On March 28, 2002, Squaresoft released the original Kingdom Hearts in Japan for the PlayStation 2, and in a matter of years it was an international success, spawning countless sequels, orchestra performances, and a Gummi Ship-full of merchandise.
While a 20th Anniversary event will be held next month in Tokyo on April 10th, we’ve still got a few things worth mentioning that were released on the big day itself.
First up is a preview of some fresh anniversary artwork from series director Tetsuya Nomura.
こんばんは。皆さん20周年のお祝いメッセージありがとうございます。現在20周年イベントの準備がえげつない事になっておりまして申し訳ないですが今日は何のご用意もありません。20周年用の絵も昨日から描き始めイベントに間に合うかドキドキです。引き続きよろしくお願いします＠野村#_KH #KH20th pic.twitter.com/H0s4Pox1TG
— キングダム ハーツ (@_KINGDOMHEARTS) March 27, 2022
Next is a tribute image from Nomura’s other directorial project, Final Fantasy VII Remake, which recreates an iconic promotional image from Kingdom Hearts, essentially returning the favor after KH similarly marked FFVII’s anniversary back in January.
キングダムハーツ20周年おめでとう！ 👑🗝️🎁
Happy 20th Anniversary KINGDOM HEARTS!🎂🎉💖#_KH #KH20th #FF7R pic.twitter.com/bWV0iia5CV— FFVII REMAKE (@FFVIIR_CLOUD) March 28, 2022
Finally, Sakurai seized on the opportunity thanks to Sora finally being in Smash Bros. by releasing a custom screenshot that makes us ponder the possibility of Mushroom Kingdom Hearts finally becoming a reality…
2002年のきょう『キングダム ハーツ』発売!!
ただひとこと｡
『スマブラ』に参戦してくれて､ありがとう!! pic.twitter.com/ERlSxvkcM2— 桜井 政博 / Masahiro Sakurai (@Sora_Sakurai) March 28, 2022
We’ll be sure to bring you any pertinent news from the Kingdom Hearts event as it happens on April 10th!
Written by Tom Brown
Whether it’s an exciting new entry in a series long established or a weird experiment meant only for the dedicated, Tom is eager to report on it. Rest assured, if Nintendo ever announces Elite Beat Agents 2, he’ll be there.
