Video Game director Tetsuya Nomura is a master of his craft. He started small working on early Final Fantasy games until he got the chance to direct his first game, Kingdom Hearts. Since then, Nomura has become a household name for fans of Square Enix and JRPG. By 2019, the world was introduced to Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy VII Remake within a year of each other.
Kingdom Hearts III marked the end of one phase of storytelling for longtime fans. The Final Fantasy VII Remake offered a look at the past from a different perspective and showed how great things from years ago can be made even greater. Part of the reason that the FFVII Remake was so amazing was that it adapts to new gameplay and story techniques while keeping what worked. This remake strategy could and should be applied to another Nomura classic, the original Kingdom Hearts.
2002's Kingdom Hearts greeted players to a world that lives between Final Fantasy and Disney. It introduced people to characters like Sora, Riku, and Kairi and villains like the Heartless. Characters from Final Fantasy and Disney were also included and helped bring new players who may not have played this genre otherwise. Its gameplay was fairly new compared to the turn-based combat that games from Square Enix used. Due to its newness, the combat and camera were more clunky compared to its later installments.
The FFVII Remake changed up its combat dramatically and did away with the turn-based combat. It was replaced with combat similar to Final Fantasy XV, which made the action much more kinetic and exciting. A Kingdom Hearts Remake would be able to implement the combat found in Kingdom Hearts III. Sora was inexperienced in the first game, but that doesn't mean the combat should be difficult. Adding the flow of Kingdom Hearts III, the combat would feel less clunky, with Sora still being a novice.
One of the biggest changes to the Final Fantasy VII Remake was also it's most subtle. Die-hard fans of the original game noticed some subtle changes to the main story that implied massive changes for the future. This made FFVII both a remake and a small continuation of the main story. Since Kingdom Hearts has had such a long and confusing history, a remake of the original would offer a chance to retell a classic story for new players and add some changes that can tie into the main story. Kingdom Hearts Re: Coded was the first time the franchise returned to the original in some capacity and was also apart of the larger narrative. A remake in this style would be a great opportunity for new players to get involved without alienating longtime fans.
As this web of a story continues to be spun, an entry point for new players becomes more and more necessary. The next Final Fantasy installment has also alluded to tailoring to a more mature audience. This could limit some fans of the franchise, which means that they would need something to fall back on. Final Fantasy has been known to cross over with Kingdom Hearts, and a remake of the 2002 classic would give a great opportunity for younger FF fans to get into a whole new world.
Video game graphic design is at its peak and gives even the most cartoony environments a degree of realism. That has been shown best in Kingdom Hearts III and the FFVII Remake. Since Kingdom Hearts was released in 2002, it missed out on the opportunity to relish the graphic quality of today's gaming. But if Final Fantasy VII can cross that line, there is no reason Kingdom Hearts shouldn't as well.
The Final Fantasy VII Remake will continue to unravel its story with a follow-up game in the future. There are no plans for another Kingdom Hearts game until 2023, which leaves a wide window of possibility. To break up the wait with a remake of the original will give players a chance to enjoy a classic in a whole new way. It's also a chance to bring back a classic title and introduce new story elements to the franchise. As the hunt for Sora continues, there is no better way to gather clues than to go back to the past.