{"id":20916,"date":"2018-05-18T22:00:46","date_gmt":"2018-05-18T22:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.xbox.com\/en-us\/?p=91625"},"modified":"2018-05-18T22:00:46","modified_gmt":"2018-05-18T22:00:46","slug":"toying-with-disney-magic-in-the-big-beautiful-kingdom-hearts-iii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2018\/05\/18\/toying-with-disney-magic-in-the-big-beautiful-kingdom-hearts-iii\/","title":{"rendered":"Toying with Disney Magic in the Big, Beautiful Kingdom Hearts III"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Grab your keyblade, wake up Goofy, and prepare to smack a Heartless with a rollercoaster: Kingdom Hearts III<\/em><\/strong><\/a> is almost here.<\/p>\n

Kingdom Hearts III<\/em> will be the first franchise entry to appear on an Xbox platform, and it\u2019s clear that this is a game for both new and old fans alike. With evolved gameplay punctuated by exhilarating attacks modeled after Disney attractions and characters, Kingdom Hearts III<\/em> is shaping up to be an action-packed ride for everyone.<\/p>\n

Action was exactly what we found during a recent hands-on demo touching on two of Kingdom Hearts III<\/em>\u2019s many worlds: the craggy mountains of Olympus from the 1997 \u201cHercules\u201d film and a trip to Andy\u2019s Toybox from Pixar\u2019s \u201cToy Story\u201d.<\/p>\n

Built to show off the game\u2019s verticality, Olympus charged us with taking down a massive Rock Titan. Dashing up the sheer mountain face while dodging huge boulders hefted by the mighty Titan, we were immediately struck by the game\u2019s newfound sense of scale. Once they reached the summit, Sora and his trusty sidekicks Donald Duck and Goofy were face to, well, foot<\/em> with the monstrous Titan.<\/p>\n

After climbing up to the beast\u2019s twin heads, we had access to one of the brand new \u201cAttraction\u201d ultimates inspired by real-world Disney theme park rides. In this case, it was \u201cBig Magic Mountain,\u201d a glittering, technicolor train yanked right out of the Main Street Electrical Parade. Sora and crew hopped aboard and blasted the Titan with colorful fireworks before exploding in a breathtaking, fight-ending light show.<\/p>\n

\"Kingdom<\/p>\n

The second half of the demo was just as magical. Warped into the not-so-small world of \u201cToy Story\u201d \u2013 the first time a Pixar property has appeared in Kingdom Hearts<\/em> \u2013 Sora and crew promptly meet up with Woody, Buzz, Rex, Hamm and other famous Toy Story faces. Watching Sora and Woody casually chat while wandering around Andy\u2019s room is exactly the sort of thing that sets Kingdom Hearts<\/em> fans\u2019 hearts aflutter, a seemingly incongruous character mashup that somehow makes perfect sense.<\/p>\n

Off we went to rescue Woody\u2019s pals from Galaxy Toys, a brand new \u201cToy Story\u201d location introduced in Kingdom Hearts III<\/em>, but not before a few more Heartless battles demonstrated the game\u2019s flexible combat system. Hammering on the attack button yielded combos that powered potent keyblade transformations. Players will wield several different keyblades over the course of the game and can switch between them at the press of a button. After dispatching a few grunts, we transformed the keyblade into the Tangled-inspired Mirage Staff, clearing out the rest with fierce, flowery blasts of light.<\/p>\n

A Link attack brought forth the muscular star of \u201cWreck-it-Ralph\u201d, who laid down a handful of explosive bricks before tackling enemies like a linebacker. Later we turned the world into water as Ariel from \u201cThe Little Mermaid\u201d, diving beneath enemies and flipping them into the air. Another attraction, the Mad Teacups, turned the stomach-churning ride into a destructive, nauseating whirlwind. We even channeled \u201cPacific Rim\u201d by controlling three giant toy mechs at various spots in the toy store.<\/p>\n

Combine all of that with more keyblade modes (at one point we wielded a \u201cToy Story\u201d-inspired hammer that would make Thor jealous), a wealth of magical attacks, and handy defensive dashes and you get a cinematic, laugh-out-loud system so grandiose, even Maleficent would love it, though she may frown at Kingdom Hearts III<\/em>\u2019s unbelievable looks.<\/p>\n

Speedy and smooth with picture-perfect character models and bright, cheery colors, it\u2019s a visual stunner. From the stiches on Woody\u2019s pants to Goofy\u2019s iconic gait, Kingdom Hearts III<\/em><\/strong><\/a> evokes the mouse house\u2019s inimitable style and attention to detail. It feels like you\u2019re playing through a bizarre Disney film.<\/p>\n

Precisely when you\u2019ll get to do that remains to be seen, as Square-Enix has yet to reveal a specific release date. But like the best rides, this big, bold, and beautiful romp through Disney\u2019s unforgettable worlds looks like it will be well worth the wait when it arrives on Xbox One.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Grab your keyblade, wake up Goofy, and prepare to smack a Heartless with a rollercoaster: Kingdom Hearts III is almost here. Kingdom Hearts III will be the first franchise entry to appear on an Xbox platform, and it\u2019s clear that this is a game for both new and old fans alike. With evolved gameplay punctuated […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-xbox-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20916"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20916\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}