not surprisingly, Nintendo Life had reported that its poll at the time showed only 9% of respondents confidently interested in buying the cloud versions. Most respondents either weren’t interested or explicitly said that they preferred native ports, and even though Nintendo had technically got the main Kingdom Hearts games, this was not in the form many fans had wanted, and this raises the question: Why did Square Enix use the cloud in the first place?

Kingdom Hearts’ Cloud Experiment Is Finally Being Left Behind

When the games eventually arrived in February 2022, there were immediately an array of problems. Players reported all sorts of issues such as input lag, stuttering, and freezing, while some logged that they were being kicked back to the menu constantly. This prompted Square Enix to release a day-one patch, which was arguably not a great start to the launch.

Put the consoles in the correct order.

Easy (5)
Medium (7)
Hard (10)

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I think these problems were crucial to why Nintendo are now so determined to phase out the old cloud versions. Square Enix actually stopped selling the Switch Cloud Versions on June 9, 2026, and though they remain playable until June 9, 2027, it is clear that they are ready to move on. And to put existing players at peace, you will be able to transfer your save data to the new native versions. Owners of the previous cloud titles are also eligible for a 50% discount on the corresponding native version, which will hopefully help ease the slightly awkward relationship between Kingdom Hearts and Nintendo.

Kingdom Hearts Is Finally Getting the Nintendo Release It Should Have Had All Along

So, what can you expect from the release? There is obviously the fact that you don’t have to stream it, which eliminates the connection-dependent problems. The portable, offline play also means that you can play Kingdom Hearts Collection [1~3] wherever you want, which is really the best part of having a Nintendo Switch. You also get a Switch 2-exclusive bonus: buying the collection gives you The Long Night Keyblade, which is a fun reward for Nintendo fans.

The most exciting part of the announcement isn’t the new Keyblade or flashy technical upgrade. I think it’s that, now, Kingdom Hearts can finally be treated like a normal Nintendo game. Not having to worry about streaming and internet connection is a massive improvement for fans, and now there’s no cloud version standing between players and Sora’s adventures. I think we can look back at the Cloud versions as a piece of Kingdom Hearts history, a temporary bridge even. And for newcomers, the enormous backlog suddenly becomes much more accessible. The collection effectively gives them a huge chunk of series in one place, and it’s great to think that Kingdom Hearts will still be bringing in new players to the fanbase.