As the Internet continues to dissect the new Kingdom Hearts 4 screenshots, some fans have begun to speculate what’s to come from the next game in the series. With the screenshots mainly showcasing glimpses of shots within Quadratum, fans have only gotten a small taste of Kingdom Hearts 4, with little to no information regarding the Disney/Square Enix worlds and plotlines within the action-adventure RPG franchise’s next game. While we get a new look at Sora, Strelitzia, and the massively huge Heartless, the screenshots confirm that King Mickey is set to return as a playable character. However, the attention towards the notable Disney icon didn’t detract from the slightest nod at a return to a lore-centric world that hints at the plot for the upcoming installment.
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Mickey’s role in the series has been established since 2002’s Kingdom Hearts with the character making his playable debut in Kingdom Hearts 2 in a limited capacity. Since then, King Mickey has appeared as a playable character in 358/2 Days’ Mission Mode and Kingdom Hearts 3 with the gameplay being kept to a minimum as it was only available for certain boss battles and missions. With the character being a major connection in the Square Enix and Disney collaboration, the ties to the franchise are upfront as the character is a notorious Keyblade wielder himself.
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Reddit user MountValley posted a screenshot of King Mickey in Kingdom Hearts 4 on the r/kingdomhearts subreddit page which detailed the major connection to Kingdom Hearts 3. In the picture, Mickey is sneaking around the middle of a library up on the chandeliers, which hints at the limited gameplay from the previous entries. To the left-hand side of the screenshot, there is a banner with a regal symbol on it, which is a connection to the original world, Scala ad Caelum (Stairway to Heaven). Scala ad Caelum played an establishing role in the third mainline entry, as it was confirmed to be a world built upon the grounds of Kingdom Hearts Unchained X‘s Daybreak Town. The Kingdom Hearts lore details that this particular location is the nexus of all the worlds and has great ties to the Ancient Keyblade Masters’ history.
While Kingdom Hearts 3 and Re: Mind only gave players a glimpse into Scala ad Caelum, one user noted its presence in Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory. At the end of the game, Yen Sid tells the tale of how young Xehanort crossed into Quadratum, for which he has studied extensively since then. While Riku has gone to the other realm (for which we have yet to see proof of in Kingdom Hearts 4), Yen Sid sends Mickey to investigate within Scala ad Caelum to investigate Quadratum. Seeing how he’s stealthily making his way through the endless seas of bookshelves, Mickey’s investigation might be more protected than anticipated. All of this does beg the question of whether this will be the only playable portion of the Kingdom Hearts game where players can roam around as the Keyblade-wielding mouse, but for now, we’ll have to wait and see.
What do you think about King Mickey’s return for Kingdom Hearts 4? Do you think Scala ad Caelum could play a larger part in the next mainline installment? Let us know in the comments section below!
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