Kingdom Hearts III is direct sequel to Dream Drop Distance, has 'intricate AI'

Square Enix’s Tetsuya Nomura has confirmed that the forthcoming Kingdom Hearts III is a direct sequel to Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance, which was released on the Nintendo 3DS in 2012.

Speaking to the latest issue of Japan’s Famitsu magazine (via Polygon), Nomura-san revealed that the hotly-anticipated RPG will bring the curtains down on the Dark Seeker saga. However, the team hasn’t yet finalised what Disney worlds will be featured in the sequel.

“We have a demo version running on the actual hardware, but the action’s pretty frantic. The really bold action we’ve always had is getting even crazier. Kingdom Hearts 3 has three-person parties, but NPCs and other characters join the fight in each individual world, and the resulting action is really flashy and exciting," he said.

The enemy AI is a lot more intricate, too, and I think the gameplay will reflect that new dynamic balance. For example, there’s a foe that’s shaped like a vehicle, and Sora may jump on it and fly around; that’s already implemented.”

Of course, Nomura-san is also hard at work on the next instalment in the Final Fantasy franchise, though said both the FF and KH teams are well aware of each camp’s efforts as development pushes forward.

And, while KH3’s Production is still very much in its infancy, he promised that more information would be forthcoming, hinting at a potential update at this year’s Tokyo Game Show.

What do you hope to see from Kingdom Hearts III? Let us know in the comments section below.