OTD in 2019: Kingdom Hearts III finally released and altered my past, present, and future

January 29, 2019.

I will never forget this day because every day leading up to that day for most of my life to that point was waiting for that day.

If you know me, read this blog, watch my YouTube channel, you’ll know full well that the Kingdom Hearts video game series has an incredible grip on my life. I was first introduced to the series at the ripe age of 5 and it had such an impact on me, that I still love the series and its entries to this day.

But as I said above, a majority of my life to the point of 1.29.19 had led to waiting for its arrival. That day was the long awaited release day for Kingdom Hearts III.

I was on my way to E3 2018 to play KH3‘s Demo Version when I found out the release date, and as I say then: “January 29, 2019 will be a day that gamers and Kingdom Hearts fans will never forget.”

For Kingdom Hearts pros, everybody knows that Kingdom Hearts III wasn’t always going to be the next KH game following Kingdom Hearts II‘s release in 2006. There were a handful of games in between that made us fall in love with the series, its story, and its characters even more. The game titled Kingdom Hearts III was actually the 9th installment of the series, including the mobile titles that aren’t included on the below graphic.

I’ve told this story many times, but allow past me to recount what the wait for Kingdom Hearts III was like a few short weeks before the game’s release:

There was so much riding on Kingdom Hearts III going into its release. People who had waited since KHII combined with die-hards that followed along the releases, remasters, re-releases, and more all looking forward to one thing’s release caused a frenzy.

It was going to be the first KH game that featured Pixar worlds. It was concluding a nearly 20 year saga. It was going to be bigger than ever before. It was going to deal with the deaths of some characters.

Nobody knew what to expect until 1.29.19.

Tears. Excitement. Happiness. All of the emotions were on display once it became available to play that night on my PS4.

What followed was an experience that will probably never be repeated.

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Whether you’re a critic or a lover of KH3, there was certainly nothing like that first playthrough. Everything we experienced felt special because we had waited so long for it that it nearly felt surreal when we did.

You can even hear in my review of the game things I loved, thinks I liked, things I disliked, and things I wish it would’ve done differently. Overall, I loved KH3, but couldn’t call it the best KH to date following its vanilla release.

Time came and went and now it’s been 5 years since the game released. Following the Re:MIND DLC’s release for the game, which many believe gave the game everything that was lacking about the vanilla release (myself included), a lot has changed about how we perceive Kingdom Hearts.

Obviously, we’ve all grown older and wiser in this post-Kingdom Hearts III world. Even with Missing Link and Kingdom Hearts IV on the horizon, something just feels different about the series’ upcoming installments.

Part of what made Kingdom Hearts III‘s release so special was that waiting period. So much so, that I almost long for the waiting again. Even though I’m currently waiting for KH4, KHML, and anything else, the waiting even feels different.

Kingdom Hearts III was never going to be the final game in the series, it was just the end of the saga to do with Xehanort, the main antagonist to that point. The rest of the series will cover other antagonists and issues that have been foreshadowed across three mobile games and one rhythm action game, Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory.

No matter what waiting Square Enix forces me to do, I know the wait won’t even come close to rivaling what the wait for KHIII was like. It’s still my favorite series of all-time, but I don’t find myself scouring the corners of the internet trying to find any new scrap of info any more.

My want to write this blog rather than make a YouTube video about KHML or KH4 is way higher. The series has shifted to a lot of mobile games to give us story content and I’m not the biggest fan of that.

A few things about life have changed since KH3‘s release has happened as well. I graduated college. I’ve had internships and 3 jobs since then. COVID happened. I’ve made more friends. Have played a lot more video games since then. Avengers: Endgame and Game of Thrones also ended in 2019 after KH3‘s release.

Talk about two other franchises the public’s perception has changed on since those endings too: Marvel and Thrones.

Although, don’t get this retrospective wrong. I’m not saying I don’t still love the series anymore. I’m not saying I’ve grown out of the series that heavily features Disney properties. I’m not saying that I don’t have time any more.

I’m saying the opposite.

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Because my life has changed so much since KH3‘s release, it’s making this waiting period for whatever comes next a lot easier. It’s like I know I’ll never anticipate something quite like I anticipated KH3 ever again, and that’s ok.

KH3 helped me be a more patient person. It helped me care more about the life that’s happening around me in the waiting period. It helped me love the series even more.

Here I am looking back on 5 years wondering how time went by so quickly. Well, it was waiting for KH3 that helped time move faster on the other side.

KH3 was the bridge between my childhood and the rest of my life. And while I still love the series and am heavily anticipating what comes next, the games will also be the stepping stones for everything else that’s happening around me.

I still think KH4 releases in 2025, but if it gets moved to 2026, what will my life look like then? Who knows. But I do know that 2026 will be here before we know it because January 2024 is already over. We’re closer to KHML than we thought and Square Enix is gearing up for the marketing for KH4, I can feel it.

With Final Fantasy XVI out of the way minus its next DLC releasing in the Summer, next comes Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, the next remake installment for the Final Fantasy VII remake series. I’m extremely hyped for that game and that will take up a good amount of my life come February 29.

Since the planet of Gaia will be open to Cloud and his party this time around, it will take up a good amount of time. More time than I probably realize as I will balance playing it in between a bunch of other life functions happening at lightspeed.

Once FF7 comes and goes, there’s only one game that will have Square’s marketing forces ready to roll: Kingdom Hearts IV.

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So as we celebrate the 5 year anniversary of Kingdom Hearts III‘s release, I want to also celebrate the wait for it. Because my life was completely altered by the series itself, but KH3 specifically.

As we gear up for what comes next, it’s nice to look back upon what once was. I wouldn’t change anything about Kingdom Hearts III or the wait for it. It was a magical experience that we won’t see ever again. It helped me grow into who I am, far after the series’ first installment made such an impact on me.

Here’s to Kingdom Hearts IV and the time we spend waiting for it. Because who knows what we’ll be longing for when we’re celebrating the 5 year anniversary of KH4‘s release…

~DS