Earlier today, Square Enix announced that the upcoming 3DS entry in the Kingdom Hearts series, Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance], will be coming to North America and Europe next year. According to Square Enix’s press release, the story has King Mickey and Yen Sid putting Sora and Riku through the Mark of Mastery exam, to ensure that they are Keyblade Masters before a powerful new threat arrives.
In addition to new settings like La Cité des Cloches from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and a significant story progression in the overall Kingdom Hearts storyline, this title promises new gameplay features. Players will be able to play as either Sora or Riku, and will also be able to recruit new creatures called Spirits to fight alongside them.
“With the tenth anniversary of the series on the horizon, the current Kingdom Hearts saga is approaching its climactic conclusion,” said Tetsuya Nomura, director of the game. “The story of this game will serve as the opening chapter of the final conflict, and, as always, will be full of surprises. In order to best implement this element of surprise and discover new realms of possibility, we have chosen Nintendo 3DS as our platform. With its revolutionary new game system, this title will not only be a bold, exhilarating tale of adventure, but also a first look into the future form of the Kingdom Hearts series.”
The game is currently slated for a 2012 release. More information can be found at the game’s web page, or its Facebook page.
I played a portion of 358/2 Days and enjoyed that, but I’m not sure I’m steeped enough in Kingdom Hearts lore to drop right into this game. Maybe I should go back and play the original.
