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<\/p>\nThe first gameplay of Kingdom Hearts III was shown during the Xbox conference, the next chapter in the saga that, after 13 years, seemingly aims to conclude Sora's narrative. From spectacular combos to Sheriff Woody and Pixar films, here's everything you need to know about the game. It's a game highly anticipated by fans of the genre, so we were invited to E3 in Los Angeles, more specifically to the Xbox Showcase, to try it out firsthand.<\/p>\n
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Kingdom Hearts III is a role-playing game from Square Enix in collaboration with Disney. The meeting between these two industries was a fortuitous event; it all began in the elevator of the headquarters where both companies are located. This fortunate encounter allowed the two industries to connect and work on a new joint project. For years, Squaresoft and Disney employees shared an office near Tokyo, and this led to the creation of one of the most beloved series in the gaming world. It all began one day with a chance meeting between Squaresoft developer Shinji Hashimoto and a Disney manager. In short, an idea born almost as a joke that then gave birth to Kingdom Hearts, a huge project, not only for the number of characters and ideas it encompasses, but also and above all for its ability to merge two worlds as distant as those of Squaresoft\u2014now Square Enix\u2014and its Final Fantasy franchise, and those magical characters embodied by the world of Walt Disney.
\nIt's been over 10 years since the release of the second installment in the main saga, which then sparked a series of spin-offs, mobile titles, and titles for Sony and Nintendo handheld consoles that in recent years have continued the story of Sora and all the characters surrounding him. This web of plots and events will now finally unfold with Kingdom Hearts 3, the chapter that will conclude this narrative line, attempting to bring order to everything Tetsuya Nomura has told us over the past 15 years.<\/p>\n
Before this year's E3, we'd seen little to nothing: short videos, scant news about the new explorable worlds, and still no information on the release date. Over the past few days, after the June 25, 2019, release date was revealed, we were able to get our hands on a roughly hour-long demo that allowed us to sample the new gameplay and understand whether Kingdom Hearts 3 will truly live up to its reputation by offering something new and innovative, or whether fan expectations and hype are misplaced. A difficult task considering that, in addition to the now-obscure idea of the Keyblade, the story so far has been a tangled series of plots and characters.
\nIn any case, there is less and less time left and this hands-on experience puts to rest many of the doubts we had!
\nLet's start by saying that our test was done on Xbox One X. Once you have the controller in hand, the demo starts with the choice between two possible scenarios, the first scenario consists of a battle against the rock titan from the world of Hercules while the second is the world of Toy Story, in the game called ToyBox, together with Sheriff Woody and his inseparable friends.<\/p>\n
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\nThe first scenario, which we found to be monotonous and which showed relatively little in terms of innovative mechanics, except for the final blow that can be inflicted by summoning a special flying train, inspired by Disneyland's famous Big Magic Mountain \u2013 from which you can shoot the titan until it is eliminated.
\nThe second scenario, the world of Toy Story, begins with the Hartless appearing in Andy's room. Woody, Buzz, and the other toys are about to attack, when Sora, Donald, and Goofy appear. This begins the gameplay portion, allowing us to jump right into action and defeat the Hartless. This encounter gives us an immediate opportunity to familiarize ourselves with the controls and new game mechanics. The demo continues with the formation of an alliance with Woody to eliminate the darkness haunting the world of Toy Box, and continues with the exit from Andy's room to lead us to the Galaxy Toys toy store. Here, too, Hartless will block our path, but with combos, magic, and the help of Donald, Goofy, Woody, and Buzz, we quickly reach our destination. The Hartless in Galaxy Toys quickly take possession of giant robots, bringing them to life, and Sora, in turn, takes possession of a robot, which we control to defeat the enemies. Unfortunately, the demo ends with the defeat of all the Hartless, but it also brings with it one of the most important new features of Kingdom Hearts 3: the arrival of the Pixar worlds, which until now had not been integrated into the game despite some elements present in the code of the first two episodes suggesting the desire to do so.<\/p>\n
The demo portion dedicated to the Toy Story world is where Kingdom Hearts III showcases its truly innovative and interesting mechanics. Starting with the key element (pardon the pun) of the series: the Keyblade. The first new feature is the ability to freely swap between Keyblades, simply by selecting them using the left and right directional arrows on the controller. In the Toy Story world, we were also able to use the Monster Inc. and Tangled Keyblades, both new additions to the portfolio of worlds. The key point is that the differences between these weapons aren't purely aesthetic but influence gameplay with a very specific design choice: each has two possible "evolutions" that introduce new attacks and spectacular new finishing moves. The Monster Inc. Keyblade, for example, transforms first into two large claws and then into two toothed yo-yos. Rapunzel's, on the other hand, becomes a magic staff and allows you to summon Rapunzel's tower from which you can launch beams that damage all surrounding enemies.<\/p>\n
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This addition not only adds variety to each fight, but also dramatically increases its spectacular quality. Kingdom Hearts has always been chaotic, but some situations in this third installment truly explode with color and fireworks, especially when robots (which you can pilot), special moves, and summons are involved. Special actions are activated after sustained combos and vary greatly, from spinning cups to a water ride to a toy car that lets you shoot enemies in first-person. All these moves are inspired by amusement park rides and feature a look reminiscent of Disneyland's Light Parade. The final special actions you can perform are summons of other Disney characters.
\nCompleting the picture of all these mechanics is the narrative context and the blend of the seriousness of Square's stories with Disney's humor. This approach continues in the third episode and certainly shows much of its strength in the Toy Story world. Not to mention that this time, characters from the various worlds can help us by joining Goofy and Donald without requiring a replacement; in the Toy Story world, for example, there are often five of us, accompanied by both Woody and Buzz.
\nWe also want to mention the graphic aspect, Square has revised its entire engine, we have never seen a Kingdom Hearts so rich in colors, so detailed on a graphic level both in terms of 3D models, textures and graphics.
\nOur final thoughts can only be positive, at least for now. Kingdom Hearts III is built on the same foundation as the series has accustomed us to, but it's been enriched to make it even more dynamic, engaging, and above all, innovative. This is also possible thanks to the expanded spaces and the new ability to climb most vertical surfaces. Now all that's left to do is wait until June 25, 2019, to step back into Sora's shoes one last time.<\/p>\n