Kingdom Hearts 3 Adds Monsters Inc. World

Earlier today at D23 Expo in Japan, a new trailer for Kingdom Hearts 3 was released. Along with showing off some new gameplay, the trailer showcased the newest world in the much-anticipated title: Monsters Inc. World.

The trailer shows Sora, Donald, and Goofy sporting a fuzzy, monster-like new look as they come upon some familiar faces: Sully, Boo, and Mike Wazowski. This is the second Pixar title to be added to Kingdom Hearts 3; and with that being said, Woody and Buzz from Toy Story also make an appearance in the trailer. Those familiar with the series will also recognize the return of Marluxia and Vanitas, antagonists from past Kingdom Hearts games. Additional footage shows Sora summoning Ariel from The Little Mermaid and Rapunzel and Flynn Rider from Tangled to assist in battle.

Square Enix also released a video of the theme song for Kingdom Hearts 3, “Don’t Think Twice” by Hikaru Utada. She is a veteran of the series and is known for her work with the past themes. The additional footage also showcased some new gameplay options with party members and new mini-games. During the conference, they announced that the Gummi Ship sections would be divided into two sections: open world exploration and battle sequences.

Monsters Inc. inclusion in the newest iteration began to circulate after last year’s D23. Since then, fans have speculated on Frozen being included as well as The World Ends With You. However, there hasn’t been anything officially stated about these options.

Unfortunately, Kingdom Hearts 3 still has a loose release date of 2018 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Series creator Tetsuya Nomura teased that the final stages of the title include something he’s “always wanted to do in Kingdom Hearts”. Intrigued? So are we!

Are you anxiously awaiting a release date for Kingdom Hearts 3? Excited for the addition of Mike and Sully? Let us know in the comments below! And, as always, keep coming back to The Nerd Stash for all of your nerdy news and needs.