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Square Enix Japan have revealed new bookends based on the Shadow Heartless. You can view them below. The bookends come in a pair, and are available for pre-order for 4,104 yen ($36.73). They are expected to release on July 23rd. There is no confirmation on whether they will be released outside of Japan. What do you think of these Shadow bookends? Will you be trying to get a pair yourself? Let us know in the comments below.

At the start of your journey in Kingdom Hearts III, you are presented with several different options, as was the case with other mainline games in the series. This takes place in the Dive to the Heart and as you can expect, the choices you make here affect how Sora levels up throughout the game. The first choice that the game gives you is between Balance, Wisdom and Vitality. This is the equivalent of the first two games where you had to choose which power to focus on and what to sacrifice, although the choice here affects stats. As you’d expect, this choice effects which stat will increase more between your MP and Attack. Choosing Wisdom will start you off with more MP and increase that stat faster, but reduce your Attack and give you slightly less health to start with. If you want to focus on magic then go for Wisdom. Choosing Vitality will do the opposite, giving you a higher Attack stat and more Health, but reduce your initial MP and its growth. If you want to focus on combos and attacking then Vitality is your best bet here. If you don’t want to focus on any area in particular and just want an equal experience, Balance is your best bet as it gives you a much more even amount of MP and HP. This is best if you don’t want a big difference between the stats. The exact stats for each choice are as follows: Choice HP MP Vitality 120 100 Wisdom 90 120 Balance 105 110 The next choice comes from whether you want the power of the Warrior, the Guardian or the Mystic. This is the same as choosing between the Staff, Shield and Sword and effects which abilities Sora will get as he levels up. Choosing the Mystic will have Sora gain magic-related abilities earlier on, such as MP Haste and Magic Combo Thrift. This is the best choice if you want a magic-focused Sora and if you chose Wisdom in the previous section. The Guardian focuses on defense-based abilities such as Once More and Damage Control. If you’re playing on Proud and want to ensure you don’t die too often, this is the best choice for you, especially if paired with Vitality. The Warrior choice gives Sora more combat-related abilities such as Combo Plus and Finishing Spiral. If you want all of Sora’s combat abilities as early as possible, then this is the right choice for you. As it doesn’t focus on one section of Sora in particular, this works well for a balanced playthrough. What choices did you make at the start of Kingdom Hearts III? Let us know in the comments below!

YouTube user Keytotruth has found several unused cutscenes for Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance within the game files of Birth By Sleep. You can view the playlist below. These cutscenes show off footage that was seen in the first trailer for Dream Drop Distance, containing elements such as Heartless that didn't make it into the final game. Keytotruth used areas such as Radiant Garden and the Keyblade Graveyard as substitutes for Twilight Town, as it is technically using Birth By Sleep's data. Regarding the process of finding these cutscenes, Keytotruth said: It's interesting to get a look at what Dream Drop Distance could have originally been, even if it never came to pass. What parts of Kingdom Hearts history are you most interested in? Let us know in the comments below!

You might remember that back in the Ultimania for Dream Drop Distance, Masashi Nakamichi the Sub-Lead Programmer for the game, revealed a fun secret about how one of the cutscenes was made. This is what he said back in 2012: Thanks to long time Kingdom Hearts fan and dataminer, 13th Vessel, we can now see what Nakamichi was talking about! Check it out the video below. (Make sure you watch till the very end!) In order to have the first person angle for Xehanort within the cutscene, the developers had to edit his body proportions and move the camera around, resulting in him having a tiny head! Similar tricks were previously found in Kingdom Hearts II by Boundary Break, revealing scenes where models were messed around with to achieve certain angles in cutscenes. 13th Vessel has contribute to a number of discoveries within the code in the Kingdom Hearts games, including the deleted world of Monsters, Inc. in Kingdom Hearts II and assets from Kingdom Hearts 2.8. Check out his YouTube channel for more interesting discoveries (and clips of him playing around the worlds on Kingdom Hearts games!) What hidden camera tricks have you seen in Kingdom Hearts? Let us know in the comments below!

Steven Burton, the voice actor for Cloud Strife, hosted a Facebook live stream recently where he answered questions from the public. One person asked whether or not Cloud Strife would be in Kingdom Hearts III. Thanks to a Twitter video from user PatzPowerz, we can see Steve Burton answers the question by saying that Cloud Strife won't be in the game. You can watch the video below. Doug Erholtz, the voice actor for Leon in Kingdom Hearts II was also asked a similar question recently, where he stated that Leon would not be appearing in Kingdom Hearts III. You can view the tweet below. This could be due to the actors being under a non-disclosure agreement, but we'll have to wait for official confirmation or see in the final release. Tetsuya Nomura stated in an interview back during E3 that the Final Fantasy characters "required special care" and that we should "Look forward to how the FF characters show up in the game." What do you think this means for Final Fantasy characters in Kingdom Hearts III? Let us know in the comments below!

Here it is, the final Kingdom Hearts III trailer analysis (at least that we know of). This is an absolutely huge trailer, showcasing tons of new details and information that we’ve never seen before so let’s not waste any time and start. Before we get into the main trailer though, let’s take a look at the new 30-second commercial that recently debuted in Japanese cinemas! You can watch it below. This commercial opens up with several scenes from the intro of everyone falling to darkness, with Sora saying, “I was able to fight only because everyone was by my side! I can’t do this alone…”. Sora is also crying as he says this. Thanks to context provided from the final battle trailer, we can assume this is after everyone is taken out, which is implied by that trailer. Either way, what a dark introduction! Several scenes are then shown from the Disney world, such as Sora, Donald and Goofy setting out for Olympus Coliseum, and Hercules riding Pegasus in Olympus. Sora is then shown with Remy, who is animated beautifully. Sora is also shown commanding the Black Pearl with Jack Sparrow. Some more gameplay from the Dark Baymax fight is then shown, alongside some scenes from older trailers. A new scene in the Toy Story world is then shown with Woody asking Sora to stay behind and help for a bit longer. Sora, Donald, and Goofy are then seen riding the doors from Monsters. Inc, with Donald and Goofy both being terrified. The “Let It Go” scene from Frozen is then shown to be recreated in Kingdom Hearts III, and it looks incredible. This commercial finishes off with Riku saying, “No-one can stop what your heart commands”. He’s probably talking to Sora there. That’s all for the short commercial, which managed to show off a few cool details without giving too much away. Let’s move to the meat of this analysis with the Final Battle trailer. You can watch it below. The trailer opens up with this quote from Sora: “They can take your world. They can take your heart. Cut you loose from all you know. But if it’s fate, then every step forward will always be a step closer to home.” These words sound very much like an opening quote of sorts, similar to how Sora opened the previous games. The scenes interspersed between these words show Kingdom Hearts being summoned and being surrounded by darkness, as well as Aqua falling into water and being consumed by darkness. This scene presumably comes after her fight with Ansem, Seeker of Darkness in the Realm of Darkness, and is probably what leads to her being possessed. We then get to see the thirteen Seekers of Darkness at the Keyblade Graveyard, standing on raised cliffs that are very reminiscent of their throne room in The World That Never Was. A fun little detail is that Demyx is also playing his Sitar during this meeting, which confirms he’ll be very laid back in serious situations, similar to how he was in Kingdom Hearts II. The next scene then shows a previously-seen clip of Olympus being destroyed by Flame Cores, complete with an extended shot of Hercules’ statue falling down. We also get to see another look at Monstropolis, where we get to see a lot of explosions and fire. A lot of that world so far indicates that Monsters Incorporated will be in a lot of danger. Woody opens up the next scene in the trailer, with the gang in some sort of dark void. We then see Buzz floating in midair before being swallowed the darkness entirely. Creepy! Unfortunately, it’s not clear what’s happening to him here. We then see Rapunzel and Mother Gothel in a scene straight from the film, followed by Sora, Donald, and Goofy riding to save Rapunzel with Flynn and Maximus. Breaking up the sadness, Tigger is then seen leaping onto Sora in the Hundred-Acre-Wood. Bizarrely, we still haven’t seen Eeyore in any footage to date. Scrooge McDuck is then confirmed to appear in Kingdom Hearts III in the trailer’s next scene, where he’s seen talking to Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Remy. It seems he’s relocated to Twilight Town, as we know that’s where Remy’s restaurant is located. A few scenes from the 30 second commercial play here, such as the Sora and Remy scene, as well as the amazing “Let It Go” scene from the Frozen world. We also see Anna suffering from the ice blast, which indicates that the Frozen story will end in a similar way to how it did in the movie. We also get to see another look at Davy Jones and Captain Jack fighting, followed by Sora and Baymax chasing after Dark Baymax and landing a hit on him. This is where the gameplay really kicks in, starting off by showing the recently revealed Stitch Link Summon called ‘Plasma Encounter’ which has Stitch and Sora creating areas of plasma that are then lit up and cause damage when the Link ends. One of the biggest reveals in the trailer is tucked into about five seconds of footage as the second playable character in the game is finally revealed to be Riku. Although this was fairly obvious, it’s pretty cool to see him in action. We get to see him fighting the Demon Tide in the Realm of Darkness, where he is shown using Dark Firaga as one of his Situation Commands. We can also see that Riku is wielding Braveheart in this scene, indicating this takes place after his Way to the Dawn breaks. The next scene shows a brand new Keyblade, which is based on Ratatouille and presumably a reward for finishing the minigame. The Keyblade is transforming into one of its Keyblade Transformations, but if you pause at the right time you can see that it is shaped like the Eiffel tower at the base with the blade looking like a chef’s hat with the Ratatouille restaurant sign as the teeth. Really nice detailing on this Keyblade, even when shown for only a second. This Keyblade transform into a frying fan and uses Speed Form as its transformation type, as shown by the green outfit Sora wears. The frying pan transformation seems to be a shield, as some frames of the scene make it look similar to the Olympus-based Keyblade’s shield transformation. Unlike this Keyblade, however, the Olympus Keyblade’s transformation utilizes Guardian Form. Thanks to a clever cut, we only ever get to see what looks like the finisher for the move, with Sora slamming the pan onto the ground. The combination of Speed Form and Guard Form is reminiscent of how the Hundred-Acre-Wood Keyblade’s transformation takes the Double Arrowguns and Magic Launcher from the Magic Form, but is actually a Guard Form. This combination of two forms could be a unique property of Keyblades which are obtained through minigames. A few minigames are then shown, many of which feature the Pudding Heartless. The first has the pudding Heartless balancing on top of Sora while he uses the Mad Tea Cups Attraction Flow. The objective for this game seems like you have to try and stack as many Pudding Heartless as possible. A cannon minigame is then shown in the Pirates world, where you have to shoot the Pudding Heartless. It also looks like the area shown here is the Ramparts area from Port Royal in Kingdom Hearts II! Another minigame has Sora bouncing on the Pudding Heartless in San Fransokyo, although the objective isn’t very clear. The minigame we’ve all been wanting to see is next with the Kingdom of Corona dancing game. Sora is shown here dancing with other people to a beat, marked by coloured circles on the floor. Each colour corresponds to one of the three commands in the menu, Spin, Step and Clap. Flynn is also seen joining in which is a lovely touch. Sora is then seen doing a spinning breakdance on top of a barrel, which is likely a finisher of sorts. We then get to see a mini-boss from Kingdom of Corona, with a Heartless horse leading two carriages. The health isn’t particularly high, indicating that this might take place in the early portions of the game, but the fact that it’s the only enemy in the area indicates it is indeed a boss of some sort. Sora is also wielding the Keyblade obtained from Arendelle, which means that the Kingdom of Corona world probably takes place afterwards. An interesting discovery in this scene is the presence of ‘Rage Form’ as a situation command. This indicates another Drive Form that we haven’t seen yet, especially since it doesn’t seem to be tied to the Arendelle Keyblade. It might be a universal form that isn’t related to any kind of Keyblade. Sora is then shown diving underwater in The Caribbean. A curious thing happens, where all of Sora’s focus is removed and Jack leaves the party as soon as Sora starts swimming underwater. This indicates that you can’t use Shotlocks underwater, and that only Sora, Donald, and Goofy are able to swim underwater. Sora is then shown fighting a boss Heartless (look at that health bar!), and this clip shows that when Sora is underwater, his magic changes. We can see commands such as “Sea-Fire” and “Sea-Blizzard”, the latter of which he uses against the boss. An obstacle course using the Gigas from Toy Box is then shown. A new boss fight with Davy Jones is shown. The huge amount of health Davy has indicates this is likely one of the latest worlds in the game. Sora is also seen using the High Wind Keyblade Transformation here. The rest of the trailer then proceeds to show off some Heartless bosses, which might actually be the ‘end-of-world’ bosses. We see a creepy ghost like Heartless/Unversed in the Monsters world that covers the area in darkness and spits out smaller Heartless at Sora. Another Heartless boss is shown in the Kingdom of Corona, which drops rocks and causes thorns to come up from the ground of Rapunzel’s tower. The final gameplay shot of the trailer is of Sora fighting big groups of Heartless using Mirage Staff in the Keyblade Graveyard’s massive Heartless battle. We can also see a new Situation Command here, ‘Trinity Guard’, which could be the Trinity we saw back in the E3 2015 trailer, where Sora and Donald hide behind Goofy as he charges ahead. We’re now at the story-based scenes for this trailer, and oh boy, are there a lot of them to cover. The first is a scene between Lea and Kairi during their training from Merlin. Kairi is talking about going into the ring with Lea to spar. The presence of sea-salt ice cream bars, and Kairi saying “Don’t hold back, Lea. Promise?” is very reminiscent of Xion, and is actually a direct reference to something she said in 358/2 Days. This similarity makes Lea see Xion, which could be what causes him to cry, as seen in the TGS trailer. Kairi is also still in her Kingdom Hearts II attire here, implying this is pretty early on in the game. The next scene shows Sora going to attack Young Xehanort in Toy Box, only for him to phase through Young Xehanort. Young Xehanort then quickly whispers, “Find the hearts connected to yours”. Although it’s probably for a nefarious reason, many people have pointed out that he sounds fairly genuine here and might actually be trying to help Sora. Sora’s reaction is rather appropriate, given this possibility. Saix is then seen on top of the large rock spires in the Keyblade Graveyard, talking to another hooded figure about how they’ve let them back into their ranks. This figure is likely someone like Vexen, when taking their overall build into account. Saix also mentions how they’ve been invited back into the ranks, which implies they’ve been in the Organization before. The trailer definitely drums up this moment to make it look like it could be Roxas, but it almost definitely isn’t. We then get to see the continuation of the confrontation between Sora and Vanitas in Monstropolis, but it seems like Vanitas has the drop on Sora somehow, batting away his Keyblade and being able to picture Ventus’ heart inside Sora’s. Sora’s confusion here makes it clear he still hasn’t encountered Ventus yet. Vanitas is also clearly still intent on joining with Ventus, carrying on his mission from Birth By Sleep. Pete and Maleficent are then seen in the streets of Twilight Town, talking about ‘looking’ for something, which has been identified as the Black Box owned by the Master of Masters. Maleficent says they are on the brink of a Keyblade War, which might mean this scene takes place pretty early on. A continuation of the scene between Chirithy and Sora is then shown, in the same place as it was before. Chirithy reminds Sora that he’s already learned how to restore someone’s heart after it’s been lost, which seems to be a reference to Kairi. Sora returned Kairi’s heart to her after it was lost in Kingdom Hearts, by sacrificing himself to the darkness briefly, which in turn created Roxas. The mention of returning someone’s heart and the presence of Chirithy make it seem more likely that this location has to do with the goal of returning Ventus’ heart to him. Chirithy also has a significant link to Ventus, since they are both heavily involved in the time period surrounding the first Keyblade War, so this seems even more likely. Despite being enemies, we get to see a conversation between Saix and Lea on the top of the Clock Tower in Twilight Town. Saix talks about awakening to a new purpose, which is probably a reference to the True Organization XIII. Lea is also holding two sea-salt ice creams, which could be an attempt to remember Xion, or perhaps an offer made to, and refused by, Saix. Mickey is then seen telling Sora that Kairi is right, and that they’re all in this together, which means that Sora probably told everyone that he would handle it himself. Ansem the Wise then makes an appearance outside the Twilight Town mansion where he pleads with Ansem, Seeker of Darkness that he’s already made enough victims. The Seeker of Darkness actually chastises him, and reminds him of all of the children that have suffered as a result of his research, which is a pretty sobering thought. A quick cut then shows Riku fighting against the norted Riku in the Keyblade Graveyard, while Ansem, Seeker of Darkness looks on. Although this norted Riku is wearing the bodysuit from when Riku was possessed by Ansem (most commonly seen with Riku-Replica), this is presumably still Data-Riku as that version of Riku still wore the bodysuit underneath the cloak. This is also the first time we see Riku using Braveheart in a cutscene, and the first time we hear Riku speak in an English trailer, confirming that David Gallagher is returning as his voice actor. Interestingly, Ansem, Seeker of Darkness is shown in his normal clothing here, rather than in the black coat that he wears in other scenes. Sora and Young Xehanort are seen having another conversation in what looks like San Fransokyo, where Xehanort says that wielding “such power” without care will have a high cost, which Sora seemingly ignores. It’s not 100% clear where this takes place, as although it does look like San Fransokyo’s streets, Sora doesn’t have his visor on. Young Xehanort then says “there’s no saving you’”, which is either a threat or another hint toward Young Xehanort actually trying to help Sora. The majority of the remaining scenes focus on the big battle at the Keyblade Graveyard, with Sora, Riku and Kairi all fighting off the Demon Tide together, until Data-Riku transforms into a massive dark figure. Lea then asks the identity of a hooded figure, who aims a Keyblade at him. Considering Xion previously wielded the Kingdom Key, and this figure looks like she did during her introduction into the Organization, this is pretty clearly Xion which is pretty heartbreaking. Saix is then shown going berserk whilst Xemnas uses his laser dome attack from the end of Kingdom Hearts II. This seemingly puts Lea out of commision as he is shown knocked out for the rest of the scenes in this area. Interestingly, the background of this scene is very similar to the scene of Roxas’ introduction, which could mean that Roxas ends up saving Lea from this attack being fatal. The rest of the scenes show how Sora is left on his own. Sora and Ventus are then shown being strung up with blue chains, which is reminiscent of two characters. The chains are clearly linked to Terra, who inherited that move from Eraqus, but the colour of them is strikingly blue and very similar to the colour of the Flood Unversed. This could mean that it is Vanitas using these chains, which would make sense considering Ventus is involved. The trailer is clearly still trying to hide whether Ventus is awake, but at the very end of the scene you can see him react to the chains and try and move, which means he likely is. Mickey is then seemingly taken out by Luxord’s card games, being sucked into the card and screaming. This is similar to how his battle went against Sora, but the fact that Mickey is here fighting him means that he might not actually be someone the player gets to fight. Mickey is still shown in the other scenes of this trailer, so he probably escapes this attack. A huge red laser, likely from Xemnas, is then shown raining down on the group, although it is blocked by Donald’s staff. This puts Donald out of commision and knocks him out, whilst the rest of the group is surrounded by Heartless and taken away from Sora towards a huge spire of Heartless. Kairi tries to protect Lea (who she calls Axel) and is dragged into the Heartless before reaching out for Sora. The trailer then culminates with Riku protecting Sora from a huge wave of Heartless whilst Sora kneels dejectedly. Riku is holding them back single-handedly, and saying to Sora, “I know you don’t believe that”, which is likely a reference to what Sora says in the new Japanese commercial about how he can’t fight on his own. The way this scene is shot makes it seem like Riku is sacrificing himself, but they wouldn’t really show that in a trailer, would they? Seems like a red herring, if anything. The trailer ends on a heartbreaking note by showing Sora screaming up to the sky. This scream is truly chilling, and both Miyu Irino and Haley Joel Osment should be commended for this scene alone. What has happened that has Sora so upset? Guess we’ll just have to wait to find out! It isn’t over yet though, as another big reveal is waiting after the logo pops up, showing Xehanort in the town of “Scala Ad Caelum” which roughly translates to “Ladder to Heaven” or “Stairway to Heaven”. This world was previously shown as ‘Cable Town’ in 2014 during the Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD ReMix launch event, but it’s been renamed here. It looks absolutely beautiful, and hopefully we get a chance to actually explore it before a fight! Xehanort is surrounded by the other Seekers of Darkness, who are all in brand new outfits. He says that this world used to be a seat of power for all Keyblade wielders, and that he and his other selves can “all be one” here. It’s not really clear how Xehanort actually got to this place, but he could have used the power of Kingdom Hearts to restore it, or used time travel to get back to it. The colours of the new outfits also line up with those of the black box that Luxu carried around, as well as the box having the same emblem on it as the town itself which means that the outfits are likely what was in the box. People have speculated that the town itself could even be in the box through some sort of wormhole, but that’s just speculation. The trailer ends by showing Sora, who looks confused and ready to fight, but also still all on his own. Hopefully he doesn’t have to face this danger alone! And that's everything! This trailer really does raise a lot of questions, especially regarding Scala Ad Caelum and the Keyblade Graveyard. Where are the other Guardians of Light? Why is Sora screaming? It’s only 40 days until we know the answers for sure! Did you happen to see something we didn’t? Let us know in the comments below!

Thanks to photos of the Kingdom Hearts III PS4 Pro, the minimum file size for the game has been set at 50GB. The Xbox Store previously had the file size for Kingdom Hearts III at 35.8GB but packshots of the limited edition Kingdom Hearts III PS4 Pro say that the game needs 50GB minimum. Nomura had previously stated that one of the major concerns for Kingdom Hearts III is its high volume being met by capacity shortage. What do you think of the size of Kingdom Hearts III? Let us know in the comments below!

In commemoration of Mickey Mouse’s 90th anniversary and the release of Kingdom Hearts III, “PROJECT: Magic Kingdom Hearts” will be returning September 20th, 2019, for another event at Disney World in Orlando, Florida! The “PROJECT: Magic Kingdom Hearts” movement was founded in 2012 by a fan known as Cutsceneaddict to be an annual, fan-hosted event for Kingdom Hearts fans at the Magic Kingdom with the dual purpose of being a fellowship day, as well as a movement to raise Disney’s awareness of the need to have Kingdom Hearts represented in the theme parks. In 2013, the event had over 120 Kingdom Hearts cosplayers and fans in attendance—some of which flew to Orlando from as far away as Mexico and Colorado. This year the number of attendees is projected to exceed 300. Helmed by the original “PROJECT: Magic Kingdom Hearts” founder, Cutsceneaddict, this year’s event will include special guests from the Kingdom Hearts fandom community, a record-breaking Kingdom Hearts photoshoot in front of the Disney Castle, a park-wide scavenger hunt, photography contests, and more. Participating attendees will be able to win prizes ranging from Kingdom Hearts figurines to GameStop giftcards. “This year, our theme is ‘Making Memories in Another’s Heart,’” commented Cutsceneaddict. “We even have a special event centered on this theme that will allow Kingdom Hearts cosplayers to bond with one another through once-in-a-lifetime experiences and make new friendships.” The event runs in tandem with one of Disney’s annual Mickey’s Not-so-Scary Halloween Party nights, the only time that Disney allows guests to cosplay in the parks. Attendees of the “PROJECT: Magic Kingdom Hearts” event will also have the opportunity to enjoy the park’s fireworks show, parade, special character photo ops, and massive trick-or-treating fest. Since its debut in 2013, “PROJECT: Magic Kingdom Hearts” has gone on to inspire a similar event in Disneyland, California, called Disneyland of Departure (now the Keybearer's Alliance); and numerous Disney cast members and Square Enix staff have supported or attended these events, including Quinton Flynn (Axel), Paul St. Peter (Xemnas), Ray Chase (Master of Masters), Justin Cowden (Hayner), and Mat Kishimoto (Brand Manager for Kingdom Hearts at the time). “This is a climatic year for the Kingdom Hearts series,” Cutsceneaddict stated, “because the release of Kingdom Hearts III marks the peak of the franchise’s popularity. Many fans have anticipated this finale for over half their lives, and Disney is beginning to showcase more of the Kingdom Hearts series, such as the limited-edition Kingdom Hearts Pop-Up Experience at Disney Springs. The mission of this project has always been connection—to connect fans across the globe, and to connect these two Kingdoms [Kingdom Hearts and the Magic Kingdom] together. The revival of “PROJECT: Magic Kingdom Hearts” in 2019 is a culmination of all these aspects, which is why we’re calling this year’s event the ‘Final Mix.’ It will truly be an experience no fan will want to miss.” Any Kingdom Hearts fans planning to attend are advised to register on the official website so that they can be counted in (and also included in doorprize giveaways and other activities). For more information, visit the website at https://www.magickingdomhearts.com/, to register interest and follow the PROJECT on social media! Facebook Tumblr ABOUT PROJECT: MAGIC KINGDOM HEARTS “Magic Kingdom Hearts” is an annual fan-hosted event for Kingdom Hearts fans at the Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida. Our vision is to join these two Kingdoms by connecting the hearts of a legion of fans. Come join us with your favorite Kingdom Hearts cosplay or T-shirt, meet other fans, and enjoy the adventure of a Mickey's-Not-So-Scary Halloween event night.

The X018 stream showcased a new Kingdom Hearts III trailer today in Mexico City, showcasing the returning world of 100 Acre Woods! The trailer showcased the world of 100 Acre Woods, as well as showing off some brand new cutscenes and gameplay footage. Nomura also announced through Twitter that another trailer will be released this month, and that more trailers will be shown next month as well. Thanks to Mio-chan you can see a translation of what he said below. You can watch the X018 trailer below. You can also watch the Japanese trailer below. Follow our social media for Kingdom Hearts III news and coverage! Twitter Discord Facebook Tumblr Youtube

A tweet posted by Xbox Canada has revealed that Kingdom Hearts III will make an appearance at X018. The tweet showed the Kingdom Hearts III lineup included alongside a list of other games that have already been confirmed to be at the event. The event and two-hour livestream will take place today at 3PM CST (4PM EST; 1PM PST; 9PM GMT) and can be watched on Mixer, Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. You can also watch it below: X018 is a global celebration of all things Xbox where people can watch online for news, first looks, and surprises on the largest live Inside Xbox episode ever. Shinji Hashimoto, executive producer and brand manager for Kingdom Hearts III, will be present at the event. The game will also be playable at the Xbox FanFest: Mexico City 2018, where X018 will be hosted. Keep an eye on our website and Twitter for updates on Kingdom Hearts from the event! What are you expecting from X018? Let us know in the comments below!

Shinji Hashimoto took the stage AT Lucca Games and Comics 2018 to reveal a brand new trailer for Kingdom Hearts III! The trailer, which you can see above, gives us a closer look at some of the cinematics in the Kingdom of Corona world of Kingdom Hearts III, as well as finally showing off the English voice acting and some brand new gameplay footage. You can check out the trailer screenshots here! What do you think of the trailer? Let us know in the comments below!

A brand new seasonal piece of artwork has been revealed for Kingdom Hearts III. You can view it below. The piece was unveiled on the official Kingdom Hearts Twitter account, and was drawn by Daigo Tsukada, a 2D character artist on Kingdom Hearts III. In the art we can see a variety of already revealed Kingdom Hearts III Heartless and Nobodies surrounding Sora. A caption was also shown saying, Are you celebrating Kingdom Hearts this Halloween? Let us know in the comments below!

Three new Kingdom Hearts Acrylic Stands have been revealed for sale on Amazon Japan. You can see what they look like below! The acrylic stands will be released on Kingdom Hearts 3’s Japanese release date, January 25th 2019, for 2,500 yen each which equates to about $22. No announcement has been made about a Western release. The three acrylic stands feature Sora, Donald and Goofy in their Halloween Town, Atlantica and Timeless River forms respectively, as well as featuring the world title. Will you be buying any of the acrylic stands? Let us know in the comments below!

Welcome to KH13’s trailer analysis for the two brand new trailers debuted for Kingdom Hearts III at Tokyo Game Show 2018. With so much new content to look at, let’s waste no time and get right into it. The first trailer we received was a short glimpse into the world of Big Hero 6, finally showing us what was previously confirmed way back in 2015. Although a lot of what we see in this short trailer is expanded upon in the full version, there are still some interesting things to pick out. In the first scene we see Sora, Donald and Goofy fighting Heartless on the San Fransokyo Bridge, before seeing GoGo being launched into the air. Baymax and Hiro arrive and introduce themselves as Big Hero 6, so this clearly marks the start of the world and the first time that everyone properly meets. This is also the first time we get to see the Big Hero 6 Keyblade and it’s full of callbacks to the film. The blade is made up of nanobots which played a big role in the film, whilst the handle is that of Hiro’s bot fighter shown at the start of the movie. Rather than a metal chain, this Keyblade is connected with Honey Lemon’s signature chem-balls, with the keychain itself being Baymax’s personality chip made by Tadashi. Several quick shots of the Big Hero 6 team are then shown to us, with Wasabi and Honey Lemon being attacked by what looks like Bug Blox, the main threat from Kingdom Hearts Re:coded, but more on this later. GoGo is also talking about what it means to be a team and how they need to delegate, presumably talking to Hiro who acts as the team leader. The scene quickly changes to one from the Monsters Inc world, with Randall telling Sora and the gang to not leave without saying goodbye. The shock from Sora seems to imply that they’ve already met at this point and that Randall is a threat, so this clearly isn’t friendly. Sora is then seen with Rapunzel and Flynn in the Tangled world, fighting against Marluxia’s Nobodies who seem like they’ve just been introduced. The animation on Flynn is particularly cartoony, which is great to see. A quick shot of Young Xehanort saying he has more to observe in the Toy Story world is then shown before moving on to the first lot of gameplay. Before any real gameplay details are shown, we also get to see that the partner for this world is none other than Baymax himself. We get our first look at the Keyblade transformation for the Big Hero 6 Keyblade in this first bit of gameplay. This transformation turns Sora’s clothes into a greenish colour, similar to the Frozen world’s transformation, which seems to indicate agility. This transformation is called Nano Arms and it switches between different forms including a sword and a hammer. Sora also uses a projectile attack with it, where it turns into a large hand and shoots a large ball of energy. The enemy that the gang is fighting here is brand new and has never been seen before, although we do get to see it play a bigger role in the extended trailer. As a side-note, the health and magic bars shown in this trailer clearly show that Big Hero 6 is an end-game world. New gameplay is then shown of Sora and Baymax on top of the San Fransokyo rooftops, which implies that the whole of the city will be explorable from top to bottom. We then see Sora running through a night-time area, which is very reminiscent of the docks from the movie. We also get shown the shotlock for the Big Hero 6 Keyblade, which has Sora shooting out a stream of nano-bots at the enemy. This trailer also gives us a proper look at how Gummi Ships are going to function in the game, with customisation being confirmed. The level of customisation on offer here is pretty impressive, with all of the ships looking very distinct. Some of the notable references here include a ship shaped like a Moogle’s head and a ship based on the racing karts from Wreck It Ralph’s Sugar Rush world. Gummi Ship gameplay seems to be very similar to Kingdom Hearts II’s version of it, with some sections showing the same score counter as was seen there. However, we also get to see sections of Gummi Ship gameplay that feature a mini-map and full freedom of movement, which seems to tease a focus on space exploration that we’ve never really seen before in Kingdom Hearts. There also seems to be a level counter that changes throughout the trailer, which might indicate that the Gummi Ship has an individual level counter that be increased through exploration. The rest of the trailer is quick flashes of story scenes that are all expanded upon greatly for the extended trailer, which is where we’ll dive into them more. The one scene that isn’t featured in the extended trailer is the opening scene where Vanitas is shown with Xemnas on the Keyblade graveyard saying “Only when your hopes have been broken by battle upon battle can the key to Kingdom Hearts be claimed”. This clearly shows that Kingdom Hearts III is going to make us all miserable, with Sora being put through his paces like never before. That’s everything for the short TGS 2018 trailer, so let’s move onto the real meat of this analysis with the recently released extended version! Before we look at the trailer though, we have to mention that as well as this massive load of gameplay and story information to dissect, we were also finally shown the Kingdom Hearts III box art and it is absolutely gorgeous. This piece, drawn by Nomura himself, has the Destiny Trio, Seasalt Trio, Wayfinder Trio as well as Mickey, Donald, Goofy and Namine all together on one building, facing a clock tower that counts up to thirteen. This art is full of little details that really make it shine, such as the Darkling statue holding what looks like Lux, and a little cat statue that heavily resembles Nomura’s own cat Deshi. Nomura has previously stated that all of the cover arts from the Remixes all the way to Kingdom Hearts III would have something that ties them all together and we finally know what that is. Across each cover art, the sky has been a different colour, such as having a sunset in 1.5 and nighttime in 2.8. In the Kingdom Hearts III box art, the sky is a mixture of all of these colours, forming one sky. This is a clear reference to the famous quote, “One sky, one destiny”, but it also really makes the cover art stand out. The new extended trailer for Kingdom Hearts III starts by showing us a scene all too familiar- the chess match between Young Xehanort and Young Eraqus. Both characters have had updated looks, which results in them both looking a little older. The true focus here is the chess board, which once again features Sora surrounded by enemies. We can’t see who it is, but several of the light side of the board have been taken out, which makes it look like it’s just Sora left in play. This is presumably all symbolism for the final battle, but it’s a scary possibility for Sora to be left on his own. Eraqus doesn’t take Sora being on his own as the end though, as he continues his turn before the scene changes. We then see Sora, Donald, Goofy and Big Hero 6 about to take on the Heartless that they were previously fighting on the San Fransokyo bridge. Whether this is a repeated boss fight or just a new type of Heartless isn’t clear as they treat this Heartless like a pretty big threat. Sora then affectionately refers to himself, Donald and Goofy as “Keyblade Hero 3”, which is pretty cute. More Big Hero 6 gameplay is then shown to us, starting off with Sora running up the side of a building. It seems like movement has been tweaked since the E3 demo as Sora now seems like he can angle himself slightly without completely changing directions. The wall shine that was very present in previous gameplay also seems to have calmed down a lot, only appearing at the bottom of the building. Sora is also attacking some sentry Heartless that seem to stick to walls. They were previously shown off in the Toy Story world. Sora and Baymax are then seen using a link attack, Intercept Jet, which has Sora riding Baymax and attacking alongside him. Sora is also seen using the finisher from the Nano Arms Keyblade Transformation, which has him jumping into a big ball of nanobots and firing them out in several spikes, causing area of effect damage. We also get to see a first glimpse of the world boss battle against Dark Baymax, who is seen with a lot of bars of health whilst being chased by Sora and Baymax. Dark Baymax is being assisted by Bug Blox, which make several appearances throughout this trailer most notably in the next scene. Sora is seen facing a massive fist made out of red Bug Blox, whilst also being trapped in a square made out of them. The massive fist attacks him and disperses in a similar way to the Devil’s Wave from 0.2 Birth By Sleep. A new minigame is also shown in this gameplay section, which features Sora running, grinding and diving through glowing rings across the city. We’ve never seen something like this in previous Kingdom Hearts games, so it’s nice to see some focus on movement for once. After this slice of gameplay we get back into some story cutscenes. The first shows Sora, Baymax, GoGo and Hiro sitting on top of the San Fransokyo Bridge eating chocolate ice cream. Hiro is talking about Tadashi and his impact on the world and how he lives on in Baymax, which is very reminiscent of how Roxas lives on in Sora even if he’s not present. This whole section purposefully mirrors scenes with Roxas and the Twilight gang which is made clear when Sora starts to picture them over the Big Hero 6 gang. This is our first true look at Roxas in the new engine and he looks incredible. Sora then looks on in confusion, which presumably means he still hasn’t found a way to return Roxas for good. Perhaps this scene is part of what causes him to try and find a way. The next scene shows Riku and Mickey in an area that is almost definitely the Realm of Darkness before they meet Aqua. Although their conversation about being stronger doesn’t really reveal much, the fact that Riku’s hair is different from how we’ve previously seen it makes it seem as if this is before he returns from the realm of darkness and presumably gets a haircut. Although nothing is set in stone, it’s getting a bit easier to piece together certain aspects of Kingdom Hearts III’s story. Poor Ienzo. In the next story cutscene we see Sora, Donald and Goofy in the Gummi Ship getting some sort of video call from Ienzo, although none of them seem very happy about it, instead wanting to talk to Riku. This is a very cute exchange, but it also gives us our first ever Unreal Engine look at Jiminy Cricket, who can be seen besides Sora. Considering he hasn’t been seen or mentioned yet, it’s good to see confirmation that he’s actually in the game. Now we just wait for Pluto! The next three scenes of this trailer don’t do much more than just showing off the Disney worlds. We get to see the new pollen Heartless in the Tangled world, a conversation between Sora and Anna about saving Elsa and most interestingly of all, the appearance of Davy Jones in the Pirates world. Nothing much to analyse here, but it’s nice that the focus isn’t just on massive story beats. We also finally get an extended look at Sora finding the Master’s Defender on the shores of Destiny Island. Just like in the original reveal trailer, Sora picks it up with some confusion, but we now also get to see that Goofy sees him with the Keyblade and tells him “May your heart be your guiding key”. Sora takes this rather literally, but it could be just the thing that he needs to find Ventus and maybe even Aqua, as it was with this Keyblade that Aqua stored him away, especially when we’ve seen him use his Keyblade to guide him over several games now. Thanks to the E3 2018 trailers, we already knew that Luxord was looking for the Black Box in the Pirates of the Caribbean world, but here he confirms his intentions once more and says that “No one knows what’s in the chest we’re looking for”. We still don’t know why they’re looking in the Pirates world, but some secrets have to be saved for the full game. A very interesting scene comes from a conversation between Sora and Larxene in the Frozen world, who reveals that Organisation XIII have already found all of their vessels. Whether or not this is a lie is up to the player’s interpretation, but Sora, Donald and Goofy’s reactions seem to imply that it is true. It’s also interesting to note that the world behind them is frozen (heh) in time, although why this is happening isn’t clear. Hayner, Pence and Olette make another appearance in the trailer, in which they say they’re going to help Sora find Roxas. They stand outside the abandoned mansion, which means that this scene probably takes place just before they find the computer in the basement, which was shown in an E3 trailer. It seems like Sora has two options for restoring Roxas, one following his data self and the other giving into the darkness. Following all of that story excitement, we get some more Pirates of the Caribbean gameplay, featuring a ship boss fight against the Kraken. This could be the end boss fight of the world, which would make sense considering how this scene is taking place in the middle of a rainstorm at night. Something strange about this gameplay is that a meter appears in the top left for another ship, which probably holds Will, Elizabeth and the other Pirates characters. Some on-foot gameplay is also shown from the Pirates world, which shows us the finisher for the Storm Flag Keyblade transformation. This stylish finisher summons some Kraken arms from the ground and deals damage to all enemies surrounding Sora, and it’s definitely one of the cooler finishers so far. This clip also shows the return of the Gambler Nobodies, which is a nice reference to Luxord being the Organisation member for this world. The ‘Goofy Curling’ gameplay we previously saw during the Frozen reveal trailer also makes a return in this extended trailer, but this time in an area from Olympus. The background makes it look like Thebes, but we’ve never seen this specific area in past trailers. Sora, Donald and Goofy seem to be chasing after a specific, pudding-shaped Heartless, who also makes an appearance during the photo mode mini-game. Much like Mushrooms before him, this Heartless is probably used to signify some world mini-games. We also finally get to see that Kingdom Hearts III will indeed include a photo mode, the staple of this console generation! This looks like a fantastic inclusion, and it’s going to make sure the game has plenty of content for years to come. The same pudding Heartless makes an appearance here, and it seems like he’s even posing for the photo! Looking at the UI for this photo mode shows that Sora can take change between front and back cameras, and even change his expression for the photo. The final gameplay section for this trailer shows a boss battle against a massive ice wolf Heartless, with Marshmallow giving Sora a hand. We get to see the link attack between them, called Avalanche Breath, and we also see them freeze and shatter a massive ball of darkness. This might even be the final boss battle of the world, especially when considering the amount of health the boss has and the fact that Marshmallow probably joins your party quite late into the world. Xemnas and Xigbar are then seen having a conversation in Twilight Town about one of the vessels following their path and how they’ll destroy them if they don’t follow it. It’s not very clear who they’re actually talking about here, but the camera pans to Sora which heavily implies that they mean him. This trailer also finally shows us the return of everyone’s favourite dancing enthusiast- Demyx. He is seen here talking to Vexen about someone’s plan, and the background looks extremely similar to how Radiant Gardens was laid out, which hopefully means that it’ll be making an appearance in the game. The appearance of Vexen here and Ansem later has caused many people to speculate that certain members of the Organisation here are actually undercover and working against Xehanort, with the evidence being that Ansem is shown to be alive and that both Vexen and Ienzo were seen to have good relationships with him. The mention of a ‘plan’ gives this theory some credence, although we’ll have to wait to see if it pans out. The short trailer that we got earlier this week teased a new character being ‘norted’ and the extended cut finally shows us who- Data Riku. Since there have been so many different versions of Riku, it’s hard to pin down which is which but considering this Riku wears an organisation coat and appears in a world that is rife with Bug Blox (the enemy from Re:coded), it’s undoubtedly him and not Riku Replica. The fact that he says “We’ve always been trying to one-up each other” makes it seem like he’s sees it as a bit of a joke, so this Riku may not be truly malicious- only time will tell. Easily one of the most interesting scenes in the trailer comes with Vanitas sitting above Ventus’ still comatose body in the Land of Departure. Vanitas asks “What am I going to do with you brother?”, but it’s not really clear when this actually takes place and how Vanitas changed the Land of Departure back from Castle Oblivion. It’s pretty clear that Ventus is in pretty big trouble by this point and isn’t especially safe, but that’s also further explored in another scene in the trailer. One of Kingdom Hearts III’s biggest mysteries at the moment surrounds Aqua and her seeming transformation into one of Xehanort’s vessels, and this is something we get to see a little of in this trailer. Aqua is pictured in the Realm of Darkness holding Mickey’s new Keyblade and lamenting that she has nothing but despair. This seems to be during her fight with Mickey and Riku, which is one they presumably lose. This also gives us our first good look at her outfit, which has her with tattered clothes and red parts of her body, which is actually similar to Vanitas. A tease from what looks like the final battle at the Keyblade Graveyard is also shown, with Sora, Donald and Mickey watching on as we get to see our first ever look at Master Xehanort, who looks awesome in this engine. Birth By Sleep had several scenes in the Keyblade Graveyard, which means this might not be the final battle, but the mention of “today we join the other Keyblade wielders and make our mark on fate” by Master Xehanort makes it seem like this is the final scene. Continuing on with the trailer, we also see what looks like a flashback to Aqua being turned into a vessel, as we see her fighting Ansem and his guardian. She doesn’t seem to be doing so well, so it’s likely this is what defeats her. The rest of the trailer is mostly made up of quick cuts of the most dramatic scenes, but a lot of them are worth looking at deeper. The first is a cute scene between Lea and Kairi in the training area, with Kairi doing Lea’s signature little catchphrase and using it against him. He doesn’t look too amused. We then see Demyx carrying a body into the Radiant Garden lab computer room to Ienzo. The figure looks like they’re either wrapped in a blanket, or like they’re wearing a white lab coat, but without more of the scene we can’t really tell. I’m placing my bets on it being one of the previous Organisation members. The next quick scene also shows Ansem the Wise, alive and well, comforting Ienzo. Considering their close relationship, this is sure to be a touching scene. Speaking of touching scenes, this trailer also shows Lea and Saix meeting one another on the Twilight Town clock tower. This is definitely Lea and not Axel, as you can see he doesn’t have his teardrops, although the continued wearing of that black coat doesn’t help matters. Lea’s shocked expression possibly means that this is their first meeting, and considering they’re on opposite sides now it’s sure to end badly. Terra makes his first Kingdom Hearts III appearance in this trailer too, although it’s far too zoomed in to make out any kind of detail. All this tells us is that he’ll be making some kind of appearance in the story, presumably in the final battle. Presumably continuing on from a scene earlier in the extended trailer, we also see Vanitas seemingly about to take out Aqua for good. The scene takes place in Land of Departure, in the same room where Ventus is laid to rest, which means the possibilities here are pretty open. Vanitas could be about to split Aqua into light and dark, turn her into a vessel, or even use her to try and awaken Ventus. Vanitas is in the exact same pose he was in when he tried to kill Aqua in Birth by Sleep, which could be purposeful as he tries to draw Ventus out of his sleep. As was previously teased in the opening cinematic for 0.2, the next quick cut shows Sora reaching into the water and grabbing Aqua’s hand. With Sora in his new outfit, does this mean that he’s really going to rescue Aqua? This could possibly support the idea that ‘Aqua-nort’ is actually the darkness from her heart separated from her, or simply that Sora has rescued her from the darkness in her heart. The scenes of Sora rescuing the Wayfinder trio don’t stop there though, as we then get to see Sora standing above Ventus’ Dive to the Heart. Besides being an amazing shot, it almost looks like Sora is about to unlock the heart, hinting that he’s finally learnt the power of waking that Riku did during Dream Drop Distance. In Sora’s final scene in the trailer we get a beautiful shot of him and Kairi sat on their tree on Destiny Islands, hopefully sharing a moment before or after the final battle. With a previous trailer showing Riku sat on the beach during sunset, it’s possible that the gang comes back here for a moment of respite before the final battle. Either way, this could finally be when we see the pair share the long awaited paopu fruit. Lea gets just as emotional as us in the penultimate shot of the trailer, as he is seen crying in the same training area as before. It’s not clear what he could be crying about, but it could be related to his memories of Roxas or even Xion. Speaking of Roxas, he appears in the final shot of the trailer, wielding Oblivion and Oathkeeper and getting ready for battle. The fact that he’s in his Organisation coat makes it more likely that this is a flashback of some sort, but it’s also possible that he’s collected from data. This leaves his fate pretty open for the full game, but it’s still pretty good to see him. Whew! That’s everything I spotted in the new trailer for Kingdom Hearts III but let me know if I’ve missed anything. This is easily the best look at the game we’ve had so far, and it’s hard to imagine that Square can top it. Did you see anything I missed? Let us know in the comments below!

During Gamescom 2018, Sunil Godhania, Square Enix Europe's community manager, went on IGN's Live Developer Playthrough to show off the Toy Box demo for Kingdom Hearts III. Besides giving us a good look at Kingdom Hearts III's gameplay, Sunil also talked about some new details about the game. Sunil started out by talking about the Toy Box world and the fact that this was the first title in the series on Xbox. After showing off the transformation for the Tangled Keyblade, Mirage Staff, Sunil commented on the number of Keyblade transformations in the game. Sunil also commented on world-specific bosses and whether we'll find out about them before launch. When using a Gigas for the first time, Sunil commented on the number of tutorials and user accessibility. One of the most exciting bits of information from this interview came when Sunil went into detail about the purpose of Hidden Mickeys within the game. The demo then ended after the battle against the Gigas, with Sunil finishing up by talking about how excited he and Square Enix are about finally releasing Kingdom Hearts III. You can watch the IGN Live Developer Playthrough video below. What do you think of a Hidden Mickey mini-game in Kingdom Hearts III? Let us know in the comments below!

Square Enix have confirmed that Kingdom Hearts III will be playable at this years PAX West (Penny Arcade Expo) taking place in Seattle from August 31st to September 3rd. In a press release sent out today, Square confirmed that attendees of PAX will get a chance to try the Kingdom Hearts III demo for themselves. Advance tickets for the demo will be given out at Square's booth every day at 10:00am Pacific each day, so make sure to get there early for a chance to play! The press release also confirmed that attendees will be playing the same Toybox and Rock Titan boss battle demo that has appeared at other recent game events. Will you be able to attend PAX and get a chance to play Kingdom Hearts III this year? Let us know in the comments below! Update[August 30, 2018]: Come by the Square Enix booth to demo Kingdom Hearts III! Worlds, Toy Box and Olympus, will be available to play. Get a free Kingdom Hearts III phone holder for playing the demo! The Shooting Star and Infinity Badge keyblades will be on display at PAX West as well!