For those you that don’t know, I am a huge fan of Kingdom Hearts. It’s one of the first games I ever beat completely, and I have followed it carefully since 2005 – back when I was just a 9 year-old little tyke. Since it’s first game, Kingdom Hearts has been a massive success across virtually every platform (except for anything Microsoft owned, for now) thanks to its many, many prequels and mid-quels. But despite the success, people have been wondering just what’s happening with third main installment.
Back in 2013, a reveal trailer was released and showed that not only was Kingdom Hearts III finally in development, but it was going to be on an all new engine with a nice new set of intense battle mechanics. Of course, the fanfare was short lived as we were quickly told that the game was far from finished.
Flash-forward to last week. Not only have we been given an amazing trailer that seems to contain a lot of new content, but we’ve also got Hikaru Utada’s latest theme! And let me tell you something, it is beautiful. Plus, we also have a new trailer from the D23 expo, showcasing new worlds and some brilliant new game play mechanics. It looks dazzling and chaotic and more alive than I’ve seen a Kingdom Hearts game since KH2.
KINGDOM HEARTS III Theme Song Trailer – “Don’t Think Twice” by Hikaru Utada
KINGDOM HEARTS III is coming to Microsoft Xbox One and Sony PlayStation® 4 in 2018. Fore More Information: https://goo.gl/mJVt5i International superstar Hika…KINGDOM HEARTS III – D23 Expo Japan 2018 Monsters, Inc. Trailer
KINGDOM HEARTS III is coming to Microsoft Xbox One and Sony PlayStation® 4 in 2018. Find more information: https://goo.gl/mKWRUC Originally aired at Disney’s…Here are my thoughts on both trailers:
The Monster’s Inc. World and Toy Story
I’m super pumped about this. I think they’re an amazing addition to the many Disney-filled world’s we’ve been given in the past. I’m pumped to see Pixar finally making an appearance in the Kingdom Hearts mythos. And it seems like the design team has worked really hard in keeping the spirits of the both Toy Story and Monster’s Inc. in their design. Although, I am curious as to how they’re going to incorporate each of the games’ stories into the game.
From what little we’ve seen, it feels like they’re taking more of a KH1 approach – and making the story of each world revolve around Sora and company. Unlike KH2, which had every world going through the stories of the films they were inspired by… and Sora just happened to step in and help.
Who knows?
Tangled World
We’ve also seen more of the beautiful forested world – and I’m pretty sure that it’s the Tangled world that got confirmed a while back. It looks amazing – and I can’t wait to explore every nook and cranny of it.
Marluxia
What? Where did he come from? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised – after all, we all know how crazy this series can get. For those that don’t know, Marluxia was the final boss of Sora’s section of the Gameboy Advanced midquel, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. And here he is, back again – or perhaps this isn’t Marluxia? Maybe he’s returned to normal, and just kept the cool coat.
I know I would have.
Sora/Ventus/Roxas/Vanitas
This crazy grouping seems to also be getting some closure. We even see Vanitas – the dark version of BbS protagonist, Ventus – approaching Sora and doing something nefarious. Perhaps we’ll find out why Vanitas looks so much like Sora? We also see Xemnas and company confronting Sora – no doubt trying to talk to him about Roxas for whatever reason? I don’t know for sure.
The only person that isn’t really talked about is Ventus – who we saw react to Sora’s happiness at the end of Dream Drop Distance. I can only imagine what’s going to happen with them – after all, it seems that Terra, Ventus, and Aqua are going to be a major part of this installment.
Riku and Mickey
We also see an clip of Riku abandoning his old, dark keyblade in the World of Darkness – and saying that he doesn’t need it anymore. I can’t wait to see what this game has in store for him – I hope they do the KH:3D route and give us both his and Sora’ story side-by-side.
What’s Missing?
Nothing, as far as I can see. I think they are smart in steadily revealing their details. The game is set to come out this year, and is apparently supposed to have a surprise that creator, Tetsuya Nomura, has been wanting to add since he created the series.
But that could be me hoping too much.
What do you think? Is there anything I’ve missed? Is there some story element that went over my head that was confirmed ages ago? Let me know!
Shann Smith is a freelance writer, screenwriter, playwright, gamer, and film/TV lover. When he’s not working on his columns for Popdust, he’s doing his best to create and consume as much media as he can!
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- KINGDOM HEARTS III ›
- Kingdom Hearts 3 release date news and new gameplay update … ›
- KINGDOM HEARTS III – D23 2017 Toy Story Trailer – YouTube ›
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- Kingdom Hearts 3 for PlayStation 4 | GameStop ›
- New Kingdom Hearts 3 trailer shows off Monsters Inc. world – Polygon ›
