Today the newest Kingdom Hearts 3 trailer was dropped at D23 Expo, showcasing a new world: Toy Story! The other worlds that are confirmed are Tangled, (as seen above in one of the most widely distributed promotional photos so far) Big Hero Six, and Mount Olympus from Disney's Hercules. So, I thought I'd give my genuine reaction to the latest trailer and some opinions that have been floating around my brain for awhile rather than a nuanced or developed response. Without further ado, here are my hopes (and concerns) for Kingdom Hearts 3.
I am excited at the choices for the worlds so far, and I think that the graphics look superb. Sora's toy design is not my favorite and I would have liked if they went for less of a block design and modeled him after an action figure with adjustable limbs, but that is a small complaint. The entire cast of Toy Story looks like they walked straight out of Toy Story 3, and the variation of the world's scope intrigues me. It won't just take place in Andy's Room, but also outside on the roof and in the toy store. I really hope that we make it into Cid's room, but I have a feeling that they are going to go with Zurg as the baddie. And how cool was that D.Va-esc mech? Very. My boy Tom Hanks better be voicing Woody. That's all I have to say.
Based on the trailers, I am looking forward to magic casting and Sora's special abilities. In the past main title games, I did not use the magic often; I would only use cure and other spells when the game called for it— like when the chests in Hollow Bastion required the use of graviga— that sort of thing. I made Aqua a fire-build in Birth By Sleep, and generally enjoy playing mages.
Kingdom Hearts 3 looks intense— what I assume to be aero is a tornado and the animations for blizzard, fire, and thunder are all big, flashy, and powerful. I'm sure that they are not showing the first level version of those spells, of course, but even if that is aeroga, it is still cooler than the other iterations of that spell in the main title games.
I understand that people have trepidation about "The Osaka Effect," which is the term fans are using to describe the failings of the team that worked on the side games. Here's a video explaining what I mean. I hope that Kingdom Hearts 3 does not succumb to it, and the added features do not break the game; overall, I am optimistic that although there are games within the series that do not have balance in battle, that the newest installment in the cherished main trilogy will uphold the previously established standard of difficulty.
I am interested to see what Final Fantasy characters will be brought into Kingdom Hearts 3. I expect that the Radiant Garden gang will reprise their roles. I hope that they give some spotlight to a character from one of the earlier games, but I wouldn't be upset if they included someone from a game that came out after Kingdom Hearts 2, like FFXII (I liked it, damn it). I am expecting Lightning to make a cameo. I would bet actual money on that.
So, here's my unpopular concern for the series: I do not want a Star Wars or Marvel world. You might be thinking, 'Haley, you love Star Wars and Marvel, why don't you want your favorite nerd worlds to combine into a fantastical love-child?' My answer is fairly simple: Too many cooks. Too many cooks.
The keyblade wielders and masters are inherently casual Jedi. They believe that you should follow a code of moral principles, and that you shouldn't succumb to the darkness within yourself to gain power. They follow a similar training process in their ranks, they travel around to maintain the balance between light and darkness, and they have a special connection to their weapon and the forces working within themselves. The people that betray or oppose them wear dark robes and often cover their faces. I mean, come on. On second thought, if you smacked 20% of Kingdom Hearts and 80% of FFXII together, you would have Star Wars, so maybe stray away from that.
If Sora were to show up to solve the problems presented in the Star Wars universe, he would be undermining the Jedi, which some of you may argue is a good thing. However, I do not think that the rest of the game's minor characters are structured in the same way, or at least, I don't like to think of Star Wars characters losing their agency and handing the keys (—haha, it's funny because—) over to our lovable teenage protagonist. Sure, the Disney characters have agency, but at least to me, it's less upsetting to see some of them disenfranchised. They do not have the level of control as, say, the Jedi would, over their own world's affairs. Within Disney movies, (this is a generalization, hence the "hot take") the stakes are on a smaller scale than an entire galaxy fighting in a war against fascist ex-space wizards. Their respective movies are affecting the lives of a country, a group of people, or a kingdom. Most of the Disney characters are seeking help because they can't solve the problem by themselves—gee, wonder if that's perhaps because it is written into the story that the keyblade wielders are the only ones who can defeat the threats that plague these worlds. (They are all Secretaries for Foreign Affairs, apparently). Either way, I would have a difficult time believing that a light saber couldn't wreck a heartless' day. And even if the Jedi and the resistance needed help, I feel like it would diminish their role if a keyblade wielder were to step in. Sora would need to play a very minor role in the way the story plays out. And which movie would they pick, Episode V?
From a somewhat meta-narrative level, this "new Star Wars" is straying away from the stark contrast between good and evil; Rogue One showed that people within the resistance were forced to make decisions that they didn't want to, and that not everyone that worked for the imperials were doing so by choice. The Last Jedi teaser trailer implicitly states that Luke wants to put an end to the Jedi, and he claims that there is more than just light and darkness; there is a balance to be maintained, but I am hoping that these movies will show that although evil does exist, there are many shades of gray besides "Jedi" and "Sith." In fact, The Clone Wars television show took pains to retell Anakin's story, and I think people can relate to that version of Anakin that strays from the principles of the Jedi because he forms bonds with other people and loves wholeheartedly—less about killing women and children or hating sand. Sora fits a similar mold. No, he is not going to turn evil. I think about Vanitas and cringe. Yet, he does have a rebellious nature in his pure unadulterated altruism. Riku and Terra embody an Anakin-likeness even more so with the way that the darkness seduces them.
Kingdom Hearts has been dabbling with the idea of moral ambiguity all along by claiming that "there is darkness within every heart." However, the series is still built on the premise of good versus evil. These ideas are interesting and beg to be explored by both franchises, but having both on the same screen is overkill. I don't mind the similarities; in fact, I think that both of these stories contain elements that are popular in many facets of our culture and media. "Oh, but the keyblade would be so cool!" Meh, it would be unfair and disingenuous if they were to conflate the two.
As for the Marvel universe, it takes place on our Earth—primarily, New York City. Superheroes follow their own value systems and are obviously more individualistic than monastic space wizard orders, but nonetheless, they don't need other people to solve their problems for them. Take a look at the overwhelming backlash that Nintendo received from fans after they revealed Super Mario Odyssey. Putting Mario in the real world is disturbing. Is he proportionally equal or larger to regular people? Just, why? As it is, I disliked Port Royal for the contrast in animation style. I don't want to see Sora swinging around NYC. Now he's in my territory. There are some universes that need to stay their own universes, that's all I'm saying. I do think it would be funny to see Tony Stark pushing Sora around like he did to Tom Holland's Spiderman, so this concern only gets one paragraph.
I am hopeful for Kingdom Hearts 3. People have been waiting a long time for this game, and I believe that they are going to deliver—I have been waiting a long time. Kingdom Hearts was my first video game and my favorite series; it opened so many doors for me in terms of friendship and discovering other interests. I hold the series very dear to my heart, and like any media that you're exposed to when you're young, it has contributed to the person that I am today. That being said, I wouldn't mind if the release date got pushed back in order for the quality to be the best possible. I am putting my trust in you Square Enix. Don't let me down.
If you like Kingdom Hearts, please check out Cynical, a YouTuber that focus on the series. Here's his channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/thegamersjoint
Also, Daniel Floyd of ExtraCredits did a video series on the animation in Kingdom Hearts that I totally loved. He does tons of videos on animation in other video games too, like Overwatch, so take a look:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8aygr-1xAA
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