Thanks to collections like Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece, every single main series Kingdom Hearts title is now available on most gaming systems, whether they’re playable games or animated cutscenes (with the sole exception of mobile releases like Union χ). More people than ever can now experience the entirety of this magical crossover between Square Enix and Disney.

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However, there are a good number of titles in the series that have been lost to time and have been completely forgotten by most people, to the point that not even the most passionate fans are aware of their existence. From outdated mobile releases to innovative VR experiences, these are some of the most obscure games in the Kingdom Hearts franchise.

7 Kingdom Hearts V CAST

A Forgotten Game For A Forgotten Device

• Platform: Verizon Wireless V CAST
• Released: February 1, 2005
• Developer: Superscape
• Genre: Action RPG

Surprisingly enough, the Kingdom Hearts franchise delved into the world of mobile gaming as far back as 2005, with the release of Kingdom Hearts V CAST, the first ever mobile game in the series. It was notable for being one of the few exclusives developed for Verizon Wireless’ service, the V CAST. Although this game was discontinued many years ago, fans and preservationists managed to recover some footage and gameplay.

Since it was released during the early years of the series, Kingdom Hearts V CAST has an odd and bizarre identity that doesn’t fit with the atmosphere of subsequent games. Yet it still achieved some truly impressive feats, like being a 3D action game for mobile devices in 2005, featuring Disney characters that wouldn’t appear in mainline games until years later (like Jafar’s Cobra form), or characters that never appeared again at all (like the Caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland).

6 Kingdom Hearts Mobile

An Unexpectedly Important Game For The Franchise

• Platform: Docomo Prime Series-P-01A mobile phones
• Released: December 15, 2008
• Developer: Square Enix
• Genre: Mini-Game Collection

Square Enix didn’t shy away from the world of mobile gaming after their V CAST failure, especially in Japan, where these types of apps were becoming more and more popular during the mid-2000s. As a result, they would later release their own standalone mobile title, known simply as Kingdom Hearts Mobile. Like most products of its time, this game not only provided an entertaining interactive experience, but also offered a lot of personalization for the player’s device, since they could download themed ringtones and wallpapers.

Kingdom Hearts Mobile was a fun distraction where players could experience a variety of mini-games, like puzzles or card game. However, it’s most important contribution to the series was the signature art style used for the player’s avatar, which would not only be used in subsequent mobile releases, but would also inspire the Chibi art style of other games, like Union χ.

5 Kingdom Hearts Coded

Most People Are Only Aware Of Its Remake

• Platform: Docomo PRIME Series P-01A Panasonic mobile phones
• Released: June 3, 2009
• Developer: Square Enix
• Genre: Action RPG

Unbeknownst to most newcomers to the franchise, every game that has the prefix "Re:" in its title is a remake. So, Re: Chain of Memories is a PS2 remake of the GBA classic, Chain of Memories. However, this means that a lot of people have played Kingdom Hearts Re: Coded for the DS (or watched its cutscenes in one of the collections) yet know almost nothing about the original mobile game where this story originated.

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This was an unusual endeavor for Square Enix, seeing as all their other mobile releases of that time were just harmless spin-offs that added nothing to the overall plot of the series. This was an exception, as Kingdom Hearts Coded takes place immediately after the events of Kingdom Hearts 2 and slowly sets up a story for future installments. The most interesting aspect of this game was its gameplay, which featured action combat from an isometric point of view, which is extremely different from all the other titles in the series.

4 Kingdom Hearts Magical Puzzle Clash

It Was Both A Game And An Advertisement

• Platform: Online Browsers
• Released: October 12, 2009
• Developer: Square Enix
• Genre: Puzzle

During the late 2000s, Square Enix was making good use of both mobile devices and the internet in order to market their games to an even broader audience. So, looking to advertise the brand-new Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, they created an online flash game titled Kingdom Hearts Magical Puzzle Clash. However, since this game was completely forgotten by most people, it’s hard to determine if this new publicity effort worked or not.

Magical Puzzle Clash was a puzzle game themed entirely after 358/2 Days and its characters. Players were tasked with swapping around multiple tokens in order to match them with their respective colors. They could play as Roxas, Axel, or Xion, and could even visit different boards based on iconic worlds from the game, like Wonderland or Agrabah. This was a simple but fun game, and it was a unique new way of advertising for the company.

3 Kingdom Hearts Re: Coded Gummiship Studio

Another Puzzle Game With A Colorful Gummi Ship Theme

• Platform: Facebook
• Released: February 17, 2011
• Developer: Square Enix
• Genre: Puzzle

Magical Puzzle Clash must have been somewhat successful, because Square Enix developed a similar online flash game in order to promote the release of Kingdom Hearts Re: Coded a few years later. However, this game had the unique distinction of being exclusive to Facebook, since this social media website was way more popular during that time, especially because of its flash game offerings.

Kingdom Hearts Re: Coded Gummiship Studio has tile-matching gameplay that is very similar to (and somewhat derivative of) its predecessor, but this example had a colorful & charming aesthetic that is based on the Gummi Ship builder from previous games. This was an especially odd design choice, because Re: Coded doesn’t even have any Gummi Ship sections.

2 Kingdom Hearts Digital Painter

An Art Studio For Creative Fans

• Platform: Online Browsers
• Released: January 7, 2012
• Developer: Disney
• Genre: Art Game

Like many other popular video game franchises, art was a crucial part of Kingdom Hearts’ success. As a result, it makes sense that this IP would be used for an online art studio, simply known as Kingdom Hearts Digital Painter. What is especially interesting is that this is the only game in the franchise that was actually developed by Disney and not Square Enix, since it was available on the Disney Create section of their official website.

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As its title implies, this game was part of Disney’s Digital Painter line, so it worked similarly to other art applications that were available on the very same website. With it, players could draw and paint whatever they wanted by using official assets from the Kingdom Hearts series. This was a fun & creative project that was made for a younger audience, but sadly, it has been lost to time ever since it was discontinued after Disney Create closed its doors in 2014.

1 Kingdom Hearts VR Experience

The VR Game That Most Fans Are Asking For Already Exists

• Platform: PlayStation VR
• Released: February 28, 2019
• Developer: Square Enix
• Genre: First-Person, Action, Adventure

In an age in which Virtual Reality devices are more and more accessible for ordinary audiences, a good number of Kingdom Hearts fans have been begging for Square Enix to develop a VR game in the series, so they can experience these beautiful worlds and this engaging storyline from their own perspective. It turns out, this has already happened, and most people have no idea it exists.

Kingdom Hearts VR Experience is a PlayStation VR exclusive that was released a few weeks after the long-awaited Kingdom Hearts 3, which explains why it was ignored by so many gamers. As its title implies, this was merely a free demo, and not a full game, but the technology showcased in it was impressive enough that it could’ve been further expanded into a full video game, or at least become an optional mode in another installment. The few fans who managed to play VR Experience were completely enamored by it, so it’s definitely recommended for the most dedicated KH fans who want to submerge themselves in this magical universe.

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