How To Play Kingdom Hearts III Early

Sora, Donald, and Olaf in Kingdom Hearts III
(Image credit: Disney/Square Enix)

If you can't wait for the end of January to get your hands on Kingdom Hearts III, and you absolutely need to play the game early, there's a way to do so, if you're willing. It will certainly require more than just a trip to the local retailer, though, and gamers not keen on spending more than their budget allows will probably want to pass.

According to Attractions Magazine, Disney and Square Enix have teamed up together to offer gamers an opportunity to play Kingdom Hearts III early, and all you have to do is go to Walt Disney World. A location is being set up at the Disney Springs shopping location that will include a demo of the new game

The availability of the demo will persist at the resort from December 14th, 2018 all the way through January 31st, 2019. So you will be able to play the game early ahead of everyone weeks before the game officially launches in Japan on January 25th and for the rest of the world of January 29th in 2019.

The article doesn't exactly say what the demo will contain or what worlds you'll be able to visit in Kingdom Hearts III. For those of you who don't know, the hook for the game is that the lead character, Sora, along with Goofy and Donald Duck, travel to different worlds from both the Square Enix universe and the Disney universe.

It seems like a really odd crossover, but it combines the outlandish flair of JRPGs that Square Enix helped popularize throughout the 1990s, the early aughts, and into this latest generation, while also giving gamers an opportunity to explore the various worlds of Disney properties, including classic franchises like Tron and Fantasia, as well as more modern classics like the highly popular Frozen and Big Hero 6.

The upcoming game also adds a number of other worlds to the stable, including other popular and recent movies that have graced Disney's publishing label, such as Tangled and some of the locations from Toy Story as well as hints at interactions with Wreck-It Ralph content.

A few other worlds that gamers can expect to see make an appearance in Kingdom Hearts III is Hercules as well as the world of Winnie The Pooh, which probably isn't something you would have expected to see in the JRPG.

The game has been in development for more than half a decade, and a lot of gamers are excited about the upcoming entry in the long-running series.

Creative director Tetsuya Nomura also opted to change up the way the game plays, so if you happen to visit the Disney Springs between December and January, and you get an opportunity to play-test the demo, you'll be able to check out the new and improved combat system, as well as some of the other cool features added to the game. There's certainly a more cinematic element to the presentation of the gameplay, so for people who enjoy that kind of content in their role-playing experiences, it will be there in spades.

Additionally, there will be digital kiosks setup where those attending will be able to pre-order the game after checking out the demo.

Will Usher

Staff Writer at CinemaBlend.