Kingdom Hearts 3‘s ReMIND DLC was reportedly announced recently during the Kingdom Hearts Orchestra concert in Japan. A fan in attendance noted that the additional content will include an additional scenario, new bosses, a new Keyblade, and a new form. While all of this is certainly better than nothing, there’s room for Square Enix to offer more with subsequent pieces of DLC. The following are a few features that could keep fans invested long after they’ve completed the main campaign and mastered Critical Mode.
Kingdom Hearts 3 DLC Wish List | New Game Plus
Currently, Kingdom Hearts 3 fans must resort to either loading up a previous save or starting a new playthrough if they hope to experience the title again. A New Game Plus option makes sense given the recent addition of Critical Mode and all the treasures and Lucky Emblems scattered throughout the game. Players could take the items, materials, and weapons they collected in one save with them in the next journey. With New Game Plus, it’ll be possible to take on Xehanort and every member of Organization 13 again with the Ultima Keyblade or a Level 99 Sora.
In a similar regard, a chapter select option could take fans back in time with all of their equipment in tow to relive each Disney world’s independent narrative. This would allow them to fight Mother Gothel’s Heartless or Davy Jones without having to worry about managing their save files. Chapter select could also give players the option to choose their difficulty before diving in. This would allow them to complete Critical Mode in doses rather than experiencing it in one go.
Kingdom Hearts 3 DLC Wish List | Olympus Coliseum cups
While the Battlegates found in Kingdom Hearts 3 serve as worthwhile distractions outside of the campaign, they fail in replicating the same excitement that the Coliseum and Underworld cups instilled in the original game and Kingdom Hearts 2. Square Enix should offer these gauntlets as DLC, enticing players to buy them with promises that Cloud, Sephiroth, Squall, and more from Final Fantasy would appear as combatants.
There’s potential for this to be updated with new challengers or tournaments over time should it become popular enough. This would allow the developer to flesh out the game’s Realm of the Gods world, which is noticeably sparse when players first dive into it.
Kingdom Hearts 3 DLC Wish List | Boss rush mode
Kingdom Hearts 3 has fans fight against nearly every important villain the series has introduced since its inception. Ansem, Xemnas, and Vanitas return to ensure that Xehanort achieves his goal of summoning the X-blade. New foes like Aquanort appear to bring about a second Keyblade War. With so many iconic names and faces, it seems natural for Square Enix to offer a Boss Rush mode as DLC. This would allow fans to mow down each Organization 13 member one by one solo or with any combination of guest companions they please.
The mode doesn’t have to stop there, as Nomura and his team could opt to include bosses that appear in other entries. Maleficent, Captain Pete, Chernabog, Oogie Boogie, and more could make their grand return. Secret bosses like Phantom or Kurt Zisa could make a comeback too, reigniting the controller-breaking frustrations that many had while playing Kingdom Hearts years ago. A Boss Rush mode could serve to highlight some of the franchise’s best encounters so far and reward fans with new Keyblades, items, and trophies for all their hard work.
Kingdom Hearts 3 DLC Wish List | New worlds and crossovers
No Kingdom Hearts wish list is complete without suggesting what crossovers the franchise should feature next. A new world of some kind seems like an appropriate DLC offering, especially given how each level in the game has its own independent narrative and resolution to achieve. A DLC episode could take place within the overarching story or simply appear as a new place to discover on the world map, complete with its own Gummi Ship sequence.
The franchises that are most likely to appear as DLC are those that have been featured in past entries. The Nightmare Before Christmas‘ Halloween Town and Aladdin‘s Agrabah seemed poised to return at some point, seeing as how both are included in Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts 2. That’s not to say that levels like The Lion King‘s Pride Lands or Tron‘s Space Paranoids are totally out of the question, as each is fun enough to warrant another look.
Of course, there’s always room for a Star Wars or Marvel world to be introduced. While the former seems less likely due to Disney’s contract with EA, Square Enix’s work on The Avengers Project could indicate that Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and more will be joining Sora on his Keyblade adventures in the near future. It’ll certainly be cool to relive the Battle of New York from the first Avengers movie, though fans would probably accept anything that Marvel and Square Enix manage to cook up.
Fans and critics mostly agree that Kingdom Hearts 3 is a fitting conclusion to the Dark Seeker Saga that began when the original entry debuted in 2002. This being said, the game isn’t perfect, as it lacks compelling content to consume outside of the main story. The DLC above could remedy this by offering fans more challenges to overcome and more Disney worlds to explore alongside new and familiar mascots. Kingdom Hearts 4 may not come out for a while, so Square Enix would be wise to double down on the latest game in the series for the time being.
