Official accounts on X (formerly Twitter) have released new screenshots forKingdom Hearts 4, revealing incredibly new details for the upcoming RPG.Kingdom Hearts 4likely rivalsGTA 6for the most anticipated game not scheduled for release this year - although unlikeGTA 6, we have no idea when it’s actually due to come out. The recentcancellation ofMissing-Link, a mobile spinoff withPokemon GO-style gameplay, had some fans questioning the future of the series.
However, as if to refute any uncertainty,Square Enix released a series ofscreenshots fromKingdom Hearts 4in a post on the officialKingdom HeartsX account, saying, “We’re currently working hard on Kingdom Hearts IV and will continue pouring ourselves into the game’s development.” On the surface, they’re nothing groundbreaking, but zoom in, and they actually reveal some major details forKingdom Hearts 4.
5Mickey May Be Playable In KH4
Screenshots Seem To Show Him Platforming
We’ll start in the middle and work our way out: look in the middle right, at that screenshot set in a densely packed library, which appears to show a platforming section of the game. But italmost certainly looks likethe player is controlling Mickey in this screenshot. That wouldn’t exactly be a series first, but it would be a bit of an oddity.Kingdom Heartsgames are no stranger to perspective switching - most notably, the switch from Roxas to Sora mid-way throughKingdom Hearts 2. The triple scenarios inBirth by Sleepand the constant protagonist-swapping inDream Drop Distanceare also notable.
However,it’s been historically rare forKingdom Heartsgames to include a playable Mickey. In general, taking control of Mickey is a special condition that only exists in certain parts of the game, and even then, only under special conditions. He serves as a kind of backup inKingdom Hearts 2, filling in when Sora falls, and can be played in358/2 Days, but only after beating all the missions and unlocking a special item.
But it looks likeMickey will almost certainly be playable inKingdom Hearts 4, although likely not for the entirety of the game. We know the story revolves around Sora being separated from the rest of the gang, so Mickey’s mission will likely remain separate. My best guess is that he’ll be playable only in certain levels or story sequences.
4Sora Uses His Chain In Combat
A New Weapon, Or A Traversal Mechanic?
Kingdom Heartsis a series about keys. Keys, doors, and locks have always been important parts of its imagery, its visual language, if you will, and that looks to be the case inKingdom Hearts 4. Sora still wields the Keyblade (unsurprisingly), but, perhaps more notably,he also appears to use his chain/keychain as a toolduring combat sequences.
What could this mean, exactly, and what could it be used for? Fan speculation has run rampant, with many identifying it as a potential new weapon for Sora. It’s fun to imagine him swinging the Keyblade around like Kratos' Blades of Chaos inGod of War, but I have a different theory:I think the chain is related to a new traversal mechanic. I suspect this is a new evolution of Flowmotion, perhaps allowing players to create their own paths.
Sora’s shoes also turn blue when he makes contact with the golden chain.
This may be notable, maybe not, but it’s also worth mentioning thatSora’s iconic crown pendant isn’t visible in his health bar portraitin the screenshots released forKingdom Hearts 4. It’s been a prominent feature of his health bar in many other games, and many have speculated it could have some as-yet unrevealed story significance.
3Where Is Mickey In The New KH4 Screenshots?
Let’s go back to that image of a probably playable Mickey platforming for a moment. That third-person perspective and command window look convincing -but wait, where is he? Mickey’s pictured here in a grand, wood-paneled library, with huge shelves laden with books and heavy chandeliers. It doesn’t look to be a location based on any particular Disney property, so it’s more likely one ofKingdom Hearts' more original settings.
But which one?Hollow Bastion, the dark, empty castle where Sora confronts Riku near the end ofKingdom Hearts 1, is one sensible theory. The library is certainly lavish enough to fit into a castle, and the image of well-stocked shelves in a place where there’s no one left to read them is a great visual metaphor. Others have pointed to this as evidence for the potential recurrence of Scala ad Caelum fromKingdom Hearts 3. It’s certainly possible, but I’m not totally convinced - the dark wood paneling here doesn’t really match Scala’s whitewashed aesthetic.
It’s not out of the realm of possibility, though, that this could even be a small part of Mickey’s own castle that we haven’t had the opportunity to explore yet. Of course, it’s also possible thatthis could be a new location we’ve never seen before in theKingdom Heartsseries, one that’s being introduced for the first time inKingdom Hearts 4. We may be reading too much into this one, but only time will tell.
2Darkside Has Wings In KH4
They Fly Now?
A Darkside is a massive Heartless, and a recurring boss who’s appeared in manyKingdom Heartsgames. We know it’scoming back forKH4, albeit in a new form, andthis time, it has wings. The Darkside appears multiple times inKingdom Hearts 1, first as a sort of combat tutorial, and later in a more difficult form. It later reappears inChain of Memories,358/2 Days, andCoded, almost always in the same context.
It’s one of the series' most recognizable bosses, and, as it appears at the very beginning of the originalKingdom Heartsand later recurs inKingdom Hearts 3at Scala ad Caelum, it definitely has some sort of tie to the series' lore.Darkside always appears at story-fraught moments, when things are about to change gravely for the protagonists, so it’s definitely got an important role in whatever’s going on inKingdom Hearts 4. It could be related somehow to the game’s story being treatedas a narrative reset.
Why it has wings now, though, is anyone’s guess. This could be a meaningful choice, or it could just be for the cool factor.It could be a bit of symbolism we haven’t deciphered yet, or it could just be related to a new boss mechanicaimed at keepign this eternally recurring enemy interesting in the nextKingdom Heartsgame. Either way, it’ll likely make for an imposing boss battle when we first arrive in Quadratum.
1Kingdom Hearts 4 Has A New Combat Command
The “Build” Option
Secreted away in the corner of that screenshot of Sora in battle isa new command inKingdom Hearts 4’s combat menu: “Build.“It’s not surprising to hear thatKH4will be introducing new combat mechanics to the series; practically every game, even the spinoffs, has attempted to innovate on classicKingdom Heartscombat to varying degrees of success.
Still, building is a new one. The first thing I thought of wasWreck-It Ralph’s mechanic as a summon inKingdom Hearts 3, which allows him to place blocks around the battlefieldMinecraft-style, which then emit a bright light that stuns enemies and opens them up to attack. I doubtKingdom Hearts 4will have anything quite like that, though, at least not as a core mechanic.
An earlierKingdom Hearts 4leakreported that there might bea mechanic where Sora could absorb his enemies' darkness, then use it in battle against them. Perhaps this could have something to do with the Build mechanic; maybe Sora will be able to spawn environmental elements, like walls or barriers a laWild Hearts, or even to create his own allies by sapping the Heartless' life energy. It could even be related to the chain traversal mechanic we see in the same screenshot. But honestly, it’s hard to say exactly what this means based on a single screenshot. Like all these other tiny details, the full scope of its implications will have to wait untilKingdom Hearts 4is finally out.
