Kingdom Hearts 4 Features the Return of Reaction Commands in Combat

Director Tetsuya Nomura says the development team brought back the mechanic after "a lot of requests" for its return.

Posted By | On 15th, Apr. 2022

kingdom hearts 4

Square Enix shocked many fans (and non-fans) when it announced a new mainline Kingdom Hearts title. Developed on Unreal Engine 5, Kingdom Hearts 4 takes place in the world of Quadratum and though Sora is very much alive, he’s still battling against the Heartless. Among the many changes in combat, director Tetsuya Nomura has confirmed the return of a fan-favorite feature – Reaction Commands.

Speaking to Famitsu (translation via DeepL), Nomura said, “In the video, you can see button icons appear when an enemy punches you, and you can think of it as a kind of reaction command that existed in Kingdom Hearts 2.” As for why it’s indicated by a black circle, he clarified that, it’s “simply because we have not announced which models are compatible with it.”

As for why Reaction Commands are making a return, Nomura said, “After the release of Kingdom Hearts 3 we saw a lot of requests for the return of the reaction command, so we brought it back.” It really is that simple.

Reaction Commands were famous in Kingdom Hearts 2 – and follow-ups like Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep – for extending combos and performing special actions. They gave a stylish flair in many instances and were generally well-regarded but didn’t make the cut for Kingdom Hearts 3. With their return, it should be interesting to see how the combat evolves further.

Kingdom Hearts 4 doesn’t have a release date or platforms. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.


Amazing Articles You Might Want To Check Out!

Keep On Reading!

Sniper Elite: Resistance Interview – Level Design, X-Ray Kills, and More

Sniper Elite: Resistance Interview – Level Design, X-Ray Kills, and More

The lead level designer behind Sniper Elite: Resistance has also told us about PS5 Pro enhancements to the gam...

Dragon Quest 11 S: Echoes of an Elusive Age is Being Temporarily Delisted on the Switch eShop

Dragon Quest 11 S: Echoes of an Elusive Age is Being Temporarily Delisted on the Switch eShop

Existing owners "will not be affected during this time, and you can still venture forth on your quest to save ...

Fallout: New Vegas Lead Writer Returns to Obsidian Entertainment as Creative Director

Fallout: New Vegas Lead Writer Returns to Obsidian Entertainment as Creative Director

John Gonzalez – who also worked on Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West – is back at Obsidian but isn't wo...

BioWare Has Reportedly Shrunk Down to Less Than 100 People

BioWare Has Reportedly Shrunk Down to Less Than 100 People

The studio recently restructured and cut several jobs following the commercial underperformance of Dragon Age:...

Gears of War Collection Will Launch for PS5 Day One – Rumour

Gears of War Collection Will Launch for PS5 Day One – Rumour

The remastered trilogy will be one of several PS5 releases by Microsoft. Whether a Switch 2 version is also in...

Lost Records: Bloom and Rage – Everything You Need to Know

Lost Records: Bloom and Rage – Everything You Need to Know

Don't Nod returns to the interactive drama genre with Lost Records- here's everything you should know about it...