‘Kingdom Hearts 3’ Release Date, Features: Disney Worlds Confirmed to Be Included in Early 2019 Launch

One of the biggest surprises at the Electronic Entertainment Expo last June was, no doubt, the announcement of the “Kingdom Hearts 3” release date, set for early 2019. Months and years prior, developers confirmed the Disney worlds and characters that will be included in the base game.

“Kingdom Hearts 3” Is a Massive Game

If there is one thing certain about the upcoming game, that is the fact that it is massive — thanks to the addition of all-new and returning Disney worlds. Meanwhile, “Kingdom Hearts 3” director Tetsuya Nomura also confirmed earlier this year that the 2019 title is going to be way bigger than the previous games in the series.

“This ‘Kingdom Hearts’ is a bit different,” Nomura said during D23 Expo Japan last February (via Wccftech). “One world is equivalent to one [previous] game, and the things to do for each world are vastly different.”

The All-New and Returning Disney Worlds in “Kingdom Hearts 3”

A fan might find it easier to understand why the release of “Kingdom Hearts 3” is happening later than many anticipated. This is mainly because the developers have obviously put in the work to make the “Kingdom Hearts 3” gameplay experience unique from the previously released titles.

At least five new Disney worlds were confirmed to be included in “Kingdom Hearts 3” and they were inspired by blockbuster animated movies. Arendelle from “Frozen” and San Fransokyo from “Big Hero 6” are going to be part of the video game. Meanwhile, developers also designed worlds heavily inspired by the films “Toy Story,” “Tangled,” and “Monsters, Inc.” called Toy Box, Kingdom of Corona, and Monstropolis, respectively.

Avid fans of the video game series will also be delighted to find Disney worlds returning from previous titles, including The Caribbean-based on “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” and Hercules’ world of Olympus. While the Disney-inspired worlds are rich in “Kingdom Hearts 3,” co-director Tai Yasue explained in 2016 why no worlds from “Final Fantasy” are included in the game.

“We're not adding any Final Fantasy worlds. A lot of the original [to Kingdom Hearts] worlds [Hollow Bastion, Traverse Town, e.t.c.] had Final Fantasy characters in them. At this moment, we are not really coming up with any plans for that, we're making original worlds and Disney worlds,” Yasue said (via GameSpot).

Note that the abovementioned Disney worlds are going to be the main stages in the game. But “Kingdom Hearts 3” has way more to offer. The gameplay also includes a wide array of mini-games that were also designed based on Disney Pixar movies. At some point in the game, players will also interact with Wreck-It Ralph from the movie of the same name, as well as Remy from “Ratatouille.”

“Kingdom Hearts 3” is now set to be released on Jan. 29. The game will be available on the PS4 and Xbox One systems.