WORLD TOUR

Five worlds confirmed to be part of Kingdom Hearts III

there will be some gameplay similarities, too.

Combat will clearly be similarly extravagant, and we already know that a refined version of Flowmotion will be present. (We seem to have a glimpse of this when Sora is gliding along the ground in the Corona kingdom.) We got to see Sora spinning around a lamppost like a kung-fu Fred Astaire. There are even free-fall sequences reminiscent of the Drop mechanic.

DREAM WEEVIL

Much to the surprise of some D23 attendees, it was also confirmed that Dream Eaters – those cute and colourful combat companions – will be making a comeback. Meow Wow from DDD featured in the latest reveal, and yes, you can still hop on top of him/her/it and bounce around in a Link Attack.

There’s still nothing that makes clear exactly how last year’s A Fragmentary Passage will be resolved in the new game. It’s confirmed, however, that Shotlock (first introduced in Birth By Sleep) will return, allowing you to target multiple enemies at a distance. Aqua is also sure to make a grand reappearance at some point.

Overall, there’s good reason to believe that this will be the most varied Kingdom Hearts yet. Aqua’s journey through the brief but mesmerising A Fragmentary Passage had some fascinating ideas, which is promising on its own. We’ve

already seen plenty of evidence that the differences between the various Disney worlds will manifest in ways that go beyond aesthetics, seeping into gameplay. How important the previously confirmed Gummi Ship will be, we don’t know; but we do now know that you’ll be able to customise this main method of transportation between worlds in the Kingdom Hearts series, and you’ll be able to enjoy full 360-degree movement inside it.

The game is split into three parts, for the purposes of development at least. The first part is about 90% complete; the second part is approaching three quarters complete; and the final part... is currently a complete mystery. Nomura says, however, that it’s something he’s wanted to do in the series for a long time, and he’s confident that it will come as a huge surprise once it’s revealed. Watch this space.

YOU ONLY THINK TWICE

Meanwhile, two trailers drop little scraps of story detail. Organisation XIII baddie Marluxia is back… which is unexpected, as Sora appeared to have killed him at the end of Chain Of Memories. Vanitas, glimpsed only briefly in DDD, pops up in the main trailer to tell Sora: “I need the half of me that sleeps on inside of your heart”. Looks like some unfinished business from Birth By Sleep will be picked up here.

Although the release has been broadcast as some time in 2018, no solid date has yet been set. One thing’s for sure; when fans finally get their hands on Kingdom Hearts III, they needn’t worry that Square Enix have taken the Mickey.

He’s still in there.

“MARLUXIA IS BACK… WHICH IS UNEXPECTED, AS SORA KILLED HIM.”

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Sora visits the kingdom of Corona from Rapunzel – things might get hairy.

Another of the Keyblade transformations you can expect, Quick Claws give you fresh ways to attack.