Kingdom Hearts fans, like myself, have been waiting a long twelve years for the next major installment in the franchise. Kingdom Hearts III has been in development for what seems like forever, yet we’re coming closer and closer to a potential release date announcement. Recently, Disney released two hints for what would be included in the game, as far as their franchises are concerned. The first teased was of course Tangled , and the second was Big Hero 6 . Of course, these films released during the twelve year gap between Kingdom Hearts II and III , so we have not yet seen these universes represented in the games.
While these are some awesome inclusions, I’ve got a few more that I’d love to see in Kingdom Hearts III. You know, when we finally get to enjoy it.
Frozen
Let’s start with the fan favorite that I could care less about, but will nonetheless cause me grief if I don’t include it. Frozen is more than likely what people are hoping to see in Kingdom Hearts III . We haven’t gotten to see much by way of winter or snow in the Kingdom Hearts games thus far, so this could be a fun world. Sora and friends could don their parkas and battle some snowmen. Just don’t ask me to let go of my anti- Frozen bias, I have managed to still avoid listening to its most iconic song.
Star Wars
This is another fan favorite. We’d love to see Disney and Square Enix include Star Wars in Kingdom Hearts III . The easiest bet is to say the playable world would be the Death Star. Sora could cross his Keyblade/lightsaber with Darth Vader’s! Here’s my potentially unpopular opinion on this matter though. I’d love to see the Kingdom Hearts gang visit Tatooine. How awesome would it be to participate in pod racing with Goofy and Donald?
Atlantis: The Lost Empire
One of my favorite Disney franchises that has yet to be visited in a Kingdom Hearts game is Atlantis: The Lost Empire . Princess Kida is beautiful and I think her design would translate well to the Kingdom Hearts art style. But even more so, I’d love to hang out with Audrey and Vinny as we travel through the gorgeous sunken city. There’s the potential for some serious aerial action with the Ketak. If you don’t know what these are, they’re the large stone fish that the Atlanteans ride.
The Emperor’s New Groove
Square Enix has used shape shifting before in Kingdom Hearts , what with worlds like Atlantica ( The Little Mermaid ) and the Pride Lands ( Lion King ). They were arguably my favorite worlds! The changes in movement take a bit of adjustment, but in all they’re a fun change. I’d love to see Sora morph into a llama (“Llama face!”) and delve into Peru in an The Emperor’s New Groove world. The awkwardness of a newly changed llama could make for some interesting control schemes, and we could adventure with Pacha and Kuzco!
Finding Nemo
There’s another possible shape shifting world that would be a joy to see in Kingdom Hearts III . Since Finding Nemo came out just a few years before Kingdom Hearts II, we didn’t get the chance to see it in a major installment of the series. It would be an incredibly fun world to traverse. Especially now, with the release of Finding Dory , an oceanic world of colorful fishes would be a hit with Kingdom Hearts players. Plus, who wouldn’t want to hang out with Ellen DeGeneres’ Dory? She’d make for some great comic relief.
The Princess and the Frog
Another Disney franchise that I would love to see visited in Kingdom Hearts III is The Princess and the Frog . The popularity of this might be limited mostly to American audiences, since it has such a specific locale, but the potential for some interesting gameplay is still there. Imagine going up against the Shadow Man! I mean, even his name is perfect for Kingdom Hearts’ constant battle between light and dark. The Shadow Man could conjure up some unique heartless. Plus, the “down on the bayou” feel of the film would be a brand new concept for the series.
I could continue this list even further, but hey, I’ve got word count limits to keep. As I said before, we’ve waited so long for the next major installment in the Kingdom Hearts franchise. I don’t know about all of you, but my mind has had time to wander and dream of what I might see. It’s amazing that after twelve years and countless hours of other video games played, I’m still super psyched about going back to the world of Kingdom Hearts.