It’s been a while since Square Enix has released any sort of full update regarding Kingdom Hearts 4, so for the time being fans of the franchise are mostly left to rewatch the reveal trailer and scour for any details the developers have provided in the time since the trailer…but unfortunately, these details are scarce. A fantastic way to fill the time is to theorize on what Square Enix could be crafting for the game, and this of course opens up thoughts on what worlds they will have licensed Disney properties for this time around. When thinking on this, there’s a list of properties that come to mind immediately that I would love to see in Kingdom Hearts 4, which I’ve listed below.
The Incredibles
This one is so straightforward to me that I am willing to completely ignore the fact that Disney could also license the use of Marvel characters in favor of the best superhero movie ever created (in my opinion), The Incredibles. I think the graphics updates that Square has implemented for Kingdom Hearts 4 (based on what we’ve seen so far) would be great to see utilized in The Incredibles setting, and honestly this is a purely selfish ask considering this movie is in my Letterboxd Four Favorites.
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Atlantis: The Lost Empire & Treasure Planet
It feels like in recent years Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Treasure Planet have really started to get the love they’ve always deserved (or maybe it’s just that more people my age are being vocal about their opinions on these movies given they both released at key ages in our developmental years), and it’s for that reason I’m putting the two of them together in their own category. It’s really about time these two movies got a bit more of a following behind them and utilizing them to their full potential by including them in Kingdom Hearts 4.
The Emperor’s New Groove
Yzma feels like the type of Disney villain that is perfect to be inserted into the big picture of Kingdom Hearts’ narrative – whatever the Kingdom Hearts 4 narrative may be – and The Emperor’s New Groove’s setting has always been a favorite. Getting to explore the hills and Kuzco’s palace would offer a great variety in a singular world, so this is a great option for a location where multiple different large narrative aspects take place, like how Olympus has served in previous games where a new aspect of the map is explored upon each return.
Gargolyes
You can’t look at the Gargoyles cartoons and tell me that the unique heartless designed to match a Gargoyle’s world’s aesthetic would be fantastic, but what would be even better would be the designs for Sora, Donald, and Goofy. This one feels like a definite long shot, but you can’t fault me for hoping.
Star Wars
This is kind of a bonus, and if you take apart the trailer shot-for-shot as many have done on the internet in the years since the trailer first debuted, we may have already seen a glimpse of a Star Wars world in the game. Putting Star Wars in the game is almost guaranteed to drive additional player interest in the game, and Square Enix would benefit from taking advantage of one of the largest franchises ever created. Regardless of the time period in the galaxy far, far away we’d see, a Star Wars world would undoubtedly be a lot of fun, and most importantly the keyblade rewarded would likely be one of the coolest ever designed for Kingdom Hearts – lightsaber keyblade? Say less.
Haunted Mansion
This is another one that feels like a long shot, but the spooky world of Halloween Town has always been a fan-favorite. While I wouldn’t mind to see Halloween Town return, I also think a Haunted Mansion world could provide some great aesthetic design opportunities for Square Enix, and the mansion itself would offer plenty of fun aspects for the developers to play with for level designs and boss fights. Aesthetically, I also think Haunted Mansion would provide great design inspiration for the world’s unique heartless designs.
What worlds do you want to see in Kingdom Hearts 4? Chat with me about it on socials @amazingspidrhan!
