10 Things You Didn’t Know about Kingdom Hearts 3
Kingdom Hearts 3 is the next main installment in the action RPG series Kingdom Hearts. It has been a long time coming, seeing as how Kingdom Hearts 2 was released in 2005. Regardless, Kingdom Hearts 3 has been completed and is in the process of being prepared for sale, meaning that the long wait is coming to a close. Here are 10 things that you may or may not have known about Kingdom Hearts 3:
1. Disney Crossover
For those who are unfamiliar with the Kingdom Hearts series, it can be summed up as a Square-Enix RPG that visits various Disney properties as well as Disney-related properties. In other words, it is a Disney crossover, which makes it very strange but nonetheless very successful.
2. Hack and Slash Combat
Kingdom Hearts 3 will be the same as its predecessors in that it will be an action RPG centered on hack and slash combat. With that said, it has been more than a decade since the last main installment came out, meaning that interested individuals should expect plenty of innovations compared to that particular predecessor.
3. Twelfth Installment in the Series
While Kingdom Hearts 3 is the third main installment in the Kingdom Hearts series, it is the 12th installment in the same. This is because there have been a lot of spinoffs, which serve to provide further information about side characters as well as the setting as a whole.
4. Final Chapter in the Dark Seeker Saga
The upcoming title will be the final chapter in the narrative arc called the Dark Seeker Saga, which is focused on the battle between the protagonist Sora and the antagonist Xehanort. However, it won’t be the end of the Kingdom Hearts series because the series director has outright stated that there are plans for further narrative arcs, which will be followed upon once the current narrative arc has come to a close.
5. Has Been in Development for a Very Long Time
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Kingdom Hearts 3 has been in development for a very long time. In fact, there were rumors that concepts were being made for the title as early as 2006. However, actual development of Kingdom Hearts 3 wasn’t confirmed until the E3 of 2013.
6. Features a Lot of New Properties
The sheer length of time between main installments means that a number of new settings are making their first appearances in Kingdom Hearts 3. One example will be the Kingdom of Corona from Tangled. Another example will be the City of San Fransokyo from Big Hero 6.
7. Features Pixar Properties
It is interesting to note that Kingdom Hearts 3 will be featuring Pixar properties, with an excellent example being Toy Story. This is possible because Disney owns Pixar. Naturally, some people will be curious about Marvel and Lucasarts properties, which have been considered for future installments.
8. Will Have English and Japanese Dubs
Kingdom Hearts 3 will have both English and Japanese dubs as well as lip syncing for the purpose of supporting those dubs. This is an interesting choice because previous installments had dubs in other languages as well, but this time around, the choice is being made because the desire is for a simultaneous worldwide release, meaning that there is a shortage of time that must be considered.
9. Expanded Parties
There will be a lot of both old and new characters showing up in Kingdom Hearts 3. As a result, interested individuals might be glad to hear that one of the changes for the upcoming titles is that parties will be expanded to a maximum of five characters. Something that should make for a lot of new and exciting possibilities.
10. Not Necessarily 100 Percent Predictable
Story-wise, it shouldn’t be too challenging to predict that Kingdom Hearts 3 will feature a clash between light and darkness. However, it is interesting to note that the series director has commented that there will be an exploration of the seven lights and thirteen darknesses coming together coming together for the clash. In particular, he said that the characters expected to play those particular roles might not necessarily do so, which is a very ambiguous statement that says little but nonetheless gives rise to new possibilities. It remains to be seen whether it will reflect the final product or not, but since the release is in January of 2019, it shouldn’t be that much further into the future.
