Kingdom Hearts 4 was just announced as part of Square Enix's celebrations for the 20th anniversary of the Kingdom Hearts franchise. The game was announced via a cinematic trailer with a little bit of gameplay, which hints at a darker story, while showing off Kingdom Hearts 4's impressive visuals and some new movement options for Sora to use. The trailer also introduces players to the new setting of Quadratum.
The Kingdom Hearts series is full of wacky and whimsical worlds to explore, so the subdued ones really stick out and signify the game is getting serious. KH4's Quadratum is no exception and will seemingly take Sora on a brand-new type of adventure. Kingdom Hearts 3 ends on a cliffhanger with Sora disappearing, but Quadratum may hold the secret for him to return home.
Kingdom Hearts 3's Mysterious End
Kingdom Hearts 3 ends on a somber note. Sora faces off one last time against Master Xehanort at Scala ad Caelum, finally putting an end to the saga. After the battle, Sora uses his Power of Waking in order to save Kairi, who was turned into a crystal and shattered during the fight. This power comes at a cost, though, as Sora sits with Kairi a final time and disappears soon after.
Kingdom Hearts 3 wraps up the story arc that was set in motion from the first game. It was known upon release that KH3 would not be the final game in the franchise, so a large cliffhanger is the easiest way to set up a new, looming threat for Sora and friends. The very end of Kingdom Hearts 3 reveals Quadratum, three years ahead of the gameplay trailer for KH4. The city's realistic, darker tone seems to signify a true new chapter for the series.
Interestingly enough, Quadratum is the home to another character from KH3. Yozora, from the in-universe video game Verum Rex, is shown to be real and living here during the same ending scene. The fact that this video game is not fictional after all raises even more questions, adding to Quadratum's mystery.
Kingdom Hearts 4's City of Quadratum
Quadratum may have only been teased with Kingdom Hearts 3's ending, but it is shown in full force with KH4's reveal trailer. Unlike the rest of Kingdom Hearts' worlds, which are either Disney-themed or original and fantasy/sci-fi themed, Quadratum appears to be completely modern. In fact, it heavily resembles Tokyo, down to the Katakana written on the street signs. Quadratum is complete with dozens of cars, highways, and skyscrapers — the furnishings of any major city. Sora and the gargantuan Heartless that is wreaking havoc stick out like a sore thumb.
Despite looking like a normal, modern city, Quadratum is full of mystery. The new character who greets Sora upon waking up describes it as "full of life," but an "afterworld" for the two of them. This alone has tons of implications, such as Sora needing to have potentially died to arrive here and that this new character is originally from Sora's world as well. Sora is clearly alive and kicking, so Quadratum may serve more like purgatory — though the reason it takes the form of modern Tokyo is unknown.
Lastly, it is a mystery why or how Quadratum holds the secret for Sora to return home. It is clear that Sora needs to grow here in order to succeed, despite being more alone than ever. Well, Sora is alone in regard to allies. On top of the Heartless that appears to terrorize the city, the end of the trailer shows some hooded figures that resemble Organization 13. One states that Sora should not expect to return to his world upon leaving Quadratum behind. There is clearly some secret to Quadratum, and Sora is not the only one after it.
Kingdom Hearts 4 marks the start of the series' next chapter. Finally free from its 20-year story arc, Quadratum is the perfect setting to take the story in a new, darker direction. Organization 13 is seemingly up to no good once again, so Sora has his work cut out for him if he ever hopes to return home.
Kingdom Hearts 4 is currently in development.