Kingdom Hearts 3

Kingdom Hearts 3

Gameplay in Kingdom Hearts III is similar to its predecessors, with hack and slash combat, which director Tetsuya Nomura stated would be along the lines of the system seen in Kingdom Hearts II, with an evolution similar to what was seen from Kingdom Hearts to Kingdom Hearts II, and closely tied to the gameplay in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. He also revealed that the handheld games of the series were where he could experiment with the combat mechanics, and that some of the well-received additions could appear in Kingdom Hearts III. Nomura noted that new gameplay elements are the “skeleton” of the game, saying, “When creating a Kingdom Hearts game, we start with a gameplay system that I think would be a fun element, and once we have an idea of what kind of gameplay or system we want in place, we flesh out the story around it, surrounding the basic concept of what kind of fun we’re going to have with this new installment.” Additionally, the development team “always want to try something new”, taking previously introduced mechanics and making small “tweak[s]” to them so they are customized for Kingdom Hearts III.

Sora returns as the main playable character, once again joined in the party by Donald Duck and Goofy, with the ability to have two additional characters join the party for a total of five-player parties. This is an increase from previous main entries in the series, where players were limited to two additional party members at any given time along with Sora. Certain parts of the game have Riku and Aqua as playable characters. Describing the gameplay, Nomura called the action “pretty frantic”, as well as “really flashy and exciting. The enemy AI is a lot more intricate, too, and I think the gameplay will reflect that new dynamic balance.” Sora can perform magic, with a new, powerful tier of each spell available to him, similar to what Aqua has available to her in Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage. Magic performs differently in underwater sections of the game, with Kingdom Hearts III introducing a new spell, Water. Team-up attacks are also featured, which combine Sora and various party members into one attack. Players can equip various abilities for Sora and his party members, with the system to do so “an evolution of sorts” from the system used in Kingdom Hearts II. Character summons make a return from previous entries, this time known as “Links”, where an additional character joins the battle to assist the player with specialized attacks.

Kingdom Hearts 3 Review

One of the strengths of Kingdom Hearts 3 is the care and attention it pays to bringing Disney’s worlds to life, which, in turn, makes being in them all the more exciting. You get to wander around Andy’s bedroom as a diminutive toy version of Sora, scaling his walls and jumping on his toys, before making a trip to the mall. There you visit various toy shops, leaping on top of display units and between shelves as you battle the enemy Heartless. Returning to Kingdom Hearts 2’s Twilight Town comes with a wave of nostalgia, as you hang around in the square watching a Mickey Mouse movie projected on a wall or visit the mansion where Namine stood at the window all those years back. Venture to the Pirates of the Caribbean world and the game adopts a striking, realistic visual style, swapping Sora and friends from their usual vibrant visages to a muddier tone in line with the movies’ color palette. It then gives you command of your own ship with Jack Sparrow at your side. 100 Acre Wood shifts to the warmer pastels of a storybook aesthetic, as you help Rabbit tend to his garden so that Pooh can get some honey. San Fransokyo makes great use of verticality and Sora’s ability to effortlessly run up buildings and glide between rooftops. At night it transforms into a blinding neon cityscape, inviting you to fly between floating blimps and grind rails with Baymax flying in tow. Monsteropolis has you working with Sully and Mike to stop Randal seizing control of Monsters Inc., and all the while Boo adorably potters along next to you.

The quality of the storytelling in each world is similarly hit or miss. I often loved the worlds that presented new stories most — while often light on plot, worlds like Monsters, Inc. and Big Hero 6 allowed me to see new shades of characters I love. By contrast, while Toy Story takes a risk with an original story set between the films and in a new location and uses only some of the cast, its pacing is so glacial, with stakes set up that get lost in how light the tone of the world is and a resolution that is quite anticlimactic.

Kingdom Hearts 3’s story is meant to serve as a culmination of everything that’s happened in the series so far – which is a lot. I’m pleasantly surprised by how well it wraps up this story of the power of friendship and the bonds we make with one another, but I didn’t find it particularly surprising. With so many years having passed between games, I – and the rest of the Kingdom Hearts fan community – have had so long to think about how events might transpire that I was able to easily call some of the story twists from a mile away.

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Summary
I thoroughly enjoyed Square Enix’s evolution of Kingdom Hearts’ gameplay and fidelity to Disney’s beloved animated movies. While the storytelling could use some punching up, Square has done a fantastic job of capturing the spirit of these worlds while giving us a massive toolbox for battles and exploration. Kingdom Hearts 3 is a fulfilling evolution and resolution of the franchise that shows it’s still full of heart.
Good
  • Disney worlds are beautifully realized and fun to be in
  • Disney and Pixar characters have engaging and memorable stories
  • Combat is simple, slick, and super exciting
Bad
  • Some of the worlds feel sparse
9
Amazing
Gameplay - 8.9
Graphics - 8.9
Audio - 9
Longevity - 9.1

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