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The Japanese website DTimes has announced that Kingdom Hearts themed iPad cases are now available to purchase. These cases come in four varieties, each with a Kingdom Hearts image on its corner. The first case features Sora's Station of Awakening. The second case features the Kingdom Hearts II cover art. The third, a red case, features the "Awakening" image from Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix. Finally, the fourth case does not feature an image like the others, but instead features the heart, crown, Keyblade, and Mickey head symbols commonly associated with the series, emblazoned upon the entirety of the front side of the case. Each case also features the Kingdom Hearts logo on its rear side, but does not have a design on its interior. All four of these cases can be viewed in the album below: These iPad cases can be purchased from the Japanese website Gain Garage for ¥5,162, but it is unknown if these cases are able to be shipped internationally. Will you be purchasing one of these iPad cases? Which one is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!

Five new story quests have been added to the Japanese version of Kingdom Hearts Union χ[Cross]. These exciting quests focus on a few of the Dandelions, the children who survived the Keyblade War. Particularly, the identity of the fourth Union leader is revealed in this critical installment. An untranslated playthrough of these quests can be seen below, courtesy of Everglow. A translated version will be available soon! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2bvxwf-4co Are you excited to see more information about the Dandelions? What type of person might the fourth Union leader be? Share your thoughts in the comments below! UPDATE: Thanks to KH13 Archives Team member Everglow, the new story update is now available with English translations for your viewing pleasure. You can check it out below.

The Kingdom Hearts II Riku Static Arts Gallery figure is now up for pre-order on the North American Square Enix Online Store for $49.99, with a release scheduled for end of September 2017. The figure's prototype was previously showcased at the New York Comic Con 2016. This news comes a day after Square Enix (Japan) e-Store started accepting pre-orders for the figure, with a Japanese release date of July 29, 2017. You can view pictures of the figure below. A description of the product follows. Will you be pre-ordering this figure? Let us know in the comments below!

The Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- Play Arts Kai Aqua showcased at various events this year is now up for pre-order on the North American Square Enix Online Store. The release date is listed as end of August 2017, with a price of $129.99. This comes only a day after the figure's listing on the Square Enix (Japan) e-Store and AmiAmi, which list the Japanese release date of the figure to be July 8, 2017. You can view images of the figure below. The Square Enix Online Store description follows. Will you be pre-ordering this figure? Let us know in the comments!

The Kingdom Hearts series recently celebrated its 15th anniversary with a bang, as renowned RPG developer Square Enix has paved the way to the series' long-awaited climax with a massive compilation. Released for Sony's PlayStation 4, Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX offers some of the best experiences that Kingdom Hearts has presented to date, and consists of the first six works in the series. For the uninitiated, these six titles are: Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, an enhanced re-release of the original game Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, a console-oriented overhaul of the Game Boy Advance interquel HD cutscenes of Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, the series' first Nintendo DS outing Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, an enhanced re-release of the second numbered entry Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix, an enhanced re-release of the series' prequel HD cutscenes of Kingdom Hearts Re:coded, the series' second Nintendo DS outing Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX presents something for every fan to enjoy. Whether you are a newcomer who has decided to jump into the series, a seasoned veteran who has been an avid follower since 2002, or anywhere in between, this collection is sure to contain something of interest to you. When considering the perspective of newcomers, it's no secret that Kingdom Hearts has historically had a reputation for having a confusing plot, due in large part to having its titles spread thin across many platforms. However, in recent years, series director Tetsuya Nomura expressed his desire to remedy this stigma by releasing every Kingdom Hearts title on a single platform. Through both this collection and the recently-released Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, Nomura's wishes have been fulfilled; nearly every game in the series is available on the PlayStation 4, with the upcoming Kingdom Hearts III set to continue this trend. As seen above, the newest iteration of the Kingdom Hearts timeline features only four overall releases. The two aforementioned collections and Kingdom Hearts III all have a simple, numerically-ascending order which highlights the intended play order. Meanwhile, while the series' mobile installment, Kingdom Hearts Union χ[cross], is presented as being first in the timeline, it is meant to be played late into the series, as it relies heavily on knowledge learned throughout most of the other games. In summary, with just a PlayStation 4 and a smartphone or tablet, the entirety of the Kingdom Hearts series can be easily understood and enjoyed by newer fans! For returning Kingdom Hearts diehards, Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX unfortunately offers little in the way of completely new experiences. While the Final Mix-exclusive additions and revamped HD cutscenes are carried over from the PlayStation 3 releases of Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX and Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX, there is no sign of any additional content which is exclusive to this PlayStation 4 release. Instead, much of the incentive for veterans to purchase this compilation comes in the form of technical improvements. Kingdom Hearts speedrunner Bizkit047 outlines both the technical improvements and problems within Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX. In the PlayStation 3 releases, load times were unusually long, and the included games all ran at 720p and 30 frames per second. In the PlayStation 4 version, by contrast, the load times have all but vanished, the resolution has been increased to 1080p, and the playable titles run at 60 frames per second, resulting in a clearer and more fluid image. The option to play at 4k resolution is even available to PlayStation 4 Pro owners, further increasing the collection's visual quality. Unfortunately, the framerate increase does not apply to any of the cutscenes present in the collection; this is only applicable to gameplay, as the cutscenes are strictly programmed to run at 30 frames per second. While these improvements have been widely praised by players, the games are not without their own problems. Several players, including prominent speedrunners Bl00dyBizkitz and Bizkit047, have pointed out several glaring issues with the PlayStation 4 versions of each game. Several crashes and bugs which were present in the PlayStation 3 releases have been carried over, some new crashes have been reported, and the transition to 60 frames per second has introduced several inconsistencies regarding game physics and timings. Thankfully, Square Enix has already begun to roll out updates and patches to lessen or eliminate many of the offending issues. Overall, while Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX is by no means a perfect product, and still has a great deal of technical hurdles to overcome, the collection provides an excellent starting point for new players, a large amount of nostalgia for returning players, and a great deal of improvement under-the-hood for those who seek a good-looking, smooth experience. If you've hesitated at the thought of playing the series, or simply want to experience the games in higher detail than ever before, Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX will not disappoint.

With the launch of Kingdom Hearts Union χ[Cross] in Japan, five new main story quests have been added. The newest story update introduces the concept of "Union Cross", and the characters within say that it would be good for the player character to do missions with their fellow Keyblade wielders. You can view an untranslated video of the new quests below, courtesy of Everglow. A translated version of this video will be available soon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swtxuGBkPXY UPDATE: The translated video of the new quests by Everglow is now out! Watch the video below: Are you excited for the launch of the multiplayer update? Let us know in the comments below!

The time has come! Since the release of Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover, fans have awaited the continuation of the main story of Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ with bated breath. As of March 10th, 2017, five new story quests have been added to the Japanese version of the game. While small, this update is a large development to the story, focusing on events within Daybreak Town, as well as the game's divergence from the ending of Kingdom Hearts χ[chi]. This update seems to be laying the foundations for the upcoming re-branding to Kingdom Hearts Union χ[cross]. You can view info and trailers for Kingdom Hearts Union χ[cross] here. UPDATE 1: We have received an untranslated playthrough of the update, courtesy of our good friend Everglow, so please take a look! Translated footage will be available soon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPxRbENnbOA UPDATE 2: We now have an English translated playthrough of the update, courtesy of Everglow! View it below: Are you excited for the long-awaited continuation to Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ, and the lead-in to Kingdom Hearts Union χ? Let us know in the comments!

On March 9th, 2017, the international version of Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ received 15 new story quests! Players will return to Agrabah and help Aladdin search for Abu in this new update. As always, every five quests will reward you with a small amount of jewels. Additionally, finishing all 15 of these quests rewards you with an Orichalcum, used to strengthen a Keyblade of your choice. Be sure to do these quests as soon as possible, as there is a zero AP event currently underway, set to end incredibly soon. Have fun! In related news, the game will be undergoing a two-hour maintenance on March 12th, lasting from 1 AM PST to 4 AM PDT. The extra hour is due to the Daylight Savings Time change, so please don't be alarmed! Are you excited to continue the story? Let us know in the comments!