Square Enix has got a lot on the line with the upcoming release of Final Fantasy 15, but they also have another huge franchise in gaming that is decades old, and that is Kingdom Hearts. The franchise just had its eighth offering yesterday with the release of Kingdom Hearts Unchained X (or Chi), and this mobile application for iOS and Android is to set up for those unfamiliar with the Kingdom Hearts universe, as well as the inevitable release date for Kingdom Hearts 3.
I have to admit, I have reported on Kingdom Hearts 3 several times, but I've never played a single game in the series until today. Since it was free to play, I tried out Kingdom Hearts Unchained X. This particular game was a Japanese browser game that was released in 2013, and then was released to smartphone (still in Japan on September 2015).
The game started me off in the typical role-playing game fashion, where I have to choose a look for my character with hair, skin color, jacket color, etc. If you played any type of MMO game in the past, it is a pretty standard drill.
After that, your player character ends up in something that looks like a side-scrolling adventure, where you move the avatar along in order to beat-up enemies. Apparently, you are allowed to use medals when you fight, and like most video games, there are constant tutorials that tell you want to do. Fighting enemies is about using finger swipes, which is common for these type of mobile side-scrolling swipers.
I was pretty impressed with the concept of the story, as this world is about being full of light, and then these beings of darkness are trying to overshadow it. Apparently, the Keyblade (a sword that greatly resembles a key) can beat back the light with darkness, which matches what I have heard about the Kingdom Hearts franchise. According to The Star, the game has main areas inspired by a handful of Disney films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Alice in Wonderland, Aladdin, Hercules, and Beauty and the Beast.
Speaking of Disney worlds, most of the talk about the upcoming Kingdom Hearts 3 is about the worlds that will appear in that game. Some rumors have talked about the worlds and characters from Big Hero 6, Tangled, and even the recent Zootopia. Some of the other rumors that might not be likely are elements from Star Wars and Marvel.
As far as when the release date of Kingdom Hearts 3 is, Square Enix is probably going to spend 2016 working on Final Fantasy 15. There has been so little news about Kingdom Hearts 3, which means that it is still under development. It is believed that Kingdom Hearts 3 will have its release date in 2017, probably by the holiday season.
