What We Want From More Kingdom Hearts III

After smashing series sales records and capturing the hearts of many reviewers, Kingdom Hearts III is probably going to get some form of DLC. The Final Fantasy series has had plenty of DLC over the years, both story-driven and cosmetic, so I can’t imagine Square Enix or Disney would decide against releasing downloadable content for their latest enormous game. The idea of DLC in Kingdom Hearts, while foreign in feeling, holds a great deal of potential. As an avid fan of the series, I’ve listed some things that I would love to see implemented into Kingdom Hearts III as downloadable content. (We’ve published a separate article that specifically covers Disney worlds as DLC, so this list will focus on everything else.)

Put the Coliseum in Olympus Coliseum

The fact that Kingdom Hearts III doesn’t have a coliseum mode is mind-boggling, especially when Olympus Coliseum is the first world you visit. Battling waves of foes, challenging bosses, and iconic characters is fun and challenging, especially if it earns you a Keyblade and other goodies in the long-run. Not only is the Coliseum a mainline-entry staple, but it’s a type of postgame content that suits an already existing world, since Olympus Coliseum literally has Coliseum in the title. In a perfect world, this strange exclusion would be free DLC, but I that is likely expecting a bit too much.

The Coliseum would also be a great first step in reintroducing Final Fantasy characters to Kingdom Hearts III. Speaking of which-

Final Fantasy, Come Home

I wrote an article about how disappointing Kingdom Hearts III‘s lack of Final Fantasy characters is, so here’s where I’ll offer a solution of sorts. I’d love to see a new chapter added to the story of Kingdom Hearts III that either offers insight into where Cloud, Leon, and the rest of the FF crew are during the events of Kingdom Hearts III, or reintroduces them to the post-III universe. This chapter would let Sora return to Radiant Garden, where you’d encounter these iconic characters in the midst of their own plotline. I’m not sure exactly what the story would be about, but there is no shortage of loose ends when it comes to Final Fantasy characters and their subplots. We could find out why Leon got a letter from Rinoa at the end of Kingdom Hearts II.

We could have the Birth by Sleep trio save Zack, whose heart could have been lost after his ominous Birth by Sleep credits scene. Tie that into Cloud and Sephiroth’s major showdown from Kingdom Hearts II, with Cloud and Zack fighting side-by-side with Sora against Sephiroth, and maybe even his remnants from Advent Children. These are just off-the-cuff ideas from a fan of both series, so I’m sure Square Enix could cook something up that would make fans of both series rather happy. If not-

World of Final Fantasies

We know that Cloud, Aerith, Yuffie, Cid, and Leon all come from Radiant Garden, while Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie all come from the Destiny Islands. What about the other characters, and characters who have yet to appear? Auron’s credits scene in Kingdom Hearts II implies he’s not from any established Kingdom Hearts world, and that he may even be from Final Fantasy X‘s canon. If that’s too big a stretch, let’s have a Final Fantasy-based world. While Square Enix could opt to make worlds based on each game’s vastly different settings, I’d prefer to see a world that combines these characters and their settings in a unique way.

Whether it’s a world composed of multiple worlds, pulled together by Exdeath and The Void from Final Fantasy V, or a wholly original amalgamation of the franchise, Square could find a way to bring fan-favorite characters into the universe of Kingdom Hearts. Noctis, Lightning, Balthier, Zidane, Terra (from Final Fantasy VI), Bartz; there’s no shortage of popular characters whose attitudes and defining features would work perfectly in Kingdom Hearts. Maybe these characters are brought together due to a Dissidia-esque otherworldly conflict that arose from the aftermath of Kingdom Hearts III. Maybe they’re facing their own crisis as a result of Exdeath and Kefka banding together to destroy the world (and other worlds) through opening The Void; a situation that would surely draw the King and Sora’s attention.

Throw in some secret bosses like Gilgamesh and Ultros, and some new Links like Cactuars or Cait Sith, and you have a lot of untapped potential that would both blow away Final Fantasy fans, and introduce new Kingdom Hearts players to the JRPG titan that is Final Fantasy.

Speaking of Secret Bosses

Nothing says Kingdom Hearts like crazy secret bosses, from the infamous Lingering Will battle to Final Fantasy‘s own Sephiroth, Kingdom Hearts loves its postgame boss-fights. The days of adding in fights through Final Mix editions are probably over, meaning DLC is the most likely path for additional secret bosses to take. Alongside the previously mentioned Final Fantasy bosses, there are plenty of sources to draw bosses from.

Data-fights with the final bosses of every Kingdom Hearts game, like the Organization fights in Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix, would be a great way to look back on the series, especially with Keyblade transformations on-hand. The Foretellers, Keyblade Masters and Union Leaders from Kingdom Hearts Union Cross, would make for excellent secret bosses, as they’re all skilled Keyblade wielders who have their own styles and personalities. Cap their fights off with a gruelling battle against the Master of Masters, and you have a fun pack of varied fights that further connect Kingdom Hearts III with Union Cross.

And those are the types of DLC I’d like to see added to Kingdom Hearts III. What kind of content are you looking forward to? Leave a comment below, and stick around for more Kingdom Hearts III content!