News ► New Kingdom Hearts 3 screenshots shows off Olympus and new Drive Form!

[Oracle Spockanort]

During Paris Games Week, Shinji Hashimoto went on stage to discuss news about the Kingdom Hearts series. Alongside the announcement of Sora coming to World of Final Fantasy this winter, Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX heading to PlayStation 4 March 2017, and the opening of Kingdom Hearts 0.2 -A Fragmentary Passage-, Square Enix also released brand new screenshots of Kingdom Hearts III.

In these two brand new screenshots, you can see Sora in a brand new Drive Form called "Guard Form". The shield shown in the first image is transformed from the Mt. Olympus Keyblade. In the second screenshot, the image of Sora in another Drive Form features a Keyblade from an unrevealed world so the image has been altered and will not look like that in the actual game.

More information about Kingdom Hearts III will be released after the launch of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue.

Follow Kingdom Hearts Insider on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr for the latest updates on Kingdom Hearts Unchained X, Kingdom Hearts 3, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue and all things Kingdom Hearts! 

Source: Kingdom Hearts via Twitter [1] [2]

 

[VoidGear.]

Please don't keep this game from me for too long, SE.
I beg you.

 

[Silver_Soul]

It seems drive forms will also be about changing the shape of the keyblade. Guard form changed the keyblade into a shield, while the red power form turned the keyblade into a giant hammer. This adds a lot of variety in play styles

 

[Grizzly]

I'm WAY too excited. This is always what I've wanted from Olympus, and to know that they're finally giving us that is just so exciting.

It's interesting that drive forms are coming back, but exciting nonetheless. I absolutely love that Guard Form is a departure from the standard drives, and is more than Sora just wielding more keyblades. This game is going to be loaded with mechanics and new ways to play. If they can manage to balance it all, the gameplay experience is going to be so customizable for players. It's hard to express the hype in words. I absolutely cannot wait.

 

[Sephiroth0812]

While I can't say that I am too thrilled about the stupid Drive Forms coming back, the screenshots look quite neat, especially since we can probably now count it as confirmed that we will visit actual Mount Olympus this time around.

The background scenery certainly looks like the Realm of the Gods.

 

[FudgemintGuardian]

*dies from fangasm overload*

 

[Muke]

Yay for new Drive Forms! Hope they're balanced, though <3

 

[VoidGear.]

've been hyped about Mount Olympus since KH1. Now it's finally happening. ;~;
This really is a good day.

 

[FudgemintGuardian]

*tries to calm down from everything*
While I never hated Drive Forms (was just kinda boring as a whole) I do find it slightly odd to see Drive Forms return. But they now seem to be tied to Keyblades (so the wacky transformations are from Drive then) which piques my interest.

That second screenshot. Leopard print and a hammer transformation? Quick! What movie would these things make sense?!

 

[VoidGear.]

*tries to calm down from everything*
While I never hated Drive Forms (was just kinda boring as a whole) I do find it slightly odd to see Drive Forms return. But they now seem to be tied to Keyblades which piques my interest.

That second screenshot. Leopard print and a hammer transformation? Quick! What movie would these things make sense?!

Who knows if it'll actually stay a hammer?
From what I understood, it is a hammer because the real transformation is from a world we don't know yet, so it got a white shade to not spoil a new world to us. Maybe it won't be a hammer in the end xD

 

[Zapt]

Drive forms changing keyblades? SO COOL!!!
In the second image,only me is seeing a giant fan instead of a hammer?

 

[FudgemintGuardian]

Who knows if it'll actually stay a hammer?
From what I understood, it is a hammer because the real transformation is from a world we don't know yet, so it got a white shade to not spoil a new world to us. Maybe it won't be a hammer in the end xD

*prays for giant chicken leg*

 

[kirabook]

I'm pretty indifferent on the drive forms, but always nice to see new stuff!

 

[Muke]

It's not a hammer transformation, they edited the Keyblade because it's from a yet unrevealed world (thx to void).

EDIT: I have been ninja'd big time, lol

 

[Zettaflare]

Oh man, Olympus looks amazing. Fingers crossed for other Gods to appear besides Zeus.

I actually don't mind drive forms returning. They are Sora's signature ability

 

[Sonicfan2525]

I really love that we are actually getting to go to Olympus for a change instead of being stuck in the Colosseum with limited exploration. And the game looks gorgeous! Considering this keyblade has a shield form, I wonder if one of the other keyblades has a staff form of some kind?

I want this game SO badly! I seriously hope that we, at the very least, get a release window next year if the game isn't scheduled for a winter 2017 release.

 

[Muke]

Actually, I sort of think the Guard Form transforms every Keyblade into a shield

 

[Sora2016]

Yea the forms kind of giving more Keyblade Transformations makes me more okay with them returning...I hope there aren't many and they are more like this, i.e. Guard Form, not like "Oh use two Keyblades and do 20 million kick flips in the air and destroy half a bosses HP" Form like in KH2 lol.

Also every time they show gameplay that is all about Sora and ignores the party members bums me out. Really hope they are competent and useful in this game again.

I kind of dig Guard Form's pants....is the second picture another form? Like the jacket color is super similar but I think it may be more red, but the pants are different again.

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]

Actually, I sort of think the Guard Form transforms every Keyblade into a shield

[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]I think that too, it would be weird if not....I just realized you may absorb Goofy for this. In before "Magic" Form and they become staves. [/FONT]

 

[SoraForeverKH]

Yes! It's Sora! Go Sora! He's looking epic! Please come to us soon. I'm having trouble waiting!

 

[appleboy82791]

I'm very glad to see Drive Forms returning! I loved them in KH2.

Everyone seems to be assuming that the Drive forms are going to trigger keyblade transformations. That seems a bit presumptuous. We probably shouldn't assume that. It's entirely possible that keyblade transformations and Drive Forms are separate mechanics and they just happen to be showing both in these images. I'm not saying that drive forms won't have inherent keyblade transformations to go with them. I'm just saying it really could go either way. Everyone is just getting way ahead of themselves and assuming.

On another note, the second keyblade transformation that isn't really revealed has got me thinking. I wonder what that could be... the way Sora is holding it could be some kind of clue.