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A Kingdom Hearts III exhibition is currently underway at the Shibuya and Shinjuku stations in Tokyo, Japan. Amongst the exhibits are a showcase of framed screenshots and quotes from the worlds in the game. Thanks to fan @yuuna_kisaragi, who attended the Shibuya Station exhibit, we were able to compile these pictures - some of which are new and never seen before - and quotes from each world. You can see them below! Monstropolis The Caribbean San Fransokyo Kingdom of Corona Arendelle Toy Box Hundred Acre Wood Check out our album more more pictures from the exhibit!

Along with the newly released screenshots on the Square Enix Press Center, 4Gamer, along with other other Japanese publications such as Famitsu and Game Watch, have published another batch of screenshots and talked about the Ratatouille cooking minigame and other gameplay elements in Kingdom Hearts III. You can see the new screenshots in our album below. There are 8 Disney worlds in Kingdom Hearts III (three of them returning from past games), and each has its own mini-game that players can enjoy. In Twilight Town, when looking for Roxas, Sora encounters Remy (from Ratatouille), who is about to be attacked by Heartless. Remy requests Sora to keep the Heartless away as he collects fruits. Remy thanks Sora by giving him fruits he collected. Remy is a chef at a restaurant in Twilight Town owned by Scrooge McDuck; Sora can start cooking with him in a mini-game using ingredients he already has. If he can succeed in making a good dish, it will be served at the table. Ingredients can be found in different worlds or at the Moogle Shops. A screenshot also shows Donald/Goofy calling out to Sora in the middle of gameplay. With the Gummi Phone, it is possible to take selfies with other characters as well as landscapes and make your own album of photos. For more screenshots recently released in a press release, see below. Translations were provided by KH13 staff @Mio-chan.

The worlds of Pirates of the Caribbean, Frozen, and Tangled were recently previewed by IGN as a hands-off demo by the Kingdom Hearts III co-director Tai Yasue. Jonathon Dornbush has published his impressions on the preview of these worlds, giving insight into new gameplay elements from the worlds. Below are some highlights from his review; they do not include any story-related spoilers. The Caribbean Jonathon described The Caribbean (he calls it Port Royal in the article) as a "mini Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag" and "one of the most intriguing Kingdom Hearts levels yet" due to its impressive levels of exploration. He talks of the many explorable islands that provide an incredible treasure hunting experience, which extends to beneath the sea. All means of travel - on air, water, land - and transitions in the world has been described as seamless. Underwater travel is also more agile than past games in the series, and in air, you can jump from one Heartless to the next freely. Combat styles change from world to world. Goofy's special bombardier attack involves him being swallowed whole by a sandworm Heartless in this world, only to attack from within. Magic attacks such as Blizzard, Thunder, and Water behave differently underwater. The fish in the sea can be brought back to Remy in Scrooge McDuck's restaurant in Twilight Town. Arendelle Jonathon briefly described a boss battle in this world. You can read about it in the spoiler box below. Yasue said that the development team collaborated with the Frozen team to design enemies true to the style of the world. The Heartless in Arendelle, which behave differently in air and land, were described by Jonathon to have a similar scope of entertainment as boss battles. Yasue showed one of the first sledding experiences in Arendelle, which branched off to numerous paths and offered many treasures. Jonathon commented that it felt a bit too lengthy. Kingdom of Corona Rapunzel's character and personality have been blended into the gameplay of this world. Scenes involving Rapunzel's wonder for the outside world can be triggered by, for instance, casting Aero on surrounding dandelions. Following Rapunzel as she wanders off by herself to a nearby lake will also trigger an interaction. Yasue said that activating these triggers are part of building up Rapunzel's trust in Sora. Following Rapunzel will also lead to combat scenarios and finding treasures. Jonathon commented that Corona's fights become "a crazy ballet of oversized household items swiping through the air and Disney characters hurling themselves at baddies." Some enemies in this world had armor to break through first instead of HP, and others had human-like appearances, showing a great deal of variety to be expected in enemy design. Did you enjoy our highlights? Then you will enjoy Jonathon's full review of these demos even more!

Weekly Famitsu's next issue, releasing on January 17 (JST), states they plan to publish a 30-page Kingdom Hearts III special feature! According to the preview by the blog Hokanko-Alt, Famitsu will publish its review for the game after the February 7 issue of the magazine. Keep an eye on our website for scans of the Kingdom Hearts III feature when we have them!

In the 13th day countdown tweet posted by Kingdom Hearts III directory Tetusya Nomura, a quote can be seen on the picture attached, saying: Who and what could this possibly be referring to? We'd like to hear your theories; comment and discuss below!

Kingdom Hearts III director Tetsuya Nomura has revealed that there will be an announcement every day accompanying the official countdown to the Japanese release of the game on Twitter. You can read a translation of his statement below.

Square Enix have revealed the update schedule for Kingdom Hearts III, both the Western and Japanese version. The Western schedule, which includes a Day 1 patch, is as follows. Series director Tetsuya Nomura introduced the updates release schedule for the Japanese version of the game through a tweet. He tweeted the following: The Japanese update schedule is as follows:

Square Enix have released renders of some Keyblades from Kingdom Hearts III! These include Keyblades from the worlds revealed so far, as well as Kingdom Key and Shooting Star. You can see them in our gallery below. There are of course other Keyblades that will be present in the game, including DLC Keyblades that have been announced so far. A gameplay video showcasing the Dawn Till Dusk Keyblade, available with pre-orders of the game from Amazon, was recently released.

New PSN avatars for Kingdom Hearts III Sora, Donald, and Goofy will be available to fans with a Japanese PlayStation Plus membership! The avatars will be available from January 18, 2019. You can check them out below!

More footage of the Kingdom Hearts III Round Theatre showcase at the "Tower of Radiance and Shadow" has surfaced, showing new footage from the game, including brief scenes from the opening cinematics, Kingdom of Corona, selfie scenes in San Fransokyo and Monstropolis, and Sora walking and running across the screen. During the screening, an orchestra version of Chikai was also heard. You can see the new footage below. Updated[January 08, 2019]: More footage has surfaced revealing the full preview of the orchestral version of Chikai! Updated [January 10, 2019]: Twitter user aitaikimochii has released a video of the Kingdom Key sequence in action at the Toyko Skytree! Update [January 12th, 2019]: Even more footage has been released from Twitter user clow_shirow showing off the 360°special video and even the elevator from the event. Keep an eye on this space and our Twitter feed for more updates from the event!

The premiere of the screening was introduced at a commencement press event with Miyu Irino (Sora's voice actor) and actor Kanata Hongo, known for his roles in Prince of Tennis, Nana 2, and Attack on Titan (live action). They both expressed their excitement for Kingdom Hearts III; while Irino reminisced his role throughout the years, while Hongo expressed his happiness at seeing the series develop since he played the first installment. UPDATE [Jan 9, 2019]: Kingdom Hearts series director Tetsuya Nomura was also at the event, albeit in secret! He wished fans a belated happy new year on Twitter. You can read his full message thanks to the translation by Goldpanner. In regards to Kingdom Hearts III, Irino said: In regards to a scene or favorite lines that left an impression on him while recording, he commented: UPDATE [Jan 9, 2019]: Famitsu have published more Q&A with Miyu Irino; you can read the translations below, thanks to KH13 Staff @Mio-chan. A replica of the "Tower of Radiance and Shadow" Keyblade, designed after Tokyo Skytree, was also showcased at the event! Some of the Premium Theater footage has been recorded thanks to Game Watch! You can watch it below. UPDATE: It seems that the video has unfortunately been removed due to copyright breach. You can still watch other Premium Theater footage in our previous article. We have included more fan photos from the event in our gallery. You can check them out below. Update [Jan 15, 2019]: KH13 Staff @Mio-chan has translated more quotes by Miyu Irino at the event! You can read them below.

The Kingdom Hearts III Tower of Radiance and Shadow event will commence tomorrow at 7:30 PM JST at Tokyo Skytree! This event will celebrate the upcoming release of Kingdom Hearts III. It will take place from Tuesday January 8, 2019 through Sunday March 3, 2019 at the Tembō Galleria in the Tokyo Skytree tower, 450 meters above ground. The event will take up the upper half of the tower, showing off worlds and characters throughout the series. There will also be a stamp rally, and screenings at the Skytree Round Theater inside the tower, using 255° out of 360° of the huge screen. The screenings will be 7 minutes long and follow the following timetable: On January 8, certain areas within the Tembo Deck (where the event will be taking place) will be restricted from around 3:00 PM JST in order to prepare and organize an interview for the press. The placement of this press event right before the start of the Kingdom Hearts III event suggests that they may be related. A unique lineup of merchandise will also be sold at the event, including some event exclusive items! You can see them below. Kingdom Hearts III mug Water repellent print with the King (Mickey Mouse), Donald, and Goofy Size: Φ 73 × H 104 mm (300 ml) 1,080 yen (tax included) Arita ware pottery magnets Size: Approximately 43 mmΦ Each 626 yen (tax included) Kingdom Hearts III drawstring pouch Dyed drawstring and pouch have unique, enjoyable texture Size: about 210 × 285 mm 1,458 yen (tax included) Kingdom Hearts III bic ballpoint pens Each 378 yen (tax included) Kingdom Hearts III Ramune candy Set of 8 486 yen (tax included) Kingdom Hearts III cookies and tin 15 random prints of 8 cookie prints inside a tin, whose design is inspired by the event 1,382 yen (tax included) Metal Tower of Radiance and Shadow Keyblade keychain Releasing January 25, 2019 Size: approximately 83 × 25 × 2 mm 1,620 yen (tax included) Kingdom Hearts III clear file <Tower of Radiance and Shadow at Tokyo Sky Tree ® > 432 yen (tax included) You can find pictures of other merchandise at the event below. To learn more about the event, read our translations of the press release here and visit the official website. Translations used in this article were provided by KH13 Staff @Mio-chan . Update [January 8th] The Premium Theater footage has been recorded thanks to Game Watch! You can watch it below.

Towards the end of every year, Japanese video game websites 4Gamer and Famitsu publish comments by personalities from the video game industry in regards to the new year and what they are looking forward to. This year, Kingdom Hearts III director Tetsuya Nomura, brand manager Shinji Hashimoto, and composer Yoko Shimomura, along with Kingdom Hearts battle system planner Yosuke Shiokawa, participated in the end-of-year questionnaires. You can read their comments below; translations are courtesy of KH13 Staff @Mio-chan and xionskeyblade. Ichiro Hazama, the producer of Theatrhythm Final Fantasy (who has previously expressed interest in adopting Kingdom Hearts into Theatrhythm), also answered the questions on Famitsu and stated that he is looking forward to Kingdom Hearts III.

Newsweek have published an interview with Kingdom Hearts III co-director Tai Yasue, who discussed the development of various gameplay elements in Kingdom Hearts III. He started by mentioning how the Kingdom Hearts III team took some time to adapt to the switch from the Luminous Engine to the Unreal 4 engine. In regards to the wall-climbing mechanics, he said this was originally planned for Olympus, but was then adapted to fit into all the worlds along with other Flowmotion-like actions. The idea of using Attractions in gameplay came from brainstorming gameplay that would be unique to Kingdom Hearts and also incorporate a classical Disney experience. In regards to choosing Disney worlds, Frozen and Tangled were picked mainly because they excited the development team, as there are many things in terms of gameplay that one can do with a beheaded snowman or a princess with very long hair. Yasue also gave some examples of the different types of specialists hired to enhance specific parts of the game - including someone to make dandelion seeds extra fluffy! Fans can expect a lot of surprises in gameplay, as Yasue described Nomura as a creative force that took the development of the game to unexpected places. "Sheer scale and accessibility" will make Kingdom Hearts III stand out from any other games in the series; due to its wide variety of gameplay, Yasue described it as a "celebration of gaming, old and new." The feature that will contain the series recap videos in Kingdom Hearts III is called the Memory Archive, which will lets fans, new and old, to catch up with key parts of the story so far. Yasue concluded the interview by stating that the Gummi Ship is his favorite part of Kingdom Hearts III; fans can expect a massive overhaul of this standard Kingdom Hearts mechanic, including a vast universe, more freedom, more Gummi blocks, and unique and interesting skins. Yasue is currently making a ramen stand Gummi Ship that can shoot fireballs. You can read the full interview below.

Sora from Kingdom Hearts and Cloud (Kingdom Hearts version) are coming to Final Fantasy Brave Exvius as part of a special collaboration event from December 20-31, 2018! Some enemy characters such the Darkside and the Guard Armor can also be fought against during the event. Sora was first announced at beginning of this month, and Cloud was hinted to at the FFBE Fan Festa. You can watch the trailer for the event below! UPDATE [Dec 26, 2018]: Sora and Cloud (Kingdom Hearts version) will arrive on Final Fantasy Brave Exivus on December 28th as part of the collaboration to celebrate the release on Kingdom Hearts III. A new trailer for the collab was released. You can watch it below. UPDATE [Dec. 28 2018]: Final Fantasy Brave Exvius is hosting a community event to celebrate the collaboration with Kingdom Hearts. You can read the mechanics of the event below. The community event runs until January 10th ending at 23:59 PST.

FiGPiNs embrace larger-than-life entertainment characters that fans love, capture their essence and honors what makes them special. Through unmatched craftsmanship and thoughtfulness in design, from packaging to the digital experience, FiGPiN® provides highly collectible works of art that fans can connect deeply with, at home or on the go. This is exactly what we found out when unboxing the first line of Kingdom Hearts FiGPiNs our friends at FiGPiN kindly sent us to test out. We are excited to share our first look of them with you. The Kingdom Hearts FiGPiNs were first announced on September, and are planned to release sometime this month in the United States. The Sora, King Mickey, Goofy, and Donald FiGPiNs will be sold individually in two packaging formats. GameStop, Target, and Best Buy will be selling each of them in a soft plastic case at $9.99. Other retailers, including Nerdy Collectibles, Entertainment Earth, BigBadToyStore, and Amazon, will make each of them available in hard polycarbonate case packaging, at prices between $12.99 and $14.99. The samples we were sent came in the hard case packaging, encased in a clear poly-carbonate display box with a black ABS plastic base. You can watch the full unboxing video below! I really enjoyed how exquisite and faithful the Kingdom Hearts FiGPiNs looked. The figures of Kingdom Hearts II Sora, King Mickey, Goofy, and Donald, were inspired by their renders from the game which were illustrated in a 2D cell-shaded style. The FiGPins are made with cast zinc alloy inlaid with hard synthetic color enamel and finished with an electroplated nickel coating. The lineart is strong and sometimes used to separate the more shaded areas, and the colors are vibrant and loyal to the original art of the characters. The art style allowed almost no compromise in the details of each design. Also, all FiGPiNs include a laser engraved, alphanumeric serial number on the back, making every single one uniquely yours. Behind each pin is a holder, a special patented FiGPiN® soft rubber backer. The shape of the backer is such that it can be bent towards the base, allowing the figure to stand up without needing to be anchored to the black platform it comes with. Bending the rubber does not snap or damage it, and this bend also helps one to remove it very easily, unlike conventional pins. When unboxing the figures, I realized that the black ABS plastic bases were facing the other way, such that the FiGPiN® logo was facing away when you positioned the pin to face you. But I easily changed it as you can detach the base of the platform and turn it around. You can see pictures of the fixed platforms below, with the logo clearly showing under each figure. I'm not sure if they're supposed to be like this, or if this is the wrong way round - but you can choose according to your preference! I'm personally not a fan of excessive packaging and don't have a collector's mindset, so at first, I chose to display mine without the clear poly-carbonate display box (as you can see in the video). I did this also because I wanted them to be easier to remove in case I wanted to use them as pins. But later, I tried displaying them in the box, and I was delighted to see that they actually looked "museum quality" as they claimed to be! They didn't have that annoying faded plastic look that comes with cheap cases, and really emphasized the quality of the figures. This poly-carbonate box only comes with the hard case packaged products, which are priced a bit higher than the soft cased ones. Overall, my favorite thing about the Kingdom Hearts FiGPiNs was how creative and versatile they were. They succeeded in bringing the magic and personalities of these Kingdom Hearts II characters to my collection both when I displayed them with the clear case and without.) I didn't want to display the graphic arts cards, but they were too lovely to throw away - so I kept those as bookmarks.) If I wanted to, I could also display the figures standing on their own, to make the characters look like they were running free on my shelf. And of course, you can also use them as actual pins: at approximately 3" tall (76.2mm) 3/32" thick (2.0mm), they are neither too small nor too big, not too light nor too heavy. They are just the right size and weight for both display and wear! Although I might have gone a bit overboard... In conclusion, I believe the FiGPiNs in the debuting Kingdom Hearts line are worth their price and space in any Kingdom Hearts fan's collection! Whether you are a serious collector or a casual one, or if you're looking for an accessory to show your passion for the series, the Kingdom Hearts FiGPiNs would definitely earn a place on your Christmas list! You can view more pictures of the pins, both our own and the official releases, in the gallery albums below. Online pre-orders for Kingdom Hearts FiGPiNs in soft plastic casing are currently being accepted at GameStop and Best Buy, and will be soon available in Target. You can also inquire in-store to place an order. Pre-orders for the FiGPiNs in the hard casing are currently available at Entertainment Earth, BigBadToyStore, and Amazon for $14.99 each; at Nerdy Collectibles for $13.99 each. It is not yet known when they will release worldwide, but as FiGPiN also sell their products overseas, we hope for some good news to come for international fans! You can keep up to date with the latest from FiGPiN® on their website, Instagram, Facebook , and Twitter!