In the meantime, there are plenty of other things to discuss. Kingdom Hearts 4 will use a realistic aesthetic, and looks to be building on some concepts Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance and Kingdom Hearts 3 tried while bringing back Kingdom Hearts 2’s better-received mechanics. More dark-hooded figures watch the action as Sora’s friends in the regular reality scour the ends of their universe to help the missing hero. It looks like Kingdom Hearts 4 will be treading a mixture of new and old ground, and in that process it should also build up a new take on Sora himself.
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Sora Doesn’t Have His Usual Friends Around to Help Him
It has been reiterated time and time again, but Sora’s friends are his power. Kingdom Hearts has been consistently about the strength of bonds between people and places, and how tangible force can be drawn from those bonds. One needs only to look at the many team up attacks in every game to see the truth of this. Kingdom Hearts 3 even included regular party members Donald and Goofy as major parts of the final boss fight, just to ensure that it feels like a thematic conclusion. Allies, friends, and loved ones are at the heart of KH, and Sora would not be the same person without them.
Kingdom Hearts 4 immediately throws a wrench into this. Sora is essentially dead, with Quadratum serving as a non-standard afterlife for him due to excessive use of the Power of Waking. Even though there will be cutaways to the regular Kingdom Hearts cast, one can expect that most of Kingdom Hearts 4’s gameplay and pertinent events will revolve around Sora and a new cast. The mood may be somber for a little while as Sora is trapped in a strange place without his friends, but he will need to sharpen his focus, find new allies, and keep striving toward his goal of returning home. This new environment could be exactly what Sora needs to mature emotionally and stand without constant support.
The Tone of Kingdom Hearts 4 May Be More Mature
What little fans have seen of Kingdom Hearts 4 supports this notion. It’s doubtful that the series will wholly abandon its cartoon roots, but the general visual theme of Quadratum is one of mature realism. It isn’t gritty, or at least the visible locales aren’t, but it definitely presents a solemn vibe that is at odds with the rest of the franchise. If more live-action properties like Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe are included, then this feeling will permeate Kingdom Hearts 4. Sora will need to adjust his attitude to match.
That’s not to say that his naive and corny tendencies will be significantly downplayed, though they should be tempered with spots of introspection. It’s likely for there to be more moments similar to KH3’s San Fransokyo bridge scene where Sora silently contemplates what he’s left behind and what others are going through. Something akin to Sora reaching out for Rinzler in the KH3D Tron: Legacy world may be appropriate. Sora’s new allies may also not be the comedic foils that Donald and Goofy are, either. Strelitzia, if she plays an active role, already presents a much more serene figure than any of Sora’s past allies. Kingdom Hearts 4’s Quadratum represents a bold new world that Sora will have to navigate through, but at least he’ll have his old bonds, new companions, and the player at his back.
Kingdom Hearts 4 is in development.
MORE: Kingdom Hearts 4: How Sora Has Changed Since the First Game
