Going into 2023, Square Enix fans have a lot to look forward to. Coming fresh off the heels ofCrisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion,Final Fantasy 16is only a few months away. After that, there’s a chance thatFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, the second part of theFF7 Remake, could be released before the end of the year. That’s on top of whatever else Square Enix drops, such asOctopath Traveler 2.Kingdom Hearts 4may not have any significant developments this year, but its spot is being kept warm, especially by the efforts of theFinal Fantasy 7 Remakegames. By the timeKingdom Hearts 4is ready to be seen again, its fans should have been well-occupied.
There’s a real chance that their relationship could end up deeper once both projects finish. AcrossFF7R’s released material so far, there have been heavy implications that theRemakeexists in a new continuity, drawing most events from the original game while also doing its own thing. This is a funnyparallel to what’s happening inKingdom Hearts 4, as the protagonist Sora has been displaced into a strange new reality. With several high ranking developers working on both projects, and a demand for moreFinal Fantasyrepresentation in the nextKingdom Hearts, there’s a good chance these two surprisingly similar franchises could see some crossover.
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Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Kingdom Hearts 4 Have Comparable Stories
TheFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeis implied to be a branch off of the originalFF7’s timeline caused by knowledge of those events traveling back through time via the Lifestream. The true extent of this is still unclear, but something is definitely going on, and the confirmation of several once-minor characters surviving confirms that things won’t be the same. Fans have concluded that the originalSephiroth likely traveled back to theRemaketimelineafter being defeated in theFinal Fantasy 7: Advent Childrenmovie. Thus, for whatever sinister purpose, Sephiroth is trying to make things go differently and Aerith has been granted new information to counter him.
That already sounds a lot like somethingKingdom Heartswould pull, and it came close withKingdom Hearts 3’s Re:Mind DLC showing Sora time traveling back to the base game’s Keyblade War. Meddling with time and bringing someone back from near-death is why Sora ends upexiled to Quadratum inKH4. Now, Sora exists in what his reality considers a “world of fiction,” andFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeis dealing with two or more modified timelines, one featuringCrisis Coreprotagonist Zack. The opportunity forFF7 Remakecharacters, all of whom would bring their new designs to theKingdom Heartsfranchise, to appear in the upper-Midgar-like city of Quadratum is difficult to ignore.
Kingdom Hearts 4 Could Use The Remakes in an Unresolved Storyline
There are actually a lot of parallels betweenKingdom Heartsand theCompilation of Final Fantasy 7if one is willing to sift through each. While baseFF7doesn’t have much to do withKingdom Heartsaside from supplying several major NPCs, a couple are more major than others. An optional subplot concerningFinal Fantasy 7ran throughKingdom Hearts 1and2, culminating in Cloud, with hisAdvent Childrenoutfit, disappearing into a portal with Sephiroth. Fans have been waiting a long time for this to be paid off, and its absence inKH3irked some. However, the introduction of theFF7 RemakeandKH4’s Quadratum may provide the perfect solution.
Kingdom Hearts 4could show the climax of this storyline, with Cloud and Sephiroth using theirFF7 Remakedesigns. There could be a meta acknowledgment of their newest fight taking place in a parallel reality, and the Whispers fromFF7 Remakecould show up to delay Sora’s assistance. Alternatively,Kingdom Hearts' take on Zack, who was implied to have died shortly afterBirth by Sleep, could appear in Quadratum instead. Really, both paths could be taken, and the fanservice-ladenKingdom Heartscould giveFF7fans a team-up between Cloud and Zach against Sephiroth. With a single deliberate reference toFinal Fantasy 7 Remake,Kingdom Hearts 4could delight fans of both, and hopefully Square Enix chooses to make this happen.
Kingdom Hearts 4is currently in development.
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