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Kingdom Hearts IV Coco World Takes Sora to the Land of the Dead
After years of relatively little information, Square Enix is finally starting to show considerably more of Kingdom Hearts IV. Following its surprise appearance during a Nintendo Direct earlier this year, the next chapter of Sora’s adventure resurfaced at D23 with an extended trailer revealing a world based on Disney and Pixar’s Coco.
More importantly, Square Enix also confirmed that the game is targeting a late 2027 release. The new footage takes Sora into the colourful Land of the Dead, giving the series another visually distinctive Disney setting to adapt. His appearance changes to suit the world as well, with a Day of the Dead-inspired mask becoming one of the most immediately noticeable additions.
Sora Gets a Coco-Inspired Keyblade
As expected from a new Disney world, Coco also comes with its own gameplay touches in Kingdom Hearts IV. Sora can be seen wielding a Keyblade designed for the setting, while extended footage shows him moving through environments inspired by the film and engaging enemies in the Land of the Dead.
Series creator Tetsuya Nomura appeared during the D23 presentation and explained that the team wanted Disney worlds that offered strong opportunities for gameplay, with Coco proving particularly well suited to that goal.
Interestingly, Donald and Goofy do not appear alongside Sora during much of the Coco gameplay shown, although both characters are confirmed to return in Kingdom Hearts IV. The wider story continues to revolve around Sora being trapped in Quadratum following the events of Kingdom Hearts III.
D23 Revealed Another Unusual Disney World
Coco was not the only Disney setting shown during the presentation. D23 also revealed a new Paper Mickey Mouse world, which will allow players to control Mickey within a storybook-inspired environment. Gameplay shown during the panel included travelling through cracks in walls, transforming into an aeroplane and solving puzzles, giving the world a noticeably different structure from the series’ more traditional areas.
Maleficent is also set to return with what appears to be a significant role, while King Mickey, Hades and several familiar Kingdom Hearts characters were spotted across the new footage.
Kingdom Hearts IV Launches in Late 2027
The game marks the beginning of the Lost Master Arc and continues Sora’s story after he awakens in the mysterious world of Quadratum.
With Coco now properly unveiled and Square Enix beginning to show much more of the game, the long quiet period surrounding Kingdom Hearts IV finally appears to be ending. More worlds, characters, and story details should start falling into place as its 2027 release approaches.
Kingdom Hearts IV is officially targeting a late 2027 launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC.
