The Kingdom Hearts franchise seemed like such a strange combination when it was first announced. Who would have ever thought we’d see Disney and Final Fantasy intertwined into one game? I got the first game along with my PlayStation 2 the year the game launched and instantly fell in love with Kingdom Hearts. This has continued over the years as I’ve played each and every console or handheld release in the franchise. With Kingdom Hearts II last releasing in 2006, it has been a long wait for the true follow-up, though Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance was essentially that. Kingdom Hearts III was officially announced at E3 2013, but we have very little info so far.
After seeing a few Disney movies as of late, I got to thinking about the next entry in the game and what worlds I would most like to see visited. As a result, I came up with the top 10 worlds I’d most like to see visited in Kingdom Hearts III when we finally see it release in the coming years. And just for those that are wondering, neither Star Wars or Marvel will be on this list. They could show up somehow, but I’d rather not see them be full worlds. I also left off follow-ups to old worlds, such as a new Tron, Pirates of the Caribbean, or Aladdin world. Please tell us the worlds you most want to see in the comments below as well.
10. Wreck-It Ralph
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This is actually the most recent movie Disney movie I’ve seen as I missed it last year, but it was a great film that had callbacks to many old games. Though I do worry we’d lose a lot in this world because of licensing issues, to where it’d mostly just have the main Wreck-It Ralph characters. Thus, I think this could be a perfect mini-game based world. You could have mini-games based in the arcade of Sugar Rush, Fix-It Felix, and even Hero’s Duty. The kart making game we saw in the movie could be its own mini-game inside the Sugar Rush section. If this does not get a world of its own, I have a good approach to fit in this movie anyways. They could include a summon that has Ralph wrecking everything while Felix heals your party.
9. DuckTales/Darkwing Duck
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I decided to lump these two together since Darkwing Duck is actually a spinoff of DuckTales. We’ve already seen Scrooge McDuck as well as Huey, Dewey, and Louie many times, so isn’t it time we took a visit to Duckburg? Add Scrooge and his cane to your party and the Heartless won’t stand a chance. Darkwing Duck could even be brought in for a crossover stage of sorts considering the connection of Launchpad McQuack on both shows. Either way, I want either Scrooge McDuck or Darkwing Duck in my party at some point in the game.
8. The Muppets
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I was trying to think hard of a live action property, like we saw with Tron and Pirates of the Caribbean in the past, and my first thought was The Muppets. While this is a relatively new property for Disney, I thought it could be an interesting choice for the game. Perhaps it could be the Winnie the Pooh type world for Kingdom Hearts III, where there isn’t much going on main story wise, but you still have plenty to do. Plus, The Muppets are an iconic presence and with the highly successful movie a couple years ago and another coming out very soon, it could be a great fit.
6. The Princess and the Frog
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After many years of total mediocrity from Disney’s non-Pixar films, they returned triumphantly with The Princess and the Frog. Going back to the princess mold that made Disney famous, this movie provides an interesting setting for a stage, the bayou of Louisiana. The Rescuers took place partially in a similar setting, but I feel The Princess and the Frog would be a much better option, in big part due to the movie’s fantastic villain. They could even take a note from past games and have Sora, Donald, and Goofy turn into bayou themed creatures for this stage.
1. Toy Story
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It was hard not to put this one at the top spot on this list. The series almost made an appearance in Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix with Buzz and Woody as a summon, but they ended up being cut during production. Toy Story would be a perfect setting for a stage with some very innovative Heartless based on toys, as well as possibly even Sora, Donald, and Goofy turned into types of toys. There is plenty of potential for locations in the world, including adventures to Pizza Planet, Sid’s room, and more. The big question is who would be the character to join your party, Woody or Buzz Lightyear? Woody seems like the most likely option as the main protagonist of the first movie, but they could have him become taken over by the Heartless due to his jealously over Buzz if they wanted to change the story up a bit.
Strider Reboot Release Date Revealed
Capcom has announced a reboot of its influential Strider series in a new game slated for Feb. 19
Capcom and Double Helix Games will release Strider digitally for the Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 and PC. Players will once again take control of Strider Hiryu, a ninja assassin tasked to take out the game’s main villain, Grandmaster Meio.
Strider will return to its side-scrolling, acrobatics-heavy action platform roots. It will take place in Kazakh City, a fictional Russian metropolis on a dystopian futuristic Earth. You will be allowed to explore the city, unlocking new weapons and abilities as you battle cybernetic soldiers and massive biomechanical creatures.
The original Strider was released as an arcade title in 1989, a predecessor of Capcom’s popular Street Fighter series. It has since had various iterations on the PC and multiple consoles.
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