TheKingdom Heartsseries is renowned for its ability to tellan immersive storywhile under the influence of two different franchises. Throughout Sora’s journey, he encounters a variety ofDisneyandFinal Fantasycharacters, but never once does the story rely on these icons as crutches.
Countless properties have appeared inKingdom Heartsthroughout the years, leaving fans to wonder what series director Tetsuya Nomura is planning to include in upcoming sequels. Few things seem to be off-limits, but some ideas end up lost on the cutting room floor. Though this content was likely cut for a good reason, some were left disappointed at its absence.
10Treasure Planet – Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance
Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distancefeatures perhapsthe most unusual combinationsofDisneyworlds in the entire franchise. Cartoon and live-action movies are scattered throughout, allowing for multiple costume changes and several immersive stories to be told. Each world serves a purpose in the narrative but, sadly, one was cut.
OmegaErkz came across this unfinished room in the game’s files anduploaded his findings to YouTube. Though it’s impossible to say exactly what the room was originally intended to be, many believe it to be an area from the movieTreasure Planet. It is clear the room was designed to mimic a ship’s structure, but not much is known about what its original purpose was in the game.
9The Jungle Book World – Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep
Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleepfeaturedseveral immersive worldsfor the player to visit on their journey to stop Xehanort. Each world had a reason to exist in the overarching story, butThe Jungle Booknever got the chance.
Not only wasThe Jungle Bookplanned to appear inBirth By Sleep, but much of the world was designed before it was scrapped. Five different areas were created for the story to take place in and were discarded at some point during development. Those disappointed with the lack ofThe Jungle BookinBirth By Sleepmay be happy to learn the bones of the world can be found in the game’s files.
8Crumbling Island – Kingdom Hearts
The finale of the originalKingdom Heartssaw Sora confronting Ansem on the ruins of Destiny Island. The two engage in multiple battles until Ansem eventually accepts defeat, but it seemsan extra battle with Rikuwas planned to be included during development.
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The Crumbling Island bears several similarities to both the End of the World and Destiny Island. It would have made for a truly fascinating battle arena but, given the number of fights featured during the climax, it may have drawn the finale out too much.
7The Bahamut Summon – Kingdom Hearts
At its core,Kingdom Heartsis merely a combination of both Disney andSquare Enixproperties. The franchise has been heavily influenced by both companies throughout each of its entries, but certain ideas were unfortunately discarded.
Like theFinal Fantasyfranchise,Kingdom Heartsallows Sora to call forth summons to help in battle. A total of six summons are available for Sora to find in the original game, but sadly, one was cut. Bahamut’s name can still be found in the game’s code, but attempting tosummon the creaturewill result in the game crashing.
6The Ruins Of Hollow Bastion – Kingdom Hearts 2
Fans of the originalKingdom Heartswill be more than familiar with Hollow Bastion,one of the most frightening worldspresent in the first game. Sora must navigate the castle’s labyrinthian halls and ascend to the top if he hopes to rescue Kairi, but the sequel restricts him from visiting after the fact.
Many fans were disappointed to learn they would not be returning to the castle, as the E3’s 2004 trailerKingdom Hearts 2implied that they would. The trailer depicts Sora battling heartless inside the castle’s ruins before turning his attention to a member of Organization 13. This scenario was scrapped before the game’s official release, leaving many fans disappointed.
5The Mysterious Tower – Kingdom Hearts 3
The 2016 Jump Fiesta trailer forKingdom Hearts 3revealed a great deal about Sora’s long-awaited journey, but the official release of the game left some fans feeling a bit disappointed. The climax of the trailer featured gameplay footage of Sora, Donald, and Goofy fighting several waves of Heartless on the doorstep of the Mysterious Tower, but this battle was absent from the game.
Kingdom Hearts 2permitted players the chance to explore the tower to their hearts' content, butKingdom Hearts 3aimed to prioritize new environments over old ones. Though there isn’t too much to see in the Tower, evident from the previous game, the option to explore it in all its Unreal Engine 4 glory would have been a welcomed addition.
4Buzz & Woody Summons – Kingdom Hearts 2
After being cast out from his island by the forces of darkness, Sora awakens to find himself in Traverse Town, a magical place where those who lose their homes will eventually end up. While here, Sora meets a variety of new people, with the Fairy Godmother offering the most help out of them all.
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Thanks to the Fairy Godmother, Sora gains the ability to summon various Disney characters to aid him in combat. Buzz and Woody ofToy Storyfame were once planned to be made summons forKingdom Hearts 2: Final Mix. This never happened, of course, but their character models can still be found in the game’s files.
3Behemoths & Wyverns – Kingdom Hearts 2
One of the most notable moments ofKingdom Hearts 2’s E3 trailer showcased the renowned Battle of the 1,000 Heartless. Sora, Donald, and Goofy are surrounded, forcing them to meet their enemies in combat if they hope to protect Hollow Bastion.
The trailer depicted four different Heartless appearing during the battle, but only the Armored Knight and the Surveillance Robot made the final cut. Behemoths and Wyverns were iconic for how difficult they were to defeat inKingdom Hearts, but developers decided not to include them in the Battle of the 1,000 Heartless due to the PlayStation 2’s hardware limitations.
2A Data Battle – Kingdom Hearts 3: Re Mind
TheKingdom Heartsseries has become renowned for featuring some of the most challenging post-game bosses in video game history. The firstKingdom Heartsincorporated some extremely difficult post-game battles, but the sequel perfected the formula with its creation of the Garden of Assemblage. Data Battles have appeared in each mainlineKingdom Heartsentry since, butKingdom Hearts 3went even further and incorporated them into the main story.
Unlike the Data Battles inKingdom Hearts 2, however, fans were unsure of which members would be available to fight. Developers at Square Enix believed Xion shouldn’t fall into the Organization’s ranks, seeing as she switches sides during the Keyblade War. However, series director Tetsuya Nomura insisted she appear. The battle with Xion is arguably one of the most enjoyable fights in theRe MindDLC, but it’s nice to hypothesize on what could have been if say Vexen or Demyx were chosen to fill her place.
1Sora’s Design – Kingdom Hearts
Before donning his overly large jumpsuit and ridiculous shoes, Sora sported a somewhat less approachable look. Subtle changes were made to his outfit, but his most notable difference was seen in his anatomy.
Like Zidane fromFinal Fantasy 9, Sora was designed to convey both human and animal traits; he had claws, a tail, and fur covering all of his limbs.His hair was longer and spikier, but his choice of weaponry was likely the most jarring aspect of this original design. Instead ofwielding a Keyblade, Sora’s primary weapon was planned to be a chainsaw.
