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Kingdom Hearts: Unchained χ Mobile Game Headed West

Square Enix confirmed at its E3 press conference on Tuesday that the iOS and Android game Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ is headed west.

Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ is the first Kingdom Hearts title for smartphones that is getting an English release, and it is currently in development in Japan. The game will be free-to-play with in-game purchases.

The game will take place in the distant past, and players will take on the role of a keyblade wielder. Players will strengthen their keyblades and collect character medals while investigating various Disney-themed worlds. Players can use the medals to launch big attacks, and create and use decks. Players will also aim for a "one-turn finish" in battles.

Square Enix previously released the Kingdom Hearts χ PC browser game in 2013 in Japan only. The game is set during the events of the Keyblade War. The two games will "share the same worldview," and those who play both games will be able to port their avatars from Kingdom Hearts χ into Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ. The smartphone game is using medals for battles instead of the cards of the PC browser game.

Kingdom Hearts game director Tetsuya Nomura told Weekly Famitsu in May that Square Enix is creating with an overseas release in mind. Nomura revealed that Americans who played the test version of the game considered the game a "card game," and Nomura wanted to give a different impression of the game, so the smartphone game will use medals instead. Nomura also said that because the game has a voice chat function, Square Enix is considering separating game servers by language.