The cryptically titled Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days on DS is actually more of a spinoff prequel to Kingdom Hearts II, following the Roxas character from that game through his career with the shady Organization XIII. Unlike the main entries in the series, 358/2 Days won't include any new Disney worlds, but will instead revisit the locales seen in previous Kingdom Hearts titles.

The multiplayer mode will see Roxas joined by fellow Organization XIII-ers Axel and Sigbar, and players will take on puzzle-solving and boss-fighting missions as a team, though it's unknown if this mode will support Nintendo Wi-Fi play as well as local multiplayer.

The PSP's Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep delves into the obscure minutiae of the Kingdom Hearts world--disgusting to some and intensely appealing to others--as the game is based on the characters and setting of a bonus movie in a special Japan-only edition of Kingdom Hearts II called Final Mix. In this prequel set before the first Kingdom Hearts storyline, players take the roles of Ven, Aqua, and Tela and will be required to switch between members of the trio to progress in the game.

Director Tetsuya Nomura told Famitsu the PSP title would have "the closest feel to the previous games in terms of controls." The game will also include a multiplayer portion, although the specifics of this segment haven't been decided.

Neither of the titles have been given Japanese release dates, and neither have been mentioned as being worldwide releases. Given the DS's popularity and the far less esoteric content of 358/2 Days, seeing that game stateside would be far less surprising than Birth By Sleep. Every main entry in the Kingdom Hearts series has made it to the U.S. thus far, so it's fairly likely both titles in the fan-fiction fostering series will see a North American release.