One thing that might be tough for fans of theKingdom Heartsseries to really wrap their heads around is that the series releases new games at a frequent pace, even though the numbered titles are years apart. Now, with the upcoming release ofeveryKingdom Heartstitle on PC, more fans are bound to be excited to see the next main entry in the series, though the wait may be longer than expected.
Following the way that theKingdom Heartsseries has approached releases before, players can definitely expect new titles releasing within the next few years, butKingdom Hearts 4will be further down the line. However, while it might be a while before players get the answers to the laundry list of questions the most recent titles have left hanging, that doesn’t mean there won’t be other related titles releasing in that time.
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There is a bit of a give and take when it comes topredicting the releases ofKingdom Heartstitles, thanks in no small part to the erratic way games have launched in the past. The relatively quick turnaround between the first and second games in the series, and the elongated wait between the second and third makes finding any kind of pattern difficult. Some evidence could be pointing at a whole new host of spin-offs on the way, or the next numbered title could actually be closer than some fans might be expecting.
Kingdom Hearts Spin-Off Titles
A commoncriticism of theKingdom Heartsserieshas been the way a huge amount of lore and ongoing narrative had previously released across a series of spin-off titles on handheld/mobile consoles. Even calling them spin-offs is a bit of a misnomer at this point, considering that each of these titles have had a huge impact on the overall story and the multiple plots that came together inKingdom Hearts 3. However, some fans are holding out hope that, since the release of the most recent numbered title, the series might be finally changing direction back towards a more cohesive release schedule.
Of course,Melody of Memorydidn’t take long to disprove that theory, cementing in that the series will continue to rely on side content in order to dole out critical story beats. Fortunately this latest release did manage to succeed in a number of ways as both a new entry in the series, as well as a decently built rhythm action title. The problem being that, as good asMelody of Memoryis, it’s definitely a niche title that might not appeal to the broaderKingdom Heartsfanbase. However, it still contains a number of new plot developments that will be important down the line.
The Kingdom Hearts 2 and 3 Gap
The result of these handheld/mobile titles, that a number of fans wrote off as unrelated spin-offs, is that theKingdom Heartsseries seemingly took a thirteen year long break between the second and third installments. As difficult as it might be for fans to hear, there is a good chance that it could be a similar wait forKingdom Hearts 4as there was forKingdom Hearts 3. That doesn’t necessarily mean that there won’t be side content to come in the meantime, but it could mean a long wait before the new storylines are finally wrapped up.
To that same degree, creative director Tetsuya Nomura has mentioned that he would like todrastically changeKingdom Heartsin the future. This could mean shifting direction from all of these spin-off games that could really be labeled as main installments, to heading directly into numbered titles from here on out. However, there are a few hanging threads that might need to be tied up before the series can fully move forward, especially with how important certain characters and events are building up to be to the series.
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Union X
Easily the most contentious title among fans,Union Xoften lands low onKingdom Heartstier listsdue to its nature as a card collecting gacha title that is loaded to the brim with filler. The ongoingDark Roadplotline is a bit of a different story, at least from a gameplay perspective, but even this side story within a side story has its own problems with unnecessary fluff. That being said, the ongoing narrative within the title is one of the more interesting in the series. A full depiction of the Keyblade War and the story of the new Union Leaders deserves theBack Covertreatment down the line.
The only real problem with the narrative as it has been doled out so far, is that thestory ofKingdom Hearts Union Xis ongoing, with short new chapters being released once a month. There are mysteries and revelations happening frequently within the title, and it appears that one character in particular, the Master of Masters, is going to have a major role inKingdom Hearts 4. So, it’s possible that fans might have to wait untilUnion Xfinishes before the next numbered title releases, possibly with some spin-offs to connect the two storylines.
Sora is Missing
On the other hand of the expected wait forKingdom Hearts 4, the next title needs to really advance the story to be a numbered entry. As is explained in theending ofKingdom Hearts 3andRe:Mind, Sora has gone missing as a result of his overuse of the Power of Waking to save Kairi. Addressing that issue in another title with a name likeDream Drop Distanceor358/2 Daysexclusively on a mobile platform would be a huge mistake on the side of Square Enix.
Players are already excitedly theorizingYozora’s role inKingdom Hearts 4, or how the World of Fiction introduced inMelody of Memorymight get resolved in the next game. There’s been too much setup for the beginning of a whole new series, for Square Enix to bring Sora back in what many fans consider to be side content. Even with the previous history of the developer when it comes to releases in theKingdom Heartsseries, it’s possible that the next thing players see will be a numbered entry.
Kingdom Hearts 3is available now on PS4 and Xbox One, with a PC release set for March 30th, 2021.
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