Kingdom Hearts IV’s Coco world is being designed as a large environment focused heavily on exploration and traversal, according to co-director Yasushi Yasue. The world was shown during the Disney Entertainment Showcase at D23 2026, with the development team revealing more about its design in an exclusive interview with Famitsu.
Coco was among the earliest worlds to enter development for Kingdom Hearts IV. Its inclusion was decided early because of the thematic connection between the film’s story and Sora’s situation in the upcoming game.
In Coco, Miguel travels to the Land of the Dead while trying to return to his own world. Kingdom Hearts IV similarly follows Sora as he attempts to return home after becoming trapped in Quadratum, a world positioned on the other side from his perspective.
Nomura confirmed that this connection was a major reason for including Coco in the game. “We absolutely wanted to include it in Kingdom Hearts IV, and we decided on it in the early stages,” Nomura told Famitsu. “I think we also started development on this world the earliest.”
Kingdom Hearts IV Coco World Focuses On Exploration
Yasue explained that the Mexican setting and music give the Coco world an atmosphere that differs from previous Kingdom Hearts locations. Its city is also designed with a strong emphasis on verticality and exploration.
“The city is incredibly vast with plenty of exploration,” Yasue said. Players will be able to move through the three-dimensional environment in different ways, including travelling both upwards and downwards and spinning around parts of the city. Various attractions will also provide additional traversal options.
Yasue described the level of detail in the environment as exceeding what the series has offered previously, suggesting that the Coco world will be more than simply a backdrop for the story.
Combat will also incorporate elements from Coco. Sora will continue using his Keyblade, but Yasue confirmed that a guitar can also be used during battles. Musical elements and cooperative techniques involving characters from the world will form part of the combat system, although the developers have not revealed all of the mechanics yet.
The extensive design of the Coco world reflects a broader approach to Kingdom Hearts IV. Nomura explained that the game does not feature an especially large number of worlds because the development team is instead putting considerably more detail into each individual location.
Kingdom Hearts IV is currently scheduled to release in the latter half of 2027.
