| Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep | |
| |
| キングダム ハーツ バース バイ スリープ Kingudamu Hātsu Bāsu Bai Surīpu | |
| Developer(s) | Square Enix |
| Publisher(s) |  Square Enix /Canada Square EnixEurope/Australia Square Enix |
| Release date(s) | January 9, 2010/Canada September 7, 2010
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| Genre | Action RPG |
| Game modes | Single player, multiplayer |
| Ratings | CERO: A ESRB: E10+ PEGI: 12+ USK: 6+ OFLC:PG |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation Portable |
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep is a Kingdom Hearts prequel for the Sony Playstation Portable (PSP). It was released in Japan on January 9, 2010, September 7, 2010 in North America, and September 10, 2010 in Europe. The game's name is shared with the secret video at the end of Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, "Birth by sleep", which depicts a stylized version of a scene from the game. Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep was developed by the same team that created Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories.
The game's premise is the origins of the series' hero and villain, Sora and Xehanort, and delves deep into the mysteries of Xehanort's bleak past and forgotten memories as well as how Sora and Riku came to wield the Keyblade in the first place.
Like Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts: Re:Coded the main theme song for the game is "Simple and Clean", performed by Utada Hikaru. This game is the sixth in the series to be released, but is set first chronologically. The overseas release includes a number of new features,Game Informer 207; Bryan Vore: "The North American version of Kingdom Hearts games have traditionally included several extras. What kind of bonuses can we expect?" / Tetsuya Nomura: "There are a variety of new elements, including Critical mode, which takes the difficulty level beyond Proud mode; Keyblades, abilities, mini-game maps, and songs. We're also unleashing a mystery enemy for North American fans, so hopefully everyone will enjoy the challenge."In September 2010, the Final Mix version was announced in Japan, which has the added features of the North American and European version, as well as some additional extras.