The worlds of Disney and Square Enix collide again in the eagerly anticipated Kingdom Hearts III. In the new adventure, Sora and his pals Goofy and Donald Duck find themselves in a frozen land where they run into none other than Elsa from Frozen.
It makes sense that Elsa is in Kingdom Hearts III. Frozen is the highest grossing animated film of all time. The 2013 hit is also one of the few entirely new Disney IPs to come out since 2006’s Kingdom Hearts II (2010’s Tangled and 2012’s Wreck-It Ralph are also featured in the upcoming game).
New footage from E3 gives some insights into her character, although she isn’t actually seen in any gameplay.
Here’s what we know so far.
Elsa Exiled
In Frozen, Elsa fled the kingdom of Arendelle to North Mountain after her ability to create and control ice began to get out of control. By the film’s end, she returned to the kingdom having mastered her powers.
It appears that Sora and friends stumble upon this period of exile in Kingdom Hearts III.
In the E3 trailer, they watch as she skims across a lake, freezing the water underneath with her powers. Watch it below.
Originally aired at the Xbox E3 2018 Briefing, this trailer reveals the next destination on Sora, Donald, and Goofy’s adventure: Frozen! #KH3 pic.twitter.com/KEzApF76T1
— KINGDOM HEARTS (@KINGDOMHEARTS) June 10, 2018
“That’s amazing,” Sora says in awe. “You can control ice!”
“Control it? No, all I ever do is hurt people,” Elsa replies. “This is my home now I can’t go back. I don’t want to hurt anyone,” — a reference to when she froze her younger sister, Anna.
This is a sad, lonely Elsa that our heroes — and players — will sympathize with. One that Sora wants to help.
The hero then embarks on a quest in the frozen land, with his own set of ice abilities. The E3 trailer shows Sora swinging an ice-covered Keyblade, skating on icicle skates (which also double as weapons), and more. In previous interviews, developers have stated that Blizzard — a staple magic spell in the Final Fantasy games — will be in Kingdom Hearts III. This Frozen land seems to be the perfect place for it to be cast.
It’s unclear if Elsa will become a companion, but her struggle between “the light” and “the dark” seems to be a major plot point. The gameplay does show Sora, Goofy, and Donald getting around on a sled which is a new vehicle mechanic for the Kingdom Hearts series.
Other Frozen Faces
Fan favorite, Olaf the snowman appears in the trailer, as does the aforementioned Anna and Kristoff. Sora encounters them in various cutscenes.
“Olaf, are these your friends?” Anna asks.
“Nope, never met ’em,” Olaf replies. “I’ve never met anyone blue, green, or bizarrely spiked” — a reference to Sora’s signature pointy hair.
More Disney Worlds
The land of Frozen isn’t the only world Sora visits. As mentioned before, he will visit other newer Disney IPs: Wreck-It Ralph and Tangled. The characters from those films appear to be companions — Ralph’s super strength will come in handy, as will Rapunzel’s long hair.
Characters from the Toy Story and Monsters Inc. franchises also make appearances. The world of Big Hero 6 — while only shown fleetingly in the trailer — has also been announced as a destination.
The game will be released on XBox One and PlayStation 4 on January 29, 2019. Are you excited for Kingdom Hearts III?
