Kingdom Hearts IV – Everything We Know So Far
Famitsu has recently published an early look at an interview they conducted with Tetsuya Nomura regarding many bits of information regarding Kingdom Hearts IV, Missing-Link, and more. Community translator, Audrey, took it upon herself to translate the crucial news pertaining to Kingdom Hearts IV, so immense credit to her.
Firstly, the Shibuya in this title will not be related to the Shibuya seen in The World Ends with You. They are entirely unrelated. Sora’s room is in Aoyama, confirming Audrey’s previous theory-crafting. Further, the room fans see Sora in throughout the trailer can be considered a base for the game’s early stages. Translator Xenosaga clarified that the room’s interior would likely change in the game’s final version.
Quadratum is stated to be a brand new world, with the intention of tackling how its realism is fictitious to Sora and vice versa for his home realm.
Regarding combat, reaction commands will be coming back due to fan demand from Kingdom Hearts IV. Lastly, the fourth option in the command menu translates to “Build,” with the concept of destruction and reconstruction playing a role in gameplay. More information on this mechanic will be provided later.
Kingdom Hearts IV is shown to at least partially take place in Quadratum, a realm dubbed to be “unreality” by the denizens of the Kingdom Hearts’ realm. It is far more realistic in presentation and scope, akin to our real-life world. Quadratum was initially teased in Kingdom Hearts III and Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind, but it was first namedropped in the finale of Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory.
The trailer highlights a more realistic-looking Sora, whose appearance has drastically altered due to his presence in this new world. Strelitzia, a prominent character from Kingdom Hearts Union χ, is shown to be alongside Sora, and she iterates that Quadratum is an “afterworld” of sorts for them both. This makes complete sense given the tragic fates both of them endured at the end of their previous lives. Yozora, a character commonly associated with Quadratum due to Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind, has not appeared in this title yet’s promotion yet.
Much speculation has been occurring regarding Star Wars being included, but nothing about that subject matter is factual yet. At the trailer’s start, a panning shot of a vast forest is given, in which keen-eyed viewers spotted a mechanical foot that is rather similar to the AT-ST from Star Wars. The forest in the trailer is also being compared to Endor, an iconic Star Wars locale.
“Sora is an original Disney video game hero like no other, beloved by our team, and fans across the world. We’ve been honored to work with Tetsuya Nomura and his team for two decades to introduce these original stories of discovery, courage, and friendship,” said Nana Gadd, Director, Walt Disney Games. “This glimpse into Sora’s next adventure is just the beginning – we can’t wait to show more when the time is right.”
Sora seems to be able to transform his Keyblade, and an iteration of Flowmotion has returned, though gameplay details are incredibly scarce at the moment. The trailer’s conclusion showcases two black-robed figures. The right one is highly assumed to be the Master of Masters, the next implied central antagonist of the franchise, while the left figure is more up in the air. The popular predictions revolve around them being either Luxord or Luxu/Xigbar.
Donald and Goofy were seen exploring Olympus’ Underworld, searching for someone’s help, presumably for finding Sora. However, Hades’ voice strikes fear in them by the end, leading to speculation about whether they were searching for Auron, an ally they made in this same setting back in Kingdom Hearts II.
Nomura stated that this title was revealed earlier than intended due to the leaks. However, even when accounting for that fact and that they will be transitioning to Unreal 5, this will undoubtedly be a swifter, smoother development cycle and release than what Kingdom Hearts III faced.
Official screenshots of Sora’s newest adventure were provided, viewable below:
“We’re thrilled to celebrate the series’ 20th anniversary with the announcement of two new KINGDOM HEARTS titles,” said KINGDOM HEARTS series Brand Manager, Ichiro Hazama. “We’d like to thank the fans for all of their support over the years, and we can’t wait for them to experience all that’s to come for Sora.”
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