Kingdom Heartsis nearly two decades old at this point, and so much of its charm has come from providing a new look at the nearly century-old catalog of Disney. Disney has definitely not slowed down during the time since the originalKingdom Heartswas released, however. A fan-favorite part ofKingdom Hearts 3was getting to explore some of the newer properties from Disney and Pixar, withFrozen,Big Hero 6andToy Storyfeaturing. The nextKingdom Heartsgame has a huge wealth of both Disney and Pixar worlds to pull from alongside the possibility of branching out into some of the other properties that are now owned by Disney.
Disney makes up half of the DNA that’s madeKingdom Heartsas popular as it is today. A lot of the appeal ofKingdom Heartscomes from nostalgia, but there are a lot of newer properties that could make for excellent worlds for Sora and his friends to explore. Newer movies likeRaya and the Last Dragon,Onward,Luca, andMoanaall feature casts of colorful characters and worlds brimming with magic and adventure that could translate incredibly well to theKingdom Heartsformat. That is without even mentioning the wealth of properties that fall under the Disney umbrella with Marvel andStar Wars, showing just how much potential a sequel would have.
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Disney and Pixar Have a Host of Great Worlds for Kingdom Hearts
Narrowing down which Disney worlds to explore in a newKingdom Heartsis likely a daunting task. A lot of fans considered some worlds like that ofHerculesas a necessary mainstay, as so many adventures have already occurred there. However, introducing new worlds toKingdom Heartsis equally important. SeeingPirates of the Caribbeanappear inKH2orBig Hero 6inKH3helped create memorable breaks from some worlds that can feel similar, like Beast’s Castle and Snow White’s forest. As such, balancingnostalgia inKingdom Heartswith newer adventures will be key. The newer worlds from Disney and Pixar could also provide a lot more diversity in terms of environment, characters, and gameplay elements.
Imagining a ship system reminiscent ofKH3’sused to explore the vast open seas ofMoanaorLucais exciting, and many of the other newer properties provide similar possibilities.Onwardwas already designed around classic RPG tropes from sources likeDnD, which was a huge influence onKingdom Hearts’predecessorFinal Fantasy, so adapting its world toKingdom Heartscould be a natural fit. Costume changes for Sora and the gang as they exploreCoco’sLand of the Dead could become quick favorites whenKingdom Hearts 4eventually releases, andCococould serve as a fun replacement for theNightmare Before Christmasstage that was missing inKingdom Hearts 3.
That same concept applies toRaya and the Last Dragon, as players could enjoy it as a natural replacement forMulanlevels now that the main story was covered inKH2. The slate of newer movies provide enormous opportunities forKingdom Hearts, and that’s before even mentioning Marvel orStar Wars. TheKHprequelBirth by Sleepfollowed a very similar arc to that of Anakin Skywalker, and the chance to visit an iconicStar Warsworld like Tattooine not only makes fans salivate, but could also fit naturally into Sora’s world-hopping adventures. The same is true of the Marvel universe. The chance to see Sora fight against Thanos with the Avengers sounds far-fetched, butKingdom Heartshas already pulled off the seemingly impossible. As fans look to thefuture of theKingdom Heartsfranchise, the possibilities of where Sora could adventure next seem almost limitless.
