Square Enix has revealed even more details about Kingdom Hearts 4 following the reveal of the new Coco world at the recent D23 festivities. While fans should not necessarily expect the game to be twice as long as Kingdom Hearts 3, director Tetsuya Nomura has confirmed that its script is roughly twice the length of its predecessor, suggesting that the upcoming RPG will have a much larger story to tell.

Kingdom Hearts 4 co-directors Tetsuya Nomura and Tai Yasue discussed the upcoming game during a recent interview with Famitsu. Among the most interesting revelations was the introduction of the Dandelion Keyblade wielders, a group that works for the government of Quadratum. Exactly how this organization fits into Sora's journey remains unclear, but their presence suggests that Quadratum will play an important role in the game's story.

Nomura confirmed that the script for Kingdom Hearts 4 is approximately twice the length of the Kingdom Hearts 3 script. That does not necessarily mean players should expect an 80-hour adventure, however. A longer script could result in more extensive cutscenes, additional dialogue, or a greater emphasis on storytelling throughout the game rather than simply doubling its overall runtime.

For comparison, Kingdom Hearts 3 typically takes around 30 to 40 hours to complete.Nomura also revealed that he repeatedly wanted to add more content to Kingdom Hearts 4, but the development team eventually reached its limit. With the game already featuring a substantially longer script alongside its various worlds and characters, it seems Square Enix has plenty planned for the next chapter of Sora's story.

The development team also offered some reassurance regarding the game's release. Square Enix previously stated that Kingdom Hearts 4 will launch in 2027 without being delayed, an unusually confident statement given that the game is still in development. According to the developers, this is the first time in the history of the Kingdom Hearts series that development has been progressing this smoothly.

Part of that progress may be helped by a dedicated lore master who coordinates between Disney, Square Enix, and the Kingdom Hearts 4 development team. One of this person's responsibilities is ensuring that the game's story and characters remain consistent with the wider Kingdom Hearts lore, including material from the χ series.

Fans who have not played the χ games will not need to worry about being lost. Kingdom Hearts 4 will feature characters from those games, including Sigurd and Vali, but Nomura and Yasue explained that players will not be required to know their previous stories. The game will properly introduce these characters, allowing newcomers to understand their roles without needing to track down the older titles.

That approach could explain at least part of the game's significantly longer script. Kingdom Hearts 4 needs to introduce new characters and concepts while also bringing back elements from the franchise's extensive history, giving the developers considerably more story material to work with.Unfortunately, fans may have to wait a little longer for the next major reveal.

Following the recent Nintendo Direct and D23 announcements, the developers suggested that they do not want to rush through the game's remaining reveals. The team also indicated that Kingdom Hearts 4 may not have a presence at Tokyo Game Show.

While another lengthy wait for information may frustrate some fans, the developers' focus on completing the game could ultimately be a positive sign. With Square Enix still targeting a 2027 release and the development team expressing unusual confidence in its progress, Kingdom Hearts 4 appears to be shaping up to be one of the series' most ambitious entries yet.