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[LectureMaster]

Kingdom Hearts 4 Will be a “Reset” for the Franchise, Director Says

Tetsuya Nomura says the next Kingdom Hearts title is going to be

gamingbolt.com

“I do think of Missing Link and 4 as a reset,” Nomura said (via GamesRadar). “I wanted to end it with 3, or rather reset it, so I appointed new writers and even made a new logo to make it easier for new people to get into it.”

Nomura went on to say that the action RPG will still serve as a follow-up to Kingdom Hearts 3, but though existing fans will find the connective tissue, he says the hope is that more new players will be able to hop in this time.

“For those who know how Kingdom Hearts 3 ends, the reason why Sora ends up like that in the ending is because we wanted to reset the story in a way,” Nomura said (via @aitaikimochi on Twitter). “This should make it even easier for newcomers to join the story starting from Kingdom Hearts 4. Fans of the Kingdom Hearts series will also be able to feel like, ‘oh so it’s THIS’, but we’re making this game with the hopes that new players can enjoy it as well.”

Kingdom Hearts 4 was announced in 2022, though details on it have been scarce since then. Leaks have previously claimed that it is targeting a 2025 release.

 

[RetroGamingUK]

Being designed? You thought they’d be way past that stage by now.

Dubious about this coming next year.

 

[LectureMaster]

Being designed? You thought they’d be way past that stage by now.

Dubious about this coming next year.

I think google translate is the culprit for the wording.

 

[GymWolf]

Not interested until they put an hard mode for the first run, kh3 was disgustingly brainless.

 

[killatopak]

Heard about his recent interview somewhere else.

He watches youtube lore videos to refresh his mind about it.

We are doomed, narratively. A reset would be most welcome.

 

[Loomy]

On one hand - I'll believe it when I see it

On the other hand - that is a low bar. Easily top 5 most convoluted series out there.

 

[Pop]

Nomura says "the hope is that more new players will be able to hop in this time."

Huh? Kingdom Hearts main games do really well. Guess he means he doesn't want new players to feel intimidated trying to jump into the story

 

[Jinzo Prime]

Heard about his recent interview somewhere else.

He watches youtube lore videos to refresh his mind about it.

We are doomed, narratively. A reset would be most welcome.

Don't get your hopes up for a reset. He said in the same interview that he has been thinking about Quadratum* since Kingdom Hearts 1. This game is his chance to tell the "fantasy based on reality" story he has wanted to tell for years.

*He came up with the name and details about it later, it did not have a name or real form in KH1.

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

Feels like they're gearing up for a re-reveal by the end of the year. It's been 3 years since they first showed it off so they must be pretty far into dev.

 

[kiphalfton]

and even made a new logo to make it easier for new people to get into it.

Regarding the logo, I have no clue how that has anything to do with attracting newcomers to the series.

Dude needs to just focus on making the damn game, and stop getting distracted with anything and everything.

 

[EDMIX]

yea I don't know about all that lol

The story in the series is one of the most convoluted stories i've ever heard in a game. I don't know how much they can really do with that as for decades, thats what people know the IP for.

Add in stuff with Disney........good luck lol

The way Disney gets attacked now, they would have to tread really lightly on a lot of shit lol

 

[Ridicululzz]

Probably shouldn't have called it Kingdom Hearts 4 then

 

[EDMIX]

Probably shouldn't have called it Kingdom Hearts 4 then

Watch em change the name and its now like Hearts Kingdom To The 4th Power

 

[Mayar]

This is KH, a game with characters from Disney worlds, a game with a one-button combat system, a game with a target audience of 12+, a game where even fans don't know what's going on in the plot or how everything is connected.
It couldn't be simpler... They're going to add Auto-Battle and automatic running through quests?...

 

[Elios83]

A reset? They should nuke that convoluted mess of a story
Just imagine new generations having to play games released in the PS2 era to understand something (and even that isn't enough).
The other option is making a brainless button mashing game for kids like the normal difficulty mode of KH3.

I don't want to be negative but this is a series that needs a complete reboot for new generations and new players and has to decide if it's a game for kids or for a wider audience.
I doubt Nomura has the mental clarity to address all the issues as a director.

 

[Mayar]

The only thing they can do is actually put an end to the old games. And start a new separate story and actually edit the franchise from it. Because now KH is a complete mess. I've been playing this series from the very beginning and when people ask me "Can you explain or tell me what's going on?", I just say "Believe me, you don't want to know this, and even if you find out, it won't make it any easier for you." Regarding the complexity of the game and the audience, it seems to me that they have already decided by releasing KH3 or as I call it "kill everything by pressing one button", so it seems to me that 12+ is now the basic audience of the game. But the game's plot and lore are in a terrible state...

 

[Pejo]

Honestly, it's a great move AS LONG AS he doesn't immediately take it off the fucking rails again and make it a confusing mess all over again, but in a different direction. Less is more with Nomura, I've found through the years.

 

[Kenpachii]

Kingdom hearts need a complete revamp for me to be interested into it.

 

[hemo memo]

Just say it was all a dream and start over. Make an actual human story this time.

 

[DevilHunterX0]

Start with the KH naming scheme.

 

[Fahdis]

 

[yet_another_alt]

I just want more moments of Donald Duck reducing people into atoms.

 

[Deft Beck]

Disney is probably breathing down his neck to make the series more accessible to the actual target audience: 8-15 year olds who like Disney. Not the fans who started back when they were that age.

 

[Lethal01]

Nomura says "the hope is that more new players will be able to hop in this time."

Huh? Kingdom Hearts main games do really well. Guess he means he doesn't want new players to feel intimidated trying to jump into the story

We are talking square, they expect to be one of the biggest names out there with like 5x the sales they got or sometihg

 

[Myths]

Don't get your hopes up for a reset. He said in the same interview that he has been thinking about Quadratum* since Kingdom Hearts 1. This game is his chance to tell the "fantasy based on reality" story he has wanted to tell for years.

*He came up with the name and details about it later, it did not have a name or real form in KH1.

Still trying to peddle that old versus xiii concept, L

 

[Robb]

But they’re still calling it “4”? Just re-boot the entire franchise and start from zero again. There’s no saving the current mess.

 

[Little Mac]

If Kingdom Hearts was any more convoluted it would be called The Ending of Metal Gear Solid 2.

 

[Fake]

I don't think so.

Based on the only trailer we got, KH4 is more likely the last of the series.

As KH3 was the end of Xenahort saga, KH4 will be the end of Sora saga.

 

[K' Dash]

Will they bring back FF chars?

 

[Doom85]

I don't think so.

Based on the only trailer we got, KH4 is more likely the last of the series.

As KH3 was the end of Xenahort saga, KH4 will be the end of Sora saga.

KH4 (and Melody of Memory) begins the Lost Master Arc after the prior games concluded the Dark Seeker Saga. Considering a new mobile title was announced alongside IV’s announcement, I doubt they would be ending it with this title especially seeing as 3 was the best selling title of the series so far so unless 4 flops ain’t no way Square is ending it so soon.

 

[Saber]

Hard to believe in that.
It might go for the easier route and be designed to explain the entire plot in an easier manner. But reset? Nah, not Nomura style.
KH 4 is likely the last KH as Sora fate is basically defeat this shadow entity in their vessels.

 

[adamsapple]

 

[Cert.in.Death]

KH’s main strength and largest weakness is the presence of Disney. It is the marketing draw but also the greatest burden on a franchise that has little-to-no flexibility to deviate or be creative.

I nearly died laughing when Goofy was hanging out in the background during KH3’s rendition of Let It Go.

 

[Celcius]

Why did the newer KH games stop having the FF characters?

 

[West Texas CEO]

It looks great so far. Can't wait.

 

[Esppiral]

I have played all the main entries and the psp game and I still don't understand what the story wants to tell us.

So yeah reboot it with a comprehensive story.

 

[Gambit2483]

How do you "reset" a franchise like this?

Do you keep the Disney stuff or get rid of it altogether?

If you keep it do you add or decrease the Disney/Marvel/Pixar presence (especially given the current Disney brand appeal)?

Either way, it will be very interesting to see what SE does moving forward with this franchise.

 

[Lambogenie]

I think he needs to take a leaf from the Pokémon Ash series. It always managed to introduce a new audience without progressing Ash's age. Does it always make sense? Not really. But it's enjoyable.

Or, do what other kid brands do and reboot every couple years ala Turtles and Power Rangers. But that depends largely on if they are trying to reach a young audience or not.

 

[Fake]

KH4 (and Melody of Memory) begins the Lost Master Arc after the prior games concluded the Dark Seeker Saga. Considering a new mobile title was announced alongside IV’s announcement, I doubt they would be ending it with this title especially seeing as 3 was the best selling title of the series so far so unless 4 flops ain’t no way Square is ending it so soon.

Will sure be the end of Sora arc. Just watch the leaked trailer dude.

 

[Zephyranthes]

KH’s main strength and largest weakness is the presence of Disney. It is the marketing draw but also the greatest burden on a franchise that has little-to-no flexibility to deviate or be creative.

I nearly died laughing when Goofy was hanging out in the background during KH3’s rendition of Let It Go.

Yes, and it seems to have gotten worse over time. KH1 didn't really have much of that "just following the movie script" feeling that the Frozen and Tangled worlds had in KH3. At least Pixar seems a bit more willing to budge than WDAS, considering how the Toy Story and Monsters Inc worlds had original stories. I could see an Inside Out or Incredibles world in KH4 being really fun.

 

[LRKD]

KH isn't convoluted you people are just parrots, didn't play all the games, or low IQ.... Or at least that's how I felt prior to KH3D. Now the series is for sure convoluted, but not in the sense that it is hard to understand of confusing. But in the sense that the writers themselves don't understand it, they retcon left and right, poor characterization, time travel, ect. KH3 was so bad with all this it felt like reverse fanservice, was honestly one of the most disappointing games I have ever had the displeasure of playing, right alongside FFXV. I'll be keeping an eye on 4, but I am not on the hype train at all, I'm waiting to see a train crash.

 

[kiphalfton]

This is KH, a game with characters from Disney worlds, a game with a one-button combat system, a game with a target audience of 12+, a game where even fans don't know what's going on in the plot or how everything is connected.
It couldn't be simpler... They're going to add Auto-Battle and automatic running through quests?...

Hyperbole

 

[Northeastmonk]

Shorten the cutscenes. That kills it for a lot of people. My wife got super far in KH3, but she quit right at the final area. She got sick of the mindless talking. I even found some parts of KH3 to be unbearable.

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

I want more kairi

 

[March Climber]

Why did the newer KH games stop having the FF characters?

My guess is there have been less and less FF characters because they were wanting to establish their own cast. They can't do that when legendary FF protagonists keep appearing and taking the spotlight away with their own stories and contributions.

 

[LMJ]

obligatory lol