Gameplay in Kingdom Hearts III is similar to its predecessors, with hack and slash combat,[8] which director Tetsuya Nomura stated would be along the lines of the system seen in Kingdom Hearts II, with an evolution similar to what was seen from Kingdom Hearts to Kingdom Hearts II, and closely tied to the gameplay in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.[9][10][11] He also revealed that the handheld games of the series were where he could experiment with the combat mechanics, and that some of the well-received additions could appear in Kingdom Hearts III.[9][10] Nomura noted that new gameplay elements are the "skeleton" of the game, saying development starts with a "fun element" for gameplay or system to then build the story and concept around.[12] Additionally, the development team "always want to try something new", taking previously introduced mechanics and making small "tweak[s]" to them so they are customized for Kingdom Hearts III.[13]
Sora returns as the main playable character, once again joined in the party by Donald Duck and Goofy,[14] with the ability to have two additional characters join the party for a total of five-player parties. This is an increase from previous main entries in the series, where players were limited to two additional party members at any given time along with Sora.[15] Certain parts of the game have Riku and Aqua as playable characters.[16] Describing the gameplay, Nomura called the action "pretty frantic", as well as "really flashy and exciting. The enemy AI is a lot more intricate, too, and I think the gameplay will reflect that new dynamic balance."[17] Sora can perform magic, with a new, powerful tier of each spell available to him, similar to what Aqua has available to her in Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage.[18] Magic performs differently in underwater sections of the game, with Kingdom Hearts III introducing a new spell, Water.[19] Team-up attacks are also featured, which combine Sora and various party members into one attack.[20][21] Players can equip various abilities for Sora and his party members, with the system to do so "an evolution of sorts" from the system used in Kingdom Hearts II.[22] Character summons make a return from previous entries, this time known as "Links", where an additional character joins the battle to assist the player with specialized attacks.[23]
Sora faces Heartless, Nobodies, and Unversed in the game,[24] with new variants of these enemy types appearing.[20] In addition to these traditional "smaller" enemies, the player faces giant bosses, which give "Sora greater freedom of movement and room to experiment with attacks—including the new theme-park-ride summon attacks,"[12] known as "Attraction Flow".[25] These attacks are inspired by the Disney Parks attractions Mad Tea Party, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters,[23] and Grizzly River Run,[26] and generic pirate ship and carousel attractions;[23][27] these attacks draw visual inspiration from Disney Parks' Main Street Electrical Parade.[23] Sora also has the ability to jump on certain enemies, such as ones shaped like a vehicle.[17] Regarding traversal, Nomura noted the new mechanic, called "Athletic Flow" in Japanese, was refined from the Flowmotion mechanic from Dream Drop Distance, which players felt was "a little too free... and it was kind of hard to control on their end."[28] "Athletic Flow" allows the player to utilize the environment to access previously unreachable areas.[29] Co-director Tai Yasue stated this mechanic was created "to try something new" and "radically change the gameplay" for the Hercules world, which led to its use in the other worlds. As a result, each world was able to have "more height, scale and sense of discovery."[30]
Situation Commands also return from previous entries,[31] which can trigger the Keyblade transformations. Nomura revealed that Keyblade transformations were conceived as early as the development of Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix and would be similar to Aqua's ability in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, saying, "Each Keyblade transformation is unlocked by clearing all missions in one of [the game's] worlds, and each individual world offers its own unique Keyblade transformation."[12][32] He further elaborated stating there were two forms each Keyblade can take, with "multiple layers in terms of transforming" starting with one transformation and achieving the second after "successfully connect[ing] your combos".[29] The Keyblade transformations active the various "Formchanges"[24]–Power, Guard,[33][34] Magic,[34] and Speed–[34] and change Sora's outfit,[34] similarly to the "Drive Form" mechanic in Kingdom Hearts II.[33] Various Keyblades are linked to each form;[34] for example, the Toy Story world Keyblade actives Power Form for Sora, with the Keyblade's transformations changing into a hammer and then into a drill.[35] There is also "Second Form", which changes Sora's battle skills rather than transform the Keyblade.[36] Unlike previous games in the series, players are able to quickly switch between different Keyblades seamlessly during gameplay rather than from the game's equipment menu,[37] and each Keyblade can be leveled up to increase their abilities.[8] Shotlocks also return, which use a focus meter that can target and lock on to individual enemies with the attack depending on which Keyblade is equipped.[24]
Each world offers a specific gameplay element,[38] such as first-person shooter "Gigas" mechs in the Toy Story world,[23] downhill sledding in the Frozen world,[19] and naval, underwater, and aerial combat in the Pirates of the Caribbean world,[39] which also features numerous smaller islands at sea which can be explored.[19] The Gummi Ship also returns as a means of travel between the different worlds of the game.[13] The mechanic has been split into two phases: exploration, which has been likened to being more open-world without a fixed travel route as in previous games;[40][41] and combat, which has increased its scale from previous games, with more enemies present.[40] Gummi Ship customization also returns,[22] with more options available than in previous Kingdom Hearts games.[30]
Various mini-games playable throughout Kingdom Hearts III,[42] including a cooking-themed game featuring Remy from Ratatouille,[42] and a music game in the Tangled world.[43] Additionally, the "Classic Kingdom" features over 20 games presented in the style of 1980s LCD games such as Game & Watch,[44][30] while the 100 Acre Wood world features puzzle games.[45] Members of the development team suggested each type of mini-game featured, with Nomura working on the "Classic Kingdom".[43] Kingdom Hearts III also has a "Memory Archive" feature, which has several short films explaining the basic story elements of the series from the previous games.[30]
