This news post contains spoilers for Kingdom Hearts III.
In a shocking development for Kingdom Hearts fans alike, Square Enix has announced that game development visionary Yoko Taro (Director of the NieR/Drakengard series) will helm the follow-up to Kingdom Hearts III. The new game, titled Kingdom Hearts 3.5: Fragment[a]ry Passage, will take place after the events of Kingdom Hearts III, and will revolve around Sora as he explores Square Enix-based worlds.
In his official statement regarding this announcement, Taro-san stated:
“I’m quite excited to take on the newest Kingdom Hearts game. When Nomura-san offered me the chance to create a Kingdom Hearts title, I was conflicted. After playing through Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories, Kingdom Hearts II, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep, Kingdom Hearts Re: Coded, Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Fragmentary Passage, Kingdom Hearts Union Cross, Kingdom Hearts III, and Kingdom Hearts V-Cast, I decided to take this new challenge on and give it my best.
I can’t say too much, but I’m looking forward to exploring the mentality that drives Sora to murder hordes of Heartless and Nobodies, and he’ll probably wear a blindfold too. I’m also going to bring Sora back from the dead, because I think that ending was dumb and stinky [laughs].”
Taro-san’s enthusiasm is plain to see, especially since he managed to get through Re: Coded. Fragment[a]ry World will see Sora play “The Reaper’s Game” across numerous video game worlds; a stark departure from the Disney-focused worlds of previous titles. So far, the announced worlds are as follows:
- Final Fantasy (general term, we aren’t sure of which installments it will cover)
- NiER Automata
- The Bouncer
- The World Ends With You
- Left Alive
- Xenogears
- Densha de Go!
While some of these titles may seem obscure, I’m sure Taro-san will make a truly remarkable product. “Leaked” details (which should be taken with a grain of salt) seem to imply that Kairi will appear at some point and defeat two Heartless before being knocked down. And if you’re still not convinced, hey, at least we don’t have to return to Arendelle.
Kingdom Hearts 3.5: Fragment[a]ry World will release exclusively for the Nintendo Switch on April 1st in 2021. For more information on the game, there is none.
