However, with the announcement that a major Kingdom Hearts 2 feature is returning, some fans are wondering if other things could make a return. Kingdom Hearts 3 was built on the various mechanics of past games, including Reaction Commands, Shotlocks, and Flowmotion. However, it arguably could have done with a more focused approach. For Kingdom Hearts 4, Square Enix should focus on determining what makes the Kingdom Hearts games enjoyable in the first place, and try to add more of that. To start, revisiting another signature KH2 mechanic may be in order.
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Kingdom Hearts 2’s Drive Forms Deserve A Comeback
Besides the Reaction Commands, the other major contributions Kingdom Hearts 2 made to the franchise were its Limits and Drive Forms. These three mechanics were all powerful and visually spectacular abilities that activated for a limited time. Reaction Commands were context-sensitive, while Limits must be equipped and then used with the appropriate party member present and alive, at the cost of all MP. Most Drive Forms also require Donald, Goofy, or both to be in the party, but require the Drive Gauge to be filled before Sora can use them.
Base Kingdom Hearts 2 included the Valor, Wisdom, Master, Final, and Anti Forms, with Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix adding Limit Form. All of these Forms are geared toward specific play styles, and the player must adhere to these styles to make the most out of them. Anti Form is much weaker than the rest and has a random chance of replacing other Forms, but it’s still fun to watch.
Each Form comes with a set of exclusive abilities that are automatically applied to Sora. He can level every Form besides Anti Form six times to improve the Form’s duration and signature movement ability, while also granting base Sora more abilities. Having an incentive to use these flashy and game-altering transformations gave players lots of options in combat, and the Limit Form in particular proves useful in endgame content due to lacking the restrictions of the other Forms.
How Drive Forms Can Fit into Kingdom Hearts 4
While the Forms are powerful and exciting, the need for specific party members to be present, plus the threat of a random Anti Form activation, hampers them. Kingdom Hearts 3 provided some improvements with its Form changes, including Rage Form being a manual and practical take on Anti Form.
Individual Keyblade transformations could be activated and then sheathed until needed, and there was no party member or resource requirement. Even so, Form changes felt overly powerful and forced on the player, owing to the repetition-inducing Situation Command system. Apart from a couple Form changes incorporating powerful counterattacks, it felt like many of them could be used effectively in casual play by simply mashing the attack button.
Kingdom Hearts 4 should mark a return to a few distinct Forms, removing the clone movesets and shared Form change “types” from Kingdom Hearts 3. Distinct magic between Forms and leveling would return, and limited items may be made available to restore the Drive Gauge quicker. Form levels would give the player plenty of new abilities to encourage frequent use. There would ideally be no punishment Form, and no party members would need to be present, though the aspect of Forms having weaknesses (like Valor being unable to guard or cast magic) would be preserved.
Sora could gain Drive Forms after major story beats like in Kingdom Hearts 2, making the player feel like they’ve grown stronger in ways beyond mere statistics. Drive Forms are ultimately satisfying to use, and Kingdom Hearts 4 should draw inspiration from them while assembling the latest take on the series’ combat.
Kingdom Hearts 4 is in development.
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