Kingdom Hearts 4: The Case for Trinity Marks to Return

Going into 2024, Kingdom Hearts 4 still feels like a long way away. Despite being announced in April 2022 as part of Kingdom Hearts‘ 20th anniversary celebration, the next main entry of the long-running Square Enix and Disney crossover series hasn’t appeared in almost two years. Considering that the mobile title Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link was announced at the same event and is coming up first, it makes sense that Kingdom Hearts 4 is giving it some room to breathe. Even so, that doesn’t give fans any new information to work with.

With little more than a reveal trailer to analyze, the Kingdom Hearts community has been hard at work theorizing all sorts of things that could return or debut in Kingdom Hearts 4. From new worlds based on recent Disney films to KH4 bringing back mechanics like Drive Forms, there’s no shortage of discussion points regarding what could be in the upcoming game. Compared to things like party members and world design, Trinity Marks are probably one of the last subjects on most people’s minds, but their return would have a significant impact on how Kingdom Hearts 4 approaches both of those aspects.

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How Trinity Marks Work In Kingdom Hearts

Only used in Kingdom Hearts 1 and Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, Trinity Marks have been gone from the series for a long time. These sigils appear as a small circle connecting three hearts, and come in blue, red, green, yellow, and white varieties, all appearing in the environment and corresponding to specific Trinity Moves. Four of the five Trinity Moves are unlocked as part of story progression throughout Kingdom Hearts 1, with the earliest, Trinity Jump, acquired when Sora meets Donald and Goofy in Traverse Town, and the last, Trinity Detect, gained after Donald and Goofy rejoin Sora for the first Hollow Bastion Riku fight.

Trinity Marks Synergize With Kingdom Hearts’ Story and Gameplay

While Trinity Moves narratively exist to emphasize developments in Sora, Donald, and Goofy’s friendship, especially the optional Trinity Push which lets the party uncover Olympus Coliseum’s Keyhole together, they do so much more. Trinity Marks were the precursor to Kingdom Hearts 3’s Lucky Emblem collectibles, and served as both a game-wide treasure hunt and a reason to visit finished worlds. Some Trinity Moves are mandatory for progress, but all can unearth excellent treasure, and even transport the party to new areas.

Kingdom Hearts 4 Should Put Trinity Marks To Work

It’s not hard to see the benefits of bringing Trinity Marks back, but there is one logistical issue in the way. Trinity Moves were a metaphor for Sora’s deepening bonds with Donald and Goofy, and there’s a chance normal party members won’t join Sora in KH4 thanks to Quadratum’s remote location. However, that’s really an opportunity in disguise, as it would be interesting to see Sora gather a new friend group to ring in Kingdom Hearts 4’s Lost Master Arc.

Trinity Marks Could Change Kingdom Hearts 4’s Design For The Better

As for affecting KH4’s gameplay, Trinity Marks can replace KH3‘s Lucky Emblems as collectibles, and encourage thorough exploration and backtracking. If Kingdom Hearts 4 moves toward an open-world design, even if it’s limited to the city of Quadratum, then Trinity Marks would fit even better than in KH1. Environments could be filled top-to-bottom with secrets that players would have to access on return trips, and considering that some of Kingdom Hearts 1’s Trinity Moves could create shortcuts or progress sidequests, gaining new Trinity Moves would be a big deal. Combined with potential new uses like initiating minigames or unlocking Trinity Limits for combat use, KH1‘s old Trinity Mark system could be a great boon to Kingdom Hearts 4.