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Kingdom Hearts III pre-order items from other countries now available as Square Enix Member Rewards

The Square Enix store recently updated their member rewards section, which now includes the pre-order bonuses for Kingdom Hearts III from other countries. Fans can redeem their points for five different items, including two different yo-yos, a calendar, a button set, and a light up key chain. The point reward requirements are below.
Kingdom Hearts III - Puffy Light up Heartless Key chain
100 points
Kingdom Hearts III - Button 3 Set 
150 points
Kingdom Hearts III - 2019 Calendar
200 points
Kingdom Hearts III - Light up Yo-Yo
100 points
Kingdom Hearts III - Molded glow in the dark Yo-Yo
80 points
KHWaterBlock

Official music video for 'Face My Fears' now available

Skrillex has uploaded the official music video for 'Face My Fears', the Kingdom Hearts III opening theme he produced with Utada Hikaru and Poo Bear. You can view it below!
Follow our master coverage of Kingdom Hearts III and stay up to date with the latest news via our Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr!
Latest Kingdom Hearts III news:
- Read our review of Kingdom Hearts III - a masterpiece
- "Face My Fears" debuts at #98 on Billboard's Hot 100
- Kingdom Hearts III sold over 600,000 physical copies in Japan
Aquaberry

[Updated] KH13's Kingdom Hearts III review and video review

Our spikey-haired hero has returned to continue his fight against the darkness in a brand new and most awaited installment of the 17-year saga, Kingdom Hearts III! Kingdom Hearts III is a masterpiece that flourishes through the cinematic cutscenes, gameplay, and story while retaining bits and pieces from past games. This preliminary review will go over our staff's  takeaways of the game without spoiling the story. An in-depth analysis and video review will also be coming soon! Update [Feb 11, 2019]: Our video review, which includes our rating and a fuller discussion on the game, is now up! Watch it here or scroll down to the bottom of this article!

The charm of Kingdom Hearts III lies prominently in the amazing cinematic scenes Square Enix developed working in unison with Disney and Disney Pixar. Compared to the past games in the series, Kingdom Hearts III’s cutscenes are more vibrant and the characters are far more expressive, both in cinematics and in gameplay. No more robot face Sora! Sora blends in smoothly with Pixar characters as if he were originally part of the movies. The scenes transition into battle flawlessly and without delay. Along with the beautiful visuals, Yoko Shimomura’s arrangements amp up the emotion throughout the game and resonate nostalgia, beginning with the new arrangement of Dearly Beloved. Hearing Dearly Beloved brought back many memories and emotions from the years of playing the series. To top it off, the dialogue is delightful; written by director Tetsuya Nomura himself, the scenarios were scripted naturally, with humor scattered throughout that underlined the theme of friendship. You will find yourself chuckling even at the cheesiest lines! The story is an engaging experience with contributions by the player itself but also succeeds in delivering the immersive of the original Disney movies themselves.

As expected, Kingdom Heart's storytelling's staple convolution throughout over a dozen different games may hinder new players from grasping the core plot elements - even at a basic level. Actually, it's not even an issue of understanding the plot, which is partly aided by references to past events, flashbacks, and the Memory Archive summary videos; but rather it is an issue of appreciating it. Longtime fans may make jokes regarding the series's plot but we still find ourselves enraptured by plot twists (and holes), tangled dialogue, vague implications, abstract references, and symbolism in the story. For brand new or fairly new players, their inexperience with the "side games" of the story (whose stories can be accessed at once via the 1.5+2.5 and 2.8 collections for PS4) may not hinder the fun of playing Kingdom Hearts III or even understanding the superficial plot points, but can sadly interfere with the delight that comes with both comprehending the underlying plot and characters' personalities or pondering about its mysteries. Despite this, whether Kingdom Hearts III can encourage new players to try out the other games (or at least read multiple wikis on the series) is a question that needs to be asked exclusively to those very players.

Before we dive in to discuss battle, let's take a moment to talk about the amazing Gummiphone. The Gummiphone is first introduced as a way to communicate in the Kingdom Hearts universe and as a way for Jiminy Cricket to record your adventures. But as with any smartphone, its main use becomes quickly evident; selfies! Characters will pose when you aim the front or back camera at them, and you can make Sora give a cheesy smile (pun intended). Some characters are more photogenic than others (*cough* Rapunzel *cough*) and you may find yourself taking a few dozen pictures of or with them. The views are also breathtaking, in some worlds more than others, and you can't help but want to record this in photographs. Unfortunately, the maximum number of photographs allowed is 100; but you can easily save your favorite ones externally on social media, and delete some as you go along, such as the Lucky Emblems photos, which are stored in their own separate album. Speaking of Lucky Emblems (just another name for Hidden Mickeys, really), snapping a good picture of them will enable you to unlock the secret ending movie after beating the game upon installing Update 1.03. The requirements are to snap all 90 Emblems in Beginner mode, 60 on Standard, and 30 on Proud, and the movie can be viewed either after the Epilogue or in the Theatre.


Now, onto battles. Kingdom Hearts III’s gameplay feels very fluid and has improved from the demo. There are factors that pay homage to past games such as the return of Flowmotion and Shotlock. The game also has many new varieties of mechanics. Formchanges, in which Sora and Keyblades transform into powerful forms with very effective combos, and a mechanic called Attractions, that unveil beautiful cinematic scenes of Sora, Donald, and Goofy riding recognizable Disney rides that release powerful finishers. The detail and time put into the Attractions are amazing, and many, like Splash Run, leave you feeling like you're riding them yourself; but they often feel excessive and overpowered in battle. There are times during battle when I accidentally trigger the Attractions and it feels more in the way than helping. (By the way, you can change between different reaction commands using L2!)

There are many layers in this game that enable you to vary your strategy from world to world, battle to battle, and within the same battle! As always, you can equip your favorite abilities, but in Kingdom Hearts III it is one of the keys to making gameplay more challenging. In fact, selecting Proud mode is only one way to test one's abilities; for more competitive players, equipping and unequipping certain abilities (such as MP Safety, Zero EXP, or Auto-Finish) is highly recommended. A monumental change has been implemented in the Keyblades in this game; along with formchanges, each with their own gimmicks and abilities, even more variety can be added by switching between 3 Keyblades in a single battle or even during combos! Switching Keyblades also helps in retaining forms by preventing their timer from depleting. And if that isn't enough, you can power up your Keyblades with the help of Moogles, the meisters of synthesis! After formchanging your Keyblade, you can choose to deal powerful finishing attacks; some can leave you with a sense of accomplishments as you knock down enemy after enemy; others... not so much. (Try the Hero's Origin Keyblade finisher for the Counter Shield formchange when you get the time; you will know exactly what I mean!)

Among Kingdom Hearts III's plethora of battle elements to use at your disposal, other examples include Links with other Disney Characters (and Dream Eaters) and Team-up Attacks with your allies. It feels refreshing to be able to hear your party members call out to alert you that they are ready to deliver a special move together. Some of these moves can also be used outside of (or exclusively in) battle to overcome barriers in your exploration, such as burning debris with Goofy's shield or tall cliffs with Rapunzel's hair.

Variety in combat would mean very little if not accompanied by a variety of battles. Fortunately, in Kingdom Hearts III, the two go hand-in-hand. (Yes, pun intended.) The enemies in the game are quite diverse and therefore push you to choose different combat strategies; this aids even the least creative, most stoic players to come up with their own styles - and enjoy doing so! Almost every fight - from the hordes of Heartless to the small, medium, and big boss fights - has a different fighting experience to offer. The boss fights are always interesting and ask you to change strategies during the battle and relish in figuring your way out of it.

The worlds of Kingdom Hearts III also introduce new mini-games for players to enjoy! Each world has its own set of games along with recurring ones. A favorite of mine is the Tangled rhythm mini-game where Sora dances at the festival in Corona. The mechanics are very similar to Atlantica’s mini-game in Kingdom Hearts II, but the music is instrumental and amps the rhythm as you proceed through the different stages. Classic Kingdom mini-games are also accessible through the Gummiphone, inspired by LCD games and themed after classic black and white Disney shorts; these are simple yet addictive, and fun to spend time playing during breaks from grander fights and breaking previous records.

Something convenient in Kingdom Hearts III is Remy's restaurant in Twilight Town - which can be accessed through the world map as well! At Remy's Bistro, you can use the ingredients you've collected to cook new recipes through a pleasing mini-game and the outcomes are beneficial! When dishes are consumed, it raises stats for a temporary amount of time (and you get a bonus for a full-course meal). Ingredients can be bought in Moogle Shops but also collected in different worlds; make sure to check every cranny, smash every barrel, hit all the bushes, and swim every way! Even if those broken barrels don't yield anything on your shopping list, they might give you some extra Munny to spend - which is great, because you might find yourself strapped for cash otherwise.

Apart from looking for ingredients and Lucky Emblems, another element that rewards the player for exploration comes with the Gummi Ship's "open-world" mode, but let's talk about that within the next section of our review: the return of the Gummi Ship.
It could not have been imagined in any better way.
The Gummi Ship element of the gameplay has been completely overhauled in Kingdom Hearts III. You can now explore the universe freely and multi-directionally, leading your own way across asteroids, avoiding enemies, marveling at space lights or venturing to find treasures hidden inside puzzle-like Treasure Spheres while bathed in the light of faraway stars. The stars themselves may represent a constellation that you can take pictures of (yes, you can use your Gummiphone in space) to be rewarded with new blueprints. And then, when you're well rested, you can dash towards enemies of your level of choice and engage in a fight in the Gummi Ship's battle mode. The Gummi Ship can be customized to boost appearance and stats at an even greater level in this game, and can be equipped with auxiliaries such as special weapons and "teeny ships"! It is something I suggest you play yourself to experience the marvel of. Below are some of our favorite Gummi Ship designs!



In conclusion, Kingdom Hearts III isn't perfect, but it's definitely a masterpiece. Following the series for years, this game stirs up so many emotions and is a rollercoaster ride from beginning to end. It makes you laugh so hard that you can't breathe, it also breaks your heart and makes you cry. It is incredibly fun to play and easy to immerse yourself into as it offers you the freedom to choose your own play style, all this in a gorgeous Disney and Square Enix original settings.
If you haven't picked up Kingdom Hearts III yet, you should! If you are new to the series, the game offers a memory archive in which you can watch videos recapping the past games, and is not timid in bringing back events from the past to remind old players and recap new ones. If you are Disney fans, all the better experience as it takes you on a nostalgic adventure as you re-experience beloved stories or a new storyline altogether with your favorite Disney characters. But to truly appreciate the charm of its storytelling, we recommend playing Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX and Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, both on PS4 and also available as a physical bundle in Kingdom Hearts -The Story So Far- and digitally in the All-In-One Package. If all else fails, there's always fanmade recap videos such as the Kingdom Hearts Timeline series to help you out!
But whether or not this is your first Kingdom Hearts game, it will be an insanely fun ride.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr for more news on Kingdom Hearts, and keep in touch with the latest highlights through our Kingdom Hearts III master coverage!
UPDATE [Feb 11, 2019]: You can also watch our video review for a fuller discussion by Staff @Toominator and @SeaSaltShelby on what they enjoyed, the most and  the least, about Kingdom Hearts III!

Kingdom Hearts III review codes were provided by Square Enix. This review pertains to Version 1.00 played on a standard PlayStation 4. This review was co-written by Erica-Janine Sanguir and Fatima Kaiyum; it been updated with additional comments after Update 1.03. The video review was made by @Toominator and @SeaSaltShelby.
For more reviews by critics, click here.
xionskeyblade

Kingdom Hearts III Update 1.03 comprising Secret Movie is now available for download

The Kingdom Hearts III's Update 1.03  comprising the "secret movie" is now available for download on the PlayStation and Xbox stores!
Kingdom Hearts III is following the footsteps of a number of past games in that players can unlock a secret ending after satisfying certain conditions depending on the difficulty level they have chosen. For Kingdom Hearts III, one must capture a certain number of photos of the Mickey Mouse lucky emblems that can be found around the worlds. For beginner difficulty, they must capture all of them; this is less in standard mode, and even less in proud mode.
What kind of secret ending does director Tetsuya Nomura have in store for us? Will it foreshadow the events in the next game in the series? You can discuss in our Kingdom Hearts III forum!
Follow our master coverage of Kingdom Hearts III and stay up to date with the latest news via our Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr!
Latest Kingdom Hearts III news:
- "Face My Fears" debuts at #98 on Billboard's Hot 100
- Kingdom Hearts III sold over 600,000 physical copies in Japan
- Kingdom Hearts executive producer Shinji Hashimoto has reflected on Kingdom Hearts III's release with a message to fan
Aquaberry

"Face My Fears" debuts at #98 on Billboard's Hot 100

"Face My Fears" debuted this week at #98 on the Billboard Hot 100. This is the first appearance for Utada Hikaru on the Billboard Hot 100 in her career and for Skrillex, it's his eight Top 100 appearance.
This comes a week after "Face My Fears" came in at #1 on iTunes International Album chart.
 
"Face My Fears" is available worldwide; the album song can be bought from the Apple Store, Google Play Music, and Amazon as well as streamed on Spotify. You can also now listen to it in Kingdom Hearts III itself, during the opening cinematics. For lyrics and more information, click here.
Follow our master coverage of Kingdom Hearts III and stay up to date with the latest news via our Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and Discord!
Leamax

Kingdom Hearts III sold over 600,000 physical copies in the first three days in Japan

The sales information for the week of January 21 – January 27, 2019 are in for Japan, and Kingdom Hearts III has performed very well. In the first three days that the game was available, Kingdom Hearts III has sold over 600,000 copies in Japan (610,077 copies according to 4gamer). Note that these numbers include both the standard and deluxe editions of the game, but only include physical copies sold, not digital copies.
Resident Evil 2 was second place for the week, with ~253,000 copies sold.
DChiuch

Kingdom Hearts executive producer Shinji Hashimoto has reflected on Kingdom Hearts III's release with a message to fans

Shinji Hashimoto, the executive producer of the Kingdom Hearts series, has shared his thoughts on Kingdom Hearts III's release with a message to the fans. In the heartfelt message, Hashimoto shows his passion for the series and wishes everyone a lot of fun with the new game. Thanks to the official PlayStation blog, it can be read below.
Be sure to follow our master coverage for Kingdom Hearts III!
DChiuch

Tetsuya Nomura has left a message for fans in the Kingdom Hearts III artbook

As is tradition, the director of the Kingdom Hearts series, Tetsuya Nomura, has included a message with Kingdom Hearts III to commemorate the game's release. The message is available in the artbook included in the deluxe edition of the game, and goes over the director's feelings about the game's release, his wishes for after you finish the game, and his deliberation to choose the game's ending (but don't worry, there are no spoilers)!
You can read Nomura's message below.
Be sure to follow our master coverage for Kingdom Hearts III!
DChiuch

Donald and Goofy's English voice actors reflect on Kingdom Hearts III

D23, the official Disney fan club, have conducted an interview with the English voice actors for Goofy and Donald Duck in the Kingdom Hearts series – Bill Farmer and Tony Anselmo. The voice actors reflect on 17 years of voicing for the Kingdom Hearts series, and share their thoughts about Kingdom Hearts III and the future of the series.
Check out the interview below, thanks to D23!
Be sure to follow our master coverage for Kingdom Hearts III!
DChiuch

Unboxing of Kingdom Hearts III Deluxe Edition, Toy Story Bring Arts figures, and Kingdom Hearts III PlayStation 4 Pro

During E3 of 2018, Square Enix announced a variety of limited edition products for Kingdom Hearts III, including the Deluxe Edition + Bring Arts figures, as well as a limited edition PlayStation 4 Pro. The former found its way to the Square Enix store immediately, while the latter was sadly nowhere to be found outside of Japan, at least for several months. Upon the news that GameStop and other retailers would be carrying the console worldwide, fans went wild attempting to pre-order this rare system.
With a bit of luck and a hit to my spending money, I was fortunate enough to obtain both of these highly sought-after items. Below, you can see my unboxing of the various contents that I received on the afternoon of January 28th.
Overall, I am very happy with everything I received!
The Kingdom Hearts III Deluxe Edition itself is quite a step up from most other collector's editions the series has had over the years. The inclusion of a standard case alongside the steelbook is very considerate for those of us who love to collect the series' various box arts. The steelbook's design is not only pleasing to look at, but as an attendee of Kingdom Hearts III's Premiere Event last year, it also brought back a lot of good memories for me, due to a similar aesthetic being used quite frequently at that event's venue. The artbook, like others before it, is a treat to look through, showcasing various worlds, characters, and Keyblades from the game. Finally, the pin is quite awesome. While it's not quite as unique as prior Kingdom Hearts pins have been, it carries a lot of charm in a simple design and relatively simple shape. It certainly doesn't disappoint!
Regarding the Bring Arts figures, while I found it strange that the Sora Bring Arts figure's head was detached from the body, the fix for such an issue is relatively easy. I will, however, echo a long-standing sentiment about this line of figures: the plastic for the hands should be softer and more malleable. All too often, I see complaints about trying to attach a figure's hands (an issue I actually had in my unboxing), as well as trying to fit weapons into the appropriate hand models. Fans would often struggle to pry the fingers apart in order to fit a Keyblade or other object. This is an issue which has persisted with the Play Arts and Bring Arts figure lines for years, and I hope to someday see a change to reflect this request. Otherwise, these figures are definitely on par with other Play Arts and Bring Arts lines, with every single bit of detail and quality that such a standard entails. In particular, these Toy Story figures look like they could have jumped out from the game itself! Very impressive, regardless of any minor issues I have!
Speaking about the PlayStation 4 Pro, the quality of the product is absolutely astounding. I was initially very skeptical about the leather-like finish the console's top plate had received, thinking that it was nothing more than empty marketing. However, after holding the console in my hands and running my fingers across this finish, I can now say that the claims are absolutely warranted. The feeling isn't quite that of actual leather, but the imitation is superb regardless. If this is the level of quality we can expect from Square Enix's limited-edition consoles in the future, I can't wait to see what else they might bring to us in the future.
Kingdom Hearts III is now available for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One!
Follow our master coverage of Kingdom Hearts III and stay up to date with the latest news via our Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and Discord!
Latest news:
- Skrillex talks about producing "Face My Fears" with Utada Hikaru
- Kingdom Hearts Snapchat crown filter available for limited time
- Kingdom Hearts III trophy list
Raxaimus

Skrillex talks about producing "Face My Fears" with Utada Hikaru

On the day of Kingdom Hearts III's worldwide release, The Verge published an interview with Skrillex (Sonny Moore), who is credited for producing the game's opening theme "Face My Fears" with Utada Hikaru.
Skrillex met Utada Hikaru  in the artists' lounge at a heavy metal festival in Germany in 2013.
Since then, they kept in touch. They caught up in two years ago on the phone when Utada told him that she was working on the theme song for Kingdom Hearts III. She proposed that he could do a remix of it. At the time, she sent him 'Don't Think Twice', which was supposed to be the only original theme song for the game; but Skrillex wasn't sure what he could do with it.
Last summer, Utada happened to be in London, where Skrillex was working with producer Poo Bear (Jason Boyd). 
They went to the studio to try it out.
Skrillex said that it was everything he expected. While working on it, he soundtracked his work with the Kingdom Hearts III trailers.
The song was apparently finished a year* before it released.
In regards to Kingdom Hearts, of which he has been a longtime fan, Skrillex said:
Regardless of his work in Kingdom Hearts III, he still didn't receive a copy of the game in advance!
*The times mentioned in the original article by The Verge are slightly contradicting. Skrillex said "Face My Fears" was produced about a year before it released/was put in the game (according to The Verge, a year before it 'saw the light of day'). This contradicts The Verge's retelling which says that it was conceived 'last summer' (2018). It could be that Skrillex was referencing the new year and not a full yearly period of time.
Did you know that "Face My Fears" was written in the same key as "Passion" and using the same chords as "Dearly Beloved"? Read more about it here!
"Face My Fears" is available worldwide; the album song can be bought from the Apple Store, Google Play Music, and Amazon as well as streamed on Spotify. You can also now listen to it in Kingdom Hearts III itself, during the opening cinematics. For lyrics and more information, click here.
Follow our master coverage of Kingdom Hearts III and stay up to date with the latest news via our Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and Discord!
Latest news:
- Kingdom Hearts III releases worldwide along with Update 1.02; Launch Day! and Launch Commercial videos released
- Kingdom Hearts Snapchat crown filter available for limited time
- Kingdom Hearts III trophy list
Aquaberry

Kingdom Hearts Snapchat crown filter available for limited time

On the release of Kingdom Hearts III internationally, the Kingdom Hearts official Twitter account posted showing off an exclusive crown filter for Snapchat. When used, it displays a crown similar to the one in the artwork of Sora sitting on the throne, with a Keyblade on the top of it. You can check out the tweet below, with the Snapchat scan code!
Follow our master coverage of Kingdom Hearts III and stay up to date with the latest news via our Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and Discord!
Latest news:
- Kingdom Hearts III releases worldwide along with Update 1.02; Launch Day! and Launch Commercial videos released
- Skrillex talks about producing "Face My Fears" with Utada Hikaru
- Kingdom Hearts III trophy list
KHWaterBlock

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