Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul Joins Cast of Upcoming ‘Are You Sleeping’ Apple TV Series

“Are You Sleeping,” a drama series that will star Octavia Spencer, has picked up several new cast members, including Aaron Paul, known for “Breaking Bad,” reports Variety.

In addition to Spencer and Paul, “Are You Sleeping” will star Lizzy Caplan (Masters of Sex), Ron Cephas Jones (This is Us), Elizabeth Perkins (Weeds), Mekhi Phifer (ER), Michael Beach (Sons of Anarchy), Tracie Thoms (UnREAL), and Haneefah Wood (Nurse Jackie).

As has been previously reported, “Are You Sleeping” is a psychological thriller based on a novel written by Kathleen Barber. The book, also called “Are You Sleeping,” focuses on a podcast that reopens a murder case, similar to the popular “Serial” podcast that led to a new trial for Adnan Syed, in jail for allegedly murdering his girlfriend.

Sarah Koenig, who created and produced “Serial,” will consult on the “Are You Sleeping” series, which Apple gave a series order for in May. The show will explore how the reopening of the murder case impacts the people involved.

Octavia Spencer, known for her roles in “Hidden Figures” and “The Shape of Water” will play Poppy Parnell, the reporter who is aiming to uncover the truth behind a decades old murder through her podcast.

Paul will play convicted murderer Warren Cave, whose guilt is in question, while Lizzy Caplan will play twin sisters Josie and Lanie. Jones, known for “This is Us,” plays Poppy’s father, Leander “Shreve” Scoville. Perkins will play the role of Cave’s mother, while Phifer will play the role of Markus Knox, detective and friend of Poppy’s.

Beach plays Ingram Rhoades, attorney and husband of Poppy, and Thoms plays Desiree Scoville, Poppy’s opinionated older sister. Wood plays Poppy’s other sister, Cydie Scoville.

“Are You Sleeping” was written by Nichelle Tramble Spellman, and the series will be produced by Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine and Chernin Entertainment/Endeavor Content.

It’s still not clear when the first of Apple’s television shows will debut, but rumors have suggested 2019 as an initial launch date. With casting in place for “Are You Sleeping,” it could be progressing to the filming stage in the near future.

Related Roundup: Apple TVTag: Apple’s Hollywood ambitionsBuyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Neutral)
Discuss this article in our forums

Hands-On With iOS 12’s New Screen Time Feature With App Usage Stats, App Limits and More

The iOS 12 update introduces a comprehensive set of built-in features designed to help you focus, limit distraction, monitor your iOS device usage, and get a better understanding on how you’re using your time throughout the day.

These new features are housed in the Screen Time section of the Settings app, which we decided to take a closer look at to give MacRumors readers eagerly awaiting the iOS 12 update an idea of what to expect from Apple’s new monitoring features.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Apple designed Screen Time to be incredibly detailed, and it provides a surprising amount of information on how and when you’re using your iPhones and iPads. With the main view, accessible in the Settings app, you can see just how much time you’ve spent on the iPhone each day.

A bar at the top lets you know which apps you’ve been using, separated by category or specific app, and a small arrow lets you know whether your daily usage is higher or lower than normal.

Tapping into more specific details, there’s a full breakdown on every app that you’ve used in the last 24 hours or across the last 7 days. This breakdown shows each individual app and it displays the websites that you’ve been viewing. You won’t see specific content that was browsed, but it will, for example, note that you spent five minutes viewing MacRumors.com.

If you scroll down, you can see how many times you’ve picked up your phone per hour and how many total times you’ve picked up your phone during the day. There’s also a measurement of how many notifications you’ve received and which apps are sending them most frequently.

A report is available each week with a summary of your device usage across the last seven days, and you can also quickly get a glimpse of how you’re using your device through a Screen Time widget in the Today Center.

Apple makes no recommendations based on Screen Time information, with the company simply providing the data so you can decide for yourself if you’re spending too much time on your devices and want to alter your usage habits. Screen Time collects data from every iOS device where you’re logged into your Apple ID, but it does not include Mac data.

If you do want to cut down on app usage, Apple has included App Limits, which let you set a time limit on app categories. So, for example, if you want to spend less time on Instagram or playing games, you can set a time limit, with Apple delivering a notification when your time is up.

Downtime similarly restricts access to content on the iPhone for when you’d like to be left alone to focus, while new notification control options and Do Not Disturb features also give you new ways to cut back.

All of these features are also available to parents, who can use them through Family Sharing to better monitor how their kids are spending time on their iOS devices and introduce necessary limitations.

What do you think of Apple’s new Screen Time features? For more details on how Screen Time, notifications, Do Not Disturb, and Downtime, and App Limits work together to give you more control over your devices, make sure to check out our iOS 12 roundup.

Related Roundup: iOS 12
Discuss this article in our forums

Comcast Outbids Disney for Fox’s Assets With $65 Billion All-Cash Offer

Just a day after a U.S. District Judge approved the upcoming merger between AT&T and Time Warner, Comcast has submitted a bid for 21st Century Fox’s TV and film assets, reports CNBC.

Comcast has presented Fox with an all-cash offer at $35 per share for a total of $65 billion, which beats out Disney’s stock-based $52.4 billion deal. 21st Century Fox has already moved forward on a deal with Disney, but Comcast is aiming to change the minds of Fox’s board members. From the letter sent to Fox’s board by Brian Roberts, Comcast CEO.

So, we were disappointed when 21CF decided to enter into a transaction with The Walt Disney Company, even though we had offered a meaningfully higher price. We have reviewed the publicly available terms of the proposed Disney transaction, as well as the joint proxy statement/prospectus filed with the SEC describing the reasons for the 21CF Board of Directors’ decision.

In light of yesterday’s decision in the AT&T/Time Warner case, the limited time prior to your shareholders’ meeting, and our strong continued interest, we are pleased to present a new, all-cash proposal that fully addresses the Board’s stated concerns with our prior proposal.

Our new proposal offers 21CF shareholders $35.00 per share in cash and 100% of the shares of New Fox after giving effect to its proposed spinoff, providing superior and more certain value as compared to Disney’s all-stock offer.

Comcast first announced its plans to make a bid on 20th Century Fox, 20th Century Fox Television, several Fox-owned cable channels, and a stake in Hulu back in May, but the company was waiting on a final antitrust ruling in the AT&T/Time Warner merger. It was believed that if the ruling had not been in AT&T’s favor, that Comcast would have backed off of its efforts to outbid Disney.

Both Disney and Comcast are interested in Fox’s assets to expand their reach beyond the United States and to stock their streaming catalogs with Fox content, which includes movies like Avatar, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Deadpool, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Titanic, Miracle on 34th Street, The Shape of Water, and Gone Girl.

Tags: Disney, Comcast, Fox
Discuss this article in our forums

Now fixed, Cortana exploit allowed anyone to bypass the Windows 10 lock screen

McAfee Labs reports that Microsoft fixed a problem with Cortana that allowed anyone to read sensitive information on the Windows 10 lock screen and bypass the screen altogether. At the core of the issue was the file indexing process used by Windows 10 and Cortana’s contextual menu for manually asking the virtual assistant questions. 

If enabled, Cortana can be present on the Windows 10 lock screen so that anyone can ask her questions, not just the owner of the locked device. Prior to the fix, if you activated Cortana verbally but instead began typing your query manually, a contextual menu appeared. The problem was that all displayed results stemmed from indexed files and applications. 

Windows 10 keeps an index of all files and installed applications used on your PC so you can easily search for those items. This system also includes a method to peek inside your files and index their content. You can see the list of indexed file types by heading to “Indexing Options” on the Control Panel and navigating to the File Types tab after clicking “Advanced.” You’ll see that many file types are marked as “Index Properties and File Contents.” 

That said, you could initiate Cortana and manually begin searching for documents. Thus, if you kept a list of passwords in a text file named “passwords,” Cortana would display that file and its current location on the locked Windows 10 PC. 

“If the match is driven by file name matching, then you will be presented with the full path of the file,” McAfee’s report states. “If the match is driven by the file content matching, then you may be presented with the content of the file itself. Keep in mind that the entire user folder structure is indexed, which includes the default location for most documents but also for mappings like OneDrive.” 

But the problem didn’t just revolve around hunting down stored passwords. If the search located any document, script, or text file, it would be loaded by the associated editor and presented once the device owner logged onto Windows 10. The same could be said when loading Calculator, Notepad, and other programs from the contextual menu. That means you could essentially run malware on the PC without unlocking it. 

The deal with running malware using Cortana is that you need to be personally associated with the target PC, such as accessing your boss’ laptop or a company workstation storing secrets. One method of attack required dropping an executable file or PowerShell script on the target PC through file sharing or a disguised email attachment. Thus, the boss could open the file, unknowingly drop malware onto his PC, and then you sneak into the office and launch the executable or script from the lock screen. 

But the problems didn’t stop there. Using a string of inputs and an inserted USB stick, the team managed to reset a locked PC’s password using a PowerShell script from Cortana’s contextual menu, thus gaining access to the entire PC. 

Microsoft fixed the Cortana exploit on Tuesday, June 13.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Lenovo wants to give the convertible PC a flexible, wraparound display
• New malware will crash your PC if you try to thwart its digital coin mining
• The best home theater projectors
• Try these Honor View 10 tips and tricks to get more from your phone
• Intel hopes to kick-start dual-screen Windows 10 market with its own designs

Apple quietly bans developers from selling your contacts’ data

Apple is considered by many to be the tech company that takes user privacy seriously, and now it seems like it’s taking that a step further. How? The company updated its App Store rules to not only limit how developers user iPhone users’ data, but also how they use the data of those iPhone users’ friends.

In other words, Apple is basically closing a loophole that has existed for years, in which developers could build an app that asks for access to the phone’s contacts, then using that data for marketing without the permission of the contacts themselves. It makes sense that Apple would want to close the loophole — the sharing of friends’ data is at the center of the Cambridge Analytica scandal that got Facebook in hot water.

Now, however, the App Store guidelines explicitly ban developers from using selling data from iPhone contacts. Developers also can’t use the data to do things like creating new user profiles. Developers can still ask for contacts data, but they need to tell users what they are doing with that data.

“Do not use information from Contacts, Photos, or other APIs that access user data to build a contact database for your own use or for sale/distribution to third parties, and don’t collect information about which other apps are installed on a user’s device for the purposes of analytics or advertising/marketing,” state the revised guidelines.

Of course, Apple could still run into a Cambridge Analytica-type scandal. Facebook closed its loophole years ago, long before the scandal broke — so it’s certainly possible that the data already collected by developers could have been sold to third parties for marketing. On top of that, while Apple has banned the practice of collecting contacts data, it doesn’t really have much control over that data after it has been collected.

Still, it’s nice to see Apple taking some steps to prevent data from being collected and sold without consent. It’s likely we’ll see more moves like this from Apple as it tries to differentiate itself from the Google and Facebook-type companies of the world, whose business models largely hinge on data collection and advertising.

Editors’ Recommendations

• 9 things to know about Facebook privacy and Cambridge Analytica
• Another Facebook quiz could have stolen data under the guise of research
• Facebook is ditching a major data source and limiting third-party app access
• U.S. lawmakers are asking Amazon if Alexa collects data on children
• Cambridge Analytica designed cryptocurrency to sell back your personal data

Surface Pro 6 is reportedly coming next year and HoloLens 2 later this year

Microsoft’s hardware plans for the coming year, and a bit beyond, have reportedly leaked according to reports from Thurott and ZDNet. So what could we see announced this year? Oh, just HoloLens 2 and maybe a cheaper Surface Pro. And early next year, we could also see the release of the Surface Pro 6.

As we previously reported, a leak of Microsoft’s hardware plans has been making the rounds, suggesting big plans for the end of 2018 and the early part of 2019. Not only could we see the announcement of the long-rumored Andromeda device, but leaked code names and release targets strongly suggest that a next-generation HoloLens is slated for release in 2018, and a new Surface Pro will be coming out in the early part of 2019.

“The coming family of small, cheaper Surface tablets (basically, successors to the Surface 3), are expected later this year. The Walking Cat said these could be codenamed ‘Lex,’ but like Thurrott.com’s Brad Sams, I’ve also heard the name ‘Libra’ associated with these. Target launch date: This summer, I’m hearing, at least for some models,” ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley reports.

Additionally, the same leak mentions a device codenamed “Sydney” coming out later this year. Foley’s sources indicate this device is likely the upcoming HoloLens 2, which would be the first major hardware refresh since the device debuted in 2016.

“It supposedly will be lighter, have better field of view, hopefully be cheaper and, as Microsoft has said previously, will come with an A.I. chip inside so as to handle A.I. processing at the ‘edge’ for better performance,” Foley continues.

As always, it is important to view these leaks with some amount of skepticism, but given the number of individual sources coming out to corroborate Microsoft’s upcoming hardware roadmap, these leaks are more credible than most. That is not all, according to Foley’s other sources, we might be looking at a new Surface Book at some point in the near future as well.

“Intel eighth-generation refreshes of Surface Pro and Surface Laptop could be coming this fall. I’m not sure if these will include USB-C ports (I’d think/hope so), but I believe they still will include the Surface Connect port,” Foley reports.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Microsoft leak hints dual-screen Andromeda device targets launch later this year
• Microsoft confirms new Surface products will arrive later this year
• Despite PC industry’s flat year-to-year growth, HP dominated first-quarter sales
• A rebooted Palm smartphone could launch on Verizon later this year
• Samsung’s wireless mixed reality headset could launch this year

Moto X4 vs. Moto G6: What are the differences, and which should you buy?

Old mid-range hardware versus new budget hotness.

Motorola has been busy these last few months, putting out a range of different phones at different price points. While we like the modular Moto Z3 Play, it’s a bit expensive compared to the rest of the lineup at $499. The company’s lower budget selection is arguably much more important; there are plenty of great options in the $500 ballpark, but Motorola is one of the few companies that consistently puts out high-quality, inexpensive phones.

The Moto G6 is the company’s latest in its wildly popular line of low-cost phones, modernizing the brand with 2018 design traits and refreshed internals. Last year’s mid-range Moto X4 is coming down in price these days, though, to the point that you can get it for almost as cheap as the G6. So what’s a better use of your money; last year’s mid-range option, or this year’s budget option?

Specifications

Specs aren’t everything, but especially in lower price ranges, they can make quite a bit of a difference in performance and overall usability. Take a second to look through how these two phones differ on paper.

What the Moto X4 does better

The Moto X4 may be approaching its first birthday, but its specs still hold up well against the Moto G6. It’s got a few advantages; the Snapdragon 630 is a bit more powerful than the 450 (you’ll find the same Snapdragon 630 in the higher end Moto G6 Plus, and the Moto X4 is IP67-certified for water and dust resistance, whereas the Moto G6 simply features splash resistance. In addition, certain variants of the Moto X4 ship with 6GB of RAM, while the Moto G6 maxes out at 4.

Depending on where your Moto X4 came from, the software may be more up to date than that of the Moto G6, as well. Most Moto X4 units run Android 8.0 Oreo with some slight Motorola customizations, but Android One models (which mostly come from the Project Fi online store) have already been updated to Android 8.1. While this is a relatively minor update, it still brings new features over 8.0 and instills good faith in the continued software support of the Moto X4.

The Moto X4 also benefits from better cameras. Though both features dual lenses, the Moto G6’s secondary sensor is simply for measuring depth for Motorola’s selective focus features, which most won’t find terribly useful. On the other hand, the Moto X4’s secondary lens allows for wide-angle photography, unlocking much more creative potential. The Moto X4 also captures video at up to 4K at 30fps — the Moto G6 maxes out at 1080p.

See at Amazon

What the Moto G6 does better

Don’t be too scared off by the Moto X4’s advantages; the Moto G6 has plenty of its own. For one, it has a much more modern design, thanks to the larger 18:9 display. It’s still made of glass, and Motorola used the same reflective coating around the back as the Moto X4. By all means, this phone looks and feels much more premium than its price tag would have you believe.

In addition, the Moto G6 features the same 3000mAh battery as found in the Moto X4, but a more power-efficient processor should keep it running for a bit longer, and the 15W TurboPower support means it’ll recharge just as quickly. That processor also ensures smooth performance; while not quite as powerful on paper as the Moto X4’s Snapdragon 630, the Snapdragon 450 inside of the Moto G6 is plenty capable for carrying out daily tasks and even some casual gaming.

The Moto G6 also has a solid set of cameras for a sub-$250 phone. The 5MP secondary depth sensor allows for portrait photography, selective desaturation, and more, and the front-facing camera can go extra wide for group selfies. There are some AI features baked in as well, including Google Lens support and the ability to scan documents into searchable text, something students will definitely appreciate.

Of course, Motorola’s popular Moto Actions are still present, meaning you can still double-twist the Moto G6 in your hand to launch the camera or double-chop to toggle the flashlight. You’re not missing out on many hardware features either, since the G6 retains the 3.5mm headphone jack and front-facing fingerprint sensor, as well as the USB-C port — a first for the Moto G line.

See at Amazon

Which should you buy?

Both phones are excellent options for budget-minded consumers, but for the time being, the Moto X4 is still a better pick for most people — particularly those on Google’s Project Fi network, whose Android One variant comes at a reduced price and the promise of timely software updates. That doesn’t just mean major updates like Android 8.1 Oreo, it also means you’ll receive regular security updates and patches that keep the Moto X4 fresh and secure. Its cameras are more well-rounded than the Moto G6’s, as well, and some will appreciate the ability to shoot 4K video.

However, if you’re more concerned with design than having the absolute latest build of Android, or if you’re unable to shell out the extra cash for the Moto X4, the Moto G6 won’t disappoint. The 18:9 aspect ratio looks modern and helps fit a much larger display into a body that’s roughly the same physical dimensions as the Moto X4.

Given the choice, which phone would you pick up? Have you already been using the Moto X4, or is the Moto G6 with its newer design giving you something to save up for? Let us know in the comments below!

Moto G6, G6 Plus and G6 Play

• Moto G6 Plus review: Mastering the art of the mid-range phone
• Moto G6 review: Finding success in compromise
• Moto G6, G6 Play, and G6 Plus specs
• Join our Moto G6 forums

Amazon

Where to buy the Moto E5 series in the U.S. and Canada

Your ultimate guide for buying the Moto E5 in North America.

Motorola first introduced its Moto E series in 2013 as an even cheaper alternative to the already affordable Moto G line. Moto E phones aren’t the most powerful or flashy around, but Motorola’s used this product line year after year to offer quality phones at wickedly low prices.

This year’s Moto E5 series is no different, with Motorola offering three different options in the forms of the Moto E5, E5 Play, and E5 Plus. The regular E5 isn’t being sold anywhere in North America, but there are plenty of carriers offering the E5 Play and E5 Plus throughout the United States and Canada.

United States

Boost Mobile

If you rely on Sprint’s network but want to get cheaper monthly rates, Boost is the way to go. Motorola says that Boost is carrying both the Moto E5 Play and Moto E5 Plus.

The E5 Play has a regular price of $99.99, but right now Boost is selling it for just $79.99.

Pricing details for the E5 Plus have yet to be announced, but that information should be made available soon.

See at Boost Mobile

Cricket Wireless

Alternatively, Cricket Wireless is one of the go-to pre-paid carriers in the States if you prefer AT&T’s network without the company’s high monthly rates.

Similar to Boost Mobile, Cricket Wireless is selling the E5 Plus and E5 Play. However, Cricket’s altering the naming so that the E5 Plus is the E5 Supra and the E5 Play is the E5 Cruise. Despite the different names, these are still the same versions of the phones everyone else has.

The Moto E5 Cruise/Play is available now and costs $99.99 for customers adding a line or upgrading an existing one. There’s no word as to when the Supra/Plus will launch, but it should be sooner rather than later.

See at Cricket Wireless

Sprint

Pre-paid networks are great for some customers, but for others, traditional post-paid plans still reign supreme.

Sprint is the only U.S. carrier selling the Moto E5 series through post-paid options, and it’s got both the E5 Plus and E5 Play. The Play isn’t available quite yet, but the Plus is on sale for $288 outright or $0 down and then $12/month for 18-months on a Sprint Flex lease.

See at Sprint

Verizon

Verizon’s own pre-paid service has seen some solid upgrades over the past few months, and it’s definitely one of your best bets for getting Verizon service with affordable month-to-month rates.

Unlike all of the carriers we’ve talked about so far, Verizon is only selling the Moto E5 Play. The phone costs $69.99 and comes with 16GB of expandable storage.

If you’re searching for the E5 Plus, you won’t find it here.

See at Verizon

Virgin Mobile

Similar to Verizon, Virgin Mobile will only sell the Moto E5 Play on its network.

See at Virgin Mobile

Xfinity Mobile

Xfinity is one of the newest brands to enter the wireless space, and just like Verizon and Virgin, is only selling the cheaper Moto E5 Play. Xfinity Mobile uses Verizon’s towers for its service and is a pretty compelling deal for folks that already get their internet and TV through the Xfinity.

If you’re interested in getting the E5 Play through Xfinity, it’ll set you back either $119.99 upfront or $5/month for 24 months with 0% APR.

See at Xfinity Mobile

Canada

Moving over to our friends in the Great White North, you’ll only find the Moto E5 Play in these neck of the woods.

The Moto E5 and E5 Plus won’t be coming to the country at all, and while that’s a bummer, the E5 Play is available at a variety of carriers in the area.

According to Motorola, you’ll be able to pick up the E5 Play at Bell Canada, Chatr Mobile, Fido, Lucky Mobile, Rogers, SaskTel, and Virgin Mobile through pre-paid plans. Additionally, Videotron will sell the phone post-paid and Freedom Mobile will offer the option of getting the E5 Play pre or post-paid.

Moto E5, E5 Plus and E5 Play: Everything you need to know!

Updated June 13, 2018: Updated this list with pricing information for the Moto E5 Play and Plus at certain U.S. carriers.

The Nokia Steel HR smartwatch has dropped to a crazy low price of $115

Even without the coupon, it’d still be the lowest price.

The black 40mm Nokia Steel HR Hybrid Smartwatch is currently on sale at Amazon for $114.77 with a 30% off on-page coupon. This is a sort of crazy deal because without the code it has dropped to $163.96, which would’ve been a match for its lowest price ever. The extra 30% off takes it to a ridiculous low, and it hardly ever drops from its regular price of $200.

The 36mm version in Rose Gold also has a 30% off coupon, which drops it to $139.99. It’s lacking the extra drop to $164, which is why it’s not as low as the 40mm deal, but the Rose Gold version has never gone lower than $200 before.

This smartwatch includes heart rate and sleep monitoring, activity tracking and a battery that can last for up to 25 days on a single charge, or even more in power reserve mode. It’s water resistant up to 50 meters and can receive notifications straight from your mobile device so you can see them without needing to pull your phone out.

Wareable rated the Nokia Steel HR with 4 out of 5 stars and called it “one of the best hybrid smartwatches out there.”

See on Amazon

Kingdom Hearts 3 for PlayStation 4: Hands-on impressions from E3 2018

Kingdom Hearts 3’s combat is better than ever, but your story enjoyment may vary

Kingdom Hearts 3 received several brand new trailers at E3 this year which revealed a world we’ve all logically assumed was in the works: Frozen. We also saw a January 2019 release date at last, and with that date have come multiple playable demos for press, reassuring us that the game is at last nearing completion.

I went hands-on with Kingdom Hearts 3 at E3 2018, playing through a boss battle segment of the Olympus level. Though the Toy Room was an option that I didn’t get to try, I did watch multiple other people in front of me play it through and got an idea of the overall tone of the story too, as there were no dialogue breaks in the Olympus level.

From watching Toy Room and playing Olympus, I came away with a very, very mixed opinion of Kingdom Hearts 3; one that was just the opposite of what I expected. I walked in hoping to love the story and praying the combat was more interesting and fluid than in the past. I walked out rolling my eyes at the story, but wanting to pick the controller back up and smash some more dang Heartless!

See at Amazon

Simple and clean

Ever since Kingdom Hearts 2 (well, Chain of Memories, if you count the card system as anything) I’ve felt this series had a combat problem. The first game’s combat was fairly simplistic, true, but it was up to the technological capabilities of the time. It also respected that its audience may not want to do anything too difficult while allowing for greater challenges if you picked certain options.

Sora’s special abilities charge and activate at a quick clip, and there’s enough variation in them that I don’t get bored using them.

In Kingdom Hearts 2 and subsequent, Square Enix bogged down combat with unnecessary weirdness that didn’t develop the system further beyond a magic “Kill the enemy” button that appeared on screen every so often. Dream Drop Distance came the closest to making things interesting with its Flowmotion system, but even that was just imprecise enough to frustrate.

All that aside, Kingdom Hearts 3 finally seems to marry the good ideas at the hearts of all these systems in a way that’s actually enjoyable to play. Sora’s special abilities charge and activate at a quick clip, the animations don’t take so long they detract from the fight, they’re satisfying to use, and there’s enough variation in them that I don’t get bored using them. Lock-on seems to have been refined as well, as I had no trouble actually hitting enemies, even in the air! Sora floats up to them nicely now if you’re locked on and remotely in the vicinity and will stay with them without making stupid moves in the wrong direction.

The Light…

Sora can also run up walls now, which was used as a mechanic specifically in my fight against the Rock Titan. This multi-stage boss fight began with a race to get up to where he was perched, dodging and knocking boulders out of the way as I went. This particular rendition of wall-running was interesting for this one fight, so I’m interested to see how it might be used for other fights in more varied ways.

Even outside of scripted sequences, Sora now vaults smaller ledges without prompting, which made all movement feel far more fluid than in past games.

Once I reached the Titan, I had to break up both his feet to gain the opportunity to climb him and hit his weak point on the head. Here, camera controls got a bit finicky in a small space as the huge feet tried to crush me and obscure my view. I eventually got enough hits in to open a path to the Titan’s head, which Sora mercifully leapt himself with little guidance for me. This was one of my favorite mechanics–instead of doing a QTE-type event for big, scripted boss moments, Sora followed my guidance with the analog stick while doing the leaps himself so I felt in control without hitting the same button over and over. Even outside of scripted sequences, Sora now vaults smaller ledges without prompting, which made all movement feel far more fluid than in past games.

After getting a few hits in on the Titan’s head, I was prompted to summon…something. I found myself in a huge roller coaster of a light-up train, circling the boss. I was able to use the right analog to aim cannon fire from the train at the titan for massive damage, but had to pause and jump from the train occasionally to avoid his huge fists. The whole sequence was gorgeous, and culminated in a final blast of fireworks from the train as I landed the killing blow.

Kingdom Hearts 3’s combat was a blast, and a far, far cry from my distant memories of button mashing through packs of Heartless in earlier games. But for as fun as the combat was, I’m less impressed with what’s going on in the story.

…and the “Darkness”

I know many Kingdom Hearts fans are cynical about the confusing direction of the plot over the years, and I can’t blame them. I can’t speak to what’s going on with the Organization and the Darkness and all of that in Kingdom Hearts 3, but I did get to see the basic plot of Toy Room. Sora visits the locals, kills some Heartless, makes friends, finds out some of their friends are missing, goes after them, and discovers the Heartless/Organization is up to No Good.

So, the same plot as every other dang Disney world from past Kingdom Hearts games.

To Square Enix’s credit, they are opting for a slightly more original angle rather than just retelling the Disney movie plot (though judging by the trailers, they’re retelling Frozen and Tangled). But the line that gets Sora through this particular Disney adventure is the same one that always has, and leaves me completely uninterested in what’s going on with these characters. I have very unfond memories of mashing my way through Disney worlds in games like Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts 2, eager to get to the next Sora-centric story beat that would tell me what was going on in this dark world. I don’t want to do that again.

Overall

Where once I loved Kingdom Hearts’ story and found its combat a bit dull, Kingdom Hearts 3 has weirdly reversed my feelings on the subject entirely. I want to bust up some Heartless, but I could care less what’s going on in Toy Room or, frankly, in any of the Disney worlds I’ve seen in trailers so far. Square Enix has known for years that they had a monumental task on their hands tying together all the Kingdom Hearts story threads in a way that was both satisfying and sensible, and while their past work speaks to their ability to tackle it, the bits I’ve seen of Kingdom Hearts 3 so far haven’t convinced me they’ll actually manage it.

But you can ride a light-up train roller coaster that shoots fireworks, so it’ll probably be worth it anyway.

Kingdom Hearts 3 launches on January 29, 2019 for PS4 and Xbox One. You can pre-order the game on Amazon.

See at Amazon

PlayStation 4

• PS4 vs. PS4 Slim vs. PS4 Pro: Which should you buy?
• PlayStation VR Review
• Playing PS4 games through your phone is awesome

Amazon