Kingdom Heartshas long been defined by its blending of the various Disney properties with characters and concepts fromFinal Fantasy. Now that Disney owns a lot of fan-favorite franchises like Marvel andStar Wars, fans have been dreaming up what those properties could look like inKingdom Hearts. Marvel in particular has characters, storylines, and worlds that could fit well into the RPG series. Imagining what a Marvel level could look like inKingdom Heartsyields interesting possibilities.
Level design inKingdom Heartshas long been one of its hallmarks. With few exceptions, the franchise has done a great job of adapting disparate elements present in the different Disney worlds to the unifying experience that isKingdom Hearts' action-RPG gameplay. Shining examples are theToy Storylevel inKingdom Hearts 3andThe Nightmare Before Christmasstage in the first game. Creating interesting mechanics from concepts like theUnderdrome fromKingdom Hearts 2is something that could work well when crafting a Marvel level.
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Bridging the Gap Between Marvel and Kingdom Hearts
Marvel itself obviously has an enormous history between various comics, cartoons, movies, and video games. The franchise as a whole has cemented its place in the gaming space with enormous adventure games likeSpider-Manand iconic fighting games likeMarvel vs. Capcom. So imagining an adaptation forKingdom Heartsisn’t exactly far-fetched. Disney has a large slate of recent projects that couldbe perfect forKingdom Hearts, and the Marvel universe as a whole is easily one of the most exciting possibilities.
If Marvel comes toKingdom Hearts, it’s likely to follow the format from recent years that seeks to emulate the overall feel of theMarvel Cinematic Universe. That formula could fit well intoKingdom Heartsif Square Enix wanted to explore a more mature versionof its characters. While the general light-heartedness of the series is important to maintain, its core audience has been along for the ride for nearly two decades at this point. The balance between intense action and comedic timing which doesn’t rely on over-the-top language or anything of that nature could translate well toKingdom Hearts. Creating a location for the level is also a relatively easy assumption.
Typically, eachKingdom Heartslevel takes place during the events of one of the various Disney movies. For instance, thePirates of the Caribbeanstage inKingdom Hearts 2mixed together the events of the first movie with the overall plot of the game. Then inKH3, the same level explored the movies sequel. Following that format, it’s easy to imagine a level that’s built completely around Marvel’s version of New York.Kingdom Heartsis an action-packed RPG, and dropping Sora into a modified version of the originalAvengersmovie would feel natural quickly.
The interesting possibility about exploring Marvel’s New York inKingdom Heartswould be the different mechanics that could be adapted for the various characters. Flying around with Iron Man could feel a lot like doing the same with Baymax inKH3, but battling alongside the Hulk while maintaining some sort of rage meter to prevent him from targeting friendly characters could be fun and a fresh experience. The same is true for theunique kind of movement Spider-Manutilizes. Sora learning to web-swing while the two exchange quips is just one of the number of ways Marvel andKingdom Heartscould mesh.
Seeing powerful Marvel characters battle against theFinal Fantasy-style antagonists ofKHcould also be very interesting. Other than maybe Elsa fromFrozen, many of the protagonists across the Disney worlds aren’t necessarily that powerful. While Aladdin and Simba are certainly formidable in their own right,Kingdom Heartsis a series where the main hero can literally slice through a skyscraper with ease. Seeing much more powerful figures like the Hulk or Doctor Strange clash with whatever enemies rise up to replace Xehanort could be viscerally entertaining.
Kingdom Heartsitself seemed like an impossible combination of properties in the first place, so at this point nearly any crossover doesn’t seem out of reach. With Marvel trusting Square Enix to publish Marvel games already, seeing the franchise cross intoKingdom Heartsseems particularly likely. Both have hugely dedicated fanbases, so imagining what a Marvel level would look likewhile fans settle in for the wait beforeKH4releases is a good way to spend the time.
