Square Enix’s Kingdom Hearts series has always been known for its references to other IPs and franchises. Naturally, a series that mixes the Final Fantasy universe with that of Disney films is going to receive widespread attention for its crossover elements. As the franchise has continued to grow, Square Enix has not been shy about pulling from its history, notably bringing in characters from The World Ends With You in 2012’s Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.
2019’s Kingdom Hearts 3 took this to an even greater level. Not only did Square Enix bring gamers back to the past with one of its older, forgotten titles, but it also brought in that team’s developers to contribute to that trip to the past. It shows how Square Enix has been able to turn the franchise into a celebration not only of Disney’s lineup of films, but also its own lineage and history as a developer and publisher.
Kingdom Hearts 3 Brings Gamers Back To Einhander
Kingdom Hearts 3’s Gummi Ship Gameplay Was Developed By Einhander’s Team
Before the release of Kingdom Hearts 3, one of the perennial criticisms of the Kingdom Hearts series was its Gummi Ship missions. These short sections help players move to different worlds and take Kingdom Hearts away from its action RPG gameplay in favor of ship-based rail-shooting segments. While a unique change of pace, these portions have seen criticism for being monotonous and immersion-breaking, with a clunky ship-creation tool that breaks the flow in a big way.
With Kingdom Hearts 3, Square Enix revitalized the Gummi Ship segments with heavy inspiration from its 1997 scrolling shooter Einhander. So much so, in fact, that the Kingdom Hearts team even brought in the original development team who worked on Einhander on its original PlayStation release. It’s a great homage to the team’s past and a fantastic improvement on a gameplay loop that desperately needed improvement.
Einhander’s Devs Lent A Ship To Kingdom Hearts 3
The Einhander inspiration in Kingdom Hearts 3 was more than skin-deep, too. Beyond revitalizing the gameplay of the Gummi Ship sections, the Einhander team lent one of its classic ships, the Endymion, to Kingdom Hearts 3 as a blueprint. Thus, players can find the Endymion without much hassle and go through these ship-shooting sections with an even greater throwback to this forgotten PlayStation title.
Perhaps intentionally, the Endymion is fairly easy to find and is one of the best ships in the game. It’s got very high HP and offense stats and even offers the Auto-Life ability, allowing players to revive the ship when its HP reaches zero. It’s a ship players can find pretty early in the game, and it’s powerful enough to carry them the rest of the way if they don’t feel like spending too much time building and customization a ship.
The Einhander inspiration in Kingdom Hearts 3 was more than skin-deep.
Kingdom Hearts 3 Lets Fans Fight A Classic Einhander Boss
The Endymion is not the only way that Square Enix referenced Einhander in Kingdom Hearts 3. Among the bosses in these sections of the game, players can find one of the classic game’s original major enemies, the Schwarzgeist. As long as the player's own Gummi Ship has a Speed stat of 200 or more - which the Endymion has - they can recreate the Einhander fight in the Misty Stream zone.
It’s a testament to Square Enix’s legacy that Kingdom Hearts has become a means for the publisher to remind gamers of its history. Built initially as a bizarre crossover between Final Fantasy and Disney, Kingdom Hearts has become just as much a love letter to Square Enix as it has to the Mouse House. With an obscure title like Einhander seeing the representation that it did in Kingdom Hearts 3, perhaps even more Square Enix surprises are in store when Kingdom Hearts 4 finally makes its way out.
Kingdom Hearts 3
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 84 /100 Critics Rec: 83%
- Released
- January 25, 2019
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ due to Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Franchise
- Kingdom Hearts
WHERE TO PLAY
Sora is joined by Donald Duck and Goofy, two emissaries sent by King Mickey from Disney Castle, to stop an evil force known as the Heartless from invading and overtaking the universe. Through the power of positivity and friendship, Sora, Donald and Goofy unite with iconic Disney-Pixar characters old and new to prevail tremendous challenges and persevere against the darkness threatening their worlds. Also includes Re Mind - the other tale that unfolded during the climax of KINGDOM HEARTS III. In this additional chapter, Sora travels to the Keyblade Graveyard determined to rescue Kairi and discovers truths that he never before imagined.
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- How Long To Beat
- 30 Hours
