The Kingdom Hearts series has had a number of games where players have been able to play as other characters aside from Sora, and it appears that the upcoming Kingdom Hearts 3 will be bringing back this multiple playable hero system.

Speaking at the D23 Expo, Kingdom Hearts 3 director Tetsuya Nomura hints that, while introducing multiple playable characters into the series is difficult, the development team intend to incorporate a second playable character alongside Sora. Unsurprisingly, Nomura kept his cards close to his chest and didn't disclose who this second character is.

"So it would be tough to introduce many, multiple playable characters, but there is an intention of adding a playable character aside from Sora. Unfortunately we’re not able to disclose who it is yet, but there will be [another playable character]."

The incorporation of an extra playable character into Kingdom Hearts 3 isn't the first time that this has occurred in the franchise. The well-received Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep featured three Keyblade-wielding playable heroes, while Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories gave players the opportunity to play as both Sora and Riku.

Adding in a second playable character is just one of a number of things being revamped gameplay-wise for Kingdom Hearts 3. Whereas the first two main Kingdom Hearts games featured an AI-controlled Donald Duck and Goofy fighting alongside Sora, Kingdom Hearts 3 will have a new party system that allows for additional members. Nomura states that this new system will be able to depict multiple characters, as well as explaining that the new party system is a way to get rid of the Dimension Link feature in Birth By Sleep.

"D-Link, that has been done away with. It was actually a compromise in a previous iteration because we were not able to display multiple characters on that platform in that game. We’re able to depict multiple characters. Up to five people can join, even more, multiple characters can join your party."

Beyond the new party system, fans can also expect the introduction of new characters and worlds in Kingdom Hearts 3. One of Disney's most popular franchises, Toy Story, will be making its way to the upcoming JRPG, and players will be able to fight alongside Woody and Buzz against the Heartless, as well as explore a new world inspired by Andy's bedroom and neighborhood.

With a large roster of characters that spans across various other Disney and Square Enix franchises, it will be interesting to see who the second playable character in Kingdom Hearts 3 will be. With a planned launch date of 2018, hopefully fans will get plenty of new details from Nomura about this mysterious second playable character in the coming months.

Kingdom Hearts 3 is scheduled for launch in 2018 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Source: IGN