\n<\/p>\n
The wait for the next new Kingdom Hearts has been too long. After several painful years, Square Enix finally showed a new Kingdom Hearts 4<\/em> gameplay trailer at the same Nintendo Direct where it unveiled The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time<\/em> remake. But there was no release date announcement, leaving us to speculate as to when we might get our hands on the next adventures of Sora and crew.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Fortunately, other developers are working on some exciting projects to tide us over in the meantime. One of those projects, titled Duskfade<\/em>, looks like the perfect way to avoid clawing up the carpet as we dream of new adventures with Donald, Goofy, and our other friends.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Developed by Weird Beluga, which previously worked on Clid the Snail<\/em>, the upcoming Duskfade<\/em> has all the earmarks of a passion project. A cursory look at a few screenshots immediately calls to mind past adventures featuring Sora and his keyblade. It\u2019s the little touches: sparkling orbs, showers of crystals, checkerboard floors, cobblestone plazas, and the general sense that magic pervades.<\/p>\n The game tells the story of Zirian, a young lad searching for his sister in the otherworldly Clock Tower, which has dropped a veil of darkness over the surrounding lands. Accompanied by his Cuckoo, the heroic protagonist will dash, jump, grind, grapple, and glide his way through numerous environments that look like something taken out of any number of terrific platformers over the years.<\/p>\n You\u2019ve participated in many of the game\u2019s activities in the past, inside and outside of Kingdom Hearts. There are rails to ride, like in the Sonic or Skylanders games (among many others). There are broken walls floating over wide pits, and high vertical shafts that find the hero jumping back and forth between them to ascend toward the unknown. Islands float in the sky. Rooftops overlook bustling villages with giant spinning gears. Boss monsters stand at a distance, firing shots from arm cannons.<\/p>\n The game\u2019s developers call their vision \u201cclockpunk.\u201d The label beautifully describes the aesthetic that looks to elevate this homage to the classic 3D platformers of yesteryear. Here are worlds that beg you to explore every inch of them, but which keep the action coming so you never quite have time to catch your breath. Is it cruel to feel slightly pleased that someone kidnapped Zirian\u2019s sister, just so we have a proper excuse to play the hero on such a gorgeous stage?<\/p>\n Duskfade<\/em> will be released Aug. 13 on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. It can\u2019t replace the game we imagine Kingdom Hearts 4<\/em> will be, but it might just let us put that other title out of our minds for a bit, and that\u2019s a magic all its own.<\/p>\n\n Kingdom Hearts meets Mario and Skylanders
\n <\/h2>\n