Kingdom Hearts III’s multiple E3 trailers have pirates, Olaf, but few concrete answers

Square Enix’s Kingdom Hearts 3 has been in the works for more than 12 years, and now we’ve finally got a release date in January of next year. To celebrate the final stretch, the publisher brought not one or even two, but three distinct trailers to E3 this year. It showed off one at each of the big press conferences, including one at Sony’s this evening that confirmed a Pirates of the Caribbean world with Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow and Orlando Bloom’s Will Turner. Another confirmed a world based on Disney’s Frozen.

That said, we still have no idea what’s happening here. Kingdom Hearts 3 looks chaotic, colorful, and a ton of fun, but as far as plot goes, it’s anybody’s guess. The world of Kingdom Hearts is one of the most confounding fantasy plots in the history of gaming, and it’s looking like Square Enix isn’t pulling any punches when it comes to its signature blend of bizarre role-playing fantasy plotlines and absurd Disney mash-up elements. That said, maybe if you watch all three repeatedly, you’ll be able to glean some details about where this saga is headed.