Kingdom Hearts fans decry Cloud versions - again - after NieR: Automata gets a full Switch port

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Fans are frustrated with Square Enix for fully porting one of its IPs and only releasing Cloud versions of another

Kingdom Hearts 3 Sora and Goofy
(Image credit: Square Enix)

Kingdom Hearts fans are mourning the handheld collection they could have had after Square Enix announced a full Nintendo Switch port for NieR Automata. 

During yesterday’s Nintendo Direct Mini it was revealed that Square Enix’s action-RPG NieR: Automata is getting a full Nintendo Switch port. Although great news to those who want to take 2B’s post-apocalyptic adventure on the go, some Kingdom Hearts fans can’t help but feel a bit bitter after Square Enix only released Cloud versions of the Disney-themed RPG to the Nintendo console earlier this year. 

The biggest gripe fans have with the Kingdom Hearts 'Integrum Masterpiece' collection for Nintendo Switch is that - generally - the games don’t perform very well on the system. In fact, on the collection's release day Square Enix had to put out a day one patch as some players couldn’t even access the titles due to a bug that prevented the games from launching upon start up.

Not only this, but the fact the Nintendo Switch has to be connected to the internet in order for players to even gain access to the Cloud versions of the games kind of defeats the purpose of having the Kingdom Hearts series on a handheld, and therefore transportable, console. 

Following yesterday’s announcement, the Kingdom Hearts subreddit is now populated with a variety of memes which, in one way or another, pokes fun at Square Enix’s preferential treatment of NieR: Automata. Of course, you could argue that it is a lot more work to port all 10 games in the 'Integrum Masterpiece' collection than the one NieR Automata game but, as many fans have pointed out, a lot of the games in the collection were originally PS2 and Nintendo DS games. 

sorry_kh_fans_you_deserve_better from r/KingdomHearts

Twitter shows much of the same vibe with Twitter users such as @MomoPkmn95 saying: "I have every reason to be mad that Nier gets to be on the Switch physically and digitally with no cloud version while Kingdom Hearts Only gets the Cloud Version. Unacceptable." 

Another Twitter user @SkywardWing also vented their frustration with the Cloud ports by saying: "Nier and Persona 5 are running on the Nintendo Switch. Natively. While Kingdom Hearts has been reduced to a cloud port."

Here’s hoping that Square Enix decides to fully port the entire Kingdom Hearts series onto Nintendo Switch eventually, hey maybe it'll even be done before Kingdom Hearts 4 releases?

If you’re now considering trying out the whole series yourself (Cloud versions or not), find out how to get started with our how to play the Kingdom Hearts games in order guide. 

Hope Bellingham
Hope Bellingham
News Writer

After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training.  My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.