Why Kingdom Hearts III means more to me than Final Fantasy XV

The second the credits rolled for Kingdom Hearts II, fans were already anxiously awaiting the next proper installment in the franchise. That wait started back in 2006. Currently, it’s 2013 and we didn’t get an official confirmation that Kingdom Hearts III was in development until June during E3. That wasn’t the only game Square Enix debuted that week; Final Fantasy XIV impressed gamers as well. But it was Kingdom Hearts III that stole the show. I’m not just saying that because of the tear that ran down my eye during the reveal.

I’ve already talked about the emotional connection the franchise creates. The combination of beloved characters from Disney and Final Fantasy is a power too strong to ignore. But that’s just the thing: the Final Fantasy characters we enjoy the most are from the past. There’s no denying the issues the franchise has today. The last proper release, Final Fantasy XIII, wasn’t entirely well received. Final Fantasy XIV’s original launch was a disaster; A Realm Reborn is performing much better, though. Final Fantasy XII, which was well received, was released back in 2006.

2006.

That makes seven years of bad Final Fantasy memories. Meanwhile, there’s been seven long years of people going “When will they announce Kingdom Hearts III?” Disney has been acquiring franchises left and right. The possibilities for new worlds are growing (more on that later this week). There’s still a story that needs to be finished. Whenever I hear the franchise's music or see its characters, I'm not thinking about how it will disappoint me next. I'm thinking about how I can't wait to see what's in store.

It’s no wonder why people are wondering if the franchise is dead. Despite the sometimes questionable qualities of the spin-offs (I’m looking at you, Dream Drop Distance), the Kingdom Hearts franchise is one that seems to avoid bad word of mouth. With the release of the 1.5 remix today, my Facebook feed has blown up with people snapping pictures of their copy of the game. Sure, plenty of us here at GameZone are excited over the success of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, but the masses are speaking: they want Kingdom Hearts.

That makes the reveal of Kingdom Hearts III a bigger than the Final Fantasy XV trailer.