Kingdom Hearts III
"Kingdom Hearts III" was released worldwide in January 2019. Upon release, the game was met with generally positive reviews from critics.
Kingdom Hearts III
Tamoor Hussain of "GameSpot" called "Kingdom Hearts III" an overall "enjoyable, if uneven, third entry" in the series. Hussain was critical of some of the story and felt some of the worlds "feel either empty or lacking in what they offer", but did praise the design of the worlds, while also enjoying the amount of gameplay variety. While the combat felt "fast, frenetic, and spectacular in its cinematic flourishes", Hussain noted the game should be played on the "Proud" mode difficulty "if you want the game to challenge you". Speaking to the game's ending, Hussain felt there was "heavy-handed storytelling that inevitably culminates in battles that are impressive set-pieces but feel cheap and spammy to play" with the story wrapping up "in an incredibly unfulfilling way." In an unscored review, "Polygon"s Allegra Frank was more critical of "Kingdom Hearts III" calling it "little more than a lackluster leftover from 2006" as it had "a flat story, repetitive gameplay, and very few surprises." Frank felt Sora's characterization was "off", with his positive attitude continuing as if the events of previous games in the series "have had zero impact on him". Regarding the various worlds, Frank called them "lifeless dioramas... with fewer details and references to the films themselves". She ultimately concluded that "Kingdom Hearts III" was "an example of what can go wrong when a series that once stood in contrast to its peers as a lighthearted alternative loses its way".