Kingdom Hearts 4 Director Explains The Game's More Realistic Design

Kingdom Hearts IV looks set to introduce a few graphical changes to the long-running series, which includes a more mature look for protagonist Sora and other updated visual tweaks.

In a new interview with Famitsu that was translated by VGC, series creator Tetsuya Nomura spoke about these changes and the world of Quadratum, which serves as an afterlife of sorts. "From Sora's perspective, Quadratum is an underworld, a fictional world that is different from reality, Nomura said. "But from the point of view of the inhabitants on the Quadratum side, the world of Quadratum is reality, and the world where Sora and the others were is the other side, the fictional world."

Nomura added that Goofy and Donald Duck are searching for Sora in Kingdom Hearts IV, and if he were to return to his original reality, he'd start to resemble his more cartoonish design again so that he could fit back into his world. Oversized shoes and all. As fans have discovered, Quadratum has been referenced before as an unreality separate from other realms in the series, with Kingdom Hearts III confirming that location as part of a secret ending.

Kingdom Hearts IV is the start of a brand new saga for Sora and pals, and while it'll still be a while before the game launches, early glimpses of the project have begun scouring the footage for clues as to what they can expect from the Square Enix and Disney Collaboration. Some eagle-eyed fans claim to have spotted a Star Wars tease in the game's reveal trailer, which isn't too implausible given that Disney owns the sci-fi franchise.

In addition to Kingdom Hearts IV, Square Enix also announced a new mobile game called Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link for iOS and Android.