'Kingdom Hearts 3' Release Date, Features: 2019 Installment Will Bring Back the Familiar Gameplay of the Franchise But Nothing Totally New

Fans of the much-awaited sequel to the PlayStation 2's Disney-Square Enix mashup will be glad to know that Sora, Goofy, and Donald Duck are returning to consoles to continue their adventures in “Kingdom Hearts 3.” The action role-playing game has not had a true sequel to its last installment since 2010.

Classic Disney characters such as Hercules and the Toy Story cast are also looking to make a comeback. But it is not just the animated characters that are making a comeback in the upcoming sequel. “The Pirates of the Carribean” is getting a level dedicated to the movie once again, complete with Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), and Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) all in the likeness of their original actors.

In addition to the comeback of favorite characters, fans will be glad to know that “Kingdom Hearts 3” seems to be bringing in more of Disney's recent characters, with the cast of “Frozen” and “Tangled” making an appearance at the Square Enix Showcase at E3 2018.

In a first-hand account of “Kingdom Hearts 3's” preview, App Trigger's Daniel George describes the experience of going through two of the game's stages. George was able to play the preview at the Fan Expo 2018 in Toronto, Canada which showcased the Olympus stage fight against “Hercules's” Lythos and the Toy Box stage taken from “Toy Story.”

George mentions that the gameplay for “Kingdom Hearts 3” stays true to the first game's core, with Sora, Donald, and Goofy still having the combo-oriented mechanics from the original game. While the Toy Box stage does introduce new mechanics such as the ability to control larger opponents like a robot, the overall gameplay experience has been kept with an added bit of spice here and there.

George does mention that his first-hand experience can confirm that fans of the series can expect the campy dialogue and confusing plot that the original “Kingdom Hearts” is known for. While this is good for fans looking for a concrete experience that is similar to the first two main games, there is nothing about the review that makes the "Kingdom Heart 3" stand out from the first two installments.

For those who have yet to find out when the highly anticipated sequel is coming, “Kingdom Hearts 3” will be available on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 starting Jan. 29, 2019.