Kingdom Hearts 3 will finally end the story of Sora and his friends and show its upbeat protagonist at the most powerful level. Director of Kingdom Hearts, Tetsuya Nomura said that the young man witnessed in the latest trailer has developed alongside the series’ storyline and combat mechanics.
Besides the new footage of Kingdom Hearts 3, Square Enix displayed another Kingdom Hearts game known as Kingdom Hearts: Unchained X where the X is pronounced ‘key’. It is a mobile game that takes place chronologically first in the franchise.
Nomura further urged that people who are interested in Kingdom Hearts 3 should play Unchained X first. This is because it gives a lot of background to the major event that has been discussed and it is viewed at length all-throughout the series.
This is the Keyblade War event in which characters like Sora and Riku, who could use Keyblades, took up arms against each other during a calamitous battle of darkness and light. Besides the narrative link between KHIII and Unchained X, Nomura further declared that the Sora seen in the new trailer has already passed his Keyblade wielder’s Mark of Mastery exam.
This is a test he miserably failed in, during the end of the last Kingdom Hearts title, Dream Drop Distance. Right now, we have come to know that he passes. Meanwhile, the transforming Keyblades is the latest addition to Kingdom Hearts 3. In the latest trailer, we can see Sora’s Keyblade transforming into a gambit of variable weapons, starting from a dual gun, to rocket launchers and a final Pegasus creature leading a chariot.
Clearing the missions in the Kingdom Hearts world will start unlocking each Keyblade transformation. Furthermore, each individual world offers its own unique Keyblade transformation. Nomura further declared that the Pegasus and chariot has been taken from Disney’s Hercules world and this confirms the presence of a Hercules world in Kingdom Hearts 3.
Nomura further explained that the concept of transforming Keyblades was issued during the development of Kingdom Hearts 2 final mix. In the Lingering Sentiment Battle, there was transforming armor where the Keyblade itself transforms.
Nomura wanted to recreate that and be able to inject that that mechanic in Kingdom Hearts 3 gameplay. The style of fighting will develop as you train and become a more powerful Keyblade wielder and finally you will be able to transform your Keyblade.