[Gamescom 2018] Kingdom Hearts III - Tried, between Olympus and Andy's room

[Gamescom 2018] Kingdom Hearts III - Tried, between Olympus and Andy's room

During the last few days we have attended the Gamescom in Cologne in its tenth edition, and on site we were able to experience the long-awaited first-hand Kingdom Hearts III. The title Square Enix it is certainly the most awaited of the whole line up of the Japanese company and, for this reason, the needs of the public are quite high. The software house has not only the task of closing a perfect circle, but also to do it in the best possible way for all the players who, over the years, have followed the saga with assiduity in all its releases, from the chapters on home. consoles up to portable ones. The trailers shown over the years, however, have given us hope right away, especially seeing the steps forward as updates were published. Having said that, however, until you test a multimedia work with your own hands, the intentions leave the time they find. The moments at our disposal with Sora and companions were quite limited, but enough to get us a clear idea of ​​the game and the fluidity of the combo, spells, special abilities and all the other features that deepen the combat system.



[Gamescom 2018] Kingdom Hearts III - Tried, between Olympus and Andy's room

I can do it

Our test begins on Mount Olympus, just at the exact moment when the rock titan, taken by an unstoppable fervor, begins to destroy everything and launch giant boulders. As you may have seen in the respective trailer, our task was to reach the top of the mountain and destroy it. The whole sequence was limited, basically it was a corridor where you had only to defeat the Heartless and continue to reach the top. It was clear that we were in the early stages of the game, with Sora still dressed as in Kingdom Hearts II and his faithful royal chain not equipped with any kind of transformation. The developers, however, thought well that, although the protagonist's historic Keyblade could not change shape, it was right to equip it with a kind of boost that could help the player in clashes. The combat system seemed to us very fluid right from the start, with a high number of combos to be triggered both on the ground and in the air. Dodging is back, excluded in Kingdom Hearts II, and we are sure that the skills that will be unlocked later will help our hero to become a real force of nature, as in the perfect style of the saga.



It was impressive to see the large number of Heartless on screen, an amount so high that the clashes have a totally different flavor than in the previous chapters. Now the battles will be much more dynamic, but also more rapid and adrenaline-pumping. Everything is enriched with the use of spells and moves combined with Goofy and Donald: the former are much more scenic and effective than the previous chapters, very similar as seen in Kingdom Hearts 0.2, as regards the latter instead in addition to be very acrobatic, they will not consume the slightest magic point. The focus bar in addition to being equipped with two different moves, so to give further depth differentiation to the combat system, it will be very useful to thin out the enemy ranks, so as to have the ground leveled and continue in the game. To climb to the top of the mountain and reach the titan we tested the new displacement method which gives Sora the possibility to move vertically and horizontally on the walls, which is very useful in this phase to be able to dodge the rocks that were thrown at us. The last part of the world was centered on the boss battle against the titan. All this was limited to hitting his legs to destroy them and knock him to the ground, so that he could mount on them through some pre-established points and start attacking the heads. Once this is done, Kingdom Hearts III it will automatically give you the option to summon the toy train and end the battle, thanks to a final sequence that completely transformed the gameplay.


[Gamescom 2018] Kingdom Hearts III - Tried, between Olympus and Andy's room

To infinity and beyond

The second and final part of the Kingdom Hearts III demo at our disposal was dedicated to the world of Toy Story. We started with a short video where he introduced the story: the toys are mysteriously disappearing, the appearance of the Hartless does not seem a coincidence and Woody and Buzz are ready to investigate. The arrival of Sora Pippo and Donald slightly upsets their plans, but certainly for the better since I then decide to team up to understand what is happening. After a short fight in which we were able to further deepen our knowledge with the combat system we are ready to reach the toy store. Needless to say, we make their first acquaintance with Young Xheanort, who decides to reveal his plan to create an exact copy of the planets we are visiting, which would also explain the disappearance of some puppets. Unfortunately, as far as the plot is concerned, the information is limited to this, also because the story, a true object of worship for all the most avid fans, is still shrouded in mystery with continuous doubts that arise with each trailer disclosed by the development house.


Earlier we told you about a more in-depth and varied combat system. The feature that most surprised is that linked to the possibility of changing the keyblade using the directional keys of the pad at our disposal. The latter can be equipped up to 3 at the same time, each with unique characteristics that vary in a concrete and not approximate way the entire gameplay. From the move set of the various transformations to the use of the focus bar, everything will be unique based on the weapon you decide to wield. Of course, also in this case we were able to make combined moves, not only with Goofy and Donald but also with Woody and Buzz, a total of 5 party members, a high number never seen in the history of the game. Depending on the situation and your behavior you can evoke the Attraction Flow, that is the Disney attractions present in the amusement park such as the pirate ship or the cups. We were also able to see the uniqueness of this world, or the possibility of controlling the Heartless toys to transform the gameplay of the game into that of a real FPS.


[Gamescom 2018] Kingdom Hearts III - Tried, between Olympus and Andy's room

The Kingdom of Lights

From a graphic point of view it is a real joy for the eyes, both in the phase dedicated to the titan in which we passed from a hot day to a rainy night, you could see the changes in the environment even on Sora's dress and for obvious reasons he got wet and soaked. In Toy Story, however, it was nice to see how the areas have expanded substantially, so much so that the transition from Andy's room to the street did not require any loading. The sound is confirmed at very high levels, with iconic music always able to give strong emotions to fans and new ones that perfectly characterize the various environments.


In conclusion we can say with certainty that work on Kingdom Hearts III is proceeding at full speed and, apart from a very minor bug, our experience has not encountered any kind of problem, a pleasantly fluid and profound result in every respect. There are particular functions still to be clarified of course, such as the leveling system, skill management, equipment and much more, but as regards what we have seen, our impressions are really excellent. The official release date, or January 29, is still far away, so the possibilities to further improve the product are all there. Certainly there has been a qualitative leap compared to the old trailers released, so we believe that everything could end without particular problems. The closure of the Xehanort saga is approaching, Sora's destiny is finally about to be fulfilled and we can't wait to get our hands on the full game.

add a comment of [Gamescom 2018] Kingdom Hearts III - Tried, between Olympus and Andy's room
Comment sent successfully! We will review it in the next few hours.