In the aftermath of the release of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, there was a resurgence in the discussion on difficulty options. While I myself am an advocate for easier difficulties and accessibility options in games, I think it is only fair to celebrate optional “tougher” difficulties as well.

Since Kingdom Hearts III released, fans of the series that prefer a greater challenge have been asking about Critical Mode. I am happy to announce that fans don’t have to wait any longer. As of today, April 23^rd, Critical Mode is part of a free update for Kingdom Hearts III. In the announcement on the official Kingdom Hearts Twitter account, the release date was revealed yesterday April 22^nd.

Greetings, it’s been a while since I last posted. Spring is here, and I hope everyone is doing well. #KingdomHearts III's long-awaited Critical Mode is available as a free update tomorrow (PT).

We’ve changed things up from the previous games, so I hope you enjoy – Nomura pic.twitter.com/Npz8FeKmCK

— KINGDOM HEARTS (@KINGDOMHEARTS) April 22, 2019

Tetsuya Nomura has also revealed that quote, “We’ve changed up things from previous games,” which leads to a fair few questions on just how this new Critical Mode is different from others. For a bit of context, Critical Mode appeared first in Kingdom Hearts 2: Final Mix, but hit western audiences first in Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep.

Critical Mode has some differences depending on which game you play, but most of the time it involves you taking double damage, and dealing out half your normal amount. This time around, however, Nomura has been mentioning a “Completely New Experience” with new abilities and a more “Technical” approach to the combat.

Right now, Kingdom Hearts III has 3 difficulty settings, Beginner, Standard, and Proud Modes. The higher the difficulty, the easier to achieve the secret ending, with a few other gameplay changes here and there. However, most people were unhappy with the Proud Mode difficulty, citing that it wasn’t challenging enough to give them a satisfying experience.

As someone who feels at home in Beginner Mode, and dabbles in Standard when he wants a challenge; I hope that the people playing Critical Mode get the challenge they are after. Even though I will fight tooth and nail for people to have accessibility to the games they love, I think giving people great experiences (across all skill levels) is important.

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