Kingdom Hearts

Kingdom Hearts (キングダムハーツ Kingudamu Hātsu?) is a series of action role-playing games developed and published by Square Enix. It is a collaboration between Square Enix and Disney Interactive Studios, and is under the direction of Tetsuya Nomura, a longtime Square Enix character designer. Kingdom Hearts is a crossover of various Disney settings based in a universe made specifically for the series. The series features an all-star voice cast, which includes many of the Disney characters' official voice actors and well-known actors such as Haley Joel Osment, David Gallagher, Jesse McCartney and Hayden Panettiere. Characters from Square Enix's Final Fantasy series make appearances and interact with the player and the Disney characters. The series centers around the main character Sora's search for his friends and his encounters with Disney and Final Fantasy characters on their worlds.

Kingdom Hearts: is the first game in the series, and was released in Japan on March 28, 2002 for the PlayStation 2. This was Nomura's first time in a directorial position. Kingdom Hearts introduced most of the main characters for the series and established the plot's framework involving hearts and the dark beings known as the Heartless. It also established the role of Disney characters in the series, with character cameos from the Final Fantasy series. Kingdom Hearts was released in North America on September 17, 2002, and featured additional content that was not in the original Japanese version. The game was later re-released exclusively in Japan as Kingdom Hearts Final Mix on December 26, 2002.Final Mix includes the content from the North American release and additional enemies, cut scenes, and weapons.
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories is considered the second game in the series. It was released on the Game Boy Advance in Japan on November 11, 2004 and in North America on December 7, 2004. Chain of Memories was touted as a bridge between the two PlayStation 2 titles, introducing and previewing plot elements that would be explored in the next game. The gameplay is based on a card system; player-composed decks of cards, with each card allowing the player to perform an action in battle, such as attacking or using magic. It was remade into a PlayStation 2 game titled Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, which was released in Japan as a second disc packaged with Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix on March 29, 2007. The remake was released as a standalone title in North America on December 2, 2008.

Kingdom Hearts II: is the third game in the series, set one year after Chain of Memories. It was released in Japan on December 22, 2005 and in North America on March 28, 2006 for the PlayStation 2. The game further explored the "heart" concept by involving the Nobodies and "bodies". The gameplay is similar to that of the first Kingdom Hearts game, with the addition of more options to attack enemies and the Reaction Command, which utilized the triangle button to perform context-sensitive actions in battle and interaction with characters and the environment. Kingdom Hearts II was revised into Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, which contained more material than the original release, such as additional cut scenes and bosses. Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix was released with Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, a remake of Chain of Memories for the PlayStation 2, containing polygon graphics instead of the sprites used in the original Game Boy Advance game. This collection is titled Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+ and was released in Japan on March 29, 2007.

Kingdom Hearts coded: is the fourth installment in the series for Mobile Phones and was released in episodes with the first being released in Japan on November 18, 2008. The game picks up after the events of Kingdom Hearts II, focusing this time on King Mickey, Donald, Goofy and Jiminy Cricket, who discover a mysterious sentence in Jiminy's journal and subsequently digitize the journal's contents to find the one responsible. The game was released in episodes and as of January 2010, all eight episodes have been released. No North American or European release has been announced for the game though Square Enix stated that it has plans for releases in other territories.

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days: is the fifth title in the series for the Nintendo DS and was released in Japan on May 30, 2009, and in North America on September 29, 2009. It is set primarily between Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts II (but starts about 3/4 of the way through the first Kingdom Hearts), revolving around Roxas' time in Organization XIII and his motives for ultimately leaving the Organization to pursue the answers he seeks to questions about his existence. It was first announced at the Tokyo Game Show 2007 with cooperative multiplayer on display, in addition to the traditional use of AI-controlled partners. It is the first game in the series to feature cooperative multiplayer with the most playable characters ever featured in a Kingdom Hearts title to date, at 19.

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep: is the sixth title in the series, released for the PlayStation Portable in Japan on January 9, 2010 and Square Enix has plans to release it in other territories. The game is set ten years before the events of the original Kingdom Hearts. The game consists of three scenarios with each focusing on one of the three protagonists: Terra, Ventus and Aqua who are apprentices of Master Eraqus. They set out in search of the missing Master Xehanort, though each will travel their separate ways and encounter their own agenda along the way with the origins of Xehanort revealed.