Kingdom Hearts 3 marked the end of the Dark Seeker saga, putting a cap on the first arc of the series and honing the series to a fine point in several areas. It still left something to be desired in other areas though, which is why we’ve compiled a list of five things we want from the next mainline Kingdom Hearts game.
Better-Utilized Gameplay Mechanics
We touched on this in a recent opinion piece regarding the ReMind DLC, but one of Kingdom Hearts 3’s weaker elements upon release was its gameplay; or rather, how little of it players actually had to learn.
Like past titles in the series, the game wasn’t too challenging to get through by mashing the attack button or spamming magic spells. Sure, some bosses saw a minor difficulty spike, but the majority of the game was a bit too breezy, even for newcomers to the series.
It was a shame, especially given how deep the gameplay actually was. Learning how to properly guard, dodge, use Shotlocks and pull off Reprisals all make the game a blast to play, and a spectacle that lives up to the insanity of the story.
Admittedly, the ReMind DLC addressed this with more challenging bosses who forced players to engage with these mechanics. And yet, it only served to make the lack of them in the base game more apparent.
As such, the next Kingdom Hearts game should put its gameplay mechanics front and center. Doing so will only make players that much more engaged with the title, and create even more dedicated fans who will sing the series’ praises as it moves into its next arc.
More Original Worlds
Ask any fan what some of their favorite worlds from the Kingdom Hearts series are, and they’re almost certain to list one or more of the worlds created specifically for the series.
From the sandy beaches of Destiny Island to the sprawling twilit streets of Twilight Town, the series has seen a handful of locals made specifically for the games.
Each has their own spirit and eccentricities, and as the series has progressed, they’ve been further fleshed out with more characters, new locals to explore and other details that make players want to explore them as thoroughly as possible.
Most all of them have been met warmly by the Kingdom Hearts fandom, and more often then not, the chance to return to any of them has been met with widespread excitement.
Given that the series is moving into a new arc, it only seems natural that it should see more original worlds thrown into the mix. It would give the story more room to expand and try new things, while also giving fans of the Kingdom Hearts-original worlds content they can obsess over and lose themselves in for hours on end.
A Clearer Narrative
Ok, so we’re getting this one out of the way early.
If there’s one critique both fans and non-fans have about the Kingdom Hearts series, it’s how convoluted the story has become. Everything from clones and time travel to survivors of a world-ending war being kept in stasis via a virtual reality-thing have been tossed into the bubbling cauldron that is Kingdom Hearts’ story.
Admittedly, Kingdom Hearts 3 condensed a solid portion of this insanity into a cohesive story – save for the bits it left open to entice people into keeping up with future entries in the series – but as a whole, the franchise still feels like an unruly garden Tetsuya Nomura continues to let grow as it will, dropping story ideas in at random to see what happens.
Moving into the next entry, it would be a huge boon to fans and Nomura himself if the story tried to narrow and focus itself, if only just a bit. As fun as it is to throw things against a wall and see what sticks, carefully choosing what goes into the story could save fans the headache of trying to keep up with everything.
Plus, if done correctly, it could also save Nomura and his team the trouble of trying to find explanations for new story elements that don’t tie in that well to pre-established canon.
More Crossover Stories That Matter
Aside from the gameplay not being properly utilized, there was another weakness players couldn’t help but notice in Kingdom Hearts 3: Most of the Disney worlds didn’t matter to the plot.
Sure, there were brief explanations for why players were still going to Disney worlds. The Thirteen Darknesses were looking for potential tools they could use, scoping out new Princesses of Heart, trying to track down the Master of Masters’ black chest or interfering with Sora gaining the Power of Waking, so players had to stop them.
Overall though, few felt like they needed to be there. At best, they felt obligatory, and like they had to be there because that’s what Kingdom Hearts is. At worst, they were spark notes retellings of Disney movie plots, with Sora and friends watching from the sidelines and gleaning meaning from what happened.
Moving forward, it would be crucial to make the Disney crossover worlds more integral to the story. Ensuring they tie into the plot in meaningful ways, and that they aren’t just shot-for-shot retellings the player has no part in, could help elevate them back to the important role they used to occupy in the series.
More Answers
If there’s one thing the next mainline Kingdom Hearts game needs above all else, it’s answers to lingering questions raised throughout the Dark Seeker saga.
As of this list’s writing, there are a wealth of questions hanging in the air surrounding different characters, plot points and the Kingdom Hearts world at large.
Who is the Master of Masters? What’s in his creepy black box? How old is Ventus? What really happened to Sora after the end of Kingdom Hearts 3 and ReMind, and where is he now? And who is Yozora, especially given that he says the version Sora saw in ReMind?
The list goes on and on, and given the drawn-out nature of the series, it has been anyone’s guess as to how long fans will have to wait for answers.
If only to reward some of its most loyal fans, the next mainline Kingdom Hearts needs to answer at least a few of these questions. A fanbase can only be expected to hang onto dangling plot threads for so long before they move on, and Kingdom Hearts already has multitudes more than most other series.
Plus, given that this new arc won’t have as much attachment to it for most people, it’s all the more imperative Nomura and his team give those people a reason to stick with the series for another 18 years or more.
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