A new mode is being added as part of a Kingdom Hearts III update on April 23, 2019. Critical Mode will appear. This will be a free update.
Here is the tweet announcing the new feature.
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
In the tweet announcing Kingdom Hearts III Critical Mode, Tetsuya Nomura noted, “We’ve changed things up from the previous games, so I hope you enjoy.” This is referring to the fact that Critical Mode has been an inclusion since entries like Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, and it has appeared in installments like Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, Kingdom Hearts Re:coded, Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep: A fragmentary passage.
In past installments, Critical Mode is typically the most challenging difficulty level. For example, the version in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix had enemies dealing twice as much damage, characters getting half as much HP and MP, and character earning 3/4ths as much health. In Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, you could get an EXP Zero ability.
KIngdom Hearts III is available for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
