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After Square Enix announced Kingdom Hearts 4 a few days ago, many fans rejoiced. In the trailer, Sora is more mature than in the past, and has traveled to a real human world that has been inadvertently invaded, which makes me itch to watch. This trailer naturally leads to countless doubts, but it also makes us open the conversation box and frantically discuss the expectations for it.
That's why Kingdom Hearts fans in Game Informer's editorial department are eager to share our expectations and fantasies about Kingdom Hearts 4. What do you think of our wish list? What are your thoughts and expectations for Kingdom Hearts 4? Let us know in the comments section.
For readability, Kingdom Hearts 4 is referred to as KH4, Kingdom Hearts 3 as KH3, and Final Fantasy as FF.
Wesley LeBlanc
In KH4, I'm most looking forward to two things: building a new Pirates of the Caribbean world on top of Kingdom Hearts 3, and delving into Quadratum, the world of True King, and most likely final fantasy Versus 13 that Nomura resurrected through Heart of Kingdom. (Verum Rex is a video game in the Kingdom Hearts series))
While Nomura's Final Fantasy Versus 13 was a well-known thing, if you've ever played KH3, you know that there are a lot of FFV13 things that exist in the world of True King. Although the project was cut, Nomura also wanted to get FFV13 out of the way, and I deeply admired his persistence. Now, it seems, he really intends to revive it with the Kingdom Hearts series. I would say that if that were the case, it would be a nomura-like thing. KH3 gives us a glimpse into the world of FFV13, but I hope KH4 incorporates more of FFV13's content.
In addition, I also hope that KH4 can add a Star Wars world. Now that I'm already daydreaming, I'll just make it bigger — just add something from the Marvel MCU, even if it's just a remake of the classic portal scene in Avengers: Endgame, and let Sora, Donald Duck, Goofy, Spider-Man, and Black Panther appear together.
▲ The "Kingdom Hearts 4" trailer is suspected to appear in the "Star Wars" AT-ST foot
Marcus Stewart
Before I start talking, I want to make a statement: I'm really a fan of Kingdom Hearts, not a die-hard fan, but I'm definitely a fan, basically every game I've opened up, and I like every game. But what I want most now is not a cameo of a character from a movie, nor its combat mechanics, nor a ridiculous number of zippers, but a better change in its poor writing. I'm not referring to its overly complicated plot— it's already a boat, and it's too late to change it now, I'm referring to the lines in the dialogue.
While playing KH3 I realized that I had grown up and couldn't stand the series's tacky lines anymore. The dialogue in this series has always been very good to read, and it is often said that half of the conversation inexplicably stops, or one person finishes speaking, and the next person has to wait for a long time to pick up the stubble, and the middle is so awkwardly silent. Ten or twenty years ago I could bear it, but KH3 often made me feel embarrassed to hit my head against the wall, making many of the moments that should have been very affectionate become flat.
▲Quadratum, a square city modeled after Tokyo
Since we are going to the "real" world in KH4, Sora and his friends should be like people, talking and expressing like real people, not like before, I don't know if I think I'm imitating and satirizing anime. I don't insist on having a naughty dog writing (it's better to have surprises) and don't mind a little stupid plot, but the lines should be written better. I think the possibility of this wish coming true is similar to the possibility of Sora running into the world of "Cow Story", but people always have dreams, don't they?
Oh yes, "Kingdom Hearts" has been out of so many generations, it is time to engage in a world of "Goofy Dog" big movies, right? It is best to get another part of the famous song "Eye to Eye" in the film. Please, Square, satisfy my fantasies.
▲ Strelitzia, a character who appeared in Kingdom Hearts Union χ
Monica Rexach Ortiz
I hope KH4 gives me a clue as to Sora's situation. In KH3, after Saianot knocked Kelly's heart into nothingness, Sora sacrificed herself to save Kelly, so my biggest concern now is:
1. Where did Sola go? Is he dead, lost, or is his existence forgotten?
2. What exactly does "death" mean in Kingdom Hearts? When people forgot Aboutn, was she in the City of Founders?
3. Most importantly, will Sora become a keyblade master like his good friend Liku? Will he learn to use the power of awakening?
Also, I hope KH4 can fill in the holes that were dug by the previous games.
I also want to see more new worlds based on Disney titles, experience new mechanics, I want to see The Dream Quest, Star Wars, Full House, Frozen 2, Invincible Destruction King, Ocean's Edge, Mind Agents, and the world of Marvel movies – there are so many titles to choose from! I also wanted the game to include the music of these films, I used to enjoy singing in the world of KH3 Frozen, and I also liked the music game of the world of KH2's Little Mermaid.
My last wish is to switch the main characters like Kingdom Hearts Dream Born. It's really fun to experience the main story from three different perspectives and manipulate characters with different fighting styles. I wanted to experience Kelly, Sora and Liku's perspective in KH4 from multiple angles as they made their way through the final reunion.
▲ The world of Frozen in Kingdom Hearts 3
John Carson
It's hard to guess where the Kingdom Hearts series will go from here, especially given the more realistic style of the first trailer for KH4. If you continue along the path, there's likely to be a Lucasfilm or MCU world that could have sora and Indiana Jones on a treasure hunt, or had him travel through the stars in a brick boat with the Guardians of the Galaxy. Both are quite feasible and feel quite interesting, but half of the reason Why Kingdom Hearts attracted me in the first place was due to Final Fantasy, so I hope KH4 can do a little more Of Final Fantasy characters and worlds.
I haven't played games since KH2, but I do know that while the Kingdom Hearts series now has a lot of things that are influenced by FFV13 (or FF15), not a single Final Fantasy character in KH3 is available.
Let Donald Duck, Goofy, Sora, and Characters from the Final Fantasy series explore Ivalis, Midgar, Barram Academy, or Iozea. I know the word "Disney" is a guarantee of sales, but I would rather see Balfreya in FF12 than Summer Friends or Full House, which will bring some new feeling to the Kingdom Hearts series and return to the roots of the series. In addition, I hope that Nomura can take the opportunity to make up everything he wants to do in FFV13, more than a decade later, that game has obviously become Nomura's obsession, if you can't let it come out in some form, Nomura is probably unable to turn the page.
Kim Wallace
KH4 moved the series to a more realistic stage, greatly broadening its possibilities and giving me more reverie. Something I had been afraid to think about before suddenly became possible. I'm looking forward to exploring Founder City and would love to see how much inspiration it gets from Tokyo and its landmarks. The more realistic style and setting also makes it easier to connect with Disney's Marvel or Star Wars. However, whether we can see the world and characters of Marvel and Star Wars ultimately depends on Disney.
Admittedly, Kingdom Hearts 3 sold well enough to soften Disney's attitude, but as series director Tetsuya Nomura said, Disney's review process is difficult and complicated, so it's really hard to say. But please, Disney, do well, and fulfill our wishes. However, I also hope that animation works can still account for a large proportion of KH4, if I were to list the worlds I want to see the most, the highest rankings would be: "Youth Metamorphosis", "Magic Full House", "Ocean Adventure" and "Dream Quest".
I also hope that the Characters from Final Fantasy will return in KH4, and that they should never be soy sauce characters. Sora's current look is simply a Final Fantasy character (simply the twin brother of FF8 Squall), and it is impossible to give more drama.
In terms of gameplay and gameplay, the first few Kingdom Hearts are known for their difficult bosses and fierce boss battles, and I hope KH4 can inherit this tradition, but it is better to use more vertical space and add more scene destruction. Judging from the trailer, KH4 should be leaning towards this, and Sora now has a hook claw and can glide through the building, which is very comforting. I love "Free And Coherent Action" (FFA) in Deep Dreams, and the trailer for KH4 gives me the same feeling, especially when Sora grabs a pole and turns around and then jumps into mid-air with centrifugal force, and I want the actual KH4 game to be an enhanced version of that experience.
As for the plot-side wishes, to avoid spoilers, I'll make a long story short. Although KH3 has finished many stories, it still leaves a lot of suspense, and many characters need more plot (lewah and Kelly). In addition, I think KH4's more realistic style of painting is just enough to make the story a little darker and deeper, to discuss the topics of "death" and "friendship" in more depth, and maybe let us say goodbye to Sola, I love Sora very much, but he has been working for 20 years, and it is time for others to take over the mantle and lead the series in a new direction.
One thing is for sure, we really can't guess where Kingdom Hearts is going next. Nomura is a genius, and no matter how many hidden clues he leaves behind, he can still surprise us in the end. KH4 is the biggest shift in the series to date, and I have no problem with that, because it's likely to be a rebirth of the Kingdom Hearts series, the beginning of a new era, an opportunity to take Kingdom Hearts to the next level.
Translation: Unknown party
Edit: Tony