Sora, Riku, and their Disney comrades will return to western shores this summer, says Square Enix. Today, the studio revealed that the next chapter in its Disney-fied adventure, Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance for 3DS, will be ready for North American fans on July 31.
Let's celebrate with the latest Japanese trailer, shall we?
Kingdom Hearts 3D picks up after the events of Kingdom Hearts Re:coded, and follows Sora and Riku as they attempt to wake up seven Disney themed worlds that have been put to “sleep” by pesky Dream Eaters. The journey includes trips to worlds based on numerous Disney properties, including Tron, Fantasia, Pinocchio, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Three Musketeers; as well as original Kingdom Hearts areas like Traverse Town and the World That Never Was. Fans of the franchise will also learn more about Organization XIII, what it means to be a Keyblade Master, and the true power of friendship [cue: theme to Toy Story].
Seeing as Kingdom Hearts 3D was just released in Japan last month, this will be a short wait for North Americans. However, as Sileconera points out, the speedy localization may also mean a lack of extra goodies. Which is alright, because judging by GR's impressions from last year's TGS (lovingly reproduced in TGS 2011: Kingdom Hearts 3D hands-on preview), the core game will be more than enough for Kingdom Hearts enthusiasts.
Kingdom Hearts 4 has been radio silent for 1,005 days, but don’t worry - Tetsuya Nomura teases he has the story planned out
The original Kingdom Hearts was initially "more hardcore" until Square Enix toned it down: "We had some puzzles in there that would make you go, 'what is this, Takeshi's Challenge?'"
