'Kingdom Hearts 3' release date; Rumors include new worlds, crazier actions
"Kingdom Hearts II" was launched way back in 2005 and it is only this year that fans have come closer to the new installment of the game. More and more updates are starting to circulate about the much-awaited Square Enix game.
"Kingdom Hearts 3" is a roleplaying game that will feature characters from other games, in particular, Disney and Final Fantasy characters. The story will pretty much follow the story of the main character Sora and her friends.
There is still no exact release date for the upcoming game. Rumors say that the game could come out within the year but this looks unlikely. Co-director of the game, Tai Yasue told Game Informer that 2014 is the year for "Kingdom Hearts 2.5 Remix."
"We were actually developing Kingdom Hearts III and 2.5 at the same time, and it's very difficult. There was a point where we wanted to switch our resources to Kingdom Hearts III and get that moving faster," Yasue explained. "We've been working full throttle on Kingdom Hearts III. It's moving along. We structured our team in a way that development of 2.5 doesn't impede Kingdom Hearts III. I'm actually every excited about Kingdom Hearts III."
Fans were very disappointed when there was no trailer of "Kingdom Hearts 3" at E3. But according to speculations, the game may be released in 2015.
As for what can be seen in the game, PC Advisor reports that there will tons of new worlds in the game including Hercules' Olympus Colosseum, Pirates of the Caribbean's, Port Royal, Aladdin's Agrabah and The Lion King's Pride Lands. Will the original worlds be seen in the game too?
"It's going to be a mix. Whenever we come up with worlds for Kingdom Hearts, we want to have them be varied. You don't want the same type of world, so we will have different categories. That will make it feel fresh, like you're having an adventure," Yasue answered. "There's a lot of Disney content that's new and coming out and we're considering which ones to use, which would be good from a gameplay perspective. This is not an announcement or anything, but personally I enjoyed watching Frozen. It was magical: the stories, the songs, the ice expressions," he continued.
As for the gameplay, there hasn't been much information yet. But Tetsuya Nomura, director of "Kingdom Hearts 3" told Polygon that "The action is pretty frantic. The really bold action we've always had is getting even crazier."
"Kingdom Hearts III has three-person parties, but NPCs and other characters join the fight in each individual world, and the resulting action is really flash and exciting. The enemy AI is a lot more intricate, too, and I think the gameplay will reflect that new dynamic balance. For example, there's a foe that's shaped like a vehicle, and Sora may jump on it and fly around; that's already implemented," he added.
What else can be expected from the game? Yasue described it best, "There's a lot of stuff we have never ever done before. There's a lot that's the same, but there's a lot that's changed. We're moving from a totally different console to a new console. The technology has evolved; it's very new and everyone is doing a lot of research. And look-wise, it looks amazing as well."
He adds, "We've shown you some of the trailers and teasers. There are a lot of Disney-themed attractions, so that's exciting as well. It's very exciting for me and I want to tell you more about it, but I really can't at this moment."