Breaking the Mold: Revolutionizing the Future of Kingdom Hearts

Highlights

The Kingdom Hearts franchise has released over nine games in the past twenty years, making the plot difficult to follow due to its continuous story and numerous spinoff titles.

Kingdom Hearts 3 showcased the franchise's problem with continuity, as players were required to have knowledge of the handheld games in order to comprehend the initial ten minutes of the game.

To address this issue, Kingdom Hearts 4 should break free from the franchise's detrimental pattern by creating a more newcomer-friendly narrative. This would enable new fans to easily dive into the franchise without the need for extensive familiarity with previous games.

Though it may be challenging for fans to believe, the first Kingdom Hearts game was released more than two decades ago. In the span of this time, the franchise has expanded to include nine games across various platforms, often being re-released multiple times. However, due to the interconnected nature of the series, grasping the intricate plot of the Kingdom Hearts franchise can prove to be quite difficult.

At its core, the franchise revolves around the main characters venturing into different Disney worlds within the Kingdom Hearts universe. Here, they reenact various film plots while simultaneously combating an organization that controls creatures called the Heartless. Generally speaking, these organizations seek to open the door to a realm called Kingdom Hearts in order to harness its power for their personal ambitions. Nevertheless, the franchise's convoluted approach makes it challenging to follow, necessitating a solid understanding of the plots and characters from its numerous spinoff titles. This is an issue that the series' upcoming saga must strive to avoid.

How Kingdom Hearts 3 Highlights The Series’ Worst Habit

Kingdom Hearts 3 received positive reviews from critics, but the opening minutes of the game highlight the franchise's issue with continuity baggage. Rather than being a direct sequel to Kingdom Hearts 2, the game serves as a continuation of the various handheld games that were released between the second and third main installments. To fully understand the events of Sora's new adventure in the first ten minutes, players would need to be familiar with the storylines from these spinoff titles.

From the very beginning of the game, characters start referencing events that occurred in previous handheld console games. Characters introduced in PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS games suddenly play a significant role in the overall plot of the franchise. Sora and the other heroes casually mention the villains and their current situations, assuming that players are already acquainted with them.

It makes the narrative appear convoluted, lengthy, and nearly impossible for a casual player to comprehend. Unintentionally, it renders the entire series appear unapproachable for anyone except the most devoted enthusiasts. This is a pattern that subsequent releases must break.

How Kingdom Hearts 4 Could Benefit From Ditching the Franchise's Worst Habit

Last year, the initial preview of Kingdom Hearts 4 debuted, leaving fans eagerly waiting for more information. As the third game marked the culmination of the Dark Seeker/Xehanort Saga, speculation arises that the forthcoming installment could potentially initiate a soft reboot. Anticipated to unveil fresh adversaries and allies, it is expected that familiar faces will lend their assistance to Sora on his journey.

If Kingdom Hearts 4 decides to include characters from previous games, players shouldn't be required to play all the previous installments to understand Sora's relationship with them. Similar to God of War (2018), the game could provide a starting point for newcomers to the franchise, without having to comprehend its complex history spanning several decades. Of course, it's important to retain elements from previous games, but the story should be accessible and comprehensible even for players with limited knowledge of the franchise's past.

Currently, it seems that Kingdom Hearts 4 is making similar marketing mistakes to KH3, but only time will tell what lies ahead. The trailer revealed the return of the Heartless and the involvement of Goofy and Donald. Hopefully, the developer will opt for a more accessible story that can welcome new fans and eliminate the series' most problematic tendencies.

Kingdom Hearts 4 is currently in development.