- After four years, we finally get another Kingdom Hearts 4 trailer
- Disney characters were few and far between, but two worlds were teased
- We didn’t get a release date either
It’s hard to be one Kingdom Hearts fan. The series is an all-time great, but if its platform-hopping origins weren’t frustrating enough – with entries exclusive to different consoles and even different regions for a while – we now have to face the fact that Square Enix loves to take its time between entries, and between a new game’s announcement and release.
Kingdom Hearts 3 was first shown about five and a half years before its release, and it seemed Kingdom Hearts 4 can take as much time between just its first and second trailer. That is, until we got a brand new look at the game at the Nintendo Direct, saving this year’s Summer Game Fest event for me just as I had admitted that the Disney meets Final Fantasy crossover would be absent again.
The minute-and-a-half footage mixed combat gameplay with cutscenes of black-robed figures, protagonist Sora facing off against a heartless behemoth on the streets of Tokyo, and a few new and familiar faces – including several from Kingdom Hearts’ now-defunct mobile and browser games.
Despite these more obscure inclusions, Square has said that KH4 is meant to be a jumping-off point for the series, with the game’s director, Tetsuya Nomura, describing the KH3 ending in an interview as a “reset” — one that “should make it even easier for newcomers to engage with the story from KH4.”
Look at
Disney who?
I’m not convinced that the latest trailer supports Nomura’s claims, but as a longtime fan who has loved the series’ weird spin-offs, I’m not complaining.
The other interesting detail in the trailer for me is how short it is on Disney characters. We only get the briefest glimpse of Donald and Goofy surrounded by blue flames.
Although we were hinted at two possible Disney worlds, we will be visiting in some capacity. The first comes from the blue flames, which strongly suggest that Hades, the god of the underworld, is returning from Hercules. The world of Hercules has appeared in almost every entry in the series so far, so its inclusion in the 4 makes a lot of sense.
Further, while Sora’s fate at the end of Kingdom Hearts 3 is a bit odd, he seems to be dead in a way so a death god would probably be involved in his friend’s quest to find him. Plus, Hades’ voice actor has since teasing his involvement online, saying “I might have a little bit of inside knowledge on this” and sharing the latest trailer.
I may have a little bit of inside knowledge on this. Just want to say, it’s amazing, and maybe one of the best in the series. https://t.co/uUpFf7s2RE9 June 2026
The second hint comes from Sora’s Keyblade – a vortex of fire and water combined into one weapon. While we don’t get the best look at it as it’s being swung around in combat, it feels like a clear reference to 2023’s Elementaryespecially since the keyblade creates a flower effect when it hits enemies, somewhat reminiscent of the movie’s vivisteria flowers.
Interestingly, Sora has this keyblade while fighting in the realistic version of Tokyo, suggesting that he will be on the world stage while still trapped in this alternate reality — one that didn’t experience the visceral conflict between light and dark before his arrival, we learn in this new clip.
A missing detail
![KINGDOM HEARTS Collection [I ~ III] Advertise trailer - YouTube](https://pakinomist.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/1781145069_296_Kingdom-Hearts-4-trailer-teases-Hercules-and-Elemental-worlds-but.jpg)
The only thing missing is a release date or even a release year. After four years since it was first teased, you’d hope that Square Enix would be able to give us some sort of timeline for this game’s release.
My guess is sometime in late 2027, maybe early 2028 at the earliest. It is based on a new Kingdom Hearts collection that lands here in October and that we have the last part of Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy will drop in the spring of next year (it will be sometime in March to May).
This is certainly frustrating. I can’t tell you how desperate I am to jump back in Kingdom Hearts world, but hopefully the wait will be worth it.
Admittedly, this trailer makes me a little worried. Maybe it’s the wide open space of the streets of Tokyo, but the combat felt a little sparse, and something felt a little off about Sora’s fight against the giant Heartless. Shooting, so maybe things will change Kingdom Hearts 4′s final full release.
At least we found out that it will be another multi-platform launch across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, PC and Nintendo Switch 2.
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