Any Kingdom Hearts fan can read this volume’s title and can rightly assume the Re Mind DLC is adapted in this third and final volume of the Kingdom Hearts III light novel. But to get to that point, the book first must cover the rest of the game, and that results in a very long release (almost 300 pages). I am a little surprised this wasn’t originally two volumes, as its two preceding ones were significantly shorter. Between Sora meeting Big Hero 6 and reuniting with Jack, looking for the lost Keyblade wielders, facing off against Xenohart and the Organization, and Re Mind‘s events, there’s almost no reason not to pick this up if you like these novelizations.
That being said, this isn’t the best one. Kingdom Hearts III has some serious narrative issues both on its own and because of the complicated lore it must address — time travel, traveling through hearts vs. worlds, what happens in the great beyond, etc. And once Sora finishes meeting Big Hero 6, the plot kicks into high gear with things happening one after another. Once the heroes find themselves separated and forced into battle, there are simply not many opportunities to slow down and add anything besides what’s already in the game. These have often helped add depth to characters, and while there are a few here, none stood out to me like, say Vanitas in New Seven Hearts.
Plus, despite the enormous number of fights in Remind Me Again, Kanemaki defaults to basically writing, “Sora whacked the opponent with his Keyblade. Then he used magic. Donald/Goofy/whoever also pitched in with [insert weapon/ability here].” The author does faithfully recreate the shugyo in San Fransokyo where Big Hero 6 is inspired by Sora’s abilities (including Keyblade transformations), so it’s not like Arrowguns don’t exist in this version of the story. At the very least, it would have been nice to read what spell Sora or whoever is casting — Fire, Thunder, etc. Some other novels included such details, which helped make them come alive.
I will say the relative shortness of each battle does make it easier to comprehend what’s going on. Or perhaps a better way to put it is that it helps connect the dots. Several characters plan betrayals or are acting as double-agents, and scenes with the stars are often missed in a playthrough. Re Mind‘s section is placed when it happens in the story instead of being a, “Let’s go back and explained what happened!” section. That might slightly lessen the shock of the ending, but I doubt there are many individuals who are interested in Kingdom Hearts who don’t know what the next goal is for the gang.
Regardless, without long periods between the next plot point, the answers to “why is this happening?” are more evident here. And since so much of the story happens in this volume, even if you take some breaks between reading sessions, it shouldn’t be that hard to skim back through and reread some scenes, paying close attention to their cryptic statements and how Kanemaki describes their tone of voice.
All in all, Remind Me Again trades the self-reflection and hard-fought battles for a lengthy read and a more connected narrative. Considering this is the end of one long, long saga and is already providing the setup for the next major conflict, I’m sure there will be reasons to come back to Kingdom Hearts III: The Novel volume 3 again. If nothing else, if you aren’t the type who typically buys DLC, this is a much cheaper way to experience Re Mind‘s story — and without it feeling tacked-on.