Since the new footage for the crossover role-playing game “Kingdom Hearts 3” has been shown at the Japan D23 Expo last month, news about it has been rather scarce.
However, the game started to fuel the rumor mill again with the latest speculation pointing to a possible 2016 release date.
According to Venture Capital Post, there’s a huge possibility that Square Enix will release the much-awaited video game before the end of next year.
A new leak emerged that the game’s pre-order will begin starting this month indicating that the game already has secured a release date.
Giant online retailer, Amazon has released a list of upcoming titles on its website that will be available for pre-order and the highly-anticipated “Kingdom Hearts 3” happens to be included on it. The role-playing game is also tagged for a retail price of $59.99.
However, without a confirmation from Square Enix, it’s best that ardent gamers don’t get their hopes up as the game initially was rumored to be released by late 2016 or early 2017.
Game director Tetsuya Nomura has admitted that he probably has announced the game too early.
The title was announced back in 2013 when Nomura decided to relieve fans’ frustration about the lack of information on the third sequel of “Kingdom Hearts.”
Another rumor circling in the “Kingdom Hearts” world is that the game developer will be adding a new stage in the game.
As per Latin Times, the upcoming video game is said to feature Daybreak Town from the mobile version of the game titled “Kingdom Hearts X.”
This could be a huge possibility as a video was recently shown featuring a panel from The Gamers Joint discussing the possibility of adding the Daybreak Town stage to the forthcoming title.
In the video, Square Enix reportedly took a 3D version of the mobile game stage because they plan to incorporate it on “Kingdom Hearts 3.”
As a refresher, Daybreak Town is the world that appears in “Kingdom Hearts X” and serves as the hub for the players. The town is somewhat similar to Radiant Garden and Traverse Town.
“Kingdom Hearts X” is the prequel to the entire “Kingdom Hearts” franchise and takes place before the Keyblade War.
In a recent Q & A, Square Enix responded to some of the fans’ queries regarding the game’s new mechanics.
Lead game designer Yuji Kenichiro discussed some specifics saying that there is a gameplay mechanic where a player can weaken enemies by destroying parts of their anatomy and it will be an integral part in the battle.
The Japanese game designer adds that it’s possible to attack specific areas on gigantic monsters by either striking them directly using the warp ability or by hitting the enemy’s weak spots.
Reports are also saying that the gameplay mechanics in “Kingdom Hearts 2.8” will be the same as in “Kingdome Hearts 3.”
Game Informer says that the reason for this is to allow the gamers to experience “Kingdom Hearts 3” by introducing it as a minor part of the game system of “Kingdom Hearts 2.8.”
“Kingdom Hearts 2.8,” also called “Kingdom Hearts HD II.8 Final Chapter Prologue,” is an HD remastered collection of the video game series.
While details of the forthcoming RPG remains to be secret, what is confirmed is that “Kingdom Hearts 3” will focus on the lost Keyblade masters mentioned in ancient texts.
Design & Trend reports that this might tie in with Mickey and Riku’s quest to locate the keyblades with the ability to battle the darkness.
The series central villain, Xehanort, will also play a role in the upcoming video game. Xehanort will have an important role in narrating the origin of the keyblade. The former apprentice of Ansem the Wise first appeared in “Kingdom Hearts 2.”