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NEW EPSIODE: Everglow's KINGDOM HEARTS TIMELINE - Birth By Sleep

UPDATE: Episodes 24 and 25 of Everglow's series
have been released!  
KINGDOM HEARTS TIMELINE is an episodic look at the events of the Kingdom Hearts series, compiled chronologically. Featuring important scenes and gameplay from all games, Everglow works hard towards having a "perfect road to the final chapter of the Xehanort Saga".
 
You can view the latest episodes of KINGDOM HEARTS TIMELINE Birth by Sleep below:

 













 
Keeping up with KINGDOM HEARTS TIMELINE? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
maresalis

New Kingdom Hearts II assets discovered by 13th Vessel; includes Chain of Memories and a Deleted World

New assets and files from Kingdom Hearts II have been discovered by 13th Vessel. Some of the assets found include unused textures, maps, and items. Many of the assets have been discovered by others over the years, but something that wasn't revealed was that the Keyblade Graveyard could have been in the regular version of Kingdom Hearts II.
 
A transcript of the post can be viewed below.
 
You can check out the video below!



 
For more videos like this one, check out his Youtube channel. We also have a few articles about the assets in Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth By Sleep -A Fragmentary Passage- that 13th Vessel had a hand in. You can check them out right here and here.
 
What do you think of his video? Let us know in the comments below!
 
 


Ligero_miguel

Raxaimus' impressions of the Kingdom Hearts III Premiere Event demo

As an attendee of the Kingdom Hearts III Premiere Event, I got the chance to play the highly-anticipated Kingdom Hearts III alongside other Kingdom Hearts content creators, as well as the opportunity to provide direct feedback to the game’s developers. Before I begin, I’d like to thank Square Enix and the other members of KH13.com’s staff yet again, for allowing me the privilege to attend this event. It was a lot of fun to see some familiar faces, meet a bunch of new friends, and finally get my hands on Kingdom Hearts III. I hope that similar community-focused events will continue to take place in the future!
 
The two segments of Kingdom Hearts III that we were given the opportunity to play were the Rock Titan boss fight in Olympus, and around 30% of the much more exploration-focused Toy Box. In the short Olympus segment, Sora had access to Second Form, Wonder Balloon, and Big Magic Mountain, and players used these to defeat the Rock Titan. In the Toy Box demo, players explored Andy’s room, Andy’s front yard, and the massive Galaxy Toys toy store, experimenting with the rest of Sora’s abilities.
 
Within the demo, there were a great deal of positives interspersed with some very noticeable negatives. To provide a more structured critique, I’d like to give my impressions of this demo in the following format; I will be starting with pros, followed by cons, and then a few concerns that I have for Kingdom Hearts III that are unrelated to the demo itself. Keep in mind that Square Enix informed the event's attendees that they would be watching for our feedback in the week following the event. If it seems as though I am bringing up my concerns in a way that would directly address Square Enix and the Kingdom Hearts development team, please be aware that presenting this feedback for the team is one of my primary goals. I hope you enjoy my critique!
 


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Pros


 
First, I’d like to praise the sheer amount of options that are available in Kingdom Hearts III's combat. Between regular combos, Keyblade transformations, Links, Attraction Flows, Flowmotion, and Situation Commands that utilize party members, players are able to construct a very detailed play style that is ideal for their own tastes. In addition, many of these options are currently well-balanced, so a significant portion of the game’s combat system is equally valuable, rather than just a handful of abilities that shine above all others. The Fire/Thunder/Barrier Surge and Balloon/Balloonra/Balloonga commands in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance, respectively, both come to mind as examples of absurdly powerful abilities that outranked everything else, and for the most part, it seems that Square Enix has elected to avoid this flaw when designing the intricacies of the combat.
 
Keyblade transformations are a staple of Kingdom Hearts III’s combat, changing Sora’s attack patterns and allowing for unique play styles to shine. For instance, the magic-heavy Mirage Staff (my personal favorite of the three we got) features movement similar to Kingdom Hearts II’s Wisdom Form, and also allows Sora to attack from farther away. In addition, its Air Slide leaves copies of Sora that will shoot at enemies when prompted. Hyper Hammer, by contrast, is used to deal damage in a wide area of effect, and tends to stun enemies that get caught in its wide swings. These transformations also include additional tiers, bringing new attacks and finishers into the mix. They also change the player's magic spells, to keep them consistent with the design philosophy behind each transformation. All of this is great, and gets even better with my next point.
 
Alongside Keyblade transformations, Keyblade switching is a new (and hopefully permanent) addition to the Kingdom Hearts series. Within the Toy Box portion of the demo, we were able to switch between the Infinity Badge, Ever After, and Smile Gear Keyblades in the middle of combat (in the middle of a combo, even!). These Keyblades all come with their own transformations, and if the player activates a transformation and then switches their Keyblade, the transformed Keyblade is “stored” for later use, allowing players to go straight from a standard combo to a transformation with the press of a button. In line with this feeling of fluidity, I’m happy to report that combos can be modified with a mix of melee and magic attacks, which is a welcome inclusion from Kingdom Hearts II’s combat system. In addition, Sora now has an aerial guard maneuver, giving players the capability to remain defensive in most situations.
 
While some players may worry that the Focus gauge may not be utilized enough, I was pleasantly surprised to find that traditional Shotlocks and Flowchain both provide good uses of the Focus gauge, and don’t sacrifice game balance for the sake of flashy, overly stylish attacks. These attacks are all fast and responsive, and most importantly, the damage they deal is quite reasonable.
 
Compared to previous installments, Sora’s movement options have been expanded and changed for the better. Flowmotion returns from Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance, but has been heavily re-balanced. The infamous Flowmotion attacks have become drastically less powerful (Shock Dive no longer produces a large shockwave, for instance), and players can only jump off of walls about two or three times, meaning that it is now impossible to scale giant objects with Flowmotion alone. However, this does not mean that scaling walls is impossible. Certain walls, indicated by an upward-traveling wave effect, can be used to wall-run. This movement is three-directional, allowing Sora to travel upwards or to the left or right. If Sora falls off of a wall, or needs to get onto the wall from midair, simply pressing against the wall while falling will allow players to continue their ascent. Due to the aforementioned factors, platforming has never been more fun to partake in, since Sora’s varied movement options present players with both a great deal of freedom, as well as a significant feeling of responsiveness.
 
Moving on to the game’s visual presentation, I have to say that I am very impressed by the level of detail on display. The addition of idle animations for the party members and physics-based interactions have given Kingdom Hearts III those extra touches that elevate its already legendary visuals to new heights. For a few examples, individual blades of grass react to the movement of characters, a crumpled paper ball can be juggled, and Sora’s hair blows faintly in the wind. The game’s worlds feel very alive, containing plenty of interactive elements and secrets. Even though there weren’t many NPCs like there will be in the Kingdom of Corona world, there are plenty of little touches and details that make exploring Toy Box a real treat. I’m fairly certain that none of the attendees were able to explore and find everything that the demo had to offer on their own, and with only 30% of Toy Box available to us with this demo, it seems like the exploration aspect of the game will only get much bigger and much better as we explore the final game.
 
As my final positive point, I’d like to touch on the game’s music. Kingdom Hearts has consistently provided me with some of my favorite musical tracks ever, and Kingdom Hearts III is certainly no slouch in this department. The new tracks present within Toy Box are very catchy, with Toy Story’s famous song “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” making an appearance as the field theme. The battle theme is equal parts uplifting and frenetic, in classic Disney fashion. However, we also heard several returning tracks that got a welcome overhaul. “The Deep End” is probably the most notable of these, being fully orchestrated and having entirely new segments interwoven into the familiar melody. However, tracks such as “Hand in Hand” are also present, and have received a slight EDM-style flair. Overall, I think Yoko Shimomura has absolutely given the soundtrack of Kingdom Hearts III everything that she can muster, and I’m extremely happy with the results.
 

Cons


 
Moving on to discuss Kingdom Hearts III’s current flaws, I’d be doing this critique a disservice if I did not mention the floaty feeling within the combat. After attacking in the air or performing an Air Slide, Sora has a bit of a delay before starting to fall to the ground. This can most closely be compared to Aqua’s physics in Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage-, where any action taken in the air carried a delay of a fraction of a second, before the animation resolved and gravity took over. This floaty feeling was not present in Kingdom Hearts II, where Sora’s actions would be subject to gravity while an animation was in its final frames. In addition, a lot of the attacks themselves feel somewhat sluggish and clunky to transition between, making Sora feel a little stiff to control in the middle of a combo, especially when compared to the quick, fluid, and responsive combos from Kingdom Hearts II. A stronger adherence to Kingdom Hearts II's physics and responsiveness would be very well received by the majority of fans.
 
One of the other major complaints that has arisen in response to prior trailers and this demo is the frequency of Situation Commands. I’d like to think that the values were tweaked regarding how often these commands appear, as trailers and demos are meant to market a game, and showing off some of the flashier attacks that Sora can use is an effective way of doing that. These values, therefore, may not be representative of the final product. However, when playing Kingdom Hearts III in a more free-form environment, being overwhelmed by a large amount of Situation Commands will present the feeling that these are meant to be the primary form of combat, above all other methods, which I think is an unfortunately shallow representation of the game (see the Surge/Balloon point I made at the beginning of my discussion on the game’s pros).
 
An ideal philosophy, mechanics-wise, would be for Sora’s innate abilities to have their place in the spotlight, and then to use the secondary abilities and Situation Commands as a complement to Sora’s own power, rather than making them the focus. These abilities should instead feel rewarding to obtain, rather than being handed to players for using one or two spells, for example. By making them the focus and having them be so frequent, Sora's combos, spells, and original abilities are devalued, and players will elect not to use them as a result.
 
In addition, based on what I played, the various Attraction Flows and Limits (Situation Commands utilizing Sora’s party members) seemed to appear quite randomly, rather than having some easily discernible cause for being given. I initially thought that Attraction Flows showed up based solely on the present location, but these commands have apparently appeared for other players when they are in completely different environments. For instance, the Pirate Ship command only appeared in Andy’s front yard for me, but it is also apparently available in various sections of the toy store, according to other players’ footage of the game.
 
Due to the aforementioned points, perhaps allowing us to adjust the frequency of Situation Commands, or even completely disable those we don't like, would be a good gameplay element to include. These attacks are an extension of Sora's abilities and those of his friends, so they should be treated as such, rather than becoming the main weapon in their arsenal. They should also be able to be toggled, and their frequency tweaked, just like similar abilities' options in Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II. Another good course of action, in addition to what I just mentioned, would be to make the seemingly random conditions for activating certain commands more apparent.
 
I previously believed that summons (referred to as Links in the game) were also overhauled, keeping party members around while the summon is occurring. Unfortunately, this is not the case, even though the party's health bars are still present. These health bars should disappear to avoid causing confusion, as several players made this mistake the first time they saw a summon.
 
On a related note, though, I'd like to talk about how invincibility frames are handled. During the finishers of several different commands, including the aforementioned summons, Sora is locked into a particular animation, unable to avoid any damage. Players don't have any invincibility during these sections, which can often lead to Sora suffering an unfortunate death through no fault of the player.
 
This next point may seem minor, but has been a serious concern amongst those who’ve played the demo. The colored wave effect that travels up the entirety of a wall-run compatible surface has often been noted as being “too distracting” and “a case of visual overload”. Since the wave effect travels along any surface that can be climbed, it has capacity to appear far too often, potentially overwhelming the appearance of an area, and distracting players who are exploring or fighting. A more subtle effect would be a much better way to effectively communicate the intended function to the player, without sacrificing the aesthetic of the area or dividing the player’s attention.
 
As the final negative critique I have, I'd like to bring up the topic of input lag. All of the demo setups at the event had a large amount of delay between pressing a button and receiving a response from the game, making actions feel even more sluggish than they already appear and feel. This could be a result of the specific TV models we were playing on, but it’s a point that has been very commonly complained about by attendees, so it is worth taking into serious consideration. If there is any sort of input delay inherent within Kingdom Hearts III, it should ideally be fixed while optimizing other aspects of performance such as the game’s framerate.
 

Miscellaneous Concerns


 
Finally, there are a few concerns that I would like to bring up that are unrelated to the material that I played in the demo. Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance started the trend of having to play the game once to unlock the much-beloved Critical Mode, and this trend continued with the release of Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage-. A large portion of the fanbase, myself included, believe that Critical Mode should be made available from the start of Kingdom Hearts III, rather than being unlocked by beating the game once. Speaking personally, I usually play Kingdom Hearts games on the highest difficulty available, because I love a good challenge. Having to play through a game once to unlock a higher difficulty is usually an unwanted chore that challenge-oriented players just slog through to get what they wanted in the first place. There is no reason for Kingdom Hearts III to feel like a chore, especially when it is meant to be fun for anyone who plays. As a result, Critical Mode should be an immediately available option for players looking to challenge themselves, rather than a reward to be unlocked later.
 
Similar to the previous point, Critical Mode should also be properly balanced and rewarding. In Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage-, Critical Mode not only increased enemies’ damage output, as one would expect, but also took away crucial abilities and halved the player’s MP. This made Critical Mode feel like an unfair and punishing experience, rather than a fair challenge that is fun to proceed through. Instead of making Critical Mode absurdly hard for the sake of being absurdly hard, this difficulty should be developed with the philosophy of offering the player a legitimate and fun challenge.
 


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I hope you've enjoyed what I have to say! Whether you are a developer at Square Enix who is working on Kingdom Hearts III, or just an average fan who wants the best for a series we love, I hope you value my impressions and feedback, as well as the impressions and feedback of everyone else who got to play the game!
 
What do you think of my impressions of the Kingdom Hearts III Premiere Event demo? Do you have any concerns of your own that you hope Square Enix will address? Let us know in the comments below!
Raxaimus

RUMOR: More Kingdom Hearts III Funko Pop Announcement

Another wave of Kingdom Hearts III Funko POP figures has been rumored to release by popcurated. This wave is reported to include Kingdom Hearts III Mickey, Riku, Soldier Heartless, and Vanitas.
 



 
This rumor comes a week after the first wave was rumored. There isn't a release date announced yet or confirmation by Funko.
 
What do you think of this set? Will there be more Kingdom Hearts III Funko figures? Let us know in the comments below!
Leamax

Kingdom Hearts III Premium Invitation Fact Sheet gives details on what to expect

Square Enix released a press release detailing some key points from the Kingdom Hearts III Premium Event. Included on the key points are Keyblade transformations, interacting with the environments (dive deep underwater, scaling massive cliffs, free-falling), using Attractions in combat, and Classic Kingdom minigames.
 
You can view the transcript below.
 
 
What do you think of this fact sheet? Let us know in the comments below and check out our coverage from the Premiere Event here!
Leamax

Everglow's Kingdom Hearts Timeline Episode 15 now available

Episode 15 of Everglow's new series Kingdom Hearts Timeline series has been released! This episode marks the fourth installment in the series' Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep section. It follows the events of Terra's and Ven's adventures in Enchanted Dominion and Dwarf Woodlands.
 
You can view Kingdom Hearts Timeline episode 15 below.
 




 
What's your favorite part of this episode of Kingdom Hearts Timeline? Let us know in the comments below!
Leamax

Everglow's Kingdom Hearts Timeline Episode 14 now available

Episode 14 of Everglow's popular Kingdom Hearts Timeline series has been released! This episode marks the third installment in the series' Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep section. It follows the events after the Mark of Mastery exam and how Terra, Aqua, and Ven's individual journeys begin.
 
You can view Kingdom Hearts Timeline episode 14 below.
 




 
What's your favorite part of this episode of Kingdom Hearts Timeline? Let us know in the comments below!
Overshot_

Kingdom Hearts III release date to be revealed early next month

Tetsuya Nomura has revealed at the Premiere Event that we can expect to see the release date announcement of Kingdom Hearts III early this June. You can view the statement below.
This means that we could see the release date revealed at Square Enix's E3 press conference, or at the Kingdom Hearts Orchestra World Tour in Los Angeles on the 9th of June.
 
When do you think Kingdom Hearts III will launch this year? Let us know in the comments below.
For everything on the Premiere Event, check out our coverage here.
gepugg

Wreck-It Ralph revealed as a summon for Kingdom Hearts III

Wreck-It Ralph has been revealed to be a summon in Kingdom Hearts III at the Kingdom Hearts III Premiere Event today.
 
In gameplay videos released by several gaming outlets, gameplay footage was shown that featured Ralph being summoned by Sora in the world of Toy Box.
 
A full gameplay analysis will be available soon, so keep an eye on KH13.com for all upcoming news from the Premiere Event! Check out screenshots of Ralph in action below.
 


 
Are you excited to see Wreck-It Ralph in Kingdom Hearts III? Let us know in the comments below.
 
For everything on the Premiere Event, check out our coverage here.
gepugg

Coverage: Kingdom Hearts III Premiere Event

Welcome to KH13.com’s live coverage of the Kingdom Hearts III Premiere Event in Santa Monica, California!
 
The event will run from 11:00 AM PDT to 3:00 PM PDT. Doors will open at 10:30 AM PDT. The event is invite-only, and we've got staff members Toominator (@ToominatorKH13) and Raxaimus (@RaxaimusKH13) representing us at the event!
 
Kingdom Hearts Director Tetsuya Nomura will be in attendance alongside Co-Director Tai Yasue and several Square Enix staff members. Attendees will be using the hashtag #KH3Premiere to share information from the event!
 
Stay tuned to our live coverage and on Twitter as we keep you up to date with info provided by attendees and all available news!
 
For more news updates, follow us on Facebook and Tumblr!
 
 
 

Article




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Wreck-It Ralph revealed as a summon for Kingdom Hearts III!
Kingdom Hearts III release date to be revealed early next month!


Recaps




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Raxaimus' impressions of the Kingdom Hearts III Premiere Event demo!


Updates




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Pre-event
May 15, 2018: Kingdom Hearts III Invitational Premiere Event overview
 
Event Day [May 18th, 2018]
5:50 AM PDT: The Kingdom Hearts Twitter is getting ready for the event!
6:00 AM PDT: The Embargo has been lifted!
6:01 AM PDT: Kingdom Hearts Facebook uploaded new screenshots, including Wreck-It Ralph as a summon!
6:40 AM PDT: Toy Story's world name revealed to be Toy Box!
7:30 AM PDT: Button assignments and commands available in English for the first time!
8:30 AM PDT Staff Members Raxaimus and Toominator have arrived at the #KH3Premiere!
8:42 AM PDT: It has been confirmed that the names of the Keyblades will be "Ever After" for Tangled, "Infinity Badge" for Toy Story, and "Smile Gear" for Monsters, Inc.!
9:28 AM PDT: Ariel's Link is called "Lagoon Showtime" and Wreck-It Ralph's is "8-Bit Blast"!
10:23 AM PDT: Everyone has arrived for the event!
10:27 AM PDT: And they're headed in!
11:00 AM PDT: A first glimpse at the venue as our staff head inside!
11:00 AM PDT: The panel is starting soon!
11:02 AM PDT: Shinji Hashimoto has taken the stage!
11:03 AM PDT: The demo played today will be fully in English!
11:05 AM PDT: Tetsuya Nomura and Tai Yasue begin the panel. They explain the theme of KH3 is heart and resolution. Expect some surprises and the ending might be hard for us to take!
11:10 AM PDT: Pixar has been "a necessity". Nomura talks about the scale of the Pixar worlds and Square Enix's unique influence!
11:16 AM PDT: The panel offers some tips for playing the demo!
11:18 AM PDT: Audience was shown a video of the development process for Tangled and Monster, Inc.!
11:19 AM PDT: You can switch Keyblades while using Keyblade Transformations!
11:22 AM PDT: Yasue and Nomura gives closing messages, Yasue notes how he loves how expressive YouTubers are and looks foward to their reactions while playing today!
11:25 AM PDT: Nomura's closing message: more information coming next month that will help us understand the game better! Says we might have a hard time keeping up with info!
11:33 AM PDT: King Mickey is here to celebrate and take pictures with the attendees!
11:38 AM PDT: Nomura spotted wearing a Stark Industries shirt!
11:39 AM PDT: Attendees get a better look at the venue and are invited to try Sea-Salt Ice Cream!
12:17 PM PDT: Toominator and Raxaimus meet co-director Tai Yasue and try some Sea-Salt Ice Cream!
 
 

Gallery




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Leamax

BANDAI Kingdom Hearts Gacha Capsule Keyblade Keychain set now available for pre-order on Aitai☆Kuji; releasing in September 2018

BANDAI is coming out with a Kingdom Hearts Gacha Capsule Keyblade Keychain set later this year. The 6-piece set includes 6 keyblades from the original Kingdom Hearts: Kingdom Key, Three Wishes, Crabclaw, Oathkeeper, Oblivion, and Ultima Weapon [KH1]. You can view them in the gallery below.
 



 
Pre-orders for the set are now available on Aitai☆Kuji. You can buy the Full set for $35.00. There is also a Blind Bag for $6.00 and Individual for $8.00.
 
The set is scheduled to release in September.
 
What do you think of this Keyblade set? Would you buy individuals, blind bag, or the full set? Let us know in the comments below!
Leamax

Everglow's Kingdom Hearts Timeline episode 13 now available

Episode 13 of Everglow's popular Kingdom Hearts Timeline series has been released! This episode marks the second installment in the series' Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep section, and covers the night before Terra and Aqua's Mark of Mastery exam, as well as the events of the exam itself.
 
You can view Kingdom Hearts Timeline episode 13 below.
 




 
What was your favorite part of this episode of Kingdom Hearts Timeline? Let us know in the comments below!
Raxaimus

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