Kingdom Hearts 4 exists! After the shocking ending to Kingdom Hearts 3, where Sora seemingly sacrificed his life to go back in time and save Kairi, it’s revealed that our spiky-haired protagonist is, seemingly, alive. Sora is now in a more realistic setting, complete with a pseudo-realistic anime appearance.
Naturally, this has every Kingdom Hearts fan talking about Kingdom Hearts 4 and what this new narrative has in store for series followers. We’re going to try our best to decipher what the teaser trailer showed and what to expect from this exciting instalment in this never-ending series.
Kingdom Hearts 4 - Everything You Need To Know
When is Kingdom Hearts 4 coming out? Is Sora dead? Who did Donald and Goofy encounter at the end of the teaser?
Here’s everything we know about Kingdom Hearts 4.
When Is the Kingdom Hearts 4 Release Date?
Unfortunately, a release date for Kingdom Hearts 4 wasn’t revealed, but judging from all of the details surrounding the 20th-anniversary event, fans won’t have to wait as long as they did for Kingdom Hearts 3.
One factor that could lead to a long wait is the engine change, as Square Enix will be moving Kingdom Hearts 4 from Unreal Engine 4 to the recently-announced Unreal Engine 5. It could take a while for the developers to get used to the new game engine but we’re hoping this process won’t take too long.
What Happened to Sora?
How did Sora end up with a new appearance in slightly-realistic Japan?
Well, at the end of Kingdom Hearts 3, Sora used The Power of Awakening to save Kairi, sacrificing his life in the process. The extra scene, in the end, revealed that Sora was in an alternate version of Shibuya seen.
While most fans assumed that Sora would have to play the Reaper's Game from The World Ends With You, it turns out that he's in the Quadratum World from the Verum Rex game we first saw at the Toy Story world. In the ReMind DLC, Yozora, the lead character of Verum Rex, and Sora fight atop the 104 building seen in the true ending, which probably involves a scheme from the Master of Masters.
Considering how this new story is called The Lost Master Arc, expect a lot from the Master of Masters and even more Organization conspiracies.
Who Did Donald and Goofy Meet at Trailer's Ending?
Just when fans thought there would be no Disney influence, Donald and Goofy appear at the end of the trailer, continuing their search for Sora. As they banter, they're interrupted by a voice that leads to both of them panicking.
While it's not obvious who they meet, a press release claims that the two are in the underworld searching for Sora. That means they likely ran into Hades from the world of Hercules, ensuring more Disney worlds will be a part of the game.
Are We Going to See Marvel and Star Wars Characters?
This is a question that was asked when Kingdom Hearts 3 was coming out, and though the answer to that game was a no, we’re not so sure about Kingdom Hearts 4.
Nomura did state previously that getting the rights to these characters isn’t as simple as fans think, since Square can’t just talk to the heads of Disney, but the heads of Marvel and LucasFilm as well.
This is the process they went through when asking Pixar if they could use Toy Story and Monsters Inc so it’s a coin toss if we’ll see Marvel or Star Wars.
Will ‘NEO: The World Ends With You’ Have Connections to Kingdom Hearts 4?
Spoiler alert, but the true ending to Kingdom Hearts 3 revealed that Sora was in an alternate version of Shibuya that looks just like the setting of The World Ends With You.
Add how we actually got characters from The World Ends With You appearing in Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance and the connection between both games is pretty apparent.
It’s doubtful that NEO: The World Ends With You will have direct ties to Kingdom Hearts but it would be cool, is all we’re saying.