The new port of Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 that runs near-flawlessly on the original Switch proves that the infamous cloud versions were never needed.
Earlier this week, Square Enix granted a long-held wish for Kingdom Hearts fans and finally brought the series over to Switch 2 with a new collection. The aptly-titled Kingdom Hearts Collection 1-3 includes every single game in the series, from the original that started it all to the more demanding Kingdom Hearts 3 and its ReMind expansion.
As great as the all-encompassing Switch 2 version of the collection is, Square made sure to not leave original Switch owners out with a port of Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 HD Remix. The surprise release of that port has come with a bit of controversy, though, as it proves once and for all that the awful cloud versions were never needed.
We Shouldn’t Have Waited So Long For Kingdom Hearts On Switch
At Least KH3 Has An Excuse
Ever since the Switch 1 version of Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 launched, it’s widely been reported that all of the games in the collection work as they should and have no notable issues compared to other consoles. Everything from the original Kingdom Hearts to Birth by Sleep runs perfectly at 60fps and with speedy load times to boot.
Although you’d certainly hope that remasters of PS2, PSP, and DS games wouldn’t struggle on a console that’s less than a decade old, it does make Square’s previous use of cloud versions very questionable. Twitter user x3nialk0bra pointed this out, noting that “everyone tried to convince us the Switch 1 couldn’t handle KH when they’re just upscaled PS2 games”.
They’re not the only one to put a spotlight on the cloud versions, either, as MagicMushMM asked if there was an explanation for why Square made Switch users “wait several years just to play Kingdom Hearts normally”, since the new port makes it clear that there’s “no damn way it was due to technical problems”.
While we don’t have an official answer to that completely fair question, there are some theories floating around. One user suggested that the cloud versions were a “rush job” to promote Sora’s inclusion in Smash, while Gloomy_Fig thinks Square went for an all-or-nothing approach for the sake of consistency.
It seems that a lot of Kingdom Hearts fans are believers in Occam’s razor, as many agree that the long wait for a proper port was simply due to laziness. As great as it is to finally see the series on Switch, it does make the already disappointing cloud versions even more of an annoying decision.
