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Over the years, news on Kingdom Hearts 3 has been sketchy at best. It wasn’t until a 2013 gameplay concept trailer that we even knew Kingdom Hearts 3‘s development had begun!
Considering Kingdom Hearts 2 had been released back in 2005 and all we’d seen since were spin offs for various handhelds (thanks Square Enix for forcing us to buy every handheld from the GameBoy Advance up to the 3DS and then making HD console re-releases anyway!), the announcement of an inevitable third console entry was long overdue, and met with tremendous excitement.
Then it tapered off…
Details since that trailer have been few and far between. Until E3 2015, when the actual gameplay and story trailer dropped.
Showing that the initial concept trailer had remained faithful to the game, not only in play style but in look, this new trailer got me excited for a variety of reasons. One reason: Kingdom Hearts 3 was going to look as amazing as the initial trailer. Another: the game looks beautiful with a new lighting engine that creates an even more Disney-esque aesthetic. And lastly: the inclusion of one of my favourite recent Disney films: Tangled.
Now we have an official announcement at the D23 Expo that’s getting plenty of Disney fans even more excited. Announced by Roy Conli, producer at Walt Disney Animation Studio, donning a look that many Kingdom Hearts fans will recognise as series antagonist Master Xehanort himself (I hope it was intentional…), Big Hero 6 will be coming to Kingdom Hearts 3!
Not only that, but rather than the usual Kingdom Hearts re-telling of Disney stories that fans are used to, Big Hero 6 in Kingdom Hearts 3 will feature an independent story taking place after the events of the film. See that announcement below:
As a huge fan of Tangled (though I am worried about how Rapunzel’s lengthy locks will be tackled without the massive budget of the original film) and Big Hero 6, I couldn’t be more excited for Kingdom Hearts 3. Final Fantasy XV may have to compete for my affections at this rate especially with Disney on the marketing for this one, with Square Enix struggling to keep up the hype over Final Fantasy XV.
Whilst I expect to see many past Disney worlds return to the series, a lot has happened since Kingdom Hearts 2, and even since the latest spin off, Kingdom Hearts 3D.
I can’t say I’m the biggest Marvel fan (I can hear your screams of horror from here), but I do make an exception for the X-Men films. It wouldn’t be the first time Kingdom Hearts has featured worlds based on live-action films with Pirates of the Caribbean and Tron Legacy having appeared in the past (not to mention Tron, but in stylised form). I’d be delighted to see our trio of Sora, Donald and Goofy juxtapose against a photorealistic rendering of Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. Of course, the more likely option is we’ll see the cartoon version of X-Men, if at all.
In addition to Marvel, Disney has recently acquired LucasFilm so perhaps we could even see a Star Wars world. Personally, I’d love an Indiana Jones world – although I’ve noticed most people talking about Star Wars, so let’s all make a buzz on social media about Indie in Kingdom Hearts 3. Yes? Yes.
There are infinite possibilities for Kingdom Hearts 3 as Disney continues to grow. Everyone’s expecting to see a Frozen world. A Wreck-It Ralph world could be fun as a video game within a video game. Perhaps a Final Fantasy VII world due to the recent remake announcement, as up until now characters from the series have only made cameo appearances in other worlds (not to mention Cloud’s appearance in Kingdom Hearts 2 ended on something of a cliffhanger). The World Ends With You made it in to Kingdom Hearts 3D, so perhaps other Square-Enix titles could make it in there. Tomb Raider?
Both Disney and Square Enix have a lot of content under their belts, but only so much can make it into Kingdom Hearts 3. Which worlds would you like to see?
