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Heading into Square Enix’s Pre-E3 Press Briefing there were some questions with regards to what games the publisher/developer would show. Since E3 typically caters to a Western market in terms of the products it has on display, many wondered how much of the Briefing would focus on Japanese products. More specifically, fans wanted to know if Kingdom Hearts 3 would make an appearance.

Prior to the Briefing it seemed practically a given that Kingdom Hearts 3 would make an appearance, but then Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy 15 would not be on display. That small detail then made fans unsure if Kingdom Hearts 3, the other major JRPG in Square’s stable, would be a no-show as well.

The good news is that Kingdom Hearts 3 did make an appearance at E3 2015, albeit a brief one. The presentation began with an intro by two Disney executives, who teased a crossover between Kingdom Hearts 3 and the hugely popular Tangled franchise, before eventually jumping into gameplay (seen above).

While the initial teaser for Kingdom Hearts 3 suggested the game was going for a somewhat realistic depiction, this latest footage is much more cartoon-y in design. As Sora, Goofy, and Donald face off with a few baddies and a giant mountain creature, the game calls to mind the best of Disney Animation with the same fluid combat of past Kingdom Hearts games.

The combat portion of the presentation was extremely brief, though, giving players a cursory look at what to expect. However, it does begin and end with a cryptic tease, as two mysterious characters play chess and talk about the Keyblade War. That’s the type of grand scale storytelling that fans love about the Kingdom Hearts franchise, so it’s good to see it return. Now, obviously fans are going to have different theories about whom those two individuals are, but speculating for a Square Enix game is a fool’s errand.

Overall, what Square Enix had on offer was enough to whet the appetite of any Kingdom Hearts fan, but certainly not substantial enough to convince them the game is coming any time soon. As a matter of fact, the Kingdom Hearts 3 gameplay footage concluded with a "Now in Development" message, which suggests that the game has only recently started to get going. So much for the rumors that the game might release in 2015…

What did you think of the Kingdom Hearts 3 gameplay? Who do you think the two kids playing chess are?

Kingdom Hearts 3 is now in development for PS4 and Xbox One