Kingdom Hearts 4 already fixes the issue of having a long wait between games. However, fans are nervous that it will not fix the mistakes Kingdom Hearts 3 saw in terms of its storytelling, pacing, and characters. The series, while beloved for its music, lore, and Disney content, cannot survive without its storytelling being able to capture the hearts of fans again.
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What Kingdom Hearts 3 Did Wrong
The biggest issue with Kingdom Hearts 3 is that most of the game felt like filler with major plot developments tacked onto the end. What happened in the Disney worlds was divorced from any plot that had to do with Sora, Riku, and Kairi. Fans who wanted Sora, Riku, and Kairi to interact more now that they were finally reunited were also disappointed when the adventures mainly centered Sora, Donald, and Goofy.
Kingdom Hearts 3 content that did delve into the plot was badly paced, with series-long problems being solved quickly one after the next. The return of beloved characters like Terra, Aqua, Roxas, and Xion was long-awaited, but the moments were drastically cut short by moving onto the next thing. It was the sort of storytelling that felt too eager to solve everything all at once, as though it just wanted to get everything done within the Keyblade Graveyard.
Fans were upset about Kairi’s treatment in particular, as the game always kept her on the sidelines despite hinting that she would one day fight by Sora’s side. She fell into the cliche of a damsel in distress again. While the writing for Kingdom Hearts has always been ridiculous in a way fans love, Xehanort kidnapping Kairi and saying it was because Sora did not have enough motivation to fight him was a new low that displeased a lot of people.
What made these mistakes hit hard was how long fans had to wait after Kingdom Hearts 2. There were other releases, but Kingdom Hearts 3 was what everyone anticipated with bated breath. Childhood fans had grown up and likely expected the game to mature a little for the end of the Xehanort story. After 14 years, fans had written books worth of fanfictions and shared enough content to make a game with too many expectations to properly live up to.
What Kingdom Hearts 4 Needs To Avoid
While Kingdom Hearts 4 will begin a story beyond the threat of Xehanort, fans are nervous after how Kingdom Hearts 3 performed. Many hope that Sora and his relationships with others can have the chance to grow. While Kingdom Hearts 4 should introduce new characters, it also should not leave Riku and Kairi in the dust. Worlds should be more intertwined with the games’ themes and plot, like when Maleficent was a key figure and original characters such as Xaldin could kidnap Disney characters.
The game should also pace itself better than its predecessor, and not save all the interesting boss battles and cutscenes for the end. Outside of pacing and storytelling, fans thought the larger worlds of Kingdom Hearts 3 felt emptier. There were no secret bosses like in previous games, so Kingdom Hearts 4 should go back to those roots as well.
Kingdom Hearts 4 is in development.
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