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After the conclusion of the Kingdom Hearts Fan Event at D23 Expo Japan 2018, Japanese Twitter user and D23 Expo attendee Usamasuku confirmed that Kingdom Hearts III will feature open-world Gummi Ship gameplay, complete with a "search" function for exploration and a "battle" function. In addition, the Gummi Ship remains customizable, just like it did in its previous incarnations! The attendee in question compared the Gummi Ship's battles to those seen in the Star Wars franchise! GameSpot adds that combat has been augmented, and will have more enemies that in the preceding games in the series. reported that over 30 types of enemies will be available to battle against. IGN details that the customization factor of Gummi Ships will be richer in this game. The exploration phase will involve directing the Gummi Ship freely in any direction, at 360°, on a field much like an open world. Thanks to KH13 Staff Mio-chan for the translations! Kingdom Hearts III releases in 2018, and you can view the new trailers for the game here. What do you think of the Gummi Ship's improvements? Are you looking forward to high-intensity open-world Gummi Ship battles? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to catch up with all the news with our coverage article for D23 Expo Japan 2018 and the Kingdom Hearts Fan Event!

King Mickey's Kingdom Hearts III outfit has been revealed through a new medal design for Kingdom Hearts Union χ[Cross]. This design is very reminiscent of Sora's own Kingdom Hearts III outfit. This new EX medal is being released tomorrow (from the time of this article's publishing) as a login bonus for the Japanese version of Kingdom Hearts Union χ[Cross]! You can view this new medal, complete with the new design, below. What do you think of this new design? Do you like that Mickey's new design is similar to Sora's? Are you going to be obtaining this new medal in-game? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to follow our coverage article for D23 Expo Japan 2018 and the Kingdom Hearts Fan Event!

The new Kingdom Hearts III theme song by Utada Hikaru, titled “Chikai”, meaning "Oath" in Japanese, was revealed at the Kingdom Hearts Fan Event at D23 Expo Japan 2018. The English version of this song is titled "Don't Think Twice". "Chikai" played during Kingdom Hearts III Theme Song Trailer revealed at the event; you can watch and listen to both songs below. "Chikai" will be included in Utada Hikaru's seventh studio album, due to release this year. You can also watch and listen to the Kingdom Hearts III Theme Song Trailer with English subtitles and "Don't Think Twice" playing in the background. What are your thoughts on this new song? Do you think it will suit the opening to Kingdom Hearts III? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to watch the Monsters Inc. Trailer and catch up with our coverage of D23 Expo Japan 2018!

During the Kingdom Hearts Fan Event at D23 Japan 2018, a pair of new Kingdom Hearts III trailers were revealed. You can view both Japanese trailers, and those with English subtitles, below. Kingdom Hearts III – D23 Expo Japan 2018 Monsters, Inc. Trailer [English Subtitles] <3 Kingdom Hearts III – D23 Expo Japan 2018 Monsters, Inc. Trailer [Japanese] <3 Kingdom Hearts III Theme Song Trailer – “Don’t Think Twice” by Utada Hikaru <3 Kingdom Hearts III Theme Song Trailer – “Chikai” by Utada Hikaru <3 What do you think of the trailers? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to catch up with our coverage of D23 Expo Japan 2018 and the Kingdom Hearts Fan Event!

During the Kingdom Hearts Fan Event at D23 Japan 2018, Square Enix showcased a trailer for the hit mobile game Final Fantasy Record Keeper. This trailer confirmed that Sora and Riku will be making an appearance as playable characters! You can view this trailer below! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTgXgbJtJKk In addition to this trailer, the Japanese Kingdom Hearts Union χ[Cross] Twitter account confirmed that the so-called "Gummi Ship Campaign" is commemorating a crossover for both games. Depending on each game's total number of players, the games' respective login bonuses will increase, culminating in a Kingdom Key weapon for FFRK players, and a pair of Illustrated Cloud and Illustrated Sephiroth medals for KHUx players! What do you think of this news? Are you excited for this crossover? Let us know in the comments! Also, be sure to follow our coverage article to keep up on everything related to D23 Expo Japan 2018 and the Kingdom Hearts Fan Event!

During the Kingdom Hearts Fan Event at D23 Japan 2018, Square Enix revealed a new world for Kingdom Hearts III. Monsters, Inc. assets were previously leaked, but the world is now confirmed to appear in Kingdom Hearts III. This news has been highly anticipated amongst the Kingdom Hearts community, and should be a welcome addition to the series in the upcoming title as a result. Kingdom Hearts III releases for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2018. UPDATE [Feb 12, 2018]: According to @tashasounart, the Monsters Inc. world will have its own storyline. It's possible that this could be a retelling of Monsters Inc with the inclusion of Sora or it's completely separate from the movies. What do you think of this news? Are you excited for Monsters Inc’s inclusion, or are you hesitant toward this reveal? Let us know in the comments! Also, be sure to follow our coverage article to keep up on everything related to D23 Expo Japan 2018 and the Kingdom Hearts Fan Event!

A variety of Kingdom Hearts merchandise has been spotted at D23 Expo Japan 2018! While some of this merchandise has been sold at other events or through Square Enix's various online stores, a large portion of it has never been seen before! These exclusive items include mugs, tote bags, posters, T-shirts, bean plates, masking tape, a King Mickey-themed washcloth, KH-themed rubber grips and three different types of art prints! You can view photos of these items below, courtesy of Twitter user 124Shuya, with the image of the washcloth courtesy of Twitter user Naxkia, and the image of the art prints courtesy of Twitter user Aros_evoL. Which of these items would you buy if you were at D23 Expo Japan 2018? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to follow our coverage article to keep up on everything related to D23 Expo Japan 2018 and the Kingdom Hearts Fan Event!

The Japanese version of Kingdom Hearts Union χ[Cross] has been updated to version 2.3.0! This version of the game features a new title screen, five new story quests focusing on the new Foretellers, and the addition of the pet system, which unlocks after clearing quest 14. Several other quality of life features have also been added in this new update (refer to the patch notes below). Version 2.3.0 update notes: A playthrough of the five story quests is available, courtesy of Everglow, below: Additionally, a pet system tutorial and an accompanying cutscene have also been provided by Everglow. Take a look! UPDATE: You can now view our English translated video for this new update here, courtesy of Everglow: What do you think of the newest update? Are you excited to finally have pets in the game? What are your thoughts on the new story developments? Let us know in the comments below!

The second anniversary for the Japanese version of Kingdom Hearts Union χ[Cross] is almost here! Currently, the game is featuring "countdown quests" to prepare for the celebration, and during these quests, a new pet feature was teased. While there isn't much information currently available for this new feature, a variety of pets will be available starting in mid-September! Thanks to Mio-chan and Lady Aleister for helping out with the translations. It isn't currently known how these pets will be obtained, nor if they will be purely cosmetic or provide in-game benefits. Update 8/27 PT: The second countdown quest teases that a "2nd Anniversary Commemoration Cup" will be held starting September 18th JST, and with it the Union Armor sets last seen in Kingdom Hearts χ[chi]'s 3rd Anniversary event will arrive! Update 8/28 PT: Players will be able to customize and strengthen their pets! Options shown include Head, Ears, Body, Feet, Tail, and Accessories. Update 8/29 PT: Also coming in September, players will be able to increase their level past the previous level cap of 300! Update 8/30 PT: Coming 9/1 is a new EX Medal? Who will it be? This feature is one of many "large-scale updates" coming to the game in the weeks ahead. Be sure to follow our coverage of Kingdom Hearts Union χ[Cross] to find out what will be included next! Are you excited to have pets accompany you on your adventures? What other features do you want to see added to the game? Let us know in the comments below!

GameStop have posted two Kingdom Hearts III pre-order listings on their website. According to their listings, Kingdom Hearts III is being sold for the PlayStation 4 as well as the Xbox One for $59.99 USD. The game has no description available and has a placeholder date of 12/31/2019 (please note that this date is merely a placeholder at this point in time). As the game gets more concrete information, GameStop will update these listings to match. Will you be pre-ordering Kingdom Hearts III from GameStop? Let us know in the comments below!

June 10th, 2017 was a monumental day for the Kingdom Hearts community, due to the Kingdom Hearts Orchestra - World Tour - holding its first show in the United States on this date. According to many who attended this performance, this experience was "once in a lifetime", and as a fellow attendee, this particular sentiment is definitely shared by the writer of this article. A surprise appearance by series director Tetsuya Nomura and the unveiling of a brand new Kingdom Hearts III trailer, the two largest contributors to fans' enthusiasm, served as the perfect conclusion to this event. This trailer captured fans' hearts and pushed the excitement for the game to never-before-seen heights, to the point where "Kingdom Hearts III" and "Sora" became trending topics on Twitter. Today, however, we would like to peel away the initial burst of emotion and analyze every aspect of this trailer, in order to find out as much as we can about both the gameplay and story developments of Kingdom Hearts III. Throughout this trailer, the Kingdom Hearts Orchestra - World Tour - version of "Wave of Darkness" is played. Furthermore, if you happened to attend this orchestra event in-person on any of the dates that this trailer was shown, the song was played live by the orchestra! The trailer begins with a quote; "Don't assume your dreams are just fantasy. If you can imagine a world, believe in it...and dive in." The first gameplay segment thereafter is reminiscent of the Dive sections of Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance. Sora, appearing in his new outfit, is falling toward Olympus Coliseum. As he is about to land, he uses an area of effect attack against the surrounding Heartless. This Dive-esque sequence seems to be seamlessly integrated into the overall world layout, considering that we saw Sora jumping from an alarmingly tall mountain in the E3 2015 trailer. However, considering the quote at the beginning of this trailer, this gameplay element may also be a way of entering each world. Throughout the Olympus Coliseum portions of this trailer, the bottom right corner of the screen that a four-person party is available. In this instance, Sora, Donald, and Goofy are joined by Hercules. In previous Kingdom Hearts games, a three-person party was the standard, and the capability for guest characters was restricted to certain encounters and boss battles, but it seems to now be a regular feature. As we see Sora battling the aforementioned group of Heartless, a new command, "Counter Shield" appears above the command menu, in a style identical to that of Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage-. Activating this Style Change puts Sora into the Counter Shield Command Style, where his outfit becomes the new Guard Form (visually reminiscent of Kingdom Hearts II's Master Form) and his Keyblade takes the form of a shield. Counter Shield uses a large area-of-effect attack as it activates, uses shield bashes as its basic attacks, and can perform a flurry of punches with giant magical fists as a special attack. This is likely a combo finisher, as the "Finish" command is not used. During this segment, we also get a glimpse at the fact that two Shotlock options will be available for each Command Style, referred to as Unleash and Flowchain. Unleash seems to be the traditional Shotlock variety, consisting of a powerful attack, while Flowchain appears to be the Flowmotion-esque Shotlock seen in the E3 2016 trailer. Counter Shield's particular Unleash Shotlock consists of Sora calling down a ball of energy from the sky, and once it impacts the shield, it unleashes a devastating shower of sparks as an area-of-effect attack. In the following gameplay segment, we see Sora in another Command Style called "Second Form", which seems to be tied to the Kingdom Key, and is heavily based on Sora's older abilities seen in Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II. Perhaps this is the successor to the much-beloved Limit Form from Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix? In this form, combo finishers such as Magnet Burst make a return, and some combo finishers seem to have a slightly more cinematic tone, as the camera zooms in a small amount when Sora uses Magnet Burst. Returning to the default Kingdom Hearts III outfit, Sora and Goofy activate a Limit, during which Sora jumps onto Goofy's raised shield, the two launch like a rocket, and Sora throws Goofy into a swarm of Heartless below, dealing massive damage to each enemy in the impact radius. In the trailer's first story segment, Maleficent and Pete exit a corridor of darkness into Olympus Coliseum, with Pete greeting Hades menacingly. When Hades tries to make the duo leave, Maleficent says that she is merely looking for information, specifically the location of a distinctive black box. The scene ends before Hades can answer the question in detail. When taking into account the events of the secret ending to Kingdom Hearts χ[chi], Maleficent seems to have found Daybreak Town and has learned about the Master of Masters and the mysterious box he possessed in Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover. The next gameplay segment has often been described as immersive, tense, and gripping. Sora is seen running along a mountain path in the middle of a storm, preparing to confront the Rock Titan. The Titan hurls a boulder in Sora's direction, narrowly missing himdamaging the path in the process. This segment then concludes with Sora using magic against two groups of Heartless. This demonstration of magic continues into the next segment, with Firaga, Blizzaga, Thundaga, and Aeroga all being showcased. At this point, several different Situation Commands are available to Sora. These commands consist of level 4 magic, with the specific spells being Firaza, Blizzaza, Thundaza, and Aeroza. They appear to have decided to change the "-ja" suffix at the end of the level 4 spells from Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- into a "-za" suffix for Kingdom Hearts III's tier 4 spells. Both the tier 4 spells of the Japanese versions of Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- and Kingdom Hearts III translate to the same thing, so it's unknown why they decided to make the names different in the English versions of the two games. Counter Shield is also shown to have an ability reminiscent of Ventus' Faith command in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. Next, the Kingdom Key's Style Change, "Second Form", is shown yet again. As mentioned previously, the abilities of this Command Style seem to draw from Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix's Limit Form, with abilities such as Stun Impact and an aerial version of Sonic Blade being used. However, it is worth noting that one of the melee combos seems to have entirely new animations, suggesting that this form may be a hybrid between old and new techniques. This segment concludes by showing a brief clip of Flowmotion, as Sora makes his way up a slope using a rail. The following segment showcases the Rock Titan boss fight. Sora is shown running up a cliff, similar to a brief clip seen in the E3 2015 trailer. Sora is mostly kept from attacking the Rock Titan due to its stomps making the top of the cliff hazardous. However, with quick use of Flowmotion, a few melee attacks are possible. The trailer's final sequence shows Sora, Donald, and Goofy confronting Xemnas and Ansem, Seeker of Darkness near Twilight Town's mansion. Xemnas asks Sora how he expects to bring Roxas back when he should never have existed. The only way to accomplish this seemingly impossible task, according to Xemnas, is for Sora to call upon the darkness and presumably make himself vulnerable to Xehanort's schemes. While Donald and Goofy remain ready to fight, Sora's response is to drop his guard and assume a neutral yet confused stance. Could he be considering the option presented to him? The trailer concludes with a note detailing that Kingdom Hearts III will appear at D23 Expo 2017 on July 15th, 2017, complete with a new world announcement and a new trailer. Additionally, given Tetsuya Nomura's comments at the orchestra concert on June 11th, 2017, there is a possibility that he will reveal the game's "final information" at this expo, in his own words. Speaking entirely subjectively, I think that this trailer was absolutely incredible! The music complimented each scene flawlessly, and many scenes were very gripping in their own right! The inclusion of Second Form appeals to my borderline obsessive love for Limit Form, and that Dive sequence looks quite fun! Finally and perhaps most importantly to me, both of the story elements serve to only make me more excited to see the story unfold! I can't wait to see what Nomura will be revealing next month! What was your favorite part of the trailer? Did you notice anything we missed in our analysis? Let us know in the comments below!

The full line-up at the E3 COLISEUM, a collaboration between The Game Awards’ Geoff Keighley and ESA, has finally been revealed. Square Enix are confirmed to be hosting two panels at E3 COLISEUM. The line-up shows that the first panel is scheduled for June 13, 2017 at 3:15pm PST/6:15pm EST/11:15pm BST. During this panel, Square Enix will be demonstrating Dissidia Final Fantasy NT, a PS4 port of the series' arcade iteration. A follow-up developer showcase panel will occur on June 14, 2017 at 5:30pm PST/8:30pm EST/1:30am BST, focusing on a title which will be announced at E3 2017. The E3 COLISEUM presentations will take place on June 13 - 14, 2017 at The Novo at L.A. Live. The event will be open to fans, and will also be streamed live on Facebook, Twitch, and YouTube with the opportunity for fans to ask questions to the panelists via Facebook. Select panels will be also streamed on Microsoft’s Mixer.com and official PlayStation channels. Click here to find out more about the event and how to attend. At this year's E3, Sony Interactive Entertainment will be hosting The E3 PlayStation Media Showcase on June 12, 2017 at 6pm PST/9pm EST/2am BST. Microsoft will be hosting their Xbox E3 2017 briefing on June 11, 2017 at 2pm PST/5pm EST/10pm BST. Nintendo will not be holding a press conference this year. What are you hoping to see at Square Enix’s E3 COLISEUM panel? Let us know in the comments below!

The Japanese website, Dtimes, has posted promotional pages for two new Kingdom Hearts t-shirts. These shirts each feature an illustration of Donald Duck or Goofy in their Atlantica forms from Kingdom Hearts, with Atlantica's world logo underneath each shirt's featured character. Each shirt will be available from retailer X-Large's Okinawa store for 5,500 yen ($49.81 USD). These shirts release on June 9, 2017, and will be available in both black and white, in S, M, L, and XL sizes. Unfortunately, pre-orders do not seem to be available for these particular items, as X-Large has not listed them on their online store. However, these items may be made available for purchase on the online store on their release date. Will you be picking up one of these shirts? Which one do you like more? Let us know in the comments below!

Fifteen new story quests have been added to the Japanese version of Kingdom Hearts Union χ[cross]! Ten of these new quests mark the first appearance of Enchanted Dominion within the game. This is particularly interesting due to Enchanted Dominion's involvement in the secret ending for the original Kingdom Hearts χ[chi]. You can view an translated playthrough of the fifteen new quests below, courtesy of Everglow. Are you excited to finally explore the long-awaited Enchanted Dominion? Let us know in the comments below!