Kingdom Hearts 4: A New Era Dawns

Kingdom Hearts creator, Tetsuya Nomura, recently hinted at a pivotal shift for the series with the upcoming fourth mainline installment. This article delves into his revelations about this crucial chapter.

Nomura Hints at Series Conclusion with Kingdom Hearts 4

Kingdom Hearts 4: A Story Reset, According to Nomura

The future of Kingdom Hearts appears both captivating and potentially definitive, based on a recent interview with Nomura. He suggested Kingdom Hearts 4 represents a significant turning point.

In an interview with Young Jump (translated by KH13), Nomura stated Kingdom Hearts 4 is being developed "with the intention of it being a story that leads to the conclusion." While not explicitly confirming the series' end, this sets the stage for a potential final saga. The game initiates the "Lost Master Arc," a fresh narrative accessible to both newcomers and veterans without requiring extensive prior knowledge.

Nomura explained, "If you remember how the ending of Kingdom Hearts III goes, you'll understand that Sora ends up like that because he's ‘resetting’ the story in a way," adding, "So Kingdom Hearts IV should be easier to get into than before. I think that if you like the series, you'll feel like 'this is it', but I'm also hoping that as many new players as possible will play it."

While Nomura's comments suggest a potential end to the main storyline, the series' history of twists and turns warrants caution. A seemingly definitive ending might allow for interpretation or future spin-offs. The extensive cast also opens possibilities for individual character-driven adventures, especially with Nomura's announcement of new writers contributing to the Kingdom Hearts universe.

Nomura told Young Jump, "Both Kingdom Hearts Missing Link and Kingdom Hearts IV have been created with a stronger focus on being new titles rather than sequels," noting the inclusion of writers new to the series. He clarified, "Of course, I will be editing it in the end, but I don't think it will be positioned as a work that needs to be done in the sense that the writer who has never been involved in the 'Kingdom Hearts' series is creating a new base."

The addition of new writers promises fresh narrative perspectives while preserving beloved core elements. This could lead to innovative gameplay and unexplored territories within the Disney and Square Enix collaboration.

However, Nomura's confirmed consideration of retirement within a few years presents a challenge: "If this isn't a dream, then I only have a few years left until I retire, and it's looking like: will I retire or will I finish the series first?"

New Arc, Fresh Start

Announced in April 2022, Kingdom Hearts 4 is currently under development. The first trailer showcased the start of the "Lost Master Arc." Details remain scarce, but the trailer shows Sora awakening in Quadratum, a world Nomura described in a 2022 Famitsu interview (translated by VGC) as an alternate reality.

Nomura stated, "From each of our perspectives, our perceptions change. From Sora’s perspective, Quadratum is an underworld, a fictional world that is different from reality. But from the point of view of the inhabitants on the Quadratum side, the world of Quadratum is reality, and the world where Sora and the others were is the other side, the fictional world."

According to Nomura's Young Jump interview, this Tokyo-esque world with a dreamlike quality is not entirely new, having been conceived since the first game's development.

Compared to previous whimsical Disney worlds, Quadratum offers a more grounded setting. This, along with enhanced visual fidelity, leads to a reduction in the number of Disney worlds.

Nomura told GameInformer in 2022, "With regards to Kingdom Hearts IV, players are definitely going to see a few Disney worlds in there…Since each new title, the specs have been really increasing, and there’s so much more we can do in terms of graphics, it kind of limits the number of worlds that we can create in a sense. At this time, we’re considering how to approach that, but there will be Disney worlds in Kingdom Hearts IV."

While fewer Disney worlds are a departure, this streamlining could result in a more focused narrative, mitigating the complexity of previous installments.

Regardless of whether Kingdom Hearts 4 concludes the series or ushers in a new era, it promises a significant moment for Sora and his companions. For many fans, a full-circle conclusion under Nomura's direction, while bittersweet, would be an epic culmination of a two-decade-long journey.