Kingdom Hearts III is a mix between Square Enix’s Final Fantasy universe and Disney’s much loved characters, delivering an action RPG that is beyond conventional thinking. It has definitely found a niche for itself among the psyche of gamers, and when the first Kingdom Hearts arrived on the Sony PS2, it proved to be a sleeper hit. It took a few more years before a sequel rolled out, and Kingdom Hearts II did pretty well as well. Well, it has been a long time in coming, but the Kingdom Hearts III release date is already overdue in our books -- although the speculated 2017 release date does abate the disappointment somewhat.
Rumors have pointed to Kingdom Hearts III being prepared for a release soon. While nothing formal has been announced, many believe that 2017 is when the title will see the light of day. First announced alongside Final Fantasy XV at E3 three years ago, Final Fantasy XV is scheduled for a November 2016 release. With Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts III having director Tetsuya Nomura at the helm for a few years, it would not be surprising to know that Kingdom Hearts III is on the brink of a roll out.
After all, the absurdly named Kingdom Hearts 2.8 is right now on track for a January 2017 release, so it would not be too far off the mark to figure out that Kingdom Hearts III will be available earlier than expected. Interestingly enough, while Kingdom Hearts III was scheduled to appear on the PS4 and Xbox One, some fans realized that the Xbox Japan website had removed the listing for Kingdom Hearts III. This has certainly set tongues wagging, citing that Square Enix will overlook Xbox One owners in order to turn Kingdom Hearts III into a PS4 exclusive. Perhaps in Japan (which then again, does not make too much sense), as Square Enix’s site continues to list it for the Xbox One, not to mention the Microsoft Store as well.
Sora will be the main protagonist in Kingdom Hearts III again, with supporting cast like King Mickey, Donald Duck, Goofy, Master Eraqus, and Master Xehanort. The story will continue from Dream Drop Distance, where Sora, Goofy, and Donald are on the lookout for the seven masters of light as Xehanort makes an effort to overcome the “tyranny of light” through the equilibrium restoration between light and dark. King Mickey and Riku will set off on a quest to hunt for previous keyblade masters, and their adventures will most probably result in the mother of all battles between Sora and Xehanort.
Kingdom Hearts III is touted to be the concluding chapter for the “Dark Seeker Saga”, and once this saga is complete, any future Kingdom Hearts setting will see new stories unfold -- albeit in the same world. Just in case you want to prepare yourself mentally for all that will go on in Kingdom Hearts III, the available games as follows should be played to obtain the narrative in its proper chronological order:
- Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ (iOS/Android)
- Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep (PSP)
- Kingdom Hearts (PS2)
- Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories (GBA)
- Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (DS)
- Kingdom Hearts 2 (PS2)
- Kingdom Hearts Re:coded (DS)
- Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance (3DS)
- Kingdom Hearts 3 (PS4/XB1)
