The surprise announcement of Kingdom Hearts 4 has everyone already speculating what will be next for the series. The popular RPG has for a long time been a fantastic mishmash of Square and Disney worlds, combining the designs of both companies into a visual treat. While Kingdom Hearts' narrative takes a lot of wild turns, the visual and world designs are some of the best out there.
The question now is, where we will go next in Kingdom Hearts? The trailer showcase of what seems to be a replica of real-world Tokyo already shatters the mold more so than players may have expected. Still, if you have access to Disney-owned properties, there are a few that should probably be in the game for the first time. So, here are six Disney properties that I hope get a Kingdom Hearts 4 world.
Possible Kingdom Hearts 4 Worlds - Sakaar from Marvel
Look, as much as people might begrudgingly hate to admit it, Marvel will likely have some presence in Kingdom Hearts 4. While some are no doubt fatigued by the over-saturation of the MCU in mainstream pop culture, there are some ideas for worlds that would or could make an appearance. Of the ones that could be a good idea is the planet Sakaar, from Thor: Ragnarok.
So why Sakaar? First, it’s more of a run-down, trash planet that has a lot of unique characters that can translate well to a video game. Secondly, it has the coliseum with the Grandmaster, a sort of smarmy villain that would make a good secondary antagonist to contend with. Lastly, the coliseum itself can also serve as an updated version of the Olympus Coliseum from past Kingdom Hearts games. Heck, maybe we will see cameos from Cloud again here.
Possible Kingdom Hearts 4 Worlds - Lalotai in Moana
The movie Moana is one of the best-animated films Disney has created in recent years. The film is a wonderful adventure story that leads to memorable set pieces and challenges that Moana, Maui, and the hen HeiHei have to endure. Coconut Pirates, massive stormwinds, and even the goddess of Te Fiti are just some of what the movie offers. For Kingdom Hearts 4, the set-piece Lalotai, in particular, would be a fantastic world to go through.
Lalotai is the lair of Tamatoa, the giant, greedy coconut crab where Maui must retrieve his magical fish hook. Tamatoa would make an excellent guest boss villain to contend with, flanked by Moana and Maui in battle. The lair could serve as the obligatory "water level" for Kingdom Hearts 4, from the surface down to the deep. Colorful, imaginative, and filled with plenty of already built-in battles, I hope that Lalotai makes an appearance in Kingdom Hearts 4, simply for the potential of what it can bring to the table.
Possible Kingdom Hearts 4 Worlds - Casa Madrigal in Encanto
Encanto is a fantastic movie that offers a lot of potential for a Kingdom Hearts 4 world. For one, the house itself could be a magical place to contend with, offering corridors and doorways to their own magical worlds. The worlds themselves can be a nice amalgam of challenges to deal with, from simple battles to puzzles to navigate. It is a series of small worlds under one roof.
The characters you can meet can be a great mix of allies and fight off the heartless, with the entire Madrigal family potentially being at your disposal. I can personally see Mirabel and Luisa getting the top billing there in some form, being the fan favorites from the movie. Heck, maybe we may even get Bruno involved, so long as we're allowed to talk about him.
Possible Kingdom Hearts 4 Worlds - Treasure Planet
Treasure Planet is an underrated movie in the Disney canon of animated films. It never got a fair shake when it was first released, but the art style of mixing old-world European sailing and high-tech futuristic flairs offers a unique aesthetic that could be potentially breathtaking. Visually, at least, Treasure Planet would be a treat to see in Kingdom Hearts 4.
From a story standpoint, the titular Treasure Planet makes the most sense for a world to visit. It's a planet that is literally a machine to its core, filled with mechanical traps and alien-like flora to contend with. Characters-wise, we could see Long John Silver as a reluctant, even tragic, villain to deal with. Considering his characterization in the film, there may even be a form of redemption for Silver, depending on how you look at it of course.
Possible Kingdom Hearts 4 Worlds - The Great Before and more from Soul
Pixar has tons of imaginative worlds and concepts, and it’s actually a shame that they are not featured as much in Kingdom Hearts. Seeing Toy Story and Monsters Inc. in Kingdom Hearts 3 kind of opened the gates for more. Out of Pixar's recent properties, the most imaginative have to be The Great Before, The Great Beyond, and The Zone in Soul. Exploring deeper concepts of life and pre-existence, even in an animated form, the high concept of finding yourself and doing "soul searching" is a perfect fit for Kingdom Hearts 4.
One other reason I hope we see Soul in Kingdom Hearts is the potential for the music. The use of jazz was always a nice touch in Soul, and seeing it translated with some new arrangements in Kingdom Hearts would be a musical treat. Even though Soul is sometimes overlooked by the likes of Pixar classics such as Finding Nemo and The Incredibles, I hope that the imaginative world and themes are strong enough for an entry into the game.
Possible Kingdom Hearts 4 Worlds - Tatooine from Star Wars
There is a strong chance that we will see Star Wars in Kingdom Hearts 4. Much like Marvel, it's likely going to happen over other Disney properties at this point. The obvious choice would be Tatooine, which is one of the few planets in the Star Wars galaxy everyone can recognize. It is also the location where we have a ton of Star Wars characters converging to pick from across generations of timelines.
The question now is, how would Tatooine look in Kingdom Hearts 4? Would we see Luke Skywalker and Han Solo fighting Jabba the Hutt? Rey fighting off remnants of the First Order? All of those are good choices, but I suspect that the nod will instead go to the Mandalorian and Grogu. It just seems to fit the mold of Kingdom Hearts 4, preserving characters like Luke and Rey for other projects while maintaining the Star Wars identity.
So there are six Disney properties that I hope we see as Kingdom Hearts 4 worlds. Honestly, all bets are off with what may actually be in Kingdom Hearts 4, but I can hope that we do see wild and magical worlds from the House of Mouse once more.
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A longtime player of games, creator of worlds, and teacher of minds. Robert has worked many positions over the years, from college professor to education… More about Robert
