It seems the age of waiting fourteen years between proper entries in Sora’s Keyblade-wielding adventures has come to an end, as Square Enix has officially announced the development of Kingdom Hearts 4, celebrating the news with a new trailer featuring an apparent hint that the iconic protagonist and his friends may find themselves exploring a certain forest moon of Endor.
Revealed on April 10th as part of the Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary celebration, the premiere trailer for Kingdom Hearts IV picks up seven days after the events of Kingdom Hearts III’s secret ending, wherein Sora found himself mysteriously disappearing from Destiny Islands only to rematerialize in a real-world city bearing a stunning resemblance to Shibuya, Tokyo.
As noted by SE, with the conclusion of the Dark Seeker Saga in KHIII, KHIV will mark the beginning of the new Lost Master Arc.
“You’ve been asleep since you arrived in this world seven days ago,” a red-headed woman – identified in SE’s official press release for the game as – Strelitzia – tells Sora as he awakens inside a luxury apartment. “This is Quadratum. It’s a world full of life, but for you and I, it’s similar to an ‘afterworld’ I suppose.”
The two are then interrupted by the sudden appearance of a particularly massive Darkside Heartless, prompting Sora to instinctively leap into action and summon his Keyblade to defend the fleeing citizens of Quadratum.
Opening and ending the trailer is a voice-over from an unknown individual, presumably one of the two clad in the robes of Organization XIII seen just prior to the trailer’s conclusion, who tells Sora, “If this isn’t the ending you desired-if it brings you despair-then leave this world for another.
“However,” he adds, “if you do leave this world behind, don’t expect to return to the one from which you came.”
Following the official debut of the game’s logo, a brief epilogue finds Goofy and Donald on the search for an unknown individual, the latter illuminating their way through a cavernous area with his staff.
“I wonder where he is,” says the Royal Magician of Disney castle.
“I don’t know,” replies the Captain of King Mickey’s Royal Knights, before hinting that the pair may be looking for assistance in finding Sora. “But I sure hope he can help.”
Suddenly, a blue-flame sparks behind them, causing a frightened Donald and Goofy to quickly face-forward and stand at attention.
“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” asks the individual, before generating red flames and further scaring the iconic Disney duo.
Though the trailer did not specifically identify Donald and Goofy’s terrifying new acquaintance, their use of red and blue flames, an ability to help with Sora’s new existence in the ‘afterworld’, and a comparison between his voice as it appears in past games, suggests that their mysterious benefactor is none other than Hercules villain and series regular Hades.
Further, it seems that with Sora’s appearance in the more ‘realistic’ world of Quadratum, Kingdom Hearts will officially move to incorporate some of Disney’s live-action properties, beginning with a galaxy far, far away.
After the possible Organization XIII member finishes his opening line to Sora, the trailer then pans across an idyllic forest location as on-screen text explains – in typical Kingdom Hearts fashion – “The heart resides within the soul, which in turn is guided by fate to its rightful place. The choice is yours once more” before ending on a shot of the ‘King’ piece of Eraqus and Xehanort’s chess game
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However, in one shot of this forest scene, an odd, metallic disc-shaped object can be seen sitting in the upper-right background of the frame.
Upon closer inspection, it appears that this object bears a striking resemblance to the cupped ‘feet’ of Star Wars’ iconic AT-ST Scout Transport.
Are you excited for Kingdom Hearts IV? What worlds do you hope to visit in this next entry? Let us know your thoughts on social media or in the comments down below!
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