Highlights
- Kingdom Hearts 4 could shake up the party structure by making room for more allies than Donald and Goofy alone.
- Previous games in the series maintained the standard two ally system, but Kingdom Hearts 3 experimented with larger party sizes, hinting at possibilities for KH4.
- Kingdom Hearts 4 could redefine gameplay options by introducing a bigger party size and a variety of new possible party members.
Ever since Kingdom Hearts 4‘s official reveal trailer confirmed the game’s existence, fans have been revisiting this footage and speculating as to what the upcoming game will consist of. It’s been made clear that a dramatic shift into the realistic style of Quadratum and the greater concept of Unreality is set to usher in a new era for the Square Enix crossover franchise, but the end of the trailer also implied that one core aspect of the numbered entries might be sticking around despite this. Kingdom Hearts 4 might keep the main supporting characters of the past to make for a cohesive transition moving forward, but there’s room to build on the party structure as a whole.
In a scene that follows the main sequence of KH‘s Sora waking up in Quadratum, his iconic partners, Donald and Goofy, are shown seemingly searching for their lost friend before encountering a character that might be Hercules‘ Hades. It would appear that the pair of Disney royal guards are set to return with other licensed characters from KH‘s history, something that has been reassuring for many fans who see Sora’s party as representative of the franchise as a whole. It’s not known if they are actually going to be present in the same capacity, but going beyond the typical limit of two party members would allow KH4 to achieve a satisfying set of options that don’t extinguish the merits of the past.
Kingdom Hearts 4 May Put Newcomers in a Catch-22 Situation
The cast of Kingdom Hearts 4 shows Square Enix has a new vision for the series’ future, but there’s an inherent contradiction in this approach.
Kingdom Hearts Has Hardly Ever Strayed From Its Standard Party Structure
Up to Two Allies Alongside the Protagonist is a Predictable KH Setup
The gameplay formula that the series would become known for was first seen in 2002’s Kingdom Hearts, and it has remained consistent across numbered titles while influencing the systems of others. Donald and Goofy are available to Sora on every world he accesses essentially, with one needing to be swapped out if another, world-specific character joins. The likes of Birth by Sleep and 358/2 Days would differ with who appeared in their parties, but still never exceeded two companions.
Kingdom Hearts 3 Experimented With More Party Members
In a showing of its more advanced technology and ambitious attention to detail regarding Disney Worlds, KH3 went the extra mile by no longer requiring the player to switch anyone out when new people became available. This created larger battles in which a team of six wasn’t out of the ordinary, and the game pushed the concept even further when it came to its final sequence. The Keyblade Graveyard saw a huge cast of original KH faces uniting as “joint struggle characters”, but this idea doesn’t have to remain a relic of this one-time event if KH4 expands its party system.
Kingdom Hearts 4’s Next Generation Could Be Defined by an Increased Party Size
The Potential of Going Beyond Just Donald and Goofy
Many fans of KH are less than receptive to the prospect of Sora going on an adventure without the duo he’s built a bond with, but the change in direction that the fourth numbered entry is receiving might benefit greatly from looking further for allies. Whether its potential introduction of worlds that bring about Star Wars‘ Luke Skywalker or a Marvel superhero, or Quadratum spawning new takes on Young Xehanort and Ventus in Kingdom Hearts 4, being able to fight alongside them allows for even more bonds to set new foundations.
Retaining the Identity of KH While Creating More Gameplay Options
The potential omission of Donald and Goofy in KH4 in favor of other party members could compromise what Sora has built with them over the years, but simply allowing for even more than them wouldn’t create such an issue. After Kingdom Hearts 3 proved that the series could handle an unprecedented number of allies, and even playable characters, on the screen at once, going back to just two may end up ultimately feeling like a step back.
Kingdom Hearts 4
Kingdom Hearts 4 is an action RPG developed by Square Enix and represents the fifteenth installment in the franchise. Players once again are put in the shoes of Sora who is suddenly trapped in a more realistic world called Quadratum, with companions like Donald and Goofy attempting to rescue him. Kingdom Hearts 4 is a direct sequel to Kingdom Hearts 3 and Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory.
