The trailer for Kingdom Hearts 4 launched followers to the world of Quadratum, which bears a putting resemblance to the actual world ( therefore Sora’s realistic-looking, Final Fantasy-esque makeover). Strelitzia, the woman who resides there and within the Tokyo condominium Sora wakes up in, tells Sora that Quadratum is like an afterworld for folks like them, however it’s energetic for everybody else. As sequence creator Tetsuya Nomura identified in a latest interview with Famitsu, it’s a distinct actuality than the one Sora got here from, subsequently he received’t keep there endlessly, nor will he preserve his new look as soon as he leaves and will get again to his universe.
That being mentioned, there will probably be loads of different worlds for Sora and firm (as soon as Donald and Goofy discover him, in fact) to journey to the place he’ll preserve his authentic look — spiky hair, clown sneakers and all (or no matter outfit he wears in accordance to the motif of the world he finds himself in). Nomura did verify that a number of worlds are in improvement however didn’t reveal what they’re.
Now comes the enjoyable a part of the Kingdom hearts hype cycle: Anticipating which Disney and Pixar worlds may make it into the sport. Here are the six I must see in Kingdom Hearts 4 (together with one which will have been teased already).
Star Wars
At the start of the Kingdom Hearts 4 trailer, followers have noticed the foot of what regarded just like the AT-ST walker. Such an artifact implied {that a} Star Wars world will probably be within the recreation — particularly, Endor.
For these of you who usually are not Star Wars fanatics, Endor is a gasoline planet within the Outer Rim that’s house to the Ewoks, the teddy bear-like creatures from Return of the Jedi, and has extra vegetation than every other planet within the galaxy (which explains the purple spores rising out of its timber). It’s additionally the place the Empire constructed a second Death Star and the place mentioned Death Star acquired destroyed, taking the Emperor and Darth Vader with it.
A attainable story state of affairs for this world could be to have Sora, Donald, and Goofy undergo Jedi coaching with Luke Skywalker and observe Princess Leia and Han Solo, together with Chewbacca, R2-D2 and C-3PO, as they raid the Forest Moon of Endor, shoot up some Stormtroopers, and face the AT-ST and Darth Vader as boss fights. Perhaps we’ll be capable of see Sora carry a Lightsaber Keyblade. Kingdom Hearts is already like Star Wars in and of itself, so it looks as if a pure match.
Onward
Although the world of Pixar’s Onward is full of all kinds of legendary creatures — elves, unicorns, goblins, trolls, pixies, manticores, and mermaids — the superior expertise that every one its inhabitants adopted has rendered nearly all magic ineffective. However, some folks nonetheless research the artwork of magic, as 16-year-old elf Ian Lightfoot tries to resurrect his father, Wilden, utilizing a magic workers gifted to him by his mom on his birthday. If Yen Sid and the Three Good Fairies actually labored their magic on Sora and the gang, Sora would nonetheless be capable of solid spells together with his Keyblade.
At the chance of this world’s cutscenes being shot-for-shot remakes of the unique film, Sora and the crew might go on a quest with Ian and his brother, Barley, to seek out the Phoenix Gem and full the visitation spell that may convey their dad again for a day. Along the way in which, they might struggle Heartless within the type of the aforementioned creatures, tackle the pixie bike gang, and struggle off the cursed stone dragon — and journey on high of Barley’s van to struggle off any flying Heartless whereas they’re at it. Sora may also give Ian a life lesson that anybody could possibly be his actual father, even when it’s not his organic one. He ought to know, he’s been raised by Donald and Goofy.
Speaking of which …
A Goofy Movie
We’ve visited Queen Minnie at Disney Castle in Kingdom Hearts 2; interacted with Scrooge McDuck and his nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie at Disney Town in Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep; and fought alongside Mickey, Donald, and Goofy of their Musketeer types in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. However, there’s one Disney Toon world that has evaded Nomura’s contact: Goofy’s hometown of Spoonerville within the Goofy Movie universe.
Outside of the Kingdom Hearts franchise, everyone knows that Goofy has a son named Max primarily based on his appearances in Goof Troop, A Goofy Movie, and An Extremely Goofy Movie, in addition to another TV exhibits and direct-to-DVD movies within the early 2000s. However, Goofy has not talked about Max as soon as all through his adventures with Sora and Donald. This world seems like a loopy concept even by Nomura’s requirements since any reminiscence Goofy, and Pete by extension, could have of his life in his film/TV universe has been cleaned, however it will be enjoyable to see how his interplay with Max, who may in all probability be a younger school graduate, would play out. If Nomura follows by means of with it, possibly it received’t be so awkward.
Moana
Moana
Destiny Islands apart, the Polynesian islands the place Moana takes place could be the third nautical-themed world within the Kingdom Hearts sequence after The Little Mermaid and Pirates of the Caribbean (OK, possibly the fourth if you happen to embody Neverland from Peter Pan because it’s simply an island in an limitless ocean). In the film, the titular character is chosen by the ocean to return the center of Te Fiti to Te Ka, a volcanic demon who induced a blight on Moana’s island after demi-god Maui stole the relic as a way to give humanity the facility of creation. Moana seeks out Maui to information her towards the island of Te Fiti to revive it and save her folks.
The story would observe intently to the unique supply materials — although hopefully not as shut because the Tangled and Frozen worlds did in Kingdom Hearts 3 — and gameplay for this world would play out within the model of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker as Sora and the gang would struggle off pirate-like Heartless threatening to sink them to the depths of the ocean. They might additionally tackle the Kakamora, Tamatoa, and Te Ka as attainable boss fights.
Zootopia
Zootopia
Zootopia could be a enjoyable, furry world for Sora and the gang to run round in. Donald and Goofy would retain their authentic types and Sora would turn out to be a fursona of no matter animal Nomura would select to attract him as. He could possibly be a rabbit, tiger, hen, fox, or a lion since he was already one within the Pride Lands in Kingdom Hearts 2.
In Zootopia, rabbit Officer Judy Hopps and con artist fox Nick Wilde type a partnership to seek out all of the predator animals which were kidnapped, solely to find that the mayor’s assistant, a lamb, was the brains behind the tried takeover of the town. The world’s story in Kingdom Hearts 4 could be set after the occasions of the movie, the place Nick leaves his con artist days behind and turns into Judy’s accomplice within the ZPD, which leaves a number of room for creativity. Sora and the gang would assist the cops resolve crimes and examine chilly circumstances à la TellTale or an episode of Gotham.
Encanto
Winner of this yr’s Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, Encanto was Disney’s runaway hit of 2021 each in theaters and on Disney+, which began streaming the movie on Christmas Eve — only a month after its theatrical premiere. Set in a magical realm within the mountains of Colombia, the movie lastly Mirabel, the one member of the Madrigal household who doesn’t have any magical powers that may profit the agricultural titular village, as she discovers the sentient home by which she and her multigenerational household reside is falling aside and their magic is fading.
With hit songs like We Don’t Talk About Bruno, Surface Pressure, and Dos Oruguitas, it’s straightforward to imagine there could be a plotline that entails rhythm segments set to these songs identical to Atlantica in Kingdom Hearts 2. But Casita didn’t consider giving anybody the present of music, not to mention Mirabel, so that may be off the desk. Instead, Sora must struggle off the Heartless that may manifest because the decay of the House of Madrigal and the generational trauma the household suffers from on account of the matriarch’s excessive expectations for everybody.
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