Beneath its cozy and colorful Disney facade, Kingdom Hearts will always be a JRPG franchise by Square Enix, through and through. This means that every single game in the series has lots of experience to gain, items & keychains to collect and even tough mini-bosses to defeat. There are hours of content guaranteed for the most dedicated players.
But, while some entries in this beloved franchise can be completed to 100% with little difficulty, there are others in which it’s extremely challenging to do so. Especially when considering that the Kingdom Hearts franchise is infamous for changing gameplay and mechanics in every side-game. And here are some of the most infamous titles in the series.
5 Supporting Characters Who Must Return in Kingdom Hearts 4
Kingdom Hearts 4's Quadratum is certain to feature newer faces like Yozora, but several characters from the past could appear again as well.
5 Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
An Utterly Tedious Checklist - Completion Percentage: N/A
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo DS
- Released
- May 30, 2009
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix , h.a.n.d.
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG , Fighting , Action-Adventure
With Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, fans got to know the tragic story of Roxas, back when he was part of Organization XIII. And while the plot & characters were praised, the gameplay of this game is heavily flawed at best. Since this is a portable game for the Nintendo DS, there’s no real free world exploration, but rather a series of limited missions and each one of them has their own checklist of items to collect & requirements to meet.
The Kingdom Hearts Franchise Timeline Explained
The Kingdom Hearts franchise features one of the most complex narratives in gaming, but breaking down the timeline makes it far clearer.
Completing 358/2 Days is no easy task, since there are 93 different missions, each one with a specific completion percentage, 85 challenges with 255 different sigils, 358 mission crowns, more than 100 panels for Roxas’ board, etc. This may feel fun at first, but it inevitably becomes tedious, and the game’s awkward combat system doesn’t help either. And that’s not even mentioning some of the most frustrating Missions in the game, like Mission 89 and its excruciating super boss, the Dustflier.
4 Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories
Collecting Every Single Card - Average Completion Percentage: 51.25%
As the remake of the franchise’s second game, Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories is quite notorious for its dynamic card-based gameplay, which may not be easy to get into. And while a good number of players may find it to be entertaining, this new mechanic has affected the completion requirements of the game.
Re: Chain of Memories has no real worlds with secret areas or hidden bosses. Levels are comprised of the same rooms over & over, which need to be open with specific cards. This means that the only real way to complete this title is by collecting every single card & sleight, coupled with reaching Level 99 with both Sora & Riku. Since the combat can become brainless because of some overpowered sleights, this eventually becomes monotonous and repetitive, with no real reward in sight.
3 Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
Reaching 100% Completion 3 Different Times - Average Completion Percentage: 50.42%
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
- Released
- January 9, 2010
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG , Fighting , Action-Adventure
Of all the main series titles for consoles, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep is definitely a challenge to complete. This game is filled to the brim with content, especially in its Final Mix variation. The combat revolves around Commands that have attacks, spells & items. These can be crafted, combined & leveled up and there's also the Command Board, a slow & dull Mario Party knock-off that will test every player's patience. So getting every single Command in the game is an incredibly tedious task.
If that wasn’t already a lot, there also are several stickers to collect, all the annoying mini-games in Disney Town and a slew of challenging secret bosses, like Vanitas’ Remnant or the infamous Mysterious Figure. And that’s not even counting all the other combat challenges in the Mirage Arena world. And the worst part is that Birth by Sleep has 3 different playable characters: Terra, Aqua & Ventus. So, any players who want to complete this game with 100% completion will have to do it 3 different times, with barely any differences in the content itself. It’s tedious, repetitive, and it takes too much time.
2 Kingdom Hearts 3
A Collection Of Hard New Bosses - Average Completion Percentage: 46.16%
When Kingdom Hearts 3 was originally released, players complained that the highly anticipated sequel didn’t have enough post-game content. Square Enix must have been listening to them because, when the Re Mind DLC came out an entire year later, it was full of new stuff players could play with, with its collection of challenging bosses being one of its highlights.
Kingdom Hearts 3 Keyblades Tier List
Kingdom Hearts 3 changes the Keyblade system for the series in so many ways, but with so many, it's clear which ones stand out.
The Data Versions of the True Organization XIII and Yozora are some of the toughest battles in the franchise, and beating them all is not something anyone can achieve. This was added on top of all the other collectibles in the game, including all the Classic Kingdom mini-games, all the food ingredients & recipes, and all the Lucky Emblems. The DLC for Kingdom Hearts 3 truly lived up to fan’s expectations, both for better or for worse.
1 Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance
Collect Every Single Dreameater - Average Completion Percentage: 38.65%
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
- Platform(s)
- 3DS
- Released
- July 31, 2012
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance can be compared to the previous entries: Like Re: Chain of Memories, the completion requirements are spread out between 2 campaigns with both Sora and Riku. And like 358/2 Days, it was originally a handheld title made for a Nintendo console, although luckily this time the combat was a lot smoother and more enjoyable. Completing this title to 100% may seem as challenging as it is with any other game in the franchise, since it has almost 90 special portals to find and complete, and players must get a perfect score in every Dive Mode mini-game.
That would just be part of the course, if it wasn’t for the presence of Dream Eaters. These Pokemon lookalikes are Sora & Riku’s loyal companions throughout the adventure, and there are more than 50 different creatures to craft. Not only that, but players will also have to unlock each Dream Eater’s specific Skill Tree and beat every match of Flick Rush with them. People that don’t enjoy creature collecting & pet simulators will definitely not enjoy this one. If players struggle with the special portals and Flick Rush, getting 100% in Dream Drop Distance is an absolute nightmare.
