With the legendary third numbered entry in this magical series releasing next Tuesday, I felt I should give 10 reasons why I’m hyped for Kingdom Hearts 3! Aprart from it being for purely fanboyish reasons, there are genuine points of interest I have for the last instalment in the Dark Seeker saga… So here they are!
My first point may be an obvious one, but the main reason I am hyped for Kingdom Hearts 3 is just to see how this almost age-old story finishes. I’m sure everyone is like me, and you’re wondering why it’s taken over 10 years for this final release to come out (I mean 10 years since the last main installment, come on!)… Yes, there have been other games in between, but everyone knows this is the real meaty bad boy we’ve been waiting for. I’m pretty damn excited to see how it all finishes, and if it’s left on a cliff hanger or if it’ll obviously lead into the next games. It’ll also be amazing to see if they set a new lead character (They best not change Donald and goofy) if they get bored of Sora, and if there’s a ton of spin off games put in the future’s place. I really want to see a load more games on main console… We know there’ll be a new saga, but HOW will it happen?!
The combat system is one of the biggest draws to Kingdom Hearts 3 for me – I want to see how the gameplay works out as I loved the combat system in Birth by Sleep, so I’m hoping that they can incorporate some of this into the system from 1 & 2, which is also really solid and fun to use. It improved from 1 to 2 in a big way, so I’m sure it’ll improve in a big way again (At least I hope), and I’m already hearing great things about it. Sometimes I had massive issues with the systems in the way that it wasn’t always easy to block or parry, and it didn’t always feel fully fleshed out; I do think this system will be more thought and mature. Hopefully the Drives have been hyped up, and I’ve seen a lot online where there are specific moves that apply to certain worlds eg. giant honey pots and flying around on Baymax. Honey pot brings me to my next point…
The third reason I’m excited for Kingdom Hearts, and this may be one of my most hyped points, is to see what they do with the 100 Acre Wood. I can’t explain why, but the 100 Acre Wood has always been really special with me in all of the Kingdom Hearts games. My girlfriend is fucking obsessive over Pooh Bear, and maybe because of that it’s made its way into my heart; the charm captured in these worlds truly feels like Disney to me. I’m a bit disappointed from the footage I’ve seen as it seems like it could just be minigames, but hopefully their story around them and the exploration is a bit more exciting. I’m also kind of hoping that some form of combat takes place there as that hasn’t been previously available with Pooh and co.
Last year I did all of the secret bosses in Kingdom Hearts 1, and I was going to do them in Kingdom Hearts 2, but I got to a point where I just couldn’t make it through; I’d just had enough! So my hope is that after a big old break from the Kingdom Hearts games, I’m ready to take the game beyond it’s story and do some super grinding and take on all those bad mofos. Who can imagine how tough Sephiroth is going to be this time? God help us (Assuming he’s in there)! At least i can grind in the Toy Box world…
I love videogames, but games set in a miniature world are on another level! I can’t describe the joy a game brings me when you’re tiny and everything else is huge, especially when it’s set in a world like Toy Story’s. Some of my favourite games as a youngling were Toy Story titles, and the Disney Skate game which featured Toy Story. There’s a pure joy inside of me that is released in these sorts of scenarios, so I certainly hope that there’s a heck tonne of unlockables and things to do in this little world.
I don’t know if you’ve seen but there are classic mini games in Kingdom Hearts 3. They’re a combo of really old school 2 button games and classic Disney toons – Some of my earliest gaming memories are playing them on the old school Gameboy via collections, so I’m definitely looking forward to seeing how they’re incorporated into this game. I particularly can’t wait to see what rewards I get for them.
The point I’m making really is how they bring Kingdom Hearts into this gen of gaming. Magic was always a little lackluster in the first 2 games, at least I felt this way, but from what I’ve seen, the new magic has been suped up to have proper area effects and look truly damaging. I can’t wait to create giant fireballs or bring down massive ice storms (Perhaps with the help of Elsa)!
Let’s be honest, Kingdom Hearts has always leant more on Disney than Final Fantasy, bar a few big characters such as Cloud and Auron… So who else will come into the fray? Will they add newbies such as Noctis? Or possibly have a massive enemy appear like Seymour? Who the heck knows? It’d also be great to see a bit more of the Final Fantasy lore put into Kingdom Hearts, and it would ALSO be amazing to see a Final Fantasy-styled turn based fight at some point…
Obviously Keyblades have always been a massive part of Kingdom Hearts, so I really can’t wait to see what they come up with in this one. Will we get to use different character’s keyblades such as Riku and Mickey? Well, we know there’ll be a honey pot weapon… How screwed are the darkness now?! I’m also very interested to see how the Disney rides will work. I kind of hated the idea of it, if I’m honest, as I’ve always hated that Disney makes some movies based on a ride, so it doesnt sit well with me…
I can’t wait to be charmed and to sink into a relaxing gaming trance for 30 hours. Other videogames can be so darn serious, don’t you think? But Kingdom Hearts has this amazing charm and ease of play (At least initially) that a lot of games struggle to capture. Although it has a big story and a solid combat system, it has this feeling of pure joy and never feels overwhelming which some RPG’s can. It really brings back a childhood joy of gaming which I can’t wait to feel again.
…So there you have it… 10 reasons why I’m hyped for Kingdom Hearts 3! Watch this space for plenty of coverage, and if you haven’t done so, preorder Kingdom Hearts 3 through the affiliates links below!!