We've been waiting for Kingdom Hearts 3 since 2006, oo-ing and ah-ing every time we learn about a new Disney world we'll get to explore. This past weekend, you might've seen such admiration come pouring out on social media when we saw how the upcoming JRPG will depict Sora, Donald, and Goofy when they visit a realm based on the Pixar movie Monsters, Inc.
Missed the memo? Check out this new trailer to see what I mean:
Goofy's appearance earned him quite a few raised eyebrows, if not outright disgust. Others ran with the joke - the character is, after all, known for being awkward and silly, so why wouldn't his monster version reflect that? But what the inclusion of a Monsters, Inc world and doofy Goofy shows is that almost no property is too silly, too ludicrous for inclusion in the Kingdom Hearts series. And boy, have some fans ran with that idea.
Crossovers galore
When Kingdom Hearts arrived on the scene in 2002 - yes, it really has been 16 years since that first game - there was skepticism. The serious Final Fantasy franchise crossing over with the whimsical Disney universe? It was hard to see how well that particular blend of flavors would turn out. Of course, we know now that it was a surprisingly great fit, and this idea rooted in the very simple concept of 'what if' has evolved into a blockbuster franchise. But there's another, tantalizing 'what if' to entertain - what if Kingdom Hearts could expand beyond the realm of Disney?
DeviantArt user Vitor-Aizen has created dozens upon dozens of mock-ups showing Sora and friends in worlds based on everything from M-rated games like Resident Evil and Yakuza to family-friendly titles like Digimon and Ristar (sidenote: remember Ristar??). There are also movie crossovers (Shrek, Alien, Terminator), cartoons and anime (The Powerpuff Girls, Ben 10, Sailor Moon), and much, much more. Here are just a few of my personal favorites:
True, not all are particularly convincing, but I don't think that's the point. The fun here is in imagining, just for a second, what a Kingdom Hearts world based on Dark Souls would look like. Or a Splatoon world. Or a Skyrim world. Or... you get the idea. And while some of these fakes don't hold up to scrutiny, it's still nice to see Vitor-Aizen pay attention to the little details, like making the Command menu match the aesthetic of the chosen world. For an extra bit of fun, check out Vitor-Aizen's DeviantArt gallery, where you can not only see more mash-ups, but hear some tunes to go along with each pic.
While we're on the subject, tell me: if you could have Sora, Donald, and Goofy travel to any world, regardless of whether or not it made sense or was legally possible, where would you send them?
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