With Forspoken’s new setting comes new characters, and leading the cast is Frey Holland. Transported to the mystical world of Athia and given great magical powers along with a talking bracelet called Cuff, it’s up to Frey to leap and fight her way through a fantastical land ruled by the malicious Tantas. While some have misgivings about the writing and others are watching the gameplay cautiously, Forspoken could be a hit for Square Enix. After most of its western properties were jettisoned, it needs some strong new IPs. If Frey can impress enough, she may even be able to appear in a future Kingdom Hearts crossover.
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Kingdom Hearts Accepts All Square Enix and Disney Characters
With a mixture of Square Enix and Disney characters, the long-running Kingdom Hearts series has served as a hall of fame for both companies. Just looking at the Worlds and characters in Kingdom Hearts 1 reveals many of Disney’s animated classics, as well as some of Square Enix’s star Final Fantasy games from that time. The crossover cast only grew with each game, although complaints began to arise regarding one side. Because Square Enix considers original Kingdom Hearts characters as its representatives, it was rare to see a new Square Enix game portrayed in KH after Kingdom Hearts 2.
After a surprise appearance by The World Ends With You’s party in Kingdom Hearts 3D and a couple of references throughout Kingdom Hearts 3, Square Enix clarified that Kingdom Hearts would primarily focus on Disney characters and original characters. That doesn’t disqualify Final Fantasy icons like Moogles, and other Square Enix characters could appear at any time, but their chances are getting worse. With the realistic aesthetic of Kingdom Hearts 4 potentially leading to Star Wars or Marvel crossovers, there are more pressing franchises for Square Enix to adapt. Fitting western-developed IPs such as Tomb Raider and Legacy of Kain have been sold off, so Square Enix’s options for modern game tie-ins have shrunk even further.
How Frey Could Fit Into Kingdom Hearts
Whether the game is selected for a crossover or not, Forspoken has many elements that would blend well with Kingdom Hearts. Athia as a full World would be difficult to set boundaries for, but Frey Holland would be a perfect addition to KH’s cast. The Earth-like unreality of Quadratum would be the perfect place to house the former New Yorker, and Forspoken’s quippy dialogue style would fit in the light-hearted Kingdom Hearts narrative. Frey would make a great representative for Square Enix in a new Traverse Town equivalent, such as a specific district of Quadratum. Also of note are her considerable magical powers, which would also gel with those possessed by Sora.
If there is no room in the party for Frey, then becoming a summon would work just as well. Frey could serve as a callback to the Limit Commands from Kingdom Hearts 2, acting as a second playable character beside Sora. The two of them would be able to glide across the battlefield and cast a variety of elemental spells, potentially finishing off with a merged Keyblade and magical sword strike. Something like a cross between Kingdom Hearts 2’s Wisdom Form and the aforementioned Limits would work perfectly, and could result in a very technical summon. There are many ways that Frey Holland would work in Kingdom Hearts, and her chemistry with the World-hopping Sora would be great. If a future Kingdom Hearts entry introduces more existing Square Enix characters, then Frey should be among their number.
Forspoken will be released on January 24, 2023, for PC and PS5.
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