A gorgeous chess set inspired by The Kingdom Hearts timeline can be confusing for newcomers to the series, but the narrative's unique blend of intense emotion and lighthearted fun has led to it maintaining a large and loyal fanbase.
The Kingdom Hearts franchise first began back in 2002, with the collaboration between Square Enix and Disney resulting in a fast-paced role-playing action title. This game introduces Sora, a teenager who wields the magical Keyblade and travels across different worlds to fight the forces of darkness. These alternate worlds include recognizable Disney universes such as Hercules and Aladdin. Major sequels Kingdom Hearts 2 and Kingdom Hearts 3 continue and conclude this epic storyline, but numerous spin-off titles like Chain of Memories, Dream Drop Distance and 358/2 Days also serve to fill in the timeline and potentially confuse some casual fans. 2022 marks Kingdom Hearts' 20-year anniversary, with Square Enix planning to celebrate the occasion alongside the franchise's fanbase.
As part of the franchise's 20-year anniversary, Kingdom Hearts has announced a custom chess set via Twitter. The gorgeous piece of merchandise, now available to pre-order from the Square Enix Store, recreates a chess set used by Eragus and Xehanort in a flashback sequence featured in Kingdom Hearts 3. The unique three-dimensional replica comes complete with beautiful otherworldly chess pieces, which each represent one of the franchise's many characters, and the board itself has raised spaces for a truly dynamic strategy experience. This Alba and Ater chess set will cost fans $700, but the quality and craftsmanship seem to reflect that price point. Fans can pre-order the chess set now, with its release scheduled for July 2022.
The Kingdom Hearts series has grown to become a staple of the role-playing game genre, and the gaming industry as a whole. The cartoonish franchise's success is reflected in other games as well, with Sora being Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's final DLC character. The crossover platform fighter's final new character was highly anticipated before the announcement, but many fans felt that Sora deserved a spot on the all-star gaming roster. Nintendo's title perfectly translated the Kingdom Hearts protagonist into the two-dimensional world of Smash, with his Keyblade and a variety of magical abilities letting him go toe-to-toe with the likes of Mario, Link and Samus.
The Kingdom Hearts franchise has been widely influential since the beginning, and both creators and fans are eager to celebrate the franchise's 20-year anniversary. While Kingdom Hearts 3 brought the series' storyline to a definitive conclusion, fans continue looking ahead to the future and a potential Kingdom Hearts 4. While the replica certainly costs a pretty penny, Square Enix's Alba and Ater chess set is a beautiful way for fans to immortalize the role-playing series.
Kingdom Hearts 3 is available on PS4, Xbox One and PC.
Source: Kingdom Hearts/Twitter, Square Enix Store
