- Release: TBA
- Publisher: Square Enix Co., Ltd.
- Platform: iOS, Android
- Genre: GPS Action RPG
- Developed in: Unreal Engine, C++, Mapbox
- Team: Creative Business Unit 1 (100+ people)
- My Role: Lead Programmer
- All player related programming
- All combat related programming
- All camera related programming
- All combat abilities
- Multiplayer system
- Auto-Battle AI & Partner AI
- GPS movement
- Engineering team management
- Staff training & onboarding
Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link is an upcoming location-based action RPG similar to games like Pokemon Go and Dragon Quest Walk. The player is able to explore a 3D representation of the real world, procedurally generated from geographic data provided by Mapbox. As part of the series’ collaboration with Disney, figurines of popular Disney characters resembling chess Pieces are scattered throughout the world, waiting to be collected. Obtaining a character Piece grants the player a powerful ability which can be used in combat.
I was responsible for making the proof-of-concept for the initial pitch of the project to be greenlit. Missing-Link is built entirely from scratch on Unreal Engine in order to be fully optimized for mobile devices.
As the lead programmer in the project, I had a hand in creating most of the in-game systems, but below are some of my personal highlights:
Combat System & Online Multiplayer
Even though Missing-Link is a mobile game, we wanted to give players the same combat experience they’re familiar with from the console titles. I created the combat system from the ground up, utilizing Unreal Engine’s Gameplay Ability System (GAS) in order to leverage the engine’s real-time multiplayer capabilities. Every action and every projectile is fully network predicted, meaning clients are able to execute actions before the server approves them (with rollback in case the server rejects the action), in order to minimize latency and make multiplayer combat feel exactly the same as single player combat.
Abilities & Character Pieces
I created every combat ability in the game, meticulously adjusting every parameter and movement to make it feel as close to previous Kingdom Hearts games as possible. Upon the request of series creator Tetsuya Nomura, I was also tasked with creating the special effect which shows off the character Piece of the ability being used in full 3D, first coming out of the player and then being boldly displayed towards the camera before returning back to the player.
Party Members & Auto-Battle AI
Up to two friends and family members can join your party, forming your very own Kingdom Hearts trio. Unlike Raid Bosses, which are entirely real-time multiplayer, party members join you as AI controlled allies. These allies use the same AI as your own Auto-Battle AI, which you can use to fully automate combat when you’re out and about in the real world. The AI uses simulated player input in order to minimize any discrepancies which may happen if the AI is able to do things a human controlled character wouldn’t be able to do. The same AI also controls NPC allies who appear in story mode.
Controller Layout & Support
At first, controller support wasn’t something we prioritized, but after hearing feedback from our first beta test players wanting to play the game using a controller, I went straight to work on implementing controller support using Unreal Engine’s Enhanced Input system. I designed the layout for controllers to match existing Kingdom Hearts games, assigning Piece abilities to the L1 shortcuts players were already familiar with customizing in the console titles.
Below is the game’s teaser trailer:
If you would like to learn more about the game, Kingdom Hearts content creator damo279 has an excellent overview of all of the features we had in our previous beta test:
EDIT 2025/04/13: To all Kingdom Hearts fans eagerly awaiting this game, please wait for further information from official sources. This website is strictly a business / career portfolio, so it would be greatly appreciated if you could refrain from speculating or spreading rumors based on information provided by this website. Thank you for your understanding.
