Mr. Game & Watch summon confirmed?
Mini-games have always been a huge part of the Kingdom Hearts series, and it looks like that will be the case in the latest entry.
A new trailer for Kingdom Hearts 3 has revealed that the game will include a series of mini-games based off of classic Disney cartoons in the style of LCD handheld video games from the ’80s.
Yeah, pretty random.
The trailer shows Sora, Donald, and Goofy in Twilight Town, where they meet up with Hayner, Pence, and Olette (their debut appearance in KH3!). Sora is given a handheld video game system, and we then see a montage of mini-games you will presumably be able to play during KH3.
These mini-games are simple, few-button experiences styled after LCD screen games popular in the 80s. A prominent example of these were Nintendo’s Game & Watch brand, which featured similar mechanics to what is shown in the trailer. The video below shows a Mickey Mouse Game & Watch, no doubt an inspiration for what is featured in KH3.
The mini-games are also based off of classic ’20s and ’30s Disney cartoons featuring Minnie and Mickey Mouse, which is probably why Sora is accompanied by Mickey in almost every mini-game. For example, one of the mini-games featured is called Giantland, which is based on the 1933 animated short of the same name.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57b8llB6TGc&t=2s
We really can’t say we’re excited or all too impressed by this trailer. Sure the mini-games will probably be fun for a couple of minutes, but that’s probably it. And worse, this leads me to believe that one of my favorite worlds, Timeless River from Kingdom Hearts 2, won’t be in KH3. Timeless River is based off of classic Disney animated shorts from the ’20s and ’30s, just like these mini-games, but what makes the world so awesome is the aesthetic. The world is monochrome, has muted sound, and Sora and the gang have transformed into simple, cartoony versions of themselves.
Timeless River is so distinct in appearance and feel, and it would be a bummer if these mini-games were the only way the developers could fit a classic Disney-homage into the long-awaited KH3.
Obviously we still don’t know the full story with these mini-games, nor if Timeless River was actually cut, but we’re hoping for the best.
Kingdom Hearts 3 comes to PS4 and Xbox One this year.
