For the 20th anniversary of the Kingdom Hearts series, Square Enix has made available a playlist of over 350 songs. If you listen to the whole thing, it will take over 17 hours. The music selection includes an orchestral instrumental version of “Hikari,” which is the opening of the first Kingdom Hearts game. [Thanks, Game Watch!]
The playlist uses songs from the series’s ten games. You can listen to it from Spotify, YouTube, or Apple Music. While promotional material for the playlist specifically mentions the orchestral instrumental arrangement of “Hikari,” you can listen to other arrangements as well. For example, there is the Ray of Hope Mix (which PUNPEI remixed) available on the playlist, as well as through Utada Hikaru’s official YouTube channel.
Yoko Shimomura is the main composer for the Kingdom Hearts series. Aside from original tracks, she has arranged pieces from the movies (such as “He’s a Pirate” from Pirates of the Caribbean). Some of the game include classic songs such as “Part Of Your World” and “Let It Go,” which are also in the playlist. Shimomura has also composed for Square Enix games such as Final Fantasy XV.
You can listen to the Kingdom Hearts music playlist on streaming services such as YouTube and Spotify. For those who wish to actually own the song, you can order a vinyl boxset of the soundtrack from the Square Enix eStore. This set will include “Reality in the Dark,” which is the song in the Kingdom Hearts 4 reveal trailer.
