Kingdom Hearts 4: Everything we know so far

Kingdom Hearts 4 has undoubtedly been on many gamers’ minds since the game was announced during the Kingdom Hearts 20th-anniversary live stream on April 10, 2022. Three years after the release of Kingdom Hearts 3, fans can already look forward to the next iteration of the main Kingdom Hearts series.

Here’s everything we currently know about the game so far, including what we can gather from the brief Kingdom Hearts 4 trailer.

Do we know when Kingdom Hearts 4 will launch?

As of now, we do not know when we will see Kingdom Hearts 4 on our consoles. The game was announced alongside a spin-off title, Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link, which was playable during a closed beta for certain regions in August of 2022.

However, no such information was given for Kingdom Hearts 4. It is possible that the game is early on in the development process, which means that fans may have to wait a little while before learning when we'll see more of Kingdom Hearts 4.

If the previous instalment is anything to go by, it was announced in June 2013 and didn't see the light of day until January 2019 - an almost six year gap. Here's hoping the wait for this one isn't quite as long.

How many Kingdom Hearts 4 trailers are there?

So far, the only footage we have seen from Kingdom Hearts 4 has come from its reveal trailer from the 20th-anniversary stream. In the trailer, we see that the main character of the series, Sora, has departed from the cartoony worlds of previous games and instead awoken in the realistic, Shibuya-inspired Quadratum.

Even so, the trailer also reveals to us that the iconic Disney characters that have been so prominent throughout the franchise will once again make an appearance in Kingdom Hearts 4. While we only see a bit of gameplay, and very little is explicitly revealed about the game, the trailer still provides several hints regarding what we should expect from the upcoming Kingdom Hearts title.

What do we know about the Kingdom Hearts 4 gameplay?

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Judging from the trailer, Kingdom Hearts 4 will likely feature many of the same core gameplay mechanics as previous entries in the action role-playing video game series. During the brief gameplay section seen in the reveal trailer, it is shown that Sora will once again wield his signature Keyblade to perform up-close combination attacks.

In the trailer, Sora rushes at a giant dark monster, using his Keyblade to assist him as he performs parkour manoeuvres over cars, street poles, and bridges. His Keyblade even appears to feature a grappling hook of some kind, which he can use to latch on to far-away objects and draw himself closer to them.

Sora also runs up the wall of a building and slides through a disconnected hallway the monster has thrown into the air before finally initiating a magic attack. At that point, we see Sora summon a magic drill that he uses to block a punch from his enemy before launching the drill into the monster’s heart.

While this brief gameplay section provided a quick look at many of the unique aspects of the Kingdom Hearts 4 combat system, fans may have to wait until closer to the game’s launch to get more information about exactly how its gameplay will differ from previous Kingdom Hearts games.

Have we seen any new Kingdom Hearts 4 characters?

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Of course, Sora will once again be the primary protagonist of Kingdom Hearts 4, this time sporting a noticeably smaller pair of shoes. In addition, we learned at the end of the trailer that Donald and Goofy will return as Sora’s companions. 

It also appears that Strelitzia, a character who debuted in Kingdom Hearts Union χ, will feature prominently in Kingdom Hearts 4. We also see two mysterious hooded figures watching Sora as he fights the monster, one of which could be the Master of Masters.

One other character is hinted at toward the very end of the trailer when Donald and Goofy turn away from a blue flame. Afterwards, a deep voice calls to them and they turn around frightened by whatever they see off-camera. The blue flame may suggest that Hercules’ Hades could be making a return to the Kingdom Hearts franchise.

Here's what we can gather about the Kingdom Hearts 4 story

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A mysterious hooded figure in Kingdom Hearts 4

Kingdom Hearts 3 concluded the series’ Dark Seeker Saga. As a result, Kingdom Hearts 4 will usher in a new storyline known as the Lost Master Arc. While little is currently known about the story of Kingdom Hearts 4, the trailer provides some interesting details that hint at potential story elements.

After Sora wakes up from his week-long slumber, Strelitzia tells him that, though Quadratum is “full of life,” it is really more of an “afterworld” for the two of them. Considering Strelitzia was killed at the end of Kingdom Hearts Union χ, this implies that Sora himself may have been killed and transported to some kind of afterlife. If Sora is in fact dead, it makes all the more sense for Hades to be an important figure in Kingdom Hearts 4.

In addition, Quadratum was previously described as existing in a separate universe, suggesting that Sora may now find himself in a completely different reality altogether. Finally, the very fact that the upcoming storyline is called the Lost Master Arc points to the fact that the Master of Masters will likely play an important role in Kingdom Hearts 4.

That's everything we know about Kingdom Hearts 4 so far. For more guides, keep reading GGRecon.