Kingdom Hearts is now a 20-year-old franchise. As hard as it is to believe, it’s been two decades since a Final Fantasy island boy teamed up with Donald and Goofy to save the universe from impending doom. Of course, any fan of the franchise knows it has grown well beyond its humble beginnings and evolved from a Final Fantasy x Disney crossover into something far bigger.
On Sunday, Square Enix gave everyone a glimpse into what the future of the franchise might look like. It celebrated 20 years of Kingdom Hearts with the announcement of two mobile games, and a surprise unveiling of Kingdom Hearts IV. Alongside this announcement was a trailer revealing a new look for Sora and the game’s setting. Gone are the cartoonish worlds from the previous games and its place is a realistic city setting. Even Sora himself has lost many of his cartoonish features in favor of a look that is more fitting to this new universe.
Two new games, two new logos.
We just announced Kingdom Hearts IV and Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link. #KH20th
Watch the new trailers now: https://t.co/G7898ARuar pic.twitter.com/eGKg8s5pLT
— KINGDOM HEARTS (@KINGDOMHEARTS) April 10, 2022
As odd as this all looks, anyone that played through Kingdom Hearts III is aware that this appears to be picking up right where the previous game left off. Even then, the realistic setting is a surprising choice and may represent a sort of soft reboot for the franchise. Kingdom Hearts III did a lot to wrap up any loose ends that were left from previous games so it would make sense to see them take it in a new direction. We’ll just have to wait for more information whenever the game goes further into development.
Source: https://uproxx.com/edge/kingdom-hearts-iv-reveal-trailer/