Kingdom Hearts 3 has had a very long history in the gaming space. Often hailed as one of the most anticipated titles in gaming before it was even announced, the game finally released in 2019 to warm positive reception, with fans and critics alike praising its conclusion to the series' “Dark Seeker Saga,” while offering new questions regarding the future of Kingdom Hearts and where the series will go next.
Coming fresh off the heels of the series 20th anniversary, Kingdom Hearts remains as iconic as ever. The ambitious crossover between Square Enix’s Final Fantasy series with the magical world of Disney always appears odd and out of place since its inception, but has managed to capture the hearts of fans and players across the world for its earnest story and characters, imaginative worlds, and fast-paced action-RPG combat.
One of the more recognizable Disney worlds that is featured in the series is Olympus Coliseum, based on the 1997 Disney film Hercules. The world has appeared in almost every major title in series, which sees Sora, Donald, and Goofy helping the titular god take on Hades, alongside a variety of Final Fantasy cameos, in a series of challenges and battles. While this world made a return in Kingdom Hearts 3, it was without this memorable Coliseum element, leaving fans without a gauntlet of enemies to face.
With the release of Kingdom Hearts 3 on PC, alongside the other titles in the series, the game has been subjected to plenty of modding from the community, whether it be simple cosmetic changes, or making other characters playable from scratch. However, one of the most fascinating mods come from user Aproydtix, who created an entire playable coliseum section of Olympus, with different matches and tournaments to take part in.
This mod is an incredible achievement, as it essentially creates an entirely new element of gameplay for players to engage with in Kingdom Hearts 3, and with plenty of details sprinkled around that makes it feel as though it is an official piece of DLC. Aproydtix has also stated that the public release of this mod is a beta release, as there will be more updates coming in the future, such as custom match creations.
There appear to be many surprises in store for the future of the series, with Kingdom Hearts series director Tetsuya Nomura teasing news at the upcoming 20th anniversary event. Thus, players are left to keep their eyes peels for what new exciting developments come in the series' future.
Kingdom Hearts 3 is now available for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.