What We Want In Kingdom Hearts 4

To the delight of many a fan, Square Enix announced Kingdom Hearts IV yesterday. The tantalizing cinematic trailer showed off a more mature-looking Sora exploring a realistic human city invaded by Heartless. We were naturally curious about everything in the trailer, and we also gushed over the exciting sequel.

That’s why we, the Kingdom Hearts fans in the Game Informer office, couldn’t help but share our personal hopes and dreams for the next game. Please let us know your thoughts about our wishlists and share your expectations and desires in the comments. 

Wesley LeBlanc 

There are two things I want most out of Kingdom Hearts IV: A new Pirates of the Caribbean world that builds off of the foundation of Kingdom Hearts III’s iteration, and a full (Dream Drop) dive into Quadratum, the world of Verum Rex, and ultimately, Nomura’s Final Fantasy Versus XIII Frankenstein monster by way of Kingdom Hearts. 

Nomura’s canceled Versus XIII game is well-known, and if you’ve played Kingdom Hearts III, you know how much of Versus XIII exists in its in-universe Verum Rex video game. Nomura is making this lost project one way or another, and I respect that kind of dedication. That he’s seemingly going to make it happen through Kingdom Hearts is the most Nomura thing ever. Kingdom Hearts III gave us a taste of what that looks like, but I hope that in some way, shape, or form, Kingdom Hearts IV features even more of Nomura’s Versus XIII in it. 

Also, I would love to see a Star Wars-themed world in Kingdom Hearts IV. And while we’re at it, let’s get some Marvel Cinematic Universe love in there, too, if only to see Nomura recreate the famous Avengers: Endgame portal scene in such a way that we see Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Mickey emerge alongside the likes of Spider-Man and Black Panther.

Marcus Stewart

I’ll preface my upcoming rant by disclosing that I am, in fact, a Kingdom Hearts fan. Not a diehard, but I’ve finished and enjoyed nearly every game to some extent. That said, what I want more than any movie representation, combat mechanic, or zipper-laden outfit is an improvement on the series’ atrocious writing. I’m not talking about its overly complicated narrative. It has already been sailed, but it is still a ship that I cannot see. The actual spoken dialog.

Playing Kingdom Hearts III made me realize that I’ve outgrown the franchise’s cheesy, hamfisted conversations. The dialogue in these games has always been unnaturally stilted, riddled with awkward mid-sentence pauses and uncomfortable silences before someone speaks up again. In the 2000s/2010s I was able to put up with this, but in KH III it caused me great pain. It robbed so many important conversations of their gravitas.

Since we’re apparently journeying to the “real” world in KH IV, follow suit by making Sora and Co. speak and emote closer to actual humans and not parodies of bad anime tropes. It doesn’t need to be Naughty Dog levels of excellence (feel free to surprise me), but the dialogue can’t be what it’s been any longer. I feel like my wish is about as likely to happen as Sora helping Maggie the cow in a You can call it home on the rangeA man can only dream, however the world around him is beautiful. 

And can we ever get the world to be based on it? The Goofy Movie complete with a playable rendition of “Eye to Eye”? Square, please! 

Mónica Rexach Ortiz

I hope Kingdom Hearts IV will help us understand where Sora is. Kingdom Hearts III shows Sora saving Kairi, and switching places after Xehanort sent her heart into nothingness. After that ending, my biggest concerns were: 

1. Is Sora still alive? Are you wondering if Sora is dead, missing, or has he been forgotten? 

2. Is it possible to die in Kingdom Hearts? This is where Xion landed after she was forgotten. 

3. What’s more, can Sora be made a Keyblade Master, like Riku and learn the power of Waking? 

My second hope is that Kingdom Hearts IV sheds some light on many of the major plot points left unanswered in the previous games.

I’d also like to see new and exciting Disney worlds with fun mechanics! Worlds that are based on my interests! Coco, Star Wars, Encanto, Marvel movies, Frozen II, Ralph Wreck-It, Moana, From the Inside – there are so many to choose from! I also hope they’ll include some of the musical elements of these movies. The movie was so much fun to watch, and I enjoyed singing along. Frozen Kingdom Hearts III: World, I enjoyed the rhythm game in Kingdom Hearts III. Little MermaidKingdom Hearts II – world 

Last but not least, I would love to be able to change between main characters like Birth by Sleep. I found it so much fun to see the story through three perspectives and have characters that are different in fighting styles. I would love to experience Kingdom Hearts IV from the lens of Kairi, Sora, and Riku as they find their way back to each other.

John Carson

It’s hard to tell where Kingdom Hearts should go these days, especially with KH4 leaning into realism in its first trailer. The next worlds that could be explored are obvious to those who can see the Marvel and Lucasfilm universes. Take Sora along with Indiana Jones to a treasure hunt and then send him on an adventure with the Guardians of the Galaxy. Both would be viable and entertaining, but I’d like KH4 to lean into the other half of what made Kingdom Hearts special to me in the first place. I want more Final Fantasy worlds and characters!

I haven’t played anything past Kingdom Hearts II, but I am aware that existing Final Fantasy characters all but disappeared in KH III, despite aspects of what was Final Fantasy Versus XIII/Final Fantasy XV bleeds into the series. Donald, Goofy, Sora, and Balamb Garden with characters of those games. Of course, Disney is the big name attached to sell copies of the game, but these days I’d rather see FFXII’s Balthier show up than the cast of LucaOr Encanto to change things up a bit and return to the series’ roots. Other than that, I hope Nomura finally gets to make the Versus XIII he’s been itching to get out of his system for more than a decade. It’s clear he can’t move on from those ideas until they’ve come to fruition in some form or fashion.

Kim Wallace

Kingdom Hearts IV moving the series’ into a real-world landscape greatly opens up the possibilities of what can be done, and in turn, what I want in the next game. It’s amazing how things that I didn’t think were possible suddenly become feasible. I’m excited to explore Quadratum and see how much inspiration it takes from Tokyo and its landmarks. The realistic setting and graphics would also lend themselves well to Disney’s Marvel and Star War properties. It is Disney who decides whether or not we will see Marvel and Star Wars characters/worlds. Kingdom Hearts III was financially successful, so it might make Disney bend more, but as we heard from director Tetsuya Nomura, Disney’s approval process can be challenging and complicated. BUT, PLEASE MAKE IT HAPPEN. However, animated worlds will always have a place in IV. If we’re going for my world wishlist: It’s time to turn red, Encanto, MoanaPlease see the following: CocoThe highest ranking.

It would be a great idea to have Final Fantasy characters come back for IV in some kind of meaningful way. Sora practically looks like he’s straight out of the Final Fantasy series now (twinning with Squall), it’s only fitting. Let’s talk about gameplay. I want the same intense boss fights that the previous entries are known for and more destruction options. This trailer made me smile, with Sora’s grappling hook, and his ability to slide through buildings. I loved Flowmotion from Dream Drop Distance, and I got vibes of that when watching IV’s reveal, especially as Sora swung on the utility pole and launched himself in the air, so I hope IV feels more like an upgraded version of that.

To not ruin anything, I’ll keep this story brief. Kingdom Hearts III had some good conclusions but it left many questions unanswered. Kairi (cough cough) and Lea are just two of the characters who still require their time in the sun. I also feel like IV’s more realistic bent is the opportunity for the story to be darker and go deeper into its themes of loss and friendship, and maybe even finally help us let go of Sora. I love Sora, but it’s time for someone new to take the mantle and the series to grow beyond him. If anything is clear, it’s that you can’t really put your finger on where Kingdom Hearts will go next, as Nomura has proven he’s full of surprises no matter how many cryptic clues he leaves for us. This is the biggest shift we’ve seen in the series, and I don’t mind that being embraced because it could be a fantastic rebirth for a new generation that takes things to an exciting new level.

For more on Kingdom Hearts IV, be sure to read about how it’s being developed using Unreal Engine 5, speculation of Star Wars’ Endor appearing in the trailer, and the announcement of a new KH mobile game, Missing-Link.