Super Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai discusses the development of Sora within Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in his latest development video on his Youtube channel. You can watch the video below.
Kingdom Hearts director Tetsuya Nomura was recently interviewed by Japanese magazine Young Jump. In the interview, Nomura was asked mostly about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth but did answer a couple of questions pertaining to the Kingdom Hearts series, including keeping managing lore in his team, what we may expect in Kingdom Hearts Missing Link and Kingdom Hearts IV, and when he may retire.
You can read the Kingdom Hearts portion of the article below. Special thanks to KH13 translator Ryuji for the translations.
What did you think of the interview? Let us know in the comments below!
Following the additions of several older Kingdom Hearts soundtracks greeting streaming platforms, Square Enix North America has opened pre-orders for physical soundtrack reprints.
In particular, four soundtrack collections are now listed: Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX, Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance, and a conjoined release of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, and Kingdom Hearts Re:coded.
Save for the Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX soundtrack, which costs $42.99, the other three soundtrack reprints cost $30.99. Additionally, they're all planned to be shipped in September 2024.
The four soundtracks' store pages are listed below. The respective tracklists are also provided.
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX (Initially released on November 26, 2014)
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX (Initially released on November 26, 2014)
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep & 358/2 Days (+ Re:coded) (Initially released on February 2, 2011)
Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance (Initially released on April 18, 2012)
It's worth noting that the three-fold soundtrack release of Birth by Sleep, 358/2 Days, and Re:coded does not include the lattermost game's name in the title of the album itself. This titular omission is likely because only seven of the songs in the album originate from Kingdom Hearts Re:coded.
Lastly, Square Enix Japan also has each physical soundtrack available for pre-order. Contrasting the Square Enix North American store's shipment estimations, these Japanese releases are planned for August 16, 2024. Each store link is listed below alongside their prices:
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX (¥3,960)
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX (5,280)
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep & 358/2 Days (+ Re:coded) (¥3,981)
Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance (¥3,981)
You can view each of the album covers for each of the soundtracks in our galleries below:
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep & 358/2 Days (+Re:coded)
Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance
Additional Note: These are all CDs, not vinyl.
Square Enix and Disney have announced that the soundtracks of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Kingdom Hearts Re:coded, and Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance are now streaming.
This collective release is divided into two albums: Birth by Sleep, 358/2 Days, and Re: are coded in one, while Dream Drop Distance is on its own.
Further, these releases are separate from the previous soundtrack launches of Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix and Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, as those only contained remixes and arrangments. These recent releases feature the original compositions instead.
It's also worth noting that not every single song from each title is included; it's primarily the tracks unique to those entries and not repeats of tracks carried over from other games.
The Birth by Sleep, 358/2 Days, and Re:coded album is comprised of 80 songs collectively lasting around three hours and 30 minutes, while the Dream Drop Distance soundtrack features 52 songs across three hours.
Links to each supported streaming service are listed below:
Spotify:
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, 358/2 Days, and Re:coded
Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance
YouTube:
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, 358/2 Days, & Re:coded
Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance
Apple Music:
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, 358/2 Days, and Re:coded
Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance
Amazon Music:
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, 358/2 Days, and Re:coded
Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance
Sega Plaza is back with new Kingdom Hearts II additions to their "& You" prize line. These Mascot plushies are of Sora, The King, and Shadow.
These adorable plushies will be part of Sega Plaza's crane game lineup starting on September 20.
The plushies' small size will be approximately 8 x 4 x 10 cm (3.15 x 1.57 x 3.94 in).
Will you be trying your luck to get one of these plushies? Check them out below.
Square Enix has announced via X (formerly known as Twitter) the release of Kingdom Hearts II inspired hairclips scheduled for October 3rd, 2024 with pre-orders open now, for ¥1980 in their Japanese eStore.
There are two options:
Kingdom Hearts II Hair Clip Halloween Town A
Kingdom Hearts II Hair Clip Halloween Town B
Pictured in our gallery below:
One includes the crown with the Halloween Town symbol and the other the heart from the Halloween Town symbol.
Which one will you be purchasing? Tell us in the comments below.
Translation provided by KH13 team's Ryuji
The official X accounts for Square Enix Japan e-Store and AmiAmi have both listed Kingdom Hearts-themed drinking glasses, available now for pre-order on each of their stores. The glasses are shaped like soda cans and come in three different variations, perfect for any Kingdom Hearts fan or collector looking to quench their thirst.
The glasses are ¥1760 (or approximately $11.17 USD) each. They are set to release on September 28 through the Square Enix Japan e-Store, and in October through AmiAmi.
The designs are:
Emblem (Square Enix Japan e-Store / AmiAmi)
Sora (Crown) (Square Enix Japan e-Store / AmiAmi)
Organization XIII (Square Enix Japan e-Store / AmiAmi)
Take a closer look in our gallery below:
What do you think of these new Kingdom Hearts glasses? Will you be picking them up? Let us know in the comments below!
Thanks to KH13.com staff member Ryuji for the translations.
On July 8th, the Official Twitter account for the Square Enix e-Store announced that a lottery will soon be getting underway, with the prizes being revealed to be a series of Acrylic stands. These stands will take the form of the logos of the various Kingdom Hearts titles, including two separate ones featuring Sora, and Kairi upon their thrones!
Furthermore, pre-orders for these various potential prizes are available now, and will be so all the way until August 8th, with shipments making their way on September 30th. No indication has been given, or discovered so far which, if any prizes have a higher, or lesser chance of acquisition.
Below is a thorough translation by KH13.com staff member and translator, Ryuji:
e-Store Kuji presents the Kingdom Hearts Series / Logo Acrylic Collection.
Each kuji costs 500 yen, and the prizes are as follows:
Prize A: Kingdom Hearts
Prize B: Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
Prize C : Kingdom Hearts II
Prize D : Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days
Prize E: Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep
Prize F: Kingdom Hearts: Re:Coded
Prize G: Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance
Prize H: Kingdom Hearts: Union Cross
Prize I: Kingdom Hearts III
Prize J: Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory
Prize K: Kingdom Hearts: Missing-Link
Prize L: Throne Sora
Prize M: Throne Kairi
All of these look very nice, and with possibly an equal chance getting any of them, pre-orders are certain to go quickly. Will you try your hand at pre-ordering? Let us know which of these you'd like the most!
You can take a closer look in our gallery, here:
Square Enix has listed numerous new Kingdom Hearts-themed products on its Japanese online store, comprising Apple Watch Bands and Earphone Case Covers.
The Watch Bands are based on Roxas, Sora, Riku, Kairi, and a Monogram color scheme, each costing ¥4,950. Similarly, the Earphone Case Covers are based on the same characters sans Roxas, as well as a Treasure Chest and the Monogram color scheme for the same prices.
Moreover, each of these products is planned to be shipped on September 28, 2024.
You can view each of these items' store pages below, alongside images via our galleries below:
Monogram Apple Watch Band
Roxas Apple Watch Band
Sora Apple Watch Band
Riku Apple Watch Band
Kairi Apple Watch Band
Sora Earphone Case Cover
Riku Earphone Case Cover
Kairi Earphone Case Cover
Monogram Earphone Case Cover
Treasure Chest AirPods Pro Cover
Square Enix has announced that the Kingdom Hearts series will be arriving on Steam from June 13th, 2024.
The games will be available either as separate purchases or as one, single bundle called the Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece bundle, which includes the following:
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue
Kingdom Hearts III + ReMind DLC
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX will feature textural updates to its graphics and players who purchase Kingdom Hearts III + ReMind DLC or the Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece will receive a platform exclusive keyblade "Dead of Night", which can be viewed below:
Additionally, to celebrate the announcement, a trailer will be releasing tomorrow on Youtube featuring Utada Hikaru's Simple & Clean (Re-Recording), which will also be releasing as a single on May 22 at midnight JST. The song's Japanese language counterpart, Hikari (Re-Recording) was previously released in April as part of Utada Hikaru's newly released Science Fiction album.
What do you think about the Kingdom Hearts series coming to Steam? Let us know in the comments below!
UPDATE: The Steam store page links are listed below. Wishlisting is also available.
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue
Kingdom Hearts III + ReMind DLC
Official screenshots can be viewed via our gallery below:
Square Enix, Disney, and Sega have revealed a new plush of Sora in his Kingdom Hearts II attire. This item will be part of the Srag Plaza crame game lineup starting June 21, 2024.
The online retailer Aitai Kuji usually has these Kingdom Hearts items available for pre-order, so it's worth keeping an eye out if you're interested.
Other Kingdom Hearts Sega Plaza plushes include Halloween Town Sora, King Mickey, and Roxas.
You can view the new Kingdom Hearts II Sora plush below:
The Kingdom Hearts -Linking Hearts- Ichiban Kuji official website has revealed images of each of the prizes available for the upcoming Kingdom Hearts themed prize lottery, which include Kingdom Hearts themed character statues, plates, towels, cushions, and a Keyblade charm collection, releasing May 31st, 2024. MSRP for the prizes is expected to be ¥790, and stores handling the products include 7-Eleven Ito-Yokado, and Yume Town stores in Japan.
View our prior coverage of the Kingdom Hearts -Linking Hearts- Ichiban Kuji here.
You can take a closer look at each of the prizes in our gallery below
Which one of these new items would you like to add to your merchandise collection? Let us know in the comments below!
Sqaure Enix have announced on the Japanese Twitter/X account that the Android Closed Beta Test for Kingdom Hearts Missing Link will be pushed back a week. The CBT will now been conducted between May 2nd and May 10th. Players will be notified on or around April 26th.
In addition, a second iOS CBT will be happening during the same time as the Android CBT. This means the next CBT will be running on both Android and iOS systems, so this might mean that Kingdom Hearts Missing Link is within the last part of testing.
UPDATE (April 22, 2024): Sign up for the second iOS closed beta test has begun for Australia and United Kingdom. The sign up period will be from Apr 22nd to Apr 26th. You can apply by clicking here.
A newly re-recorded version of Hikari has released on Utada Hikaru's latest album, Science Fiction. The album, which released today features 26 tracks including newly mixed and re-recorded songs from across the singer's discography. Hikari, and its English language counterpart, Simple and Clean, have of course featured prominently as opening and ending themes throughout various games in the Kingdom Hearts series.
Back in January the tracklist for Science Fiction revealed Hikari, as one of the many songs on the album receiving a re-recording.
You can check out Hikari (Re-Recording) on the singer's official YouTube channel below
In the lead up to Science Fiction's release Utada Hikaru's official YouTube channel was also uploading 4K versions of previous music videos, including those for Hikari and Passion.
You can also listen to the full Science Fiction album on various music streaming platforms now.
What do you think of the newly re-recorded version of Hikari? Let us know in the comments below!
Square Enix has announced the launch of their new pet goods brand SQEX PETS, which will feature various merchandise for pets such as leashes, bandanas, clothing, beds and toys based on the Kingdom Hearts series as well as Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest.
With the exception of the Dragon Quest items, the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts items were supervised by Tetsuya Nomura, who also serves as character designer, game designer, and director for Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy. He also designed and drew the logo for FINAL FANTASY & PETs.
The Kingdom Hearts & Pets merchandise line contains six items
Cafe Monogram Mat
Sora dog wear
Monogram Pet Bandana
Monogram Pet Bed
Monogram Pet Leash
Paopu Fruit Rope Toy
You can take a closer look at the items in our gallery below
It should be noted that the products are currently listed as coming soon, and there is currently no release date or pricing information available for them as they are still under development and may not be sold depending on their development status.
Would you purchase Kingdom Hearts merchandise for your pets? Let us know in the comments below!
Thanks to our team's Ryuji for the translations.