Kingdom Hearts

Kingdom Hearts III‘s Best Moment Is Everything Good (And Bad) About Kingdom Hearts

I was on vacation last week. In addition to wandering New York and enjoying some of the finest pizza on the planet, I finally finished Kingdom Hearts III. In the process, I found a moment near the end of the game that perfectly captures the series’ magic and excitement. It also highlights one of Kingdom…

Tetsuya Nomura Talks Kingdom Hearts III DLC 

Kingdom Hearts III has enough game to keep folks busy for a while. But in a recent Dengeki Online interview, creator Tetsuya Nomura was asked about what comes next. Warning: This article has spoilers. Dengeki Online pointed out that Kingdom Hearts III doesn’t have the Critical Mode difficulty that the Final Mix versions of Kingdom…

Kingdom Hearts III Players Are Seeing Lucky Emblems Everywhere

Kingdom Hearts III is littered with lucky emblems, special Mickey Mouse shaped indentations and arrangements that are key to unlocking the game’s secret ending. While there are only 90 in the game, dedicated players have been finding a whole lot more outside of the game. They’re in food. They’re on buildings. They are everywhere. “Look…

Every Fake Game In Kingdom Hearts 3, Reviewed

Inside the Toy Story world in Kingdom Hearts 3, players can find a video game store. This store is filled with games that presumably exist in the Toy Story universe. These games also need to be reviewed. I watched my girlfriend play Kingdom Hearts 3 and she found this game store. We both had a…

Someone Left A Watermark In Kingdom Hearts III 

Blink and you’ll miss some of the best secrets in Kingdom Hearts III, like a watermark that someone accidentally left in while rendering the cut-scenes. See where it says “Arnold” up there by Elsa’s arm (via Reddit)? That’s a big ol’ watermark that you’ll get in the animation software Maya if you don’t have an…

Breaking Down The Meta As Hell Opening To Kingdom Hearts III‘s Toy Story World

Kingdom Hearts III is an overwhelming melting pot of Disney cheer and anime excess. The franchise has previously included Square-Enix characters, and while they don’t make an appearance here, the game does include an extended gag trailer that pokes fun at the series’ direction and potentially teases what’s to come. Kingdom Hearts III shows a…

How Fans’ Lives Changed During The Long Wait For Kingdom Hearts III

Some got married. Some came out. Some simply got older and began looking differently at the world and the game series they loved. Devoted Kingdom Hearts fans waited 13 years for the big sequel to 2006’s Kingdom Hearts II, and in that time, their lives took some dramatic turns. Jaime bonded over the original 2002…

The download sales and shipped copies of Kingdom Hearts III have crossed the five million number since its release late last month. According to Square Enix, the game has set a new sales record for the series, with KHIII being the fastest-selling entry in the series.

The Best Gummi Ships Players Have Made So Far In Kingdom Hearts III

It is a truth universally acknowledged that when you give someone a chance to customize anything in a video game, they will try to make a dick. Players have made the requisite penis out of their Gummi Ships in Kingdom Hearts III, and thankfully a lot of other, varied creations. Gummi Ships are basically the…

The Sheer Joy Of Kingdom Hearts

Is Kingdom Hearts brilliant or incomprehensible? Hackneyed or joyful? Today on Kotaku Splitscreen, we decide that the answer is… all of the above! First we talk about the many games we’ve been playing, including Resident Evil 2, Wargroove, Bloodborne, and Destiny 2. Then we take a deep dive into Kingdom Hearts (34:01), debating whether the…

Kingdom Hearts 3 Starts Off With A Great Self-Aware Joke

Kingdom Hearts 2 launched for PS2 in 2006, so fans have been waiting 13 years for Kingdom Hearts 3, which came out this week. It appears that the developers couldn’t resist getting in a little joke at the expense of everyone who’s been wading through spinoff after spinoff since then. Last night I started Kingdom…

GameStop Is Cancelling Kingdom Hearts 3 PlayStation 4 Pro Orders

Players are saying that their pre-orders for a limited edition, Kingdom Hearts 3-themed PlayStation 4 Pro console are being cancelled by GameStop, and they’re not happy. In honor of the long-awaited Kingdom Hearts 3, Sony is released a limited edition version of the PlayStation 4 Pro, emblazoned with characters from the series; the special PS4…

Kingdom Hearts III Warns Users About Making ‘Commercial’ Livestreams And Music Streams

Some video game creators are cool with people livestreaming any part of their game, others not so much. People who start playing Kingdom Hearts 3 will find a message notifying them that the companies behind the game are applying some limitations. The game’s title screen includes an unusual button prompt labeled “before you stream.” Pressing…

Japan Celebrates Kingdom Hearts III‘s Launch With Excellent Fan Art

Today in Japan, it finally happened. Kingdom Hearts III went on sale in Japan. What better way to celebrate that than with lovely fan art? On Twitter, Japanese fans have been posting their celebratory art and writing omedetou (おめでとう) or “congrats,” among other well-wishes Here are some of the standouts: Expect the game to be…

Kingdom Hearts’ Multiverse Paved The Way For Everything Else

With the long-awaited Kingdom Hearts 3 almost upon us, I wondered how much the entertainment landscape has changed since the series first showed up on the scene. In today’s media, nearly every franchise has started to build their own vast universes, just like the Kingdom Hearts franchise did 17 years ago. Tim and I chatted…

What We Love (So Far) About Kingdom Hearts 3

Tim Rogers and I have had Kingdom Hearts 3 for only one full day, and we played as much as we could. Here’s what we think so far. We try not to spoil anything major, but of course, we can’t spoil anything that happened beyond the first ten hours or so. Enjoy! Maddy Myers: Are…

Tetsuya Nomura Explains How To Unlock Kingdom Hearts III‘s Secret Movie

When Kingdom Hearts III leaked, creator Tetsuya Nomura said the biggest spoilers in the game were the game’s secret movie and epilogue. Earlier this month, Kotaku reported on how players can watch the epilogue, but the details for the secret movie were vague. In a newly published Famitsu interview, Nomura explained how the secret movie…

Japan Getting Kingdom Hearts Themed Hotel Rooms 

Starting this March, the Disney Ambassador Hotel at the Tokyo Disney Resort is rolling out special Kingdom Hearts themed rooms. And yes, you can open the door with a Keyblade shaped key. The rooms are limited to three adults and come with two regular sized beds and one trundle bed. Prices are from 46,100 yen…

Kingdom Hearts III‘s Epilogue Will Be Patched In After Launch

The much-anticipated Kingdom Hearts III comes out on January 29, and if you plan to play it, I sure hope you have a home internet connection. Because the epilogue will be added via patch the next day. On Twitter this morning, publisher Square Enix laid out the update schedule for Kingdom Hearts III’s launch week,…

Kingdom Hearts Is Weirdly Similar To Twin Peaks

What I love about both Twin Peaks and Kingdom Hearts is that they simply trust me with a massive amount of knowledge