Many presumed thatKingdom Hearts 3would be the epic finale to the everlasting JRPG series. At most, fans had waited over a decade for the successor toKingdom Hearts 2to finally release, and even now the story is still not done yet. Even in the wake of both the secret ending and DLC,Kingdom Heartscontinues beyond Xehanort’s defeat withKingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory. And like any traditionalKingdom Heartsspin-off, this rhythm game has pertinent lore information that’s canon.
WithKingdom Hearts:Melody of Memoryreleasing in November and teasers supposedly leaning into the overarching story, the future ofKingdom Heartsis a bit uncertain, but hopeful nonetheless. It’s possible the franchise is entering another interquel season, andMelody of Memoryis the first evidence of that. Or perhaps there may be more DLC in store forKingdom Hearts 3, andMelody of Memorywill lead into that. That means there’s plenty moreKingdom Heartsplanned for the future, while Sora’s existence hangs in the balance. Fans are likely wondering which direction the series could go now that several of the main antagonists are now gone.
Melody of Memory Kicks Off More Kingdom Hearts Interquels
Judging from the trailers, it seemsKingdom Hearts: Melody of Memorycould be the startof another slew ofKingdom Heartsspin-off games. TheKingdom Heartsseries is infamous for this practice, considering betweenKingdom Hearts 2and3, 10 additional games (seven if re-releases with additional content are not counted) released beforeKingdom Hearts 3. Now granted there’s nothing wrong with a spin-off game in a vacuum, but theKingdom Heartsseries released seven different spin-off games, at bare minimum, before beginning development on the next mainline console release.
Now there’s strong indications thatMelody of Memorywill bepushing the story from whereKingdom Hearts 3 ReMindleft off. The “additional chapter” seems to be centered on Kairi’s efforts to save Sora, with the former Organization members diving into her heart to find any clues of his whereabouts. Optimistic fans would’ve thought this was a lead-in to another DLC expansion, but in trueKingdom Heartsfashion, the scenes will be tied to a rhythm game spin-off instead. Now this doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s no moreKingdom Hearts 3DLC coming in the future, but considering Square Enix’s past, fans could be headed into spin-off season untilKingdom Hearts 4.
Kingdom Hearts' Story So Far
If that’s true, there’s not a whole lot of narrative leg room this time around, soKingdom Heartsmay not necessarily release another 10 games before a mainline release. That’s an exaggeration, but Sora and Riku’s fate at the end ofKingdom Hearts 3’s original secret ending will be the subject of the next game(s) story. What theReMindDLC seems to be hinting at is Sora was placed in some kind of pseudo dream world purgatory,where he met Yozora in the Limit Cut Secret Boss.
What’s interesting is Riku seems to have access to this dream world as well, so there could be anotherDream Drop Distancescenario ahead. At the moment it’s unclear if the world Yozora and Sora are now placed in is some kind of dream world or real world. There’s theories as to whether this place is truly Shibuya, or if it’s some kind of realm that Yozora is from. It’s clear this world atop the 104 building isn’t a reality, andYozora’s true homeworld is some kind of reference toFinal Fantasy Versus 13. Either way, it seems the story is setting up another rescue attempt by both Kairi and Riku to find Sora in that dream world.
Leading Up to Another Kingdom Hearts Game?
That kind of adventure would be best left for either a full-sizeKingdom Heartsspin-off likeDream Drop Distance, or a fully fledged mainline sequel. As for when to expect that, well, it can’t possibly take another 10 years. That being said, it’s been over a year and there’s already been theReMindDLC as well asthe additional chapter coming inMelody of Memory. The down time betweenKingdom Heartsspin-offs from 2012 to 2017 was huge, but considering there’s already been two additional stories, it may not be as long of a wait for another mainlineKingdom Heartsgame.
At least, hopefully. The optimism is there based on the last year of content, but there’s still the possibility it could be a while until the next game. At least now it seems there’sa clear and concise direction for the nextKingdom Heartsgame(s), without the baggage of Organization 13 and Xehanort’s schemes. It’s a fresh start with Yozora and the Master of Masters, seen in the originalKingdom Hearts 3secret ending. Of course there’s not much to speculate on in terms of the story ahead, butKingdom Heartsseems to be on a more straightforward path this time around.
Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memoryreleases June 15, 2025, on PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
