Surprise! ‘Kingdom Hearts III’ Trailer Debuts — Plus Three Other Can’t Miss Game Trailers Before E3

Kingdom Hearts III has been conspicuously missing from Square Enix’s press announcements lately, with fans searching high and low for news relating to the latest game in the Disney/Final Fantasy mashup. During a Kingdom Hearts Orchestra World Tour concert in Los Angeles, a trailer debuted unexpectedly, showcasing some new gameplay, some adorable goodies, and a hint of a massive boss battle. The trailer starts with Sora, the series protagonist, being dropped into the middle of a group of Heartless – the grunt enemies of the series.

There are plenty of new ways to take out these enemies, with familiar combos like air-juggling and Sora cutting through them like so much wheat. Sora has some new tricks up his sleeve, however, as the trailer showcases him in a Hercules-themed Mount Olympus area. A shield that transforms into a cloud and thunderbolt form lets Sora channel the power of Zeus to beat up the enemy, from lightning bolts to Zeus’ fists appearing in mid-air to knock some of the Heartless around.

A new combo with Goofy is also highlighted, where the Disney mascot tosses Sora up into the air, only for Sora to grab him and throw Goofy into the ground, scattering Heartless around.

The trailer also shows Pete – a quintessential Disney villain – talking with Maleficent and Hades, bickering about some item that they have to find.

From there, the trailer highlights Sora using magic of various types: fire, ice, lightning, and what looks like green-hued life magic, to lay waste to the enemies in front of him. If that wasn’t enough, the trailer promises an even bigger reveal in July at the D23 Expo, where Square Enix will be debuting a new world and a new trailer for the game.

As of now, there’s still no firm release date, but this new teaser is certain to have fans dissecting every moment and looking for every Easter egg they can find.

E3 Trailers Everywhere

While E3 hasn’t officially started yet, there have already been some trailers released that are absolutely bananas. Chief among these are the Star Wars Battlefront II trailer, which showcases a battle between the Separatist Droid Army and the Clone Army of the Republic clashing in the Naboo streets as starfighters scream by overhead, crashing into the streets and wreaking havoc. As if that wasn’t enough, fan-favorite Darth Maul makes an appearance and absolutely ruins some poor clone trooper’s day.

Other highlights of the Battlefront II trailer are a fight between Maul and Yoda, and a “blink and you’ll miss it” appearance of Palpatine as a hologram on some sort of droid. Considering that the game is considered canon and fills the time between Jedi and The Force Awakens, having Palpatine in there is sure to stoke many a fan theory about who Snoke is.

Anthem is the new Bioware game on everyone’s lips, and not just because it shoved Mass Effect to the back of the cupboard. This brand new property looks to be Bioware’s entry into the persistent social-action gameplay that games like Destiny, The Division, and to a lesser extent, World of Warcraft have become. With an online game that allows players to experience new content that is released into the gameworld on a weekly or monthly basis, the publisher can create a profitable game that keeps players coming back. Micro-transactions, instead of paid DLC, ensure that the game remains profitable in the long run.

Shadow of War is another game that has started to appear on people’s gaming wishlists for 2017. The new trailer will only add to that. The story trailer highlights some of the backstories in this sequel to 2014’s Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor. The trailer shows how the protagonist Talion’s possessor, Celebrimbor, has forged a new Ring of Power, one that is untouched by Sauron.

The game is steeped in lore that is drawn from both the lesser known writings of J.R.R. Tolkein and the movie adaptations. But it’s not all literary ramblings. The gameplay brings more of what made the original game so popular, with Talion hacking and slashing his way through ranks of goblins. This time around, he is also able to turn goblin captains to his side, rallying his new troops to assault enemy bases and capture sections of Mordor for his own use. After all, it’s not all black volcanic rock and giant flaming eyeballs.

E3 officially runs from June 13 to June 15, 2017, and there are sure to be plenty of new announcements and gameplay trailers to fill up your gaming to-do list. We’ll be sure to bring you all the latest gaming news and must-haves as they’re announced.

[Featured Image by logoboom/Shutterstock]