Unfortunately, out of all the JRPGs Square Enix has in development right now, Kingdom Hearts 4 and the third Final Fantasy 7 Remake title are the only ones that do not have solid release windows yet. During the long wait for both, the Kingdom Hearts community at least has some interviews with the development staff to tide them over. Amidst this information, it came out that Kingdom Hearts 4 would be bringing back Kingdom Hearts 2’s Reaction Commands. This has been received well, and KH4 should continue to err on following KH2’s example rather than 3’s.
RELATED: Kingdom Heart 4 Bringing Back KH2’s Reaction Command is a Big Deal
Kingdom Hearts 2 Was a More Successful Package Than KH3
The argument as to which Kingdom Hearts game is the best has been raging for years. The main contestants are, appropriately, the three numbered titles. While some did prefer the unique parry and magic-focused combat of Kingdom Hearts 1, the manic pace and variance of Kingdom Hearts 2’s combat went over well with fans. Kingdom Hearts 3 is a rather bizarre case, as while it isn’t bad, it was too easy even in its hardest difficulty at launch. Detractors agree that it is hyper-focused on the spectacle and size of its attacks rather than their worth, causing them to cheapen across a playthrough. It felt like and sometimes literally was riding the same park attractions over and over without much variance.
Despite KH3 having some of the best worlds in the franchise, once again the impact of past games felt lost. This can be attributed to too many worlds feeling like long hallways, while KH2, as linear as it was, still had players moving back and forth through different areas. KH3’s plot threads and villains being regularly dangled in front of the player without anything coming of them until the ending. Kingdom Hearts 2 was better paced in this regard, with multiple Organization XIII members being defeated outside the final world alongside other active antagonists. Kingdom Hearts 3 fixed Kingdom Hearts 2’s Drive Forms with its more available transformations, but they themselves had several flaws keeping them from being as satisfying as possible. A happy medium may exist, but KH4 must do all it can to learn from its predecessors before it will reach it.
Kingdom Hearts 4 Would Work Better With Kingdom Hearts 2 Elements
Beyond the quality of Kingdom Hearts 2 itself is how well its format might mesh with Kingdom Hearts 4. Supposedly, KH4 will be adhering to a somewhat similar format to Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2, in that there will be many worlds branching off of one that the player could treat as a hub. In 4’s case, that world will be Quadratum, and players will likely return to it after every or almost every world. This places it squarely in the realm of Kingdom Hearts 2’s Hollow Bastion, later renamed Radiant Garden, as a world that must be visited several times in the story even if there are always multiple worlds between visits. As KH4 will apparently employ less worlds due to their enhanced detail, instituting two scenarios per location like in KH2 could work well.
Whatever Kingdom Hearts 4’s story ends up being, it should feel like it is progressing every couple of world visits, and not just at the end. Kingdom Hearts 3 had a real problem with this, and tried to lead players on with tangential cutscenes that sometimes set up plot points for other Kingdom Hearts games. The game came off as doing chores to witness years-old plot resolutions as rewards, while by the end of KH2, Sora and co. had accomplished several personal and cosmic feats of heroism.
It is important for KH4 to have established goals and developments throughout its runtime, possibly even providing choices for progression and completion in its late game like 2 did. Kingdom Hearts 4 should try to be exciting, satisfying, and reasonably well paced, and examining why KH2 worked and KH3 didn’t is a good start for getting there.
Kingdom Hearts 4 is in development.
MORE: Kingdom Hearts 4 Should Expand the Franchise’s Party System
