Why is Kingdom Hearts 3 so long?
Kingdom Hearts 3, a critically acclaimed action role-playing game developed by Square Enix, has been considered a behemoth of game design. With its narrative sprawling across multiple worlds and a plethora of playable characters, it’s no secret that the game has grown to be quite lengthy.
According to the game director, Tetsuya Nomura, the change to Unreal Engine 4 contributed significantly to the prolonged development time. Previously, the series was designed on the Realm Render (Realm) engine, used for Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days and earlier games. However, making the switch to Unreal Engine 4 required significant design adjustments, leading to extensive testing and iteration. Although it’s an impressive example of game development innovation, it undoubtedly added to the overall length of the production.
A Long Wait and High Expectations
Another factor contributing to Kingdom Hearts 3’s expansiveness is the wait spanning multiple years. The introduction of Kingdom Hearts:Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts 3D:Dream Drop Distance further added substance to the series’ expanding universe. With a series-long narrative arc unfolding on-screen, it’s difficult to condense the weighty storylines and deep characters into a concise scope. The wait for King…