"Kingdom Hearts 4: A New Dawn Beckons"

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 a 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 conclusive, based on a recent interview with Nomura. He suggests Kingdom Hearts 4 will be a major turning point.

In a Young Jump interview (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 confirming a series finale, it positions the game as the potential culmination of the Kingdom Hearts saga. This new chapter, the "Lost Master Arc," is designed to be accessible to both newcomers and veterans, irrespective of prior storyline knowledge.

Nomura explained, referencing Kingdom Hearts III's ending: "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 hinting at a potential end to the main storyline, Nomura's comments should be viewed within the context of the series' history. Kingdom Hearts is known for its twists and turns. A seemingly definitive conclusion could be open to interpretation, paving the way for future spin-offs or side stories. The series' extensive cast also presents opportunities for individual character-driven narratives. This is further supported by Nomura's introduction of new writers 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," explaining the inclusion of writers new to the series. "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 involvement of new writers is promising, potentially injecting fresh energy into the narrative while preserving beloved core elements. Their contributions could lead to innovative gameplay and unexplored territory within the Disney and Square Enix collaboration.

However, Nomura's impending retirement adds another layer. He posed the question: "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?"

A New Arc, a Fresh Start

Announced in April 2022, Kingdom Hearts 4 is currently under development. The "Lost Master Arc" begins in the game's first trailer, showing Sora awakening in Quadratum, a world Nomura described in a 2022 Famitsu interview (translated by VGC) as an alternate reality similar to our own.

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."

This Tokyo-inspired world, with a dreamlike quality, is not entirely new; Nomura conceived it during the first game's development.

Quadratum offers a more grounded and realistic setting compared to the whimsical Disney worlds of previous titles. This, coupled with enhanced visual fidelity, results in a reduced 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 foster a more focused narrative, mitigating the complexity that sometimes overwhelmed players in previous installments.

Regardless of whether Kingdom Hearts 4 concludes the series or initiates a new chapter, it will be a significant milestone for Sora and his companions. For many fans, seeing Kingdom Hearts' journey come full circle under Nomura's direction will be an epic, albeit bittersweet, conclusion to a story spanning over two decades.