Finally after an eternity of silence, we’ve got our first official look at Kingdom Hearts 4. Square Enix has dropped a fresh in-game screenshots, and they are gorgeous. Even though it’s just a handful of images, they’re packed with detail and hint at exciting new directions for the long-running Disney-meets-Final-Fantasy saga.
Let’s get the bittersweet part out of the way first. These KH4 screenshots arrived just hours after the unfortunate news that Kingdom Hearts: Missing-Link, a mobile spinoff, has been cancelled. That’s a tough pill to swallow for fans hoping for more stories in the franchise. But the timing of the Kingdom Hearts 4 reveal looks intentional as if Square Enix wants to say, “We hear you. And don’t worry, the mainline series is alive and well.”
The seven screenshots though are not enough to show us much about the story or flashy action sequences, but they confirm one main detail: Mickey Mouse will be playable. After years of him being more of a mystical backup character, players will finally take direct control of the King himself. If that doesn’t get you hyped, I don’t know what will.
What’s more, sharp-eyed fans over on the Kingdom Hearts subreddit spotted an interesting Japanese word in one of the screenshots: “BUILD.” That one word has sparked a lot of speculation, most notably, the idea that KH4 might feature some kind of building or construction mechanic during gameplay. It’s not confirmed yet, but it would make sense in a series that’s always been willing to evolve its combat and world interaction systems.
Square Enix Responds to the Fans
In their post on Bluesky, Square Enix showed some real heart (pun intended), thanking fans for their patience and ongoing support:
“We’ve seen how excited you are, and we are truly grateful from the bottom of our hearts… We’re equally excited and can’t wait to share more about Kingdom Hearts IV when the time is right.”
They also reaffirmed their commitment to the game’s development, saying the team is “pouring [themselves] into the game” and aiming to deliver an experience that lives up to the high expectations of the KH community.
Even though the screenshots glimpse a project still in progress, there’s a lot of polish already visible. The lighting, the character models, and even the environmental details suggest that Kingdom Hearts 4 will be a massive leap forward in both design and tone, especially following the more grounded, realistic style shown in the reveal trailer back in 2022.
Fans are Loving It
Despite the cloud of Missing-Link’s cancellation, the community looks happy after seeing these new images. On Reddit, fans expressed their appreciation for Square Enix’s transparency and willingness to share something, even if it wasn’t a full trailer.
“KH Team… Very well done,” wrote one user. “Couldn’t have been easy getting the approval to do this.”
“Very nice that they did this,” said another. “I’m sure they would’ve preferred not to release anything for longer still, but cancelling [Missing-Link] with no news would just be very discouraging.”
That sentiment sums it up good. While some fans are understandably disappointed about Missing-Link, the fact that KH4 is still moving full speed ahead is a relief and a reason to celebrate.
So, is Kingdom Hearts 4 close to release? Probably not. These screenshots show a game in development. But Square Enix has claimed that the team is fully committed and that something special is on the way.
