During Disney’s recent D23 Entertainment Showcase, a significant update for Kingdom Hearts 4 was revealed, including the announcement of a new world inspired by Pixar’s Coco. This revelation comes alongside details regarding the game’s release window and the unveiling of a Kingdom Hearts anime series.
A Trip to the Land of the Dead
In the newly released trailer, viewers are transported to Coco’s Land of the Dead. Here, Héctor, Miguel’s grandfather, warns about the “Final Death” awaiting those forgotten by the living. The protagonist, Sora, appears dressed in skull face paint aligning with the vibrant Día de los Muertos theme and collaborates with Miguel and Héctor to fend off a wave of Heartless creatures, acquiring a Coco-themed Keyblade in the process.
Adventures in Other Worlds
Interestingly, the footage showcases a distinct section of gameplay without the beloved characters Donald and Goofy. Instead, the scene shifts to depict the duo on a quest of their own, searching for Sora within the Underworld and the real-world setting of Quadratum, which serves as Kingdom Hearts 4’s central, Tokyo-inspired hub city.
Major Reveal Since 2022
This Coco world reveal marks one of the most substantial gameplay insights for Kingdom Hearts 4 since its initial announcement in 2022. Aside from select teaser trailers and comments from the game’s director Tetsuya Nomura, Square Enix, the publisher and developer, had largely remained silent until this showcase.
Square Enix’s AI Controversy
In a related note, earlier this month, Square Enix dismissed allegations that AI-generated content was used in promoting the anticipated Kingdom Hearts Collection 1-3. These allegations surfaced in early June, and the company has since clarified, stating that the content in question was “created by our development team without the use of generative AI, and the issues resulted from human error.”
Reporting based on coverage first published by eurogamer.net.