Summary
WithKingdom Hearts 4serving as the franchise’s next release after over five years since the conclusion of the Dark Seeker Saga,Kingdom Heartsis possibly in the most drastic transitional period it has ever experienced. Director Tetsuya Nomura’s style has evolved significantly over two decades of consistent game releases, and Sora’s next adventure seems set to reflect this more than ever. The changes ofKingdom Hearts 4seem meant to redefine one of Square Enix’s flagship brands, but they also run the risk of veering too far from the series’ core DNA.
Ever since Yozora’s secret boss battle inKingdom Hearts 3’s ReMind DLC emphasized Quadratumas important to the future of the story, it’s been clear thatKHis headed toward a tone shift that is representative of its Xehanort-centric era coming to an end. The upcoming Lost Master Arc will apparently bring the Master of Masters up as the antagonist now, but the reality of this progression is that it’s not actually based on brand-new concepts. Many dedicated fans are already aware of the major importance that the characters and events ofKingdom Hearts Union Xseem to have on the fourth numbered entry, highlighting the inherent paradox of the series’ apparent new era.
Kingdom Hearts 4 Seems Ready to Usher in a Soft Reboot
The Appeal of a Fresh Narrative After a Break Between Major Releases
There was an infamously long gap betweenKH2andKH3, but several main titles actually came out during that time and built up to that game’s arrival in 2019. Now thatKingdom Hearts 4is set to be the series’first release since 2020’sMelody of Memory, apart fromMissing Link, it may end up being seen as both a comeback and a new beginning. Between an art style that is essentially unrecognizable when compared to the franchise’s beginning in 2002, a departure from many past elements of a convoluted overarching story, and this production’s enigmatic length, there’s a good chance thatKH4is meant to be reflective of a fresh start on a creative, and potentially commercial level.
A Reliance on the Past Could Contradict Kingdom Hearts 4’s Vision
Deep-Cut Union X Characters Coming to the Forefront Requires Context
While the upcoming scenario is nothing like what has come before, and its important characters have never been this relevant, none of these faces are actually new. In a fashion that is consistent with the series’ previous storytelling, it appears that the major players ofKingdom Hearts 4’s Lost Master Archave already been both introduced and developed in pre-existing media.
Fans who haven’t engaged withUnion X’s narrative might be missing out on the bigger picture, as explained by Nomura when talking about the Foretellers’ upcoming role, considering that these enemies have already appeared in the series. Franchises with a mainline series of games and thenspin-offs or side games likePokemonhave to maintain a certain kind of consistency across the board, but not all fans of the mainline series will be familiar with the other work, andKingdom Heartsis in this specific predicament.
Kingdom Hearts 4’s Need to Balance Change and Growth with Retaining the Series’ Identity
It’s understandable that one of the primary goals ofKH4is to set itself apart from its predecessors and bring new content to the long-running franchise, but there’s a dynamic that has to be maintained between this innovation and keeping the feeling ofKingdom Heartsintact. The idea of refreshing the series through the introduction of a different setting and cast has a built-in conflict with what has allowedKHto stand out in the first place, but the complicated presence ofKingdom Hearts Union X’s castmight be the key to holding it all together moving forward.
