Kingdom Hearts 3 Screenshot Shows Heartless in Thebes
By Rory Young 20 February 2017
Square Enix debuts an all new Kingdom Hearts 3 screenshot at the MAGIC 2017 event in Monaco, France, showing off a giant Heartless in Hercules’ Thebes.
It’s been quite a while since the last substantial Kingdom Hearts 3 update came through the pipeline from Square Enix. That’s not to say that anything has changed, though Square Enix has said they plan on showing much more of Kingdom Hearts 3 this year. While fans shouldn’t expect any trailers or major feature reveals just yet, Square Enix is willing to continue to trickle gameplay screenshots online. Today’s solo screenshot comes from the recent MAGIC 2017 event in Monaco, France.
This screenshot is set in the previously revealed Hercules world, though protagonist Sora has come down from battling the Titans to the city of Thebes. Thebes itself deserves a bit of attention, but of more immediate interest is the giant enemy Heartless attacking Sora. This is an all new Heartless model that’s debuting in this screenshot, a giant Heartless that is definitely causing Sora more stress than your standard enemy. Though considering it only has a fraction of its HP bar left, perhaps it’s not so bad for Sora after all.
Sora’s taken on the Guard Form in the screenshot, transforming his Keyblade into a shield. Sora’s clearly using his shield to block a powerful attack from the giant Heartless. Rocks are erupting from the ground towards Sora, though with little effect with his Guard Form activated. Notably absent from the screenshot are Sora’s party members Goofy and Donald, and perhaps even Hercules given the setting. This is due to the previously revealed requirement for Sora’s Keyblade Drive Forms that the party member “fuse” with the blade. Guard Form is of course just one of several to be found in Kingdom Hearts 3.
Considering the setting of the latest Kingdom Hearts 3 screenshot, some are speculating that this might be an early look at The Coliseum, a staple Kingdom Hearts level. But closer inspection has most believing this isn’t The Coliseum, but rather the city of Thebes itself — previously only included in Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep. In the animated Disney film, Hercules visits Thebes to prove himself, so perhaps Sora does the same in KH3.
Little is known about the the Thebes setting, or Hercules world in general, as of yet. Square Enix has previously shown Sora battling the Earth Titan boss, which is likely the level’s final antagonist (or one of many). It’s known that Hercules will be giving Sora the Guard Form for his Keyblade, but it’s not clear whether Hercules will be joining Sora’s party as of yet. Considering how much of Hercules’ world and setting it being shared so far, it’s likely an early level in Kingdom Hearts 3. First comes Rapunzel’s world, second comes Hercules’ world, then comes Big Hero 6 world?
Expect more Kingdom Hearts 3 screenshots (and more) from Square Enix in the months to come. There’s only a few more months left before E3, after all. Just don’t expect the game itself to be released anytime soon.
Kingdom Hearts 3 is planned for release on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, though no release window has yet to be announced.
