Kingdom Hearts IV

[DrBloodmoney]

42 minutes ago, BlindMango said:

I get what you mean, but still think it's totally doable for the average person to enjoy the games by playing just the main entries. I don't want to discount that you'd definitely be missing things, but eh, it's fine lol

 

Glad to hear that, man ?

 

I've actually considered trying some of these games out on quite a few different occasions, as they do look like some goofy fun, but I've never pulled the trigger... primarily because I've heard conflicting things about what is "required reading" to understand the narrative, and what isn't.

 

TBH, this is the way any series should be  - numbered entries are required, non-numbered, are side-content, and optional.

 

Any series where the non-numbered, tangential games are "required" to understand the main series entries, rather than them simply providing additional 'flavour' or non-critical extra information... has failed to some extent - and is doing a disservice to it's audience. 

TBh, doing that shows a lack of understanding of the whole concept of a main-narrative through line / side content set-up  

Edited April 10, 2022 by DrBloodmoney

[Conor]

17 minutes ago, DrBloodmoney said:

 

Glad to hear that, man ?

 

I've actually considered trying some of these games out on quite a few different occasions, as they do look like some goofy fun, but I've never pulled the trigger... primarily because I've heard conflicting things about what is "required reading" to understand the narrative, and what isn't.

 

TBH, this is the way any series should be  - numbered entries are required, non-numbered, are side-content, and optional.

 

Any series where the non-numbered, tangential games are "required" to understand the main series entries, rather than them simply providing additional 'flavour' or non-critical extra information... has failed to some extent - and is doing a disservice to it's audience. 

TBh, doing that shows a lack of understanding of the whole concept of a main-narrative through line / side content set-up  

 

Indeed this would be correct if, as you say, any other series was in question. But the problem in this case is that this is Kingdom Hearts. As I said in a previous comment here Nomura and Square Enix messed up a bit with the numbering and naming conventions and that caused definite confusion. The mainstream narrative at the time was that people had been waiting over a decade for Kingdom Hearts III as some sort of conclusion to Kingdom Hearts I and II when that's not what it was supposed to be. The original Kingdom Hearts, Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts II were a trilogy. Pretty much every plot thread that was started in any of those three games was wrapped up by the end of Kingdom Hearts II.

 

Kingdom Hearts III was a conclusion to stuff that was started by the games that came after Kingdom Hearts II, which is when the plot became batshit insane. Those games were dubbed in the media (not by Square-Enix) as "side-games" and thus optional when in actuality they were intended as much more than that. Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep and Dream Drop Distance are every bit "mainline" games as the numbered titles but they didn't get the numbers because they were released on handheld consoles.

 

Like I said, the confusion is on Nomura and Square-Enix.

Edited April 10, 2022 by Stan Lee

[DrBloodmoney]

12 minutes ago, Stan Lee said:

 

Indeed this would be correct if, as you say, any other series was in question. But the problem in this case is that this is Kingdom Hearts. As I said in a previous comment here Nomura and Square Enix messed up a bit with the numbering and naming conventions and that caused definite confusion. The mainstream narrative at the time was that people had been waiting over a decade for Kingdom Hearts III as some sort of conclusion to Kingdom Hearts I and II when that's not what it was supposed to be. The original Kingdom Hearts, Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts II were a trilogy. Pretty much every plot thread that was started in any of those three games was wrapped up by the end of Kingdom Hearts II.

 

Kingdom Hearts III was a conclusion to stuff that was started by the games that came after Kingdom Hearts II, which is when the plot became batshit insane. Those games were dubbed in the media (not by Square-Enix) as "side-games" and thus optional when in actuality they were intended as much more than that. Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep and Dream Drop Distance are every bit "mainline" games as the numbered titles but they didn't get the numbers because they were released on handheld consoles.

 

Like I said, the confusion is on Nomura and Square-Enix.

hmmm, okay.

 

Makes sense, but I guess that highlights the issue - even y’all fans seem to disagree on these points 

 

Appreciate the post though man ? 

I guess it’s a series probably best avoided by newcomers at this point then….leave it for the fans still clinging on to that narrative locomotive with a good grip! 
 

A pity, but hey - plenty other games out there!

Edited April 10, 2022 by DrBloodmoney

[TalalHmd]

The graphics looks great

 

is KH3 and its DLC worth playing? according to the guides the platinum and 100% would take 90-100% give or take, kind of a big investment 

[BlindMango]

54 minutes ago, DrBloodmoney said:

hmmm, okay.

 

Makes sense, but I guess that highlights the issue - even y’all fans seem to disagree on these points 

 

Appreciate the post though man  

I guess it’s a series probably best avoided by newcomers at this point then….leave it for the fans still clinging on to that narrative locomotive with a good grip! 
 

A pity, but hey - plenty other games out there!

 

It's a shame, people seem to be losing their minds over my advice. But they don't understand people interested in dipping their toes into KH but are already overwhelmed by the lore as an outsider looking in aren't going to want to play the game at all when presented with a list of 45 games they "must play" in a specific order otherwise they will be gravely missing out, when that's just not true... It isn't that deep. It's a game about light and dark and travelling to Disney-based worlds to rid the darkness of worlds. It can be as deep or shallow as you want it to be, and you can still have a lot of fun with it no matter how you play through the series or no matter how much attention you pay to the characters and their backstories.

 

I've found a lot of what turns newcomers away from the Kingdom Hearts series are fans who overthink the series way too much and overwhelm people with all this crap they probably wouldn't care about anyway. Bummer, but it is what it is lol

[Rockstar-Suicide]

8 hours ago, DaivRules said:

The two things that have kept me away from Kingdom Hearts all this time are the total chaos of all the Kingdom Hearts titles and a lack of clarity on order someone new should play them in. 
 

And the KH zealots. In-person Kingdom Hearts zealots are the worst. 
 

Seems like someone new shouldn’t just play I, II, III, and then play IV when it comes out?

 

 

It's not so bad. The numbered ones are more like big moments in the series. The release order of the titles is the best way to go about playing them

[Zephrese]

The most important games in the series besides the numbered titles themselves - at least imo - would probably be Birth by Sleep and Dream Drop Distance respectfully.

Playing the numbered titles with those two sprinkled somewhere in-between should be perfectly fine for most newcomers. (Maybe BBS and then DDD after II and before III)

 

In any case, I'm not entirely sure how to feel about that trailer. It's visually very nice to look at, sure, but it doesn't feel like KH anymore. If that makes any sense? lol

It looks way more like Final Fantasy to me, and excessively so at that.

 

Then again, we need to see more of the game first, and it could also intentionally look out of place because Sora himself is. We're probably a few years off regardless. lmao

Edited April 10, 2022 by Zephrese

[SelectiveGamer]

THIS IS REAL AND I DON'T KNOW HOW TO REACT. ?

 

So... yeah... BTW... remember how this was one of my bold predictions for this year? Where I said this would be announced? Whose right now? ?

 

In all seriousness... there were too many hints that something would be revealed and I'm glad that happened unlike a certain other thing in February

 

But I am disappointed that there's no release window. Oh well I guess. I'm not sure if this means I get to finally experience what Versus 13 would have been like or not... but even if not... I'm okay with it at this point. In fact... it might be for the best. Versus 13 is in the past and it's time to put it to pasture at this point. Besides... we might be getting FF16 this year (unknown obviously) so that's good enough for me.

 

Definitely looking forward to this. I just hope it's better than KH3. That game was a massive disappointment for me. Sorry. It just was. Just IMO though obviously. So don't murder me please... ?

 

My best guess for a release is probably 2024 or longer. I want to say 2023 but that does seem extremely unlikely. I'm just glad one of my bold predictions was right again!! lol

 

I just hope this means I don't have to wait another ten years... ?

Edited April 10, 2022 by SelectiveGamer

[Zephrese]

9 minutes ago, SelectiveGamer said:

So... yeah... BTW... remember how this was one of my bold predictions for this year? Where I said this would be announced? Whose right now?

 

I'm just glad one of my bold predictions was right again!! lol

 

It was in the Nvidia leak, so it's not that bold of a prediction really.

[DEI2EK]

This is the press release from Squeenix

 

In the announcement trailer, Sora makes a triumphant return with an updated look at the beginning of an epic new storyline titled the “Lost Master Arc.” Beginning with Sora facing off in a boss battle against a giant enemy, players are introduced to the Quadratum, a large, expansive city set in a gorgeous, realistic world unlike anything ever seen before in the Kingdom Heartsseries. Fans will be excited to see the return of Sora’s well-known companions Donald and Goofy, in addition to the first appearance of Strelitzia, a mysterious new character who appears before Sora in this strange new setting.

 

Another arc, so the 40 year anniversary will be rolling around by the time we finish the series

 

 

https://www.gematsu.com/2022/04/kingdom-hearts-iv-announced

Edited April 10, 2022 by DEI2EK

[Xugoshi]

10 hours ago, Eraezr said:

Hope it's more like KH2 in terms of style. It looks like the other worlds may be getting a soft reboot too(?).

 

Some of those action sequences reminds me of Versus XIII. Wondering if Nomura is using this game as a foundation for his would-be Verum Rex.

 

I agree, personally I feel like the story could use a soft reboot as well due to how overly complicated it's gotten now. Hell even have the franchise get a soft reboot would be nice as well, with a new hero or heroine and lastly go back to it's roots with classic disney mixed with current disney and not exclude FF characters like they did with 3!

1 hour ago, Zephrese said:

 

It was in the Nvidia leak, so it's not that bold of a prediction really.

 

Wait, this might be off topic but wasn't there a FF9 Remake in the Nvidia leak as well!? FF9 Remake is the next big announcement!?

[Zephrese]

5 minutes ago, Xugoshi said:

Wait, this might be off topic but wasn't there a FF9 Remake in the Nvidia leak as well!? FF9 Remake is the next big announcement!?

 

It was in there, IIRC, yes.

 

Not sure if that means it's getting the reimagining treatment that VII has gotten, or just a standard remake more akin to Shadow of The Colossus on PS4.

Edited April 10, 2022 by Zephrese

[Xugoshi]

1 minute ago, Zephrese said:

 

It was in there, IIRC, yes.

 

Not sure if that means it's getting the reimagining treatment that VII has gotten, or just a standard remake more akin to Shadow of The Colossus on PS4.

 

As long as it doesn't affect FF7 R part 2 development like KH3 and FF15 I'm all for it regardless of what direction they wanna go. ? I swear 2023 will see some big announcements, what with the pandemic finally dying down and things finally moving along again!

[Viper]

Kingdom Hearts is an interesting one for me. I played the PS4 version of the first game a few years ago, was enjoying the hell out of it, and at the height of my enjoyment...I ended up buying 2.8. Then...shortly after that...I never finished the first game. I moved on to something else and never went back. Worst of all, I was planning three playthroughs...and that was my first!

 

So I was left with this series I didn't know what to do with, and then here comes Kingdom Hearts 3. I knew if I was ever going to truly get into this series, I was going to have to start KH1 all over again, I'd be rusty and have forgotten everything. So time went on, and I never went back to it....fast forward a while and.....I bought KH3 on sale, for absolutely no reason other than to have it on the shelf next to the other two boxes, still with no real intent on going back to the first game any time soon yet still wanting to do so. Aannnndddd....now there's a fourth game coming. Wonderful. 

[Infected Elite]

7 hours ago, GarciaFever said:

If it says that this is for current gen consoles, it sounds like it "may" be a PS5 exclusive. I really hope that isn't the case, as I want to play and platinum all KH games.

 

I'm sure by the time this comes out you will have a ps5.

Remember, Nomura's dumb ass reveals games 5+ years early and midway through changes a lot. KH3 changed engines and went for a more light hearted story after, when originally it was meant to be dark. Nothing of significance even happens in 3 until they keyblade graveyard. FFXV started as a much more promising looking FF Versus 13. Then changed everything into a happy go lucky boy band adventure. I like the combat in XV but i really wish they had kept the crystals, the city, the thrones, the dark tone. But nope. Nomura changes mind.

 

So don't expect KH4 any time soon

1 hour ago, Xugoshi said:

 

As long as it doesn't affect FF7 R part 2 development like KH3 and FF15 I'm all for it regardless of what direction they wanna go.  I swear 2023 will see some big announcements, what with the pandemic finally dying down and things finally moving along again!

i don't think KH3 and FFXV affected Remake part 1. Part 2 on the other hand... I also think Square is stupid for remaking FF7 in parts because its going to take more then 10years for it to be done. Finish on PS6, multiple "remasters" at that point. Honestly they're just milking it. I'd prefer new entries like 16, KH 4 obviously. Etc.

 

As for pandemic dying down, it is. Until government claims variant 700 is the most deadly lolol. But hopefully some games come out, so many delays plus a dead summer so far for Releases. 2022 is looking like a shit mid year

[jgm4789]

1 hour ago, Xugoshi said:

 

As long as it doesn't affect FF7 R part 2 development like KH3 and FF15 I'm all for it regardless of what direction they wanna go.  I swear 2023 will see some big announcements, what with the pandemic finally dying down and things finally moving along again!

I think what caused ff7 r part 1 to take so long was that cyberconnect2 was partially assisting with developing the game in the beginning. But after they got kicked from the project they had to literally throw out a bunch of unusable work which pushed back the game a couple years. Ff7 r2 on the other hand has a much more stable team and the framework is already put into place so i doubt they are having the same issues that plagued the ff15 to ff7 r1 era square as ff16 and forspoken seem to be going smoothly and the kh team already has the framework in place from kh3.

[Xugoshi]

16 minutes ago, jgm4789 said:

I think what caused ff7 r part 1 to take so long was that cyberconnect2 was partially assisting with developing the game in the beginning. But after they got kicked from the project they had to literally throw out a bunch of unusable work which pushed back the game a couple years. Ff7 r2 on the other hand has a much more stable team and the framework is already put into place so i doubt they are having the same issues that plagued the ff15 to ff7 r1 era square as ff16 and forspoken seem to be going smoothly and the kh team already has the framework in place from kh3.

 

Oh no, see I knew what happened to part 1, but it seems if what you say is true then we probably won't have to wait too long for part 2. Also not having Nomura on the project is a blessing. Although I still think it's a bit far off due to the fact that Forspoken and FF16 is probably next in line and they probably don't wanna butcher the sales by releasing these games too close to each other!

31 minutes ago, Infected Elite said:

 

I'm sure by the time this comes out you will have a ps5.

Remember, Nomura's dumb ass reveals games 5+ years early and midway through changes a lot. KH3 changed engines and went for a more light hearted story after, when originally it was meant to be dark. Nothing of significance even happens in 3 until they keyblade graveyard. FFXV started as a much more promising looking FF Versus 13. Then changed everything into a happy go lucky boy band adventure. I like the combat in XV but i really wish they had kept the crystals, the city, the thrones, the dark tone. But nope. Nomura changes mind.

 

So don't expect KH4 any time soon

i don't think KH3 and FFXV affected Remake part 1. Part 2 on the other hand... I also think Square is stupid for remaking FF7 in parts because its going to take more then 10years for it to be done. Finish on PS6, multiple "remasters" at that point. Honestly they're just milking it. I'd prefer new entries like 16, KH 4 obviously. Etc.

 

As for pandemic dying down, it is. Until government claims variant 700 is the most deadly lolol. But hopefully some games come out, so many delays plus a dead summer so far for Releases. 2022 is looking like a shit mid year

 

Ah yes, of course! And we have to take our, what is it now? Fourth shot? Enough is enough! But yes, hopefully we'll get some good games before then!  

[AJ_Radio]

11 hours ago, gyrocop said:

As much as it pains me to say it, being a fan of the franchise for almost two decades; I think I'm going to jump off the Kingdom Hearts train now.

 

The gameplay has consistently become worse ever since hitting the peak in KH2. It prioritizes spectacle rather than actual thought out combat. Well-balanced combat challenges can only come so far apparently. What is more important is to make the screen flash fun colours all the time, and to fill out the combat with pointless minigames that don't add anything substantial to the base gameplay loop. 

 

The story is a mess, but worse than that Nomura seems incapable of giving it any sort of closure, keeping the series in absolute perpetuity by never letting things fully return to a form of status quo, leaving every single ending unsatisfying. 

Even as we embark on this new arc, we have a lot of unexplained baggage and recapping from the previous games, which is going to probably take up most of the first half of KH4 together with pointless Disney worlds that are paradoxically both the bread and butter of the franchise and complete filler at the same time. The final half of the game is going to be setup for the next game. Continue this loop of KH games until the Big Freeze claims us all. It's all setup, no real payoff. 

 

A lot of this is probably also just due to me getting older and the world getting worse. Disney is no longer a magical place, but a world-conquering money-hogging entity, sucking the soul out of everything they touch, and it is most likely impacting the story that could be told here. KH used to be a fairly magical franchise, but the mask is slipping. I guess, I just don't want to be there when it finally falls off revealing Bob Chapek knee deep in blood soaked money and Nomura making out with his own butt. 

 

Extremely well said.

 

I cannot comment on any Kingdoms Heart game or the upcoming title for the PS5, as I never played any of them. However the amount of hate and dislike for Kingdom Hearts III was pretty telling.

 

It's practically impossible to please everyone in releasing a new game for an old franchise like Kingdom Hearts. Always wanted to play the games back in the day on the PS2 but never had the opportunity.

 

Disney is sadly a mass media giant that is void of any soul or art. The executives there basically pretend the legacy of Walt Disney himself and the rich history of the company doesn't even exist. Michael Eisner got a lot of criticism back in the 1990s for his role as CEO. People said he was a stuck up asshole and a jerk who very nearly destroyed Disney. During his reign, Disney made some historically great animated films. Beauty & the Beast, the Lion King. Never had 2-D animation with some computer assistance looked so good. But this was also when Disney itself practically started going full on corporate.

 

They have their filthy hands in a lot of things and I very much think the original Kingdom Hearts was made in a time when bigger developers weren't afraid to take risks. If I ever manage to play this series I want to know why so many people loved Kingdom Hearts.

[Dantes_994]

On 4/10/2022 at 2:43 PM, PostGameBlues said:

Oh god no, the story's already convoluted. That's just asking to get mindfucked every couple of hours while playing the game. When a friend made me try KH they made me play the games (or watch 4-5 hr cutscenes on YouTube) according to the original release order:

1. KH1 Final Mix

2. Chain of Memories

3. KH 2 Final Mix

4. KH 358/2 Days

5. KH Birth by Sleep Final Mix

6. KH Re:Coded

7. KH Dream Drop Distance HD

8. KH ~X~ Back Cover

9. 0.2 A Fragmentary Passage

 

And then go play KH 3 including the DLC, then move on to the rhythm game: Melody of Memory.

The new mobile game might be cannon too.

 

I really don't even remember wtf the story is about. It's all a blur and it felt like I had a long convoluted fever dream. Maybe when this game is close to coming out I might reconsider recapping the story so far but right now it's just a massive chore.

I only played 1 and 2 back in my ps2 days and then went through Final mix, 358/2 days and Chain of memories on my ps3 but the order you presented here looks to be one of the best I have seen. Probably because it's so simple. I gotta catch up before 4 though

But I gotta say as much as I love the series, giving money to anything made by disney has become a big nono for me. They have become the main villain of the 21st century. 

Edited April 11, 2022 by Johnathan994

[Infected Elite]

After letting it sink in, I'm not excited but I'll probably get day 1. KH3 was super easy, every world had a gimmick, and it didn't get dark until the very end of the game. Everything seemed so happy....

2 and Birth By Sleep/0.2 a Fragmentory Passage are my faves. 

 

KH4 needs to change something other than graphics. Add new mechanics, permanent party members... for example you go to Avengers land and join Cap America,  if you end up in star wars land later you can have Cap as a party member. I think everyone is tired of Goofy and Donald. Also why Sora? why not Aqua? either way, its a messy story. 

 

We will see it late 2025/early 2026 is my bet. 

[Sunny]

Well I'm a huge fan of the franchise, and I know the story by heart and tbh it's not that complicated, people just expected to understand everything about a game playing the 3rd main entry in a 20 years long franchise with multiple spin offs, while I do agree that releasing games that are central to the main plot on obscure hardware is a bit weird Square made an effort to port and compile everything in one place so it's just a lack of really wanting to know the game also making the assumption there won't be Disney worlds based on a 1 minute teaser is a bit naive, the story ended with Quadradum so it was expected to start there, complaining about Kingdom Heart's story became a meme itself, this will definitely be the game to finally make me buy a PS5, can't wait to finally see Yozora's real face and the connection to Versus.

Edited April 11, 2022 by Sunnyburrito

[starcrunch061]

After KH3, I'm not terribly excited about this new entry. I'm sure I'll play it eventually, but at a huge discount.

[kingjavs]

Really hoping the announcement doesn't come with too long of a development timeline. The potential release date leak is exciting considering the validity of the rest of the leaks, and KH3 had a lot of development team issues which caused the lengthy release. Hopefully with a dedicated team they can actually give this franchise the attention it needs. The wacky plot is one thing - how long this saga has taken place is another. I would like some kind of conclusion before I'm 60 years old. ?

[jgm4789]

10 hours ago, kingjavs said:

Really hoping the announcement doesn't come with too long of a development timeline. The potential release date leak is exciting considering the validity of the rest of the leaks, and KH3 had a lot of development team issues which caused the lengthy release. Hopefully with a dedicated team they can actually give this franchise the attention it needs. The wacky plot is one thing - how long this saga has taken place is another. I would like some kind of conclusion before I'm 60 years old.

Im sure it wont be too long as unlike during the ff15/7 part1/kh3 era the teams are much more focused as the kh3 team had to learn unreal after squares inhouse engines ended up not helping things much(forspoken is still using luminous but ff7 is all unreal)  and since kh4 is using unreal from the start they wont be having nearly as many snags.

[SelectiveGamer]

I'm sure no one cares... but... there are already rumors running rampant that Star Wars and Marvel/MCU will be in this game.

 

Good thing? Jumping the shark?

 

Up to interpretation I guess