Plus summons, party members, and when we’ll learn the release date.
During Japan’s D23 2018 Expo, the biggest Kingdom Hearts 3 trailer yet debuted, and there’s a whole lot to talk about. Check it out below.
The trailer begins with Sora, Donald, and Goofy confronting Marluxia(!) in the world based on Tangled. It appears as though the leader of the Organization XIII revolt/main antagonist of Chain of Memories is now a part of the new/true Organization XIII, composed of incarnations of Xehanort. The trio has a confused exchange with the former Nobody, as although they defeated Marluxia at Castle Oblivion, they subsequently had their memories of what happened there erased. Also, is Sora breaking the fourth wall when he asks if the new Organization is recycling old ideas?
Anyway, after a cute little scene in the Toy Story world, we get the big reveal that Sora and the gang will indeed visit Monsters, Inc! This world was leaked last year, but the trailer now confirms that the trio will transform into monsters, fight alongside Mike and Sully, and Boo will call Donald with Mike Wazowski (too perfect).
We next see some gameplay in Monsters, Inc., which seems to confirm the story of this world will take place after the events of the film, based on the balloons set up in the Scare Floor, most likely indicating monsters now try to make kids laugh instead of scream.
After that, we head back to the Tangled world and finally see that Rapunzel AND Flynn Rider are party members! Rapunzel fights by whipping her hair at Heartless OR using it as a rope to swing on trees (HYPE). And we also see Flynn balance on a barrel to take down foes and (briefly) use a frying pan!!
Then we seemingly get our first glimpse at summons when ARIEL (in mermaid form!!!) appears to assist Sora in battle.
AND it looks like Meow Wow, one of Sora’s Dream Eater Spirit companions from Dream Drop Distance is a summon too! Awwwwwww.
The trailer concludes with Vanitas confronting Sora in Monsters, Inc., demanding “the half of me that sleeps on inside of your heart.” The Organization XIII-garbed villain is referring to Ven, his other half, whose heart is currently residing in Sora’s after the events of Birth by Sleep. Side note, Vanitas looks super goofy in the Organization XIII coat.
There’s a lot we skipped through here (SORA USES MIKE AS A DODGEBALL), but to wrap up, it was also revealed at D23 (via KH Insider) that the release date for KH3 will finally be revealed this June at E3 2018. We’ve known since the Toy Story trailer last summer that the game is coming this year, but we’ll know exactly when it just a few months.
This was easily the biggest trailer yet, and the game appears to be coming along very well. Obviously it needs some polish visually here and there, but I can’t describe how surreal it is seeing this game more and more becoming a reality.
Kingdom Hearts 3 releases on PS4 and Xbox One this year*.
*hopefully
