The wait for Kingdom Hearts 4 carries on, but fans haven't been left wanting for Square Enix games. All of Kingdom Hearts now exists on modern consoles, so the community can keep itself occupied by catching up on the story so far. The Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy is also progressing with the launch of FF7 Rebirth, and fans of one will probably enjoy the other. It’s good all of that is around, as Kingdom Hearts 4 hasn't had any substantial updates beyond its reveal trailer. There's still some uncertainty as to the shape of this game, but hopefully that will change soon.

What fans know right now about Kingdom Hearts 4 is that KH protagonist Sora has been separated from his friends by his sacrifice at the end of Kingdom Hearts 3. Now, he finds himself alongside the supposedly dead Strelitzia from Kingdom Hearts Union Cross in the unreality of Quadratum, and it appears that dark forces are once again at work. If 2024 brings more news about Kingdom Hearts 4, its next trailer will need to address this situation and relate some news about what Sora's allies are doing to find him. That said, it would be better if Quadratum and its cast got some time to breathe first.

Related

Kingdom Hearts 4 Needs to Finally Pull The Trigger on a Dream Team-Up

It may be set to start a new saga after the last game's resolution, but Kingdom Hearts 4 should feature something that fans are still waiting for.

Kingdom Hearts 4 Needs To Emphasize Its New Elements

Quadratum represents a new wave of possibilities for Kingdom Hearts, and could potentially make Kingdom Hearts 4 a good soft reset point for new players to enjoy. It is the beginning of the Lost Master Arc, and should offer a fresh set of worlds and a predominantly new cast of characters to go along with them. After many of the series' running plot threads were resolved in Kingdom Hearts 3, it will be nice to ignore some of the baggage that Kingdom Hearts has been piling up, at least for a little while.

Old Kingdom Hearts Can’t Get In KH4’s Way

However, all of that is predicated on the new parts being interesting. Kingdom Hearts 4 can't afford to drop the ball when it comes to developing some new characters, even if they are technically old faces like Strelitzia or Yozora, to forge its own identity. Sora will want to leave KH4’s setting, but his efforts to return home can't bear fruit right away. Echoing that, Sora shouldn't reunite with his friends in KH4 either, and they would ideally be absent for most of the game's duration. The player and Sora need time to grow accustomed to new faces and places, and Kingdom Hearts 4 is fortunately equipped to provide just that.

Slowing Its Story Should Give Kingdom Hearts 4 Room To Grow Alone

A common complaint about Kingdom Hearts 3’s pacing is that it's overly slow for most of the game, with major revelations being backloaded. The central criticism is that how Sora unlocks the Power of Waking doesn't make sense. Visiting the Disney worlds does nothing, up until Sora travels directly to where the Power of Waking is necessary to gain it for KH3's finale. Repeating this narrative structure would serve Kingdom Hearts 4 better, as it would give Sora more time to become acquainted with new party members in various Disney worlds like in Kingdom Hearts 1.

Kingdom Hearts 4 Needs To Manage Sora's Friends Carefully

Similarly to KH3, cutscenes could play after certain worlds showing what Sora's friends are doing. Spreading these out among the cast would give players the impression that important things are happening, but they haven't caught up with Sora yet. Keeping Riku busy, as he also traveled to Quadratum at the end of Melody of Memory, would be vital, even if his presence could add a Dream Drop Distance-like element to KH4. As long as Sora's disappearance from Kingdom Hearts 3 isn't nullified by being resolved too soon, then Kingdom Hearts 4 should be able to start its new saga with a bang.

Kingdom Hearts 4

Kingdom Hearts 4 is an action RPG developed by Square Enix and represents the fifteenth installment in the franchise. Players once again are put in the shoes of Sora who is suddenly trapped in a more realistic world called Quadratum, with companions like Donald and Goofy attempting to rescue him. Kingdom Hearts 4 is a direct sequel to Kingdom Hearts 3 and Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory.

Franchise

Kingdom Hearts

Platform(s)

PS5 , Xbox Series X|S

Developer(s)

Square Enix

Publisher(s)

Square Enix

Genre(s)

RPG , Action