If any title has been setting the gaming industry ablaze besides Grand Theft Auto 6, it’s the highly anticipated Kingdom Hearts 4. Eyes have been set on this project since 2022 when the first teasers hinted at the journey that the Keyblade-wielding teenager Sora will be going on. While we may know what to expect from the series given its expansive 15 installments, the fourth mainline title is chartering on its path with a story arc that hasn’t been seen before. Of course, we aren’t heartless, so we’ll give you a peek into what we know about the much-awaited Kingdom Hearts 4.
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The Kingdom Hearts series has been entertaining gamers and Disney fans alike since Kingdom Hearts was released in 2002 to PlayStation 2. The main story centered around a young teen named Sora, who obtains the Keyblade, a weapon effective against enemies known as Heartless. Tasked with saving a variety of worlds from impending darkness, Sora teams up with Donald Duck and Goofy to restore the light. The series has journeyed into worlds from Disney, including Tarzan, Big Hero Six, Toy Story, and Beauty and the Beast, as well as Square Enix properties, such as The World Ends with You and Final Fantasy. Each installment brings original characters and storylines to the mix, with one of the main arcs dealing with a heartless crew of individuals called Organization XIII.
The series has a rich history attached to it, as it expands through fifteen titles. This makes sense considering the mastermind behind the franchise is none other than Final Fantasy director Tetsuya Nomura. The acclaimed director heard about the game during a discussion with game producers Shinji Hashimoto and Hironobu Sakaguchi about using Mickey Mouse in a video game. After much deliberation with Disney, which led Nomura to become the character designer, a deal was forged and production began in early 2000. Nomura has since been the director of every mainline title, including Kingdom Hearts 4.
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What Do We Know About Kingdom Hearts 4?
The title is set to start the “Lost Master” story arc, which comes after the events of Kingdom Hearts 1-3, otherwise known as the “Dark Seeker Saga”. Kingdom Hearts 3 set up the return of Sora in its Re Mind DLC in 2020, which saw Sora in the city of Quandratum. Although it wasn’t confirmed at the time, many fans believed that Sora’s mainline journey was over even though the DLC lent itself to believe in his return. However, in a Destructoid interview with Nomura later that year, he stated, “Right now, we are in the process of discussing our future plans within Square Enix and with Disney and nothing has been set in stone, but I do have some concepts percolating in my head.”
Two years later, Square Enix announced Kingdom Hearts 4 as part of the 20th Anniversary of the franchise, which confirmed the start of the “Lost Master” Arc. During the presentation, fans saw what lies next for Sora within Quadratum’s Shibuya and Minami-Aoyama. Many were stunned by the new design for Sora, as the closest thing we’ve seen to a realistic setting was in Kingdom Hearts 3 with Pirates of the Caribbean. As mentioned in an interview with Video Game Chronicle, Nomura hinted that his new appearance might result from him being in Quadratum, meaning that he may return to his original design later in the game. It was also said that Quadratum serves as a hub world, but remains the home base in earlier parts of the game.
From what we know, Sora, alongside Kingdom Hearts Union X[Cross] Keyblade wielder Strelitzia, are within the “underworld” of the real world. Donald Duck and Goofy make appearances in the trailer, reassuring players that the Disney side of the game would continue. When asked to describe Kingdom Hearts 4, Nomura stated that the characters of Sora’s original world believing the people of Quandratum are fictional and vice versa. While details are thin, it can be predicted that characters from the previous entries will appear in the game, including Yozora from Re Mind.
The game mechanics look quite different from the past games, as seen in the trailer. Elements such as parkour and Keyblade transformations will provide players new ways to traverse town and attack Heartless. An interview with Nomura confirmed that the reaction commands from Kingdom Hearts 2 will return and a new battle concept called “Scrap and Build” will be added. Seeing the old and the new coming together is an excellent way of interpreting the future of the Kingdom Hearts series. With rumors of Square Enix holding a showcase in February, it seems more likely that we will hear more information on Kingdom Hearts 4’s development. While Square Enix might be leaving us in the dark for now, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.
