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Kingdom Hearts 4 Should Return to Its Final Fantasy Roots
Kingdom Hearts 4 is in such a interesting place for the beloved Disney and Square Enix collaboration series. With Kingdom Hearts 3 concluding many of the major storylines brewing since the first title’s release on PlayStation 2 in 2002, the door is now open for so many possibilities. If there is one element that has to happen, though, it is the return of Final Fantasy to Kingdom Hearts 4. One of the most impressive parts about the original Kingdom Hearts was its brilliant mix of Final Fantasy and Disney characters. You had characters like Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII in the same game as Aladdin and Hercules. It was such a fascinating and bizarre mix that it is honestly surprising how well it worked for all companies involved. Image via Square Enix Ever since the original game, Final Fantasy has been a crucial part of Sora, Riku, and Kairi’s journey. These characters often play significant roles in the plot or even participate in some of the most challenging side content (see Cloud and Sephiroth). In fact, we even saw expansions of Square Enix characters in later games. There were the likes of The World Ends With You characters in Dream Drop Distance, for instance. There is no denying the importance of Square Enix’s JRPG properties when it comes to Kingdom Hearts, especially since this is Tetsuya Nomura’s baby and he is one of the visionaries behind FFVII and other titles in the first place. Unfortunately, there is a bit of a problem with Final Fantasy in Kingdom Hearts. The third entry in the series came out in 2019 and essentially did away completely with Final Fantasy. You didn’t see major characters from that other Square Enix appear here and the references were almost nonexistent outside of Moogles and the names of spells. This was a major departure from past titles, focusing solely on Sora’s story and the Disney worlds. You could argue this was because of the conclusive nature of this particular title. In some ways, you could say the game didn’t have enough time for Square Enix crossovers. To that, I say I understand but it feels a bit like an excuse. It is honestly a shame Square Enix made this awkward decision. Image via Square Enix Fortunately, the series is not over yet. Kingdom Hearts 4 presents the opportunity for Final Fantasy to return and cross over in the franchise again. This actually seems quite likely given Sora’s sudden appearance in a new world. He is without his usual companions, so he will need some backup. I could see this happen in a number of ways, including bringing in some classic characters. It would be fascinating to see Sora make quick allies with someone like Clive from Final Fantasy XVI. The two could team up together and bond over their shared experience of waking in a strange new land. This could even allow the series to mix in a villain from another Square Enix title, such as the wonderful Emet-Selch from FFXIV or Ardyn from Final Fantasy XV. This would create some fascinating interactions we haven’t seen yet. But the Final Fantasy cameos shouldn’t stop there in Kingdom Hearts 4. It should go beyond the main storyline and offer some deep side content as well, similar to the Colosseum. Perhaps there could be a Gold Saucer-like world for players to hang out in, play minigames, and battle in an arena. This would fit well with the current Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy. Regardless of how it happens, Final Fantasy needs to return to Kingdom Hearts 4. While I enjoyed Kingdom Hearts 3, it always felt like it was missing its roots and this glaring omission stands out. Square Enix and Tetsuya Nomura have the chance to fix this problem by bringing Final Fantasy and Sora back together. Kingdom Hearts 4 will release sometime in the future for undisclosed platforms. The post Kingdom Hearts 4 Should Return to Its Final Fantasy Roots appeared first on Siliconera.
Kingdom Hearts 4 is in such a interesting place for the beloved Disney and Square Enix collaboration series. With Kingdom Hearts 3 concluding many of the major storylines brewing since the first title’s release on PlayStation 2 in 2002, the door is now open for so many possibilities. If there is one element that has to happen, though, it is the return of Final Fantasy to Kingdom Hearts 4.
One of the most impressive parts about the original Kingdom Hearts was its brilliant mix of Final Fantasy and Disney characters. You had characters like Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII in the same game as Aladdin and Hercules. It was such a fascinating and bizarre mix that it is honestly surprising how well it worked for all companies involved.
Ever since the original game, Final Fantasy has been a crucial part of Sora, Riku, and Kairi’s journey. These characters often play significant roles in the plot or even participate in some of the most challenging side content (see Cloud and Sephiroth).
In fact, we even saw expansions of Square Enix characters in later games. There were the likes of The World Ends With You characters in Dream Drop Distance, for instance. There is no denying the importance of Square Enix’s JRPG properties when it comes to Kingdom Hearts, especially since this is Tetsuya Nomura’s baby and he is one of the visionaries behind FFVII and other titles in the first place.
Unfortunately, there is a bit of a problem with Final Fantasy in Kingdom Hearts. The third entry in the series came out in 2019 and essentially did away completely with Final Fantasy. You didn’t see major characters from that other Square Enix appear here and the references were almost nonexistent outside of Moogles and the names of spells.
This was a major departure from past titles, focusing solely on Sora’s story and the Disney worlds. You could argue this was because of the conclusive nature of this particular title. In some ways, you could say the game didn’t have enough time for Square Enix crossovers. To that, I say I understand but it feels a bit like an excuse. It is honestly a shame Square Enix made this awkward decision.
Fortunately, the series is not over yet. Kingdom Hearts 4 presents the opportunity for Final Fantasy to return and cross over in the franchise again. This actually seems quite likely given Sora’s sudden appearance in a new world. He is without his usual companions, so he will need some backup. I could see this happen in a number of ways, including bringing in some classic characters.
It would be fascinating to see Sora make quick allies with someone like Clive from Final Fantasy XVI. The two could team up together and bond over their shared experience of waking in a strange new land. This could even allow the series to mix in a villain from another Square Enix title, such as the wonderful Emet-Selch from FFXIV or Ardyn from Final Fantasy XV. This would create some fascinating interactions we haven’t seen yet.
But the Final Fantasy cameos shouldn’t stop there in Kingdom Hearts 4. It should go beyond the main storyline and offer some deep side content as well, similar to the Colosseum. Perhaps there could be a Gold Saucer-like world for players to hang out in, play minigames, and battle in an arena. This would fit well with the current Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy.
Regardless of how it happens, Final Fantasy needs to return to Kingdom Hearts 4. While I enjoyed Kingdom Hearts 3, it always felt like it was missing its roots and this glaring omission stands out. Square Enix and Tetsuya Nomura have the chance to fix this problem by bringing Final Fantasy and Sora back together.
Kingdom Hearts 4 will release sometime in the future for undisclosed platforms.
The post Kingdom Hearts 4 Should Return to Its Final Fantasy Roots appeared first on Siliconera.
