Thanks to a surprise announcement by Square Enix during Sony's press conference at E3, Kingdom Hearts III has been confirmed, bringing joy to my Disney-loving heart.
According to director Tetsuya Nomura, the game will take place after the events of the 3DS spin-off Dream Drop Distance, and will wrap up the "Dark Seeker" saga. The Disney-inspired worlds that Sora and co. will inevitably visit have yet to be ironed out, so stay tuned for additional info on that front in the coming months.
Nomura then went on to discuss the game's combat, telling Famitsu:
We have a demo version running on the actual hardware, but the action’s pretty frantic. The really bold action we’ve always had is getting even crazier. Kingdom Hearts 3 has three-person parties, but NPCs and other characters join the fight in each individual world, and the resulting action is really flashy and exciting.
The enemy AI is a lot more intricate, too, and I think the gameplay will reflect that new dynamic balance. For example, there’s a foe that’s shaped like a vehicle, and Sora may jump on it and fly around; that’s already implemented.
It's also important to remember that Nomura has Final Fantasy XV to worry about as well, so juggling the two projects will certainly keep the man busy for the foreseeable future. "The FF15 and KH3 teams are aware of each other. They’re constantly honing their work at this point in development," he explained.
"Even though KH3 is still pretty early in development, it’s already producing some great scenes in Square Enix’s internal conferences. We’re discussing new developments never seen in any KH before, so keep an eye on further updates.”
Which of Nomura's upcoming projects are you more hyped for? While FFXV looks incredible, I have to admit, I'm far more excited to see what Square does with Kingdom Hearts III.
