Square Enix has released the promised trailer for Kingdom Hearts III and Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, though it's largely footage from D23.
Just as Kingdom Hearts fans were beginning to grow nervous, Square Enix delivered on yesterday's promise of a new Kingdom Hearts trailer today. And with only a short amount of time to spare! An all new (kind of ) trailer featuring both Kingdom Hearts III and Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue footage has just been released as part of the Jump Festa 2015 exposition.
The bad news is that the trailer features no newly revealed information from either of the Kingdom Hearts games. Yes, tonight's new trailer is, in fact, nearly identical to the one shown at the D23 Disney fan event. After a healthy introduction, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 footage makes up the majority of the 5-minute trailer, but those looking specifically for the Kingdom Hearts III footage should jump to 3:40 and watch until the end.
If anyone is unfamiliar with what was revealed during the D23 event, there's a good amount of combat shown in both the Tangled and Hercules worlds. There's also the reveal of a new ride attack, the Buzz Lightyear ride from Disneyland.
That being said there is something new revealed in the form of the "shotlock" feature from Birth by Sleep. It allows players to target enemies by aiming with a target reticule on-screen and then pressing a button, so the player can jump from enemy to enemy. It's not exactly new information, but Kingdom Hearts fans were hoping for a little clarification on the feature.
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While Kingdom Hearts III does not currently have a release date or window, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 is still slated for an ambiguous "2016." "Now in Development," reads the final message as the Kingdom Hearts III portion of the trailer concludes, a written dagger into the hearts of the most dedicated of fans. 2017 continues to be a realistic approximation for the game's final release.
It's fair to say that Kingdom Hearts fans are disheartened at this point. After all, the Final Fantasy VII remake has featured several announcements as well as in-game cinematics and gameplay reveals since the last Kingdom Hearts 3 trailers. Sure, a Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 release in 2016 may sate a few fans' cravings, but an HD update of the 3DS title Dream Drop Distance likely isn't enough. Fans have seen the beauty that is a PS4 Kingdom Hearts and are eager for more.
Kingdom Hearts III is planned for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and currently has no release window. Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is planned for release on PlayStation 4 in 2016.