Kingdom Hearts 4 Unveils Refreshing Reboot

Kingdom Hearts’ creator Tetsuya Nomura recently hinted that the fourth mainline entry will mark a turning point for the series. Read on to learn more about what he revealed about this new chapter in the Kingdom Hearts series.

Tetsuya Nomura Hints at the Series’ Conclusion with Kingdom Hearts 4Kingdom Hearts 4 Will See the Story Reset, Said Nomura

The future of the Kingdom Hearts series is shaping up to be both intriguing and potentially conclusive, according to a recent interview with series creator Tetsuya Nomura. As fans eagerly await Kingdom Hearts 4, Nomura provided insights that suggest the next chapter could be a major turning point for the franchise.

In an interview with Young Jump, translated by KH13, Nomura revealed that Kingdom Hearts 4 is being developed "with the intention of it being a story that leads to the conclusion." While this doesn’t necessarily mean the series will end with the installment, it sets the stage for what may be the final saga in the Kingdom Hearts story. The upcoming game marks the beginning of the "Lost Master Arc," an entirely new story that will allow both newcomers and longtime fans to jump in without needing extensive knowledge of the previous complex storylines.

"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," said Nomura. "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 that Kingdom Hearts 4 may mark the end of the main storyline, it’s important to consider the series’ history. Kingdom Hearts has always been a series filled with twists and turns. What may seem like a definitive ending could leave room for interpretation or open the door for future spin-offs or side stories. Additionally, the series has a vast and colorful cast of characters, any of whom could potentially lead their own adventures in the future, especially now that Nomura has revealed that new writers are being brought on board to contribute to the Kingdom Hearts universe.

"Both Kingdom Hearts Missing Link and Kingdom Hearts IV have been created with a stronger focus on being new titles rather than sequels," Nomura told Young Jump. "For example, as a new experiment, we have had staff who have not been involved in the Kingdom Hearts series before participate in writing the scenario. 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 introduction of new scribes is an exciting prospect for the series. It could breathe fresh air into the narrative while maintaining the core elements that fans have come to cherish. New perspectives could introduce innovative gameplay mechanics and uncharted territories within the Disney and Square Enix crossover.

However, while Nomura’s creative vision has been instrumental to the series’ success (and often, confusion), he has confirmed that he is considering retiring in a few years. Before retiring, though, he brings up a challenge to himself: "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, New Beginnings

Announced back in April of 2022, Kingdom Hearts 4 is currently in development. The game’s first trailer will see the beginning of the "Lost Master Arc." At the moment, little is known about where the story will be heading, but the trailer does reveal that it will start off with Sora waking up in Quadratum, a world that Nomura described in an interview with Famitsu in 2022 as an Alternate World similar to ours.

"From each of our perspectives, our perceptions change," Nomura said, translated by VGC. "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 in his recent interview with Young Jump, this world, reminiscent of Tokyo but with a dream-like quality, isn’t entirely new; Nomura has had the concept in mind since the development of the first game.

Compared to the whimsical, Disney-centric realms of past titles, Quadratum presents a more grounded and realistic environment. As a result of this and the heightened visual fidelity, the quantity of Disney realms will be reduced.

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

While it’s a disappointment to witness a reduction in the quantity of Disney realms Sora will explore in the next installment—a core element of the series since its inception—Nomura’s decision to streamline the realms could lead to a more focused narrative, which would help alleviate the complexity that has occasionally overwhelmed players in past installments, even if legal considerations aren’t the primary factor.

Whether Kingdom Hearts 4 brings the series closer to its end or opens up a new chapter, it will be a pivotal moment in the journey of Sora and his loyal companions. For many fans, the prospect of seeing Kingdom Hearts come full circle under Nomura’s direction, while bittersweet, will be an epic conclusion to a story over two decades in the making.