Tetsuya Nomura Drops a Cryptic Kingdom Hearts 4 Tease on Birth by Sleep’s 15th Anniversary

Kingdom Hearts series director Tetsuya Nomura shared a mysterious hint about the long sleeper Kingdom Hearts 4 pointing to the epilogue Kingdom Hearts 3 and even Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep connection.

Kingdom Hearts X/Tweetr Nomura’s account posted a message about Birth by Sleep’s 15th anniversary, in which he discussed the crossroads scene at its climax.

He then tied some things together for less familiar fans by saying that these crossover scenes have been around for a long time in Kingdom Hearts, and they all follow the concept of giving something up in order to get something in return. The brief epilogue at the end of Kingdom Hearts 3 was a crossroads scene in itself, and while he doesn’t directly reference Kingdom Hearts 4, he said the explanation for that epilogue is “a story for another time.”

Nomura explained: “Intersections serve as an important point of divergence. If we follow it right away, we can say that this motif was inspired by the well-known myth of the crossroads from American folklore. The story goes like this: a young man makes a deal with the devil at a crossroads, trading his soul for the ability to play the guitar.

“Crossroads first appears in Kingdom Hearts in Chain of Memories, which is about losing something in order to gain something. And in fact, all subsequent appearances of crossroads have the same meaning.

“The greatest example is Birth by Sleep, a story in which all three main characters pay a high price to get something. But wait… When the Lost Masters gather at a crossroads in Kingdom Hearts 3, what is gained and what is lost? a story for another time.”

This tiny, cryptic teaser for Kingdom Hearts 4 has become the game’s biggest fanbase in years. Even though it was revealed in September 2022 with a full cinematic trailer.developer Square Enix has since gone incredibly quiet and, in keeping with series tradition, fans are hungry for more information.

The trailer showed flashy gameplay featuring protagonist Sora, but Square Enix said it was from an Unreal Engine 4 demo, while the real game will be made on Unreal Engine 5.. It has also already been fully analyzed, and some even think there is evidence of a Star Wars section.

Otherwise, according to Nomura, Kingdom Hearts 4, after 22 years and a whopping 18 games, will finally hit the market. move the Kingdom Hearts narrative towards its conclusion.

Ryan Dinsdale is a freelance reporter for IGN. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.