'Kingdom Hearts 3’ Release Date, News, Update: World of ‘Hercules’ Showcased in New Screenshots

Square Enix has finally given fans a closer look at the world of “Hercules” in “Kingdom Hearts 3.” The new screenshots show Sora, Donald and Goofy meeting the likes of Hercules, Megara, Zeus, Pegasus, and Hades in Olympus.

Disney’s “Hercules” has been part of the “Kingdom Hearts” franchise since the first game, and Tate Donovan is returning to voice the character in the upcoming game. The studio also shared a screenshot of Twilight Town recently and it gives fans a glimpse of returning characters like Hayner, Pence, and Olette. It also hints that Roxas is going to be an integral part of the story in “Kingdom Hearts 3.”

The status of the voice actors for Roxas, Hayner, Pence, and Olette haven’t been revealed yet, but it has already been confirmed that Haley Joel Osment, Tony Anselmo, and Bill Farmer are returning to voice Sora, Donald Duck, and Goofy, respectively. It has also been confirmed that Hikaru Utada is working with Skrillex on the opening theme song of the game.

More details will be revealed in the coming months since the studio still has a lot of time to work on “Kingdom Hearts 3.” The game is not scheduled to come out until Jan. 25, 2019.

Meanwhile, gamers won’t have to play the previous games to understand the plot of “Kingdom Hearts 3” because there is going to be a recap of sorts for newbies in the series. “We have included several elements in Kingdom Hearts 3 to explain the story and get newcomers up to speed the minimum required level of understanding, including a series of videos to explain the story so far at the start of the game. I would be delighted if people who played Kingdom Hearts 3 took an interest in the series overall and went back to play the previous games as well,” Director Tetsuya Nomura said in an interview with VG247 in August.