Kingdom Hearts 4The Coco trailer that just debuted on D23 has a surprising amount of hidden details to discover, from Mickey’s new duds to some references to the canceled movie. Missing link.
We’ve never been back again, fellow Keyblade masters. After a few painful years without updates for Kingdom Hearts 4, Disney and square-enix Finally they deliver the merchandise to us in two months with two full trailers. June’s Nintendo Direct reveal was a breath of fresh air, but last night’s trailer was even more exciting.
At first glance, Kingdom Hearts 4’s first D23 trailer just confirmed Coco as Disney’s first world and gave us a little more information about Sora’s time in Quadratum. However, if you live and breathe Kingdom Hearts, you’ll know there’s a lot more going on than that. Here’s everything I saw after countless plays.
Coco is thematically perfect for Kingdom Hearts 4
The D23 trailer began with a recreated scene near the midpoint of Coco where Miguel and Héctor visit Chicharrón as he fades away forever.. It’s our first look at how well Kingdom Hearts 4 is recreating the look of its Disney worlds, but it’s not a one-for-one remake, like there are a few different takes here and there.
I have no idea if Hector is going to do a take in this version of the scene, but I can’t imagine it since it would raise KH4’s age rating a bit.
Hector’s comments about “the final death” also make it clear that Coco fits perfectly into the story of Kingdom Hearts 4. Sora in particular He faded away at the end of Kingdom Hearts 3 and is basically in the afterlifeso visiting the Land of the Dead makes a lot of sense for his arc. Kingdom Hearts worlds are usually chosen according to the themes of the game, so I feel like death and isolation will play a big role in Sora’s journey.
We then see Miguel performing Un Poco Loco at the talent show, with Sora already in the audience cheering him on. This suggests that the two have already met by now, so I doubt this is where the world begins. Then the shadows begin to emerge from the ground and look like their classic selves, which should settle any doubts. About Kingdom Hearts 4 always having a realistic art style.
Sora jumps into frame and we get our first look at his design in the Coco world, complete with skeleton makeup like Miguel, but with a heart and a crown on his cheeks. Sora looks a little more cartoonish than in Quadratumbut it is clear that it will continue to maintain the most realistic hair and the oldest design in all the Disney worlds. Oh, and we also got our first listen to the English dub of Kingdom Hearts 4, with Haley Joel Osment playing Sora much like he did in Kingdom Hearts 3.
It appears that Keyblades are now unlocked during a visit to the world
The next shot from the trailer shows Sora, Miguel, and Hector riding a tram in the Land of the Dead, giving us a beautiful look at the vast world. Sora is then shown acquiring the Coco Keyblade in what appears to be the ruined huts where Chicharrón lives. This scene implies that Keyblades are no longer unlocked after finishing a world.which is a big change as it means you have reason to change while you are in the world.
While some have argued that Kingdom Hearts 3 also showed off the world’s Keyblades in the trailers, this is clearly a scene specific to Coco’s world, so it really feels like it’s changed a bit. The Keyblade itself is unnamed so far, but it’s an awesome design incorporating skeletons and guitars, perfect for Coco.
Our first look at gameplay in the trailer shows Sora taking on a flying Heartless and following it as it moves along a chain. This appears to be a scripted section of a boss battle, but it’s interesting to see a chain on Coco’s Keyblade, suggesting that feature isn’t just tied to the Key to the Kingdom. There is also a unique world menu, which is always nice to see.
Below we are shown Sora and Hector perform what appears to be a limit attack.called Magic Piñata, judging by the bar at the top left of the screen. This could suggest that the limits work like they did in Kingdom Hearts 2. Miguel is also part of the group and can be seen in the background fighting Heartless, which is a nice surprise since Hiro was relegated to a radio in the world of Big Hero 6.
The world map also confirms that the Moogles are returning. I still don’t like the triangular design though.
Miguel and Hector are the first confirmed members of the group in Kingdom Hearts 4 and solidify that Donald and Goofy won’t be reuniting with Sora as quickly as everyone guessed. In fact, it’s starting to look like the trio aren’t going to be together at all, and that Kingdom Hearts 4 could be a more personal journey for Sora. I like it as it’s a nice shake-up of the main formula.
The Trailer’s Final Section Has Some Major Story Implications
Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see much Kingdom Hearts 4 gameplay in this trailer, as the final section is more story-focused. Mickey appears in a library in Scala Ad Caelum and appears to have found information about what happened to Sora. The King also sports a more detailed appearance, as shown by the textures on his ears. and her outfit has actually been modified a bitwhich is more noticeable towards the bottom of your jacket.
Donald and Goofy are then shown talking to Hades in the underworld about Sora’s whereabouts, which goes nowhere as Hades says he’s not there. It’s a shame Donald and Goofy don’t have new outfits, but they look even more detailed than they did in Kingdom Hearts 3 and have much livelier animations.
Speaking of Donald and Goofy, the next scene shows Sora seeing some kind of ghostly vision (reminiscent of Dream Drop Distance) of the couple in Quadratum, before suddenly fainting. Sora’s reaction suggests to me that he doesn’t know who Donald and Goofy are, which could mean that he has once again lost his memory.
That’s not too surprising since he’s in another reality, but this close-up of him also shows that his jacket has the Missing Link Scala Ad Caelum Dandelion Symbol on Buttons. It seems like the game was going to play a big role in setting up Kingdom Hearts 4, so it will be interesting to see what remains since the game was cancelled.
Vali and Streletzia also appear in this scene, suggesting that they are both friends of Sora and help him in Quadratum. Sigurd also appears with Sora in the final scene of the trailer, and appears to be wielding a Missing Link Keyblade. Streletzia is also shown summoning a Keyblade, but we don’t actually get to see her before the trailer cuts away.
And for now, that’s all you need to know about the Kingdom Hearts 4 trailer. We’ll likely see even more in the dedicated Deep Dive into Kingdom Hearts panel later tonight, so stick around for even more long-awaited Kingdom Hearts goodness.
JERS
my
Engine
unreal engine 5
Multiplayer
Online multiplayer
