Kingdom Hearts 4was just announced as part of Square Enix’s celebrations for the 20th anniversary of theKingdom Heartsfranchise. The game was announced via a cinematic trailer with a little bit of gameplay, which hints at a darker story, while showing offKingdom Hearts 4’simpressive visualsand some new movement options for Sora to use. The trailer also introduces players to the new setting of Quadratum.
TheKingdom Heartsseries is full of wacky and whimsical worlds to explore, so the subdued ones really stick out and signify the game is getting serious.KH4’sQuadratum is no exception and will seemingly take Sora on a brand-new type of adventure.Kingdom Hearts 3ends on a cliffhanger with Sora disappearing, but Quadratum may hold the secret for him to return home.
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Kingdom Hearts 3’s Mysterious End
Kingdom Hearts 3endson a somber note. Sora faces off one last time against Master Xehanort at Scala ad Caelum, finally putting an end to the saga. After the battle, Sora uses his Power of Waking to save Kairi, who was turned into a crystal and shattered during the fight. This power comes at a cost, though, as Sora sits with Kairi a final time and disappears soon after.
Kingdom Hearts 3wraps up the story arc that was set in motion from the first game. It was known upon release thatKH3would not be the final game in the franchise, so a large cliffhanger is the easiest way to set up a new, looming threat for Sora and friends. The very end ofKingdom Hearts 3reveals Quadratum, three years ahead of the gameplay trailer forKH4.The city’s realistic, darker tone seems to signify a true new chapter for the series.
Interestingly enough, Quadratum is the home to another character from KH3. Yozora, from the in-universe video gameVerum Rex,is shown to be real and living here during the same ending scene. The fact that this video game is not fictional after all raises even more questions, adding to Quadratum’s mystery.
Kingdom Hearts 4’s City of Quadratum
Quadratum may have only been teased withKingdom Hearts 3’sending, but it is shown in full force withKH4’sreveal trailer. Unlike the rest ofKingdom Hearts’worlds, which are either Disney-themed or original and fantasy/sci-fi themed, Quadratum appears to be completely modern. In fact, it heavily resembles Tokyo, down to the Katakana written on the street signs. Quadratum is complete with dozens of cars, highways, and skyscrapers — the furnishings of any major city. Sora and the gargantuan Heartless that is wreaking havoc stick out like a sore thumb.
Despite looking like a normal, modern city, Quadratum is full of mystery. The new character who greets Sora upon waking up describes it as “full of life,” but an “afterworld” for the two of them. This alone has tons of implications, such as Sora needing to have potentially died to arrive here and that this new character is originally from Sora’s world as well. Sora is clearly alive and kicking, so Quadratum may serve more like purgatory — though the reason it takes the form of modern Tokyo is unknown.
Lastly, it is a mystery why or how Quadratum holds the secret for Sora to return home. It is clear thatSora needs to grow herein order to succeed, despite being more alone than ever. Well, Sora is alone in regard to allies. On top of the Heartless that appears to terrorize the city, the end of the trailer shows some hooded figures that resemble Organization 13. One states that Sora should not expect to return to his world upon leaving Quadratum behind. There is clearly some secret to Quadratum, and Sora is not the only one after it.
Kingdom Hearts 4marks the start of the series' next chapter. Finally free from its 20-year story arc, Quadratum is the perfect setting to take the story in a new, darker direction.Organization 13is seemingly up to no good once again, so Sora has his work cut out for him if he ever hopes to return home.
Kingdom Hearts 4is currently in development.
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