Published , by TJ Denzer
Published , by TJ Denzer
It was a big morning for Kingdom Hearts fans as Square Enix announced that a collection of new games are in the works for the franchise. Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link is an upcoming mobile game players will be able to check out a closed beta for in 2022, but the bigger news was the announcement of Kingdom Hearts 4, which is now revealed to be in development and will be a new mainline adventure in the series.
Square Enix announced the new collection of Kingdom Hearts games with a compilation YouTube video celebrating the 20th anniversary of the franchise on April 10, 2022. It kicked off with a couple of mobile games, notably Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link. This game will have players take on the role of a keyblade wielder visiting various familiar locations and using the powers of characters from throughout the franchise to dispatch Heartless foes. Missing-Link will be on Android and iOS devices and is expected to have a closed beta on both mobile platforms sometime in 2022.
The major reveal in the compilation was Kingdom Hearts 4. We got a glimpse of cutscenes and even some combat in the first trailer, which seems to take Sora to a new and modern-looking city known as Quadratum. It would appear to be a regular urban sprawl, up until a giant Heartless manifests in the middle of it all. Sora jumps right in to summon his keyblade and do battle with the creature. Shadowy Organization XIII figures and the return of Donald and Goofy are also teased before the trailer ends. Kingdom Hearts 4 is now in development, although it has no launch window as of this first reveal trailer.
Nonetheless, Kingdom Hearts 4 and Missing-Link mark a future full of new goods for the franchise. The art style seems drastically changed in the upcoming mainline game, but it will be interesting what Square Enix brings to the table after it seemingly closed out the story in the solidly-reviewed Kingdom Hearts 3. Stay tuned for more reveals and details as they become available here at Shacknews.