But in the era of downloadable content, the possibility of an additional world being made available later should not be dismissed. Don’t get me wrong – the worlds of KH3 are incredibly detailed and stunning in Unreal Engine 4 and introduce features that weren’t prominent in previous titles, such as areas populated with interactive and non-interactive characters, scalable walls, collectible ingredients and more! Given fans have waited over a decade for this game, the current number of worlds can be a tad disappointing. That’s less than the worlds available in KH2. Minus Keyblade Graveyard, The Final World and Scala ad Caelum, we only got NINE explorable worlds. Prior to the release of KH3, Nomura indicated we would be getting less worlds in favour of his development team crafting environments that offered a much deeper experience. Or any other titles we may get in between. I am excited to see how much further he develops himself and his relationships, primarily with Kairi and Riku, in Kingdom Hearts 4.
Many fans of the series have been playing since childhood and have grown up during the wait for KH3 so it is fitting, and about time, that Sora grows up too while retaining elements of his youth and naiveté from previous titles. Not a huuuuge amount – but enough to know that Sora has matured in that department and has realised his feelings for Kairi. What I do like about the main story of KH3 is that it puts some effort into Sora and Kairi’s relationship. Masterful play on Disney’s part, but it does little to further Sora’s story and growth as a protagonist. For those of us who have been playing the series since childhood, it’s almost like being reintroduced to old, beloved friends who we’ve grown to love … even if they’re always talking about ingredients we just can’t seem to locate!ĭespite the game’s best efforts to incorporate Sora, Donald and Goofy into the various Disney IP’s without damaging existing storylines, a handful of worlds feel like ads for their franchises. While there are plenty of trios to go around in the Kingdom Hearts franchise, each with their own purpose in Sora’s story, the reiteration of his bond with Donald and Goofy as the story progressed was a definite highlight for me. Now I love visiting Disney worlds as much as the next person, but it really seems like no one, not even Nomura not even Yen Sid, knows what Sora will gain by visiting them.īut at least we spend much of our time zipping through the worlds with main pals, Donald and Goofy. Especially since he has lost all of his abilities, yet again. I can’t help but feel that Xehanort as a villain deserved the same undivided attention that was paid to Ansem: Seeker of Darkness from KH1 and Xemnas from KH2.Īs for our boy, Sora, his optimism in the wake of failing his Mark of Mastery exam and then being sent off to the worlds in order to “gain the power of waking” is exhausting.
What is meant to be the climax of our epic struggles against him falls flat because the final acts of the game really feel like you are being set up for something beyond Xehanort. After all, we are talking about someone who was so ruthless and persistent in his desire to control Kingdom Hearts and recreate the universe in his image, that he consistently used and discarded people at will and acquired the time travel abilities needed to ensure his plans came to fruition. In my opinion, the game should have focused on giving this villain of villains the send-off he deserved. I won’t get into any of the main plotline because spoilers but I will say this – if you are playing KH3 for a satisfying end to Xehanort and his incarnations, you will likely be disappointed. The story KH3 wants to tell us suffers from seventeen years of a multiplatform gaming franchise dealing with multiple versions of the same villain and how said villain’s actions and twisted ideology have impacted MANY characters and worlds and entire realms.
Find your favourite place to chill and prepare to be here awhile because I got a lot to say about this long awaited release!īe warned! Possible spoilers ahead! Story: The Epic Conclusion To The Dark Seeker Saga Order some Thai or whatever you’re craving. But as we all saw with this latest entry into the Kingdom Hearts franchise, Kingdom Hearts III (2019) is not an ending to Sora’s journey – it is simply a finale to the Dark Seeker saga, as promised by director Tetsuya Nomura, and a continuation of a much longer narrative. Since Kingdom Hearts released in 2002, I have been following main protagonist Sora, and his friends, Riku, Kairi, Donald and Goofy, wishing for a rewarding conclusion to all his troubles.