is an upcoming action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix. It will be the fifteenth installment in the Kingdom Hearts series, beginning the "Lost Master" story arc. Set after the events of Kingdom Hearts III and Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory, returning protagonist Sora has become trapped in the life-like world of Quadratum, while his companions Donald Duck and Goofy try to find and rescue him. Development on the next mainline entry after Kingdom Hearts III had begun by January 2020, with Kingdom Hearts IV formally announced in April 2022. Gameplay Sora faces Heartless in the game. Parkour elements and Keyblade transformations return, with the Keyblade also able to transform into a grappling hook to traverse large distances. The game will also bring back the reaction commands from Kingdom Hearts II, and introduces a new "scrap and build" mechanic. More of Sora's "daily life" and his "day-to-day routines" are also explored. Story Setting Kingdom Hearts IV serves as the beginning of the "Lost Master" story arc. The game takes place in Quadratum, an expansive city set in a realistic world inspired by Tokyo, featuring a fictionalized Shibuya and Minami-Aoyama. Sora's apartment in Minami-Aoyama serves as the player's home base in the early part of the game. Quadratum serves as a hub world, with players returning there after traveling to other worlds. Several worlds based on Disney properties will also appear. The advancement of hardware capabilities since the series began played a factor in determining the number of worlds created for the game. Characters Sora, a teenager who uses a key-shaped weapon called the Keyblade to battle the forces of darkness, reprises his role from previous games as the main protagonist and playable character of the game. Donald Duck and Goofy, the royal magician and knight captain of Disney Castle, also return after having served as Sora's party companions. The game also features Strelitzia, a Keyblade wielder who previously appeared in the mobile game Kingdom Hearts Union χ. Other main characters of the series, such as the protagonists of the games Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, are not expected to have much focus in Kingdom Hearts IV, with Nomura also open to finding a "good balance" with regards to including Final Fantasy characters that have been a part of the series. Development Though Kingdom Hearts III was the end of the "Dark Seeker Saga"