Kingdom Hearts 4 will reportedly not feature a large selection of Disney worlds. However, director Tetsuya Nomura has revealed that the smaller number of explorable maps is due to Square Enix making each location larger and more detailed than ever before.

Kingdom Hearts 4 Will Have more detailed Disney Worlds

During a new interview with legendary Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu, Nomura and co-director Tai Yasue discussed the recently revealed Coco world in Kingdom Hearts 4. While talking about the impressive size of its colorful Land of the Dead, Nomura confirmed that the upcoming RPG won’t have a large selection of Disney worlds.

However, before you panic, there is a very good reason for this! According to the longtime Kingdom Hearts director, Square Enix has instead focused on making every location significantly more detailed. Here is what Nomura said: “This game features the most detailed worlds we’ve ever created. That’s why the total number of worlds isn’t very large.”

Although some fans may be disappointed to hear that Kingdom Hearts 4 will have potentially fewer worlds, it sounds like each location included in the game will be much larger and more meticulously designed.

Nomura did not reveal exactly how many Disney worlds will appear in the sequel. However, his comments suggest that Square Enix has prioritized the overall size, detail and quality of each location instead of trying to include as many properties as possible.

Kingdom Hearts 4’s Coco World Is Incredibly Vast

The recently announced Coco world appears to be the perfect example of this new approach. During the Famitsu interview, Yasue described the location as “incredibly vast” and revealed that it will have a major emphasis on exploration and movement.

The Land of the Dead is built with a much more three-dimensional layout, allowing Sora to climb, descend and spin around its environments. Yasue also teased that there will be numerous attractions players can use to travel throughout the city.

“The level of detail in the city is more amazing than ever before,” Yasue explained. While he could not reveal any additional specifics, the co-director said that traveling through the world itself will be “really fun.”

The Coco world will also incorporate music into its combat. In addition to wielding the Keyblade, Sora can use a guitar and perform cooperative techniques alongside Hector. Yasue suggested that the world contains several other surprises, but stopped himself before revealing too much.

Coco Was Chosen Early in Kingdom Hearts 4’s Development

Nomura also revealed that Square Enix decided to include Coco during the early stages of Kingdom Hearts 4’s development. The Disney and Pixar movie’s themes were a natural fit for the sequel due to Sora’s current situation in Quadratum.

From Sora’s perspective, Quadratum exists on the “other side” and can be viewed as a world of the dead. This mirrors the story of Coco, which follows Miguel after he becomes trapped in the Land of the Dead and attempts to return to his own world.

Unfortunately, Square Enix still has not announced a release date or complete world list for KH4. For now, though, it sounds like fans can expect Kingdom Hearts 4 will feature Disney worlds that are considerably larger and more detailed than what we have seen in previous entries in the franchise.