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'Kingdom Hearts: Dark Road' Q&A with Nomura

This past Friday, the long awaited finale to 'Kingdom Hearts: Dark Road' was finally released, and to celebrate the release, Square-Enix released a Q&A (see Tweet above) with director, Tetsuya Nomura, where he answers 13 questions (yes, seriously) on the game's finale and its connection to other games in the series. The translated Q&A can be read below (credit to KH13's @RyujiBlades for the translations). Be aware, the Q&A contains massive spoilers for 'Dark Road', so read only after completing the game:

Question 1: In past titles, we saw a different-looking Young Xehanort than the one in the Destiny Islands [cutscenes] (seen in Birth by Sleep and Dream Drop Distance)…is there an explanation for that?

Nomura: Dark Road shows the correct model. At the time of the production of [Birth by Sleep], the appearance of a young man was prepared, but the appearance of a boy was not because of budgetary constraints when it came to 3D modeling.

Question 2: Are there going to be any further patches to Dark Road after this?

Nomura: Yes. We’ve identified instances where the incorrect background is shown during combat. Furthermore, we’ve also identified where the Player with Xehanort’s cutscene will not display as they should during some unique circumstances. I apologize for these bugs, and we will be releasing a Version 5.0.1 patch in the future to address those.

Question 3: The “Why did Xehanort become bald” reason was…honestly unexpected.

Nomura: Yes, it was not a matter of great importance. I just wanted to clarify that he had “shaved” because I noticed that it had been misunderstood as a common theory that he had just lost his hair. Otherwise, it is not a big problem that the Queen of Hearts did not remember Xehanort. That’s just the way she is.

Question 4: In Dark Road, several of the Emblem Heartless make an appearance. But we thought that they would only appear later in the series.

Nomura: The reason for their appearance in these past worlds will be explained in Missing-Link.

Question 5: Who was the blue-robed figure seen in the epilogue of Dark Road?

Nomura: It’s the Player. Or, to be more specific, it’s the vessel where the Player’s heart has started its “second lifetime” on. Therefore, whenever someone disappears, it’s not that they’re entirely gone. Rather, their heart has melted into another person.

Question 6: Is the Scala ad Caelum in Dark Road and the one in Missing-Link one and the same?

Nomura: Correct. The reason why there is such a difference in atmosphere is due to the fact that Scala ad Caelum is positioned as a multi-layered city, with a new city being built on top of the old one.

Question 7: Xehanort’s full descent into darkness wasn’t fully explained, was it?

Nomura: There might’ve been some missing spots, but I believe I managed to depict the beginning of his entrance into the path of darkness really well.

Question 8: “Ooh, I really liked this classmate/upper classmate! Will he or she be in future stories?”

Nomura: Regrettably, while I wish I could’ve further explored their character development, I was unable to do so, or the story would get insanely extensive. Most of the characters will probably not appear in future stories, but if the opportunity arises, I would love to depict them in other forms of media.

Question 9: Could you explain more about the “Destiny is so cruel…” line by Master Odin?

Nomura: Naturally, Master Odin also had a master to mentor him. Said master entrusted Odin with a mission, which actually ties in with the identity of the blue-robed individual.

Question 10: Xehanort appears with a figure who we assume to be his mother. Is that… Skuld?

Nomura: That is incorrect. However, she is related to Skuld in some way. The next title, Missing-Link, will have “bloodlines” as one of the story’s main points.

Question 11: Dark Road reveals details about Xehanort’s lineage and bloodline, with some mentions about the “First Master’s Bloodline,” but what about Eraqus? Are the two of them related by blood?

Nomura: My apologies. I cannot answer that, as it will be explained in Missing-Link.

Question 12: Speaking of Missing-Link, could you share any further information about that?

Nomura: We are currently in the preparation of the closed beta test. Unfortunately, I am still unable to give a more precise time as to “when” it will happen, but there are plans to rename the Kingdom Hearts Union Cross [social media] accounts into Missing-Link accounts, so I urge you to follow them.

Question 13: Lastly, will Xehanort appear in future titles?

Nomura: Just because the “Dark Seeker’s Saga” is now concluded does not necessarily mean Xehanort will never appear again in future titles. If the opportunity arises, then…
Click to expand...

Thread by: Meilin Lee, Aug 29, 2022, 0 replies, in forum: Kingdom Hearts News & Updates
Thread
Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary Event Video Released + Dark Road Release Date Announced

After around 4 months of waiting, Square-Enix has finally released a video recapping events from the Kingdom Hearts Anniversary Event that took place back in April, which you can view below:

In addition, a specific release date for the finale of 'Kingdom Hearts: Dark Road' has finally been announced, with the long awaited conclusion to that story releasing August 26th!

Thread by: Meilin Lee, Aug 8, 2022, 0 replies, in forum: Kingdom Hearts News & Updates
Thread
Pat Carroll, Voice of Ursula, Dies at Age 95

Sad news to report today, as it has been announced that Pat Carroll, the voice of Ursula, has sadly passed away at her home at the age of 95. Pat has indicated that Ursula was one of her favorite roles, reprising the role multiple times after the release of 'The Little Mermaid', including in three Kingdom Hearts games (KH1, KH2, and KH3D).

RIP Pat Carroll

Thread by: Meilin Lee, Jul 31, 2022, 1 replies, in forum: Kingdom Hearts News & Updates
Thread
GameInformer Interview with Tetsuya Nomura

View attachment 50828

GameInformer recently got a chance to chat with series director Tetsuya Nomura to discuss Kingdom Hearts IV (and the series in general as well). Topics discussed include the reasoning behind the lack of Final Fantasy cameos recently, expanding on Quadratum's role in KH4, and how Nomura was hesitant at first in allowing Sora to join the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster. Check out the interview below:

The series recently celebrated 20 years. How does it feel to look back on the last two decades, and what do you hope Kingdom Hearts' legacy will be?

I feel like 20 years is a very long time, except it also doesn't really feel that way. I have vague memories of visiting the Disney offices in the US and having meetings throughout the long history that we've had. But, when it comes to memories of the development and just making the actual game – it's just kind of fuzzy. It doesn't feel like anything has become a memory because the series is still continuing, and it's all still in real-time. The series is always evolving; the stories are still going on. Regarding the legacy, I suppose the heart is a central theme to the story of Kingdom Hearts. We will continue to depict that and tell the story of the heart in different ways.

The series is known for its cliffhanger finales. How did you approach keeping these satisfying but still ensuring fans felt like they had some answers?

With every title, we just try to create a game that is contained within itself. There’s an actual ending in a sense to each game, which is probably something similar to any game that is made. But since the Kingdom Hearts storyline has so many mysteries and the story is ongoing, there are just so many different things that we can get into. Fans say every time they think they figure something out, there's now a new mystery that they need to figure out.

I suppose it's a combination of just trying to make sure that the game is contained within itself and comes to a clear stop, but then also it’s just trying to prepare a new mystery so that fans are aware of what will be important in the next title or the next part of the story that's coming up. Personally, I feel like this approach is not really anything special, it's something that all game developers might be considering when they make their games.

What has been your favorite cliffhanger to see fans’ reaction to?

The first thing that comes to mind is the ending for the original Kingdom Hearts. I feel like that was maybe really unexpected on the player’s part because people playing that first game probably didn't think that the story would continue beyond that. Also in Kingdom Hearts III, when Luxu takes off their hood at the very end … I really enjoyed seeing the fans’ reactions, just because it was something that I’d really hoped for.

Did you expect characters from games like Birth By Sleep and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days to become so popular? Do you feel like their stories are complete, or we can expect more of these characters to pop up in Kingdom Hearts IV?

I really didn't think that the characters from these two titles would become this popular. I had thought that players wanted to see more of characters like Sora or Riku. It was kind of unexpected that the characters from these two titles were so well received. As far as including them or continuing their story in Kingdom Hearts IV … The story for Kingdom Hearts IV is focused more on Sora’s disappearance. I'm not quite sure if there will be room to really explore the other characters’ stories as much, but I'm aware and the team is aware that these characters are very popular and people want to see more of them. So, if possible, it would be great to include more of them or continue to share more of their story in future opportunities.

Another area where we saw Kingdom Hearts’ popularity surge was seeing Sora in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Can you talk about your feelings on having Sora involved?

Obviously, I was very happy that we were able to have Sora make an appearance in Smash Bros. Ultimate. Most of the feedback when Sora was [announced] for Smash Bros. Ultimate was, ‘I can’t believe Disney okayed for him to be in this game.’ Behind the scenes, I was actually the one being very picky about his appearance in Smash Bros. Disney was the one that was like, ‘Go ahead! This is a great opportunity.’ I thought it would be tough to pull off because it might clash with the established lore in Kingdom Hearts and the Disney worlds, so it was an opportunity I had to consider very carefully. After seeing how happy everybody was in welcoming Sora to Smash Bros., I feel like the end result was really great.

Xehanort is such a memorable villain, and now we’re going into the Lost Master Arc. How do you follow that up and create fresh conflict with new adversaries?

As you mentioned, Xehanort is a really memorable character. We did take a lot of time to flesh out this enemy presence throughout the series. It all started in the original Kingdom Hearts, where there's Ansem and Kingdom Hearts II with Xemnas – basically, these two figures that stem from one person. In the first game, we explored just the heart portion. In the second game, we explored the physical body. It all led up to the full physical embodiment of the character. I really like that we took this slow-burn approach to build up the character. I feel the presence of the enemy character is so important for them to be a really good character. It gives the story a lot of depth and density. I feel like we pulled that off.

And now we’re moving on to the next saga. In the trailer for Kingdom Hearts IV, we mentioned The Lost Master Arc. We’re going to be delving into a new enemy figure for the continuation of the story. This new enemy has a lot to do with the masked characters that appear at the end of Kingdom Hearts III. They’re going to be obstacles that stand in front of Sora. Also, in Kingdom Hearts 2.8, we showed what kind of characters they are, so the enemies have already appeared within the series. We’ll be reintroducing them, and obviously, there will be more new characters as well, but we really can’t go into detail on those characters just yet.

Do you feel it’s important to keep Sora as the main protagonist, or do you ever see the series moving beyond him?

As far as spin-offs go, we've had main characters that were not Sora, but in terms of the mainline series, I think Sora is actually the only real candidate for the main character. I think if Sora is no longer the main character then I would also feel like that would indicate the end to the numbered titles. He's that important to the series.

We saw Donald and Goofy in the Kingdom Hearts IV reveal, but one question a lot of fans have is how much will Disney still be integral to the series?

With regards to Kingdom Hearts IV, players are definitely going to see a few Disney worlds in there. I just want to mention that they don't need to worry so much about this aspect of the game. It might feel slightly different from previous Kingdom Hearts titles, but once players have had a chance to play the game, I'm sure they'll be relieved to find that it is definitely a Kingdom Hearts title. It’s the game series that they've come to know and love.

As far as the graphic qualities... since with each new title, the specs have been really increasing and there's so much more we can do in terms of graphics, it kind of limits the number of worlds that we can create in a sense. At this time we're considering how to approach that, but there will be Disney worlds in Kingdom Hearts IV.

When did you start working on ideas and planning for Kingdom Hearts IV, and what things did you know you wanted to incorporate early on?

Whenever I’m working on a title, I’m already thinking about what I want to incorporate in the next one. For example, with Kingdom Hearts IV, I had already started thinking about what I wanted to do with it while making Kingdom Hearts III. This is more in terms of characters, worlds, or gameplay systems I want to implement. Every time it’s the same process; I’m constantly thinking of what to improve or change in the next title.

For example, in Kingdom Hearts II we introduced the reaction command system. I felt like fans didn't take to it well, and it wasn't that popular. So in Kingdom Hearts III, we took that system out, but then fans said, 'Why’d you take it out?' So now we’re considering bringing it back in Kingdom Hearts IV. The challenge is with the action gameplay. It’s hard to execute the satisfying action moves when the footing isn't very secure. That's something we're working on and hoping we can realize as an aspect of gameplay in Kingdom Hearts IV.

Will we be spending a lot of time in Quadratum? Does having a more realistic setting give you bigger opportunities to try new things with the gameplay?

I think it will be a pretty good amount of time since it is set as the initial base within the game. You spend time there and then go to different worlds and then go back there. Because the graphics are more realistic this time around, I feel like there’s more of a realistic daily life aspect to Sora’s life. You can see him go in and out of his room and spend time there. I feel like players will get to see more of the day-to-day routines he goes through.

As far as worlds go, in the past, we’ve featured a lot of Disney worlds and among those, the most realistic one was probably Pirates of the Caribbean. This time around we’re spending some time in the actual real world. This was a challenge we had for ourselves – just to see how realistic can we make this, and that's something that we're working on right now. For now, we can't really dive into any further details than that.

Fans have been very concerned about the lack of Final Fantasy characters in newer entries. Do you still want to dial down on the amount of them in the series, or is Kingdom Hearts IV a chance to bring in more cameos?

I understand there weren't that many Final Fantasy characters in Kingdom Hearts III. One thing I want to clear up is that a lot of fans are saying that Kingdom Hearts is this collaboration between Disney characters and Final Fantasy characters. But I really feel like that's not the basic concept of Kingdom Hearts; that's not exactly what Kingdom Hearts is.

When we released the first title, we had only a few original Kingdom Hearts characters. When they were interacting with really well-known, beloved Disney characters, I felt nobody really knew these new characters, so it was harder for them to stand their ground just yet. And so, we had a lot of Final Fantasy characters involved to lend a hand for everyone to get to know these [original Kingdom Hearts] characters better.

Now, there are so many original characters from Kingdom Hearts that are so well-loved, and people want to see more of those characters. With Kingdom Hearts III, since we did have so many original Kingdom Hearts characters, it was hard to find room for including more Final Fantasy characters. We're trying to find a good balance for that. I know that some fans were concerned about that and weren't too happy and wanted to see more Final Fantasy characters. That's something we definitely are thinking about. But just with the sheer number of original characters that we have now, it's hard to say what the exact balance is going to be and how it will play out in Kingdom Hearts IV. We can't really give you a firm reply on this just yet.

Do you want to give one final tease for fans about what they can look forward to?

With regards to Kingdom Hearts IV, unfortunately, there's not any new information that I'm going to be able to share for a while. But if people could really dive into this interview that we had today, I did reveal a little bit of new information and more details during this conversation. So it'll be great if people could consider that and find some new information that way.

I also wanted to mention Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link. We're working towards launching the closed beta within the year. I know that not everybody is really into smartphone games, so some fans might not be really excited for it, but we are making it so that it's something that anyone can jump right into. Compared to our past mobile releases, it's a lot closer to the series and also connected in many ways to Kingdom Hearts IV.

The easiest way to get more new information and hints about Kingdom Hearts IV would be first to play Missing-Link. There will also be some more mysteries, not related to Kingdom Hearts IV specifically, but just throughout the series in it. Also, some figures that appear in Missing-Link are tied to Kingdom Hearts IV. That’s all I can really say now.
Click to expand...

Thread by: Meilin Lee, Jun 14, 2022, 0 replies, in forum: Kingdom Hearts News & Updates
Post
Tetsuya Nomura Interviewed by Famitsu for 20th Anniversary Event

Updated OP with extended interview containing additional information from Nomura.

Post by: Meilin Lee, Apr 27, 2022 in forum: Kingdom Hearts News & Updates
Thread
Tetsuya Nomura Interviewed by Famitsu for 20th Anniversary Event

View attachment 50820

Following the major reveals last weekend during the Kingdom Hearts 20th anniversary event regarding the future of the series, Famitsu conducted an interview with Tetsuya Nomura, who shares some information on 'Kingdom Hearts: Missing Link' and 'Kingdom Hearts IV', such as the confirmation that Reaction Commands will be returning in KH4, hinting that Quadratum may be the "tutorial world" of KH4, and providing a sneak preview for a new gameplay mechanic called "Scrap & Build". Check out the translated interview below (courtesy of KHInsider):

-- Congratulations on the 20th anniversary of the Kingdom Heart series.

Nomura: Thank you.

-- How does it feel, looking back on these past 20 years?

Nomura: When I look back, I realize how much time has passed, though it certainly doesn't feel that way as of late.

-- It's been three years since Kingdom Hearts III released.

Nomura: That's right. But during those three years, we've wrapped up Kingdom Hearts Union X and released Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind, Melody of Memory, and the cloud versions on Nintendo Switch, so time seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.

-- This series has been going on for 20 years, but there are many young fans as well. It really hit me when I saw the attendees at the 20th anniversary event.

Nomura: Yes, that's right. I feel that Kingdom Hearts has many fans who are relatively young. I think the appearance of Disney properties arouses their interest.

-- There were a lot of valuable materials exhibited at the venue. You had a message posted on Sora's statue, but there was a letter "x" on the third line from the bottom. What does it mean?

Nomura: It contains a hidden message, and the "x" is a clue. I've seen people discussing it on social media, but no one seems to have arrived at the answer yet.

-- I did think there was something rather peculiar about the phrasing of that message, with the "x," line breaks, etc. There must be a trick to it.

Nomura: It was very difficult to come up with (wry smile). I wanted to convey a message through my thoughts on the 20th anniversary in the text as you see it. I had to make it look a little unnatural so that people would discover the mystery, and then plant the hidden message on top of that.

-- I'll try to decipher it myself later (laughs).

Nomura: It's pretty hard, isn't it? None of our staff could figure it out either (laughs).

EDITOR'S NOTE: It seems some fans on Twitter were able to crack the code, revealing that the voice in both the 'Kingdom Hearts: Missing Link' and 'Kingdom Hearts IV' trailers belongs to Sigurd (a new character who briefly appeared in the Union X finale).

-- I was surprised by the faithful recreation of the area surrounding Shibuya Hikarie, the venue in which the event took place, in the Kingdom Hearts 4 trailer. Did you purposefully decide to hold the event there?

Nomura: We wanted to do it at Shibuya Hikarie if possible. Shibuya is an easily recognizable landmark, and you can recreate the real world more realistically in a game if you're familiar with the setting.

-- Is Shibuya part of the world of Quadratum?

Nomura: Yes, it is.

-- While we're on that topic, is there any possibility of a reunion with the characters from The World Ends With You, who appeared in Kingdom Hearts 3D?

Nomura: Strictly speaking, it is a different world from the Shibuya of The World Ends With You. Some fans believe there is a connection to TWEWY and Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origins, but there's really no such thing.

-- Is the room where Sora wakes up also in Shibuya?

Nomura: That is located in Minami-Aoyama.

-- A great location! (laughs) So you've even established that?

Nomura: Yes, we've also specified the room layout. The furniture and whatnot haven't been decided yet, so the interior will be undergoing some changes. That room will serve as the base for the early parts of the game.

-- What kind of world is Quadratum? In Melody of Memory, it was described as "the other side of our world." Is this a new world that does not belong to the Realm of Light, Realm of Darkness, or Realm Between?

Nomura: That's one interpretation.

-- In the trailer's narration, Quadratum was described as "a world full of life- but for you and I, it's similar to an "afterworld," I suppose." What does this mean?

Nomura: It means that perception changes depending on your viewpoint. The Master of Masters says something along those lines in UX.

From Sora's point of view, Quadratum is a world on the other side of his own world and reality: a fictional world. However, from the point of view of the inhabitants of Quadratum, their world is the real one, and the place Sora and his friends hail from is the other side, the fictional world.

This time, I think the theme will be something akin to the "contrast between people from different positions."

-- I see. The narrator is Strelitzia, and she's also from Sora's side, so that's why she says "for us," right?

Nomura: That's correct.

-- I've been told that the male narrator is the same person who voiced over the footage of Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link?

Nomura: Yes, it's the same character being played by the same person. The character is someone who has already appeared in the series, but this is the first time they've been voiced.

-- The place where Donald and Goofy are is the original world, right? What would a realistic Sora look like in the original world?

Nomura: Donald and Goofy are looking for clues to Sora in the original world. Everything you saw in the trailer before the title appeared is from Quadratum, and Sora will look realistic there, but if he returns to the original world, then the shaders will make him look like Donald and Goofy.

-- The battle scenes show Keyblade transformations and free-running, giving the impression that this is an evolution of Kingdom Hearts III.

Nomura: Yes, that's right. In the video, you can also see button icons that appear when an enemy punches you. You can think of that like the reaction commands we had in Kingdom Hearts II.

-- Oh, so it's a command that appears briefly under certain circumstances and, if successfully executed, triggers a special action.

Nomura: The reason it's appears with a black circle is because we haven't announced the platforms yet.

-- I see.

Nomura: After KH3 released, we saw quite a few people asking for reaction commands to return, so we brought them back.

-- The word "Build" is at the bottom of the command window on the lower left. What does it refer to?

Nomura: The battle concept this time around is "Scrap & Build," with Build being the command that represents it.

-- "Scrap & Build"... What is that exactly?

Nomura: I can't give you the details yet, but destruction and reconfiguration are key. Please wait for more information.

-- Kingdom Hearts 4 lies in the Lost Master Arc, but to what saga does Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link belong to?

Nomura: The Kingdom Hearts series does not solely include the Dark Seeker Arc up to Kingdom Hearts 3, and the Lost Master Arc from Kingdom Hearts 4. There is also the X series that includes Kingdom Hearts X, Union X, and Dark Road. Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link is a work that fills in the blank period and bridges them together.

-- We see Brain in the trailer for KHML. Is he the main character?

Nomura: No, the main character will be the player themselves. It's a create-an-avatar game like KH Unchained X.

-- The game seems quite challenging, with a focus on action-packed battles that can be enjoyed in multiplayer, as well as the addition of location-based game elements utilizing AR technology. You say that you can move around without actually leaving the house. Does you mean the character is the one who can do the moving?

Nomura: Yes. There's a Street View in Google Maps, isn't there? You just tap on the place you want to see and it'll take you there. I imagine KHML to be just like that.

-- So suppose I wanted to go to Okinawa on foot.

Nomura: You certainly could, but it'd take quite a bit of time to get there (laughs). By using points, you can teleport immediately to the place you want to go.

-- So if you don't want to spend the points, you can go out and walk around yourself. It's up to the player.

Nomura: Correct.

-- If the field is linked to the real world, does that mean we won't see any Disney worlds in the game?

Nomura: We're experimenting with a variety of things, but depending on the timing, the terrain and atmosphere will be partially based on Disney world motifs.

In the early stages of development, we covered the entire map with all sorts of motifs as though it were a skin, but it seemed like overkill, so we're trying to balance things out.

-- Collecting figure-like pieces sounds pretty interesting, and multi-action battles seem like they'll be fun.

Nomura: I'm trying to do something sharp that I can't do in the main story. Please look forward to the closed beta test scheduled for this fall.
Click to expand...

An expanded version of the interview will be available in the May 12-19 issue of Weekly Famitsu (which goes on sale April 28th). We'll be sure to update the article with the additional information from Nomura once the expanded interview is available.

EDIT:

The extended version of the interview has been released (and translated once again by KHInsider), where Nomura provides some additional info, such as confirmation that the Foretellers/Lost Masters are the main villains in KH4, work on KH4 with Unreal Engine 5 has already started, and giving some insight on the setting of Missing Link. Check out the rest of the interview below:

-- I was surprised by the faithful recreation of the area surrounding Shibuya Hikarie, the venue in which the event took place, in the Kingdom Hearts 4 trailer. The video was rendered in Unreal Engine 4, but with development moving to Unreal Engine 5, it seems that the graphics will become even more impressive.

Nomura: Currently, we've already begun working in UE5, so this may be the only time we show you footage from UE4. The next time we show the game should be in UE5, so please look forward to it.

-- Is the room where Sora wakes up also in Shibuya?

Nomura: That is located in Minami-Aoyama. However, the location of the main unit is different from what you see from the balcony, so the Osaka staff will come by later on to do some location scouting to make adjustments.

-- Melody of Memory featured a woman who was familiar with Quadratum. She was only voiced and not shown, but will she appear in KHIV?

Nomura: That is still a secret. As I said at the event, there was a time when I wasn't sure whether I would choose KHIV or VERUM REX as my next project. However, she is a central VERUM REX character.

-- I see.

Nomura: There seems to be a lot of anticipation for VERUM REX overseas (bitter smile). When Yozora was first introduced in KHIII, I got the impression that his reception was less than welcoming, but I guess that was not the case.

-- The logo has been redesigned.

Nomura: With the start of a new story, we took the opportunity to simplify the font. However, we wanted to retain that "KH" feel in spite of the new simplicity, so it took a lot of trial and error to reach a design that struck the right balance.

-- One year has passed since KHIII, so Sora's character design in KHIV is slightly more mature. His hair is silky and realistic, and even the impression he gives off has changed.

Nomura: Even when we were working on KHIII, there were discussions within the team about how realistic we should make the characters. We certainly could have made the hair silky smooth in KHIII if we wanted to. This time, since we are starting anew with the Lost Master Arc, we decided to make some drastic changes. The [characters'] appearances also match the nature of the world [they're in].

-- I hope we will meet Sora again, looking as he did in KHIII. Has this new costume design been finalized?

Nomura: No, not yet. There may still be some finer changes, such as with the details. As for the silhouette, I think it'll be similar to the one in this trailer.

-- The Master of Masters and his six disciples, the "Lost Masters," disappeared after the Keyblade War in Unchained χ. What happened to them?

Nomura: Even though we didn't show exactly what happened, we do know that five of the Foretellers, with the exception being Luxu, vanished after the Keyblade War.

-- So, they disappeared. But in KHIII's epilogue, Luxu "summons" his fellow disciples back and they are reunited. Are the Lost Masters a threat to Sora and his friends?

Nomura: Simply put, the Lost Masters are an opposing force like Organization XIII. However, not all of them have the same intentions. Their motives will be newly depicted in KHIV, so in that sense, I hope you will enjoy this new saga from the very beginning.

-- Who are the two wearing black coats in the trailer? One of them seems to be the Master of Masters...

Nomura: That's still a secret (laughs). By the way, in addition to Oka (Masaru Oka) who has worked with me on scenarios for the KH series up until now, I've asked Ishibashi (Akiko Ishibashi), a newcomer to the KH series, to join us in writing the scenario for KHIV. It's the start of our 3-person team.

-- Why did you ask Ishibashi [to join you]?

Nomura: The biggest reason is because of how she factors into approaching new users, from the perspective of someone who has no experience with the KH series. She did a great job of integrating the characters' values and principles in NEO: The World Ends With You and other works, and I thought her way of thinking would be well-suited for KH.

-- About the EX gauge in the lower right...?

Nomura: Please wait for more information on that.

-- Changing the subject, what did you request for the new songs used in the trailer?

Nomura: I requested a sense of anticipation building towards the latter half, so you'd feel like you're waiting for a hero to appear. It was very difficult since I had to ask for adjustments to be made to the length of the song to match that of the video at the last minute. For Missing-Link's song, I wanted it to have vocals throughout, so the chorus was included in this trailer.

-- What are the "societies that sprawl and branch like veins" mentioned in the trailer?

Nomura: KH Missing Link takes place about 4 generations after Ephemer's time. His descendents have each formed their own societies: the main family who carries his bloodline is the "Society of Successors", while the branch family is the "Society of Non-Successors". Just like KHIV, we're considering how to approach new users and have asked Fukazawa (Ruiko Fukazawa), another newcomer to the series, to write the scenario.

-- The Keyblade seems to be strengthened by setting "pieces," which are shaped like figurines. That's pretty unique.

Nomura: We wanted them to look rich, so we made them in the form of figurines. The pieces can be obtained not just from the gacha, but also in the field. For example, you might get a message that says "___ pieces are currently available at ___ in Shibuya."

-- I spotted some pieces in the trailer that resembled Terra, among other characters. Terra is a character who hails from a time period long after Missing-Link, so are the pieces just created for the purposes of the game?

Nomura: The purpose of this association [between characters and pieces] is to collect records of all the worlds' pasts, presents, and futures. Each piece provides information on its character from all eras, and you'll be able to draw upon their abilities to fight.

-- I see. The battles look like the action in KHIII.

Nomura: The project started in parallel with KH Union Cross. We knew that if we were going to make the next mobile iteration of KH, we had to make sure it'd play similarly to the mainline games in order to satisfy the audience. Therefore, it was inevitable that we'd aim to create an experience that'd be close to the action you'd find in those titles.

-- Collecting figurine-like pieces sounds interesting, and the multiplayer action battles look quite fun.

Nomura: We're trying to create sharp things that we might not be able to accomplish in the mainline games. Please look forward to the closed beta test scheduled for this fall.

-- You mentioned that you added additional scenarios to KH Dark Road, more than what was originally planned.

Nomura: Initially we were planning to include the [other] classmates, as well as delve further into Xehanort's companions. However, due to a change of plans, I asked Kanemaki (Tomoco Kanemaki), who also worked on KH 358/2 Days and writes the series' light novel adaptations, to put together a scenario with a limited number of stories. The plan received further changes after that, and I had the team's scenario writers make adjustments to focus solely on Xehanort. However, I felt that we were losing too much by making all of these cuts, so I decided to add them back in at the end. As I said at the event, you'll even learn why Master Xehanort became bald (laughs).

-- Oh (laughs). I'm looking forward to it. Lastly, what plans do you have for KH during the rest of its 20th anniversary?

Nomura: KH Dark Road is nearing completion, and the two women who are working on the event scenes are giving their all, so please give them your support. It'll just be a little bit longer. KH Missing Link is scheduled for a closed beta test this fall. KHIV's development is being prioritized, and we don't have plans to release additional info for a while. I'm hoping to put some other stuff together [for the anniversary], so please wait for more information from the official announcement.
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Thread by: Meilin Lee, Apr 14, 2022, 1 replies, in forum: Kingdom Hearts News & Updates
Thread
Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary Event Q&A
Following the major announcements regarding the future of the series (including the confirmation of Kingdom Hearts 4!!!), the development staff conducted a Q&A session with fans in attendance, providing some interesting pieces of information. Several Twitter users who attended the event posted what was discussed, and KHInsider was able to compile all the answers, which can be viewed below:
On KH4:

Can't say much about the game right now. It was only shown early to avoid leaks, so there won't be any more news for a while. There won't be any news on KH at E3 either (Nomura is saying it now before people jump to conclusions all over the internet.)

Everything you saw in the PV are rendered in real time in UE4. However, development is moving to UE5 so this footage is being discarded.

When the team sent Nomura the video of the forest, he thought, "Why are you sending me live-action footage?"

Sora's appearance is a result of that world. It's how he looks post-MoM timeskip.

World selection is currently in progress.

The logo has changed because the Dark Seeker Saga has concluded. It was tough to settle on the new design.

Was torn between proceeding with Verum Rex or KH4 for the next title, but decided on KH4 because it'd be difficult to develop two big console games at the same time, and there were many fans who were worried about Sora.

People tend to say "Verum Rex" with a short u like "veram" but the dev team actually pronounces it with a long u like "veroom" (ヴェラム vs ヴェルム, the latter is correct)

The narration over the KHML and KH4 segments of the PV is by an existing character.

On Missing-Link:

Nomura started working on it before UX concluded.

Smartphone game

Action like in the mainline series

Up to 6-player battles

Screen can be viewed in portrait or landscape mode

Set during a blank time period between UX and DR

A story that connects all of the mysteries up to now

Key words: Multiple Scalas, Founder Ephemer, Secret Society of Keyblade Wielders. Everything is connected.

Beta testing is scheduled for Fall 2022

There are two systems: one is a story mode where you advance through quests, and the other a walking mode like Pokemon Go.

Collect materials in the walking mode to strength the Keyblade.

As fans can imagine, Nomura doesn't particularly like AR games. He doesn't want to walk, so he made it possible to play the game in the comfort of your own home without having to use the walking mode.

On Dark Road:

Final chapter is scheduled to be released in August 2022.

The UXDR team has already disbanded. As a result, they can no longer do periodic updates and must release everything all at once.

The current work on DR is being done by the two animators who worked on the UX event scenes (Reminder that the second animator was only hired in the final year of UX's service.)

Various improvements have been made.

Resolves various mysteries up to now.

It took a lot of work to recreate the chess scene for DR.

There were many tough hurdles for D-san (Disney?)

Misc. Comments:

Nomura didn't finish the anniversary artwork until 10:00am this morning. He stayed up all night to get it done in time.

Asked Hazama to help him buy some shampoo but he didn't make it in time before the event started so here we are.

Is exhausted by rehearsal.

Nomura was burnt out after KH3.

Realizes that he's really been recognized in these 20 years.

He wasn't very well known when the first game was released.

Now that the series has become much more prolific, he doesn't have as much freedom as they used to, but his development ideology hasn't changed.

KH3 has sold a record high of 6.7 million units as of September 2021.

Nomura reminisces about his school days, when he lived only 5 minutes away from the ocean. He's inserted some of his own life experiences into the games, such as spending time eating ice cream with friends.

He isn't very good at action games, but tries to be conscious that KH can be played by everyone.

He's not keen on too much fantasy. Instead, he prefers something inbetween reality and fantasy, with just a little bit out of touch with reality.

What Nomura wants to portray in KH is that our hearts are connected, and anyone can be the hero.

Sora may be gone, but his heart is still connected to others. It makes sense for him to disappear.

First started work on KH in 1997.

Have given out all of the information we can right now. Perhaps the next time Nomura appears in-person will be on the 25th anniversary?

— Regarding superbosses.
Hazama: Sephiroth was terrible. I could barely even hear the One-Winged Angel playing in the background as Sora floated around in the air (laughs).

Nomura: Isn't it hilarious though? To be so thoroughly beaten out of nowhere. I can't defeat them myself, but it's fun to see someone else losing like that (laughs)

— Regarding the lack of livestream.

Nomura: When you're livestreaming something, there's a lot of work that goes into making it available for the overseas audience, subtitling it, and having to adhere to a script. Then I might inadvertently leak some undisclosed information, in which case I'd say "Boy am I glad we didn't livestream this (laughs)."

Hazama: So says the one always getting angry about it...

— Are Nobody emblems natural? Do humanoid Nobodies have them?
Nomura: Is this something you all care about? (laughs) No, the humanoid Nobodies don't have them. They're sort of like Pureblood Heartless, in that only Emblems, or in this case, lesser Nobodies, are marked with the symbol.

— Who exactly is Demyx?
Nomura: If I reveal it here, then I'm not going to show it in-game then, okay? (laughs) I'll show it someday.

— Do you get inspiration from Hikaru Utada's music?
Nomura: Always. We don't work on the opening until we receive her music. It's indispensible.

— At the end of UX, the Player's heart melts into Xehanort's heart?
Nomura: You'll understand when you see the final chapter of Dark Road.

— Where did Riku get the Keyblade he gave to Kairi in KH2?
Nomura: We'll follow up on that somewhere in the future.

— Why did the story diverge based on who won or lost the battle with Yozora?
Nomura: It's a difficult battle, so we thought it'd be nice to have something to see even if you lost. That's all there is to it.

— Did Ephemer realize the Player's true intentions in UX's ending?
Nomura: It's a pretty sad goodbye, but there's still a lot to be said about Ephemer, so be sure to check out Missing Link. Past stories will be resolved in that game.

— When did Namine and Ansem meet?
Nomura: When there was no one else left in Castle Oblivion. Organization XIII had been eliminated, and Sora and Riku were gone, so they were like "Well now what we do?" (laughs)

Hazama: It wasn't that amicable, was it? (laughs)

Nomura: It wasn't, but I didn't show it because I thought people would be able to figure out what happened on their own.

— Why did Riku's hair get shorter in KH3D?
Nomura: Everyone kept saying that his hair is too long in KH2 and that I should cut it off, so I did (laughs)

— What is the "world of ※" the Master of Masters was talking about?
Nomura: The name hasn't been mentioned yet since we are merely foreshadowing, but it's in the script so you can expect to learn more in the future. However, If you have a good sense, you might be able to figure it out.

— Why was there noise in the sky after Ephemer and Skuld left the data world in UX?
Nomura: There's no deeper meaning to this. It's just an effect.

Hazama: People tend to misunderstand this kind of thing.

— How did Isa receive the scar on his forehead? Why is it a Recusant's Sigil?
Nomura: Good question. There's a story with Lea and Isa and the girl they were trying to rescue. Stay tuned for the future.

— Why did Master Xehanort take over Terra when he was old and not when he was young?
Nomura: Because he didn't have the power to do when he was younger.

— What is the difference between falling into darkness (as happened to Riku and Aqua) and becoming Heartless and creating Nobodies?
Nomura: The difference is whether or not the heart remains. Dark Aqua is pretty cool and I like her a lot, so I wanted to show her a little more.

— Regarding Xehanort in DR.
Nomura: The mystery surrounding Xehanort will be revealed in the final chapter of DR. You'll also find out why Xehanort's hair became the way it did.

— Will we even learn why Maleficent thought the Book of Prophecies was in the black box?
Nomura: I thought we explained it in UX, but I guess it wasn't clear to everyone. I think I'll have Maleficent talk about it sooner or later.

— In KH3, Xemnas breaks Lea's Keyblade and says "Your Keyblade is no more," yet Lea continues to use it regardless.
Nomura: The nuance is that even if Lea summons his Keyblade again and insists on fighting Xemnas with it, he'll just continue to break it. It's impossible for Xemnas to get rid of it for good.

— Regarding Roxas and Xion's return.
Nomura: I actually had last minute doubts about their return in KH3. In fact, I originally wasn't going to revive them at all, but fans' voices were so strong that I felt I had no choice but to bring them back. There are parts of the story that I won't bend, but when I'm having trouble, I will consider what everyone is saying.
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Thread by: Meilin Lee, Apr 11, 2022, 1 replies, in forum: Kingdom Hearts News & Updates
Thread
'Kingdom Hearts IV' & More Announcements at KH 20th Anniversary Event!

During today's 20th anniversary event for the Kingdom Hearts series, some major announcements were made in regards to the future of the series!

View attachment 50813

First off, 'Kingdom Hearts: Dark Road' will finally get its long awaited finale this upcoming August for free!

View attachment 50814

Secondly, a new game for mobile devices called 'Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link' was announced, and appears to be a sequel to 'Union X[cross]', allowing players to embark on adventures from the realm of Scala ad Caelum into the real world! A closed beta release of the game will be available in 2022 for iOS/Android devices.

View attachment 50816

Lastly, the announcement that everyone was most likely waiting for... Kingdom Hearts IV has been officially announced! The trailer shows off Sora's new look in the game, as well as gameplay in Quadrarum where Sora is battling a massive Heartless on his own! While it hasn't been stated which platforms the game will be released, it most likely will be for the PS5/XBOX Series X. Check out the trailer for these three games below:

To celebrate the occasion, Tetsuya Nomura provided the following message on Twitter for fans:

Lastly, artwork that Nomura was working on for the 20th anniversary event was revealed, and includes Sora in his new KH4 look (credit to @tm_bonist for getting a photo of the artwork):

View attachment 50817

Thread by: Meilin Lee, Apr 10, 2022, 0 replies, in forum: Kingdom Hearts News & Updates
Thread
Tetsuya Nomura Posts 20th Anniversary Message

On this day twenty years ago, the Kingdom Hearts series was officially born with the release of the original Kingdom Hearts game in Japan! Series director Tetsuya Nomura took the opportunity to post a message on Twitter, giving us a preview of artwork he is currently preparing for the upcoming 20th anniversary event scheduled on April 10th:

The tweet translates to the following (credit to @RyujiBlades for the translation):

Good evening. Thank you all for the 20th anniversary messages. The 20th anniversary event is not quite ready, so I don't have anything prepared for now. I have begun on the 20th anniversary illustration since yesterday, and I can't wait to unveil it when it's done.
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Thread by: Meilin Lee, Mar 27, 2022, 0 replies, in forum: Kingdom Hearts News & Updates
Post
Nintendo Pokémon Scarlet & Violet

tamale said: ↑

Looks like the National Dex is still out; it's got the same disclaimer about Home compatibility that SwSh had. Hardly surprising; the dev statements on the subject during SwSh's release cycle were pretty clear that that's the direction going forward. We're going into this generation with even more individual Pokémon species than SwSh had to contend with, after all.
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I get that. I just didn't know if the huge drama leading up to SwSh's release may have convinced them to better prepare for that in some way. One can dream...
But like you said, that doesn't seem to be the case. And with that, my enthusiasm to buy a Switch and the next mainline Pokemon game remains dampened.

Post by: Meilin Lee, Feb 27, 2022 in forum: Gaming
Post
Nintendo Pokémon Scarlet & Violet

Although I skipped SwSh because of the while National Dex fiasco, this looks more interesting quite honestly. Loving the open world look of the game and the Spanish influence. Sprigatito looks so adorable and is giving me major Fennekin vibes (will be going with that starter if I ever get the game). And I can't not see KH Donald whenever I see Quaxley

While I doubt it'll happen, I am still hoping that they find a way to satisfy those of us who want the national dex in some format (whether on initial release or with future patching).

Post by: Meilin Lee, Feb 27, 2022 in forum: Gaming
Thread
Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary Event Scheduled for April 10!

An event commemorating the Kingdom Hearts series' 20th anniversary has finally been announced, scheduled to take place in Tokyo on April 10th! The event will have a mini-concert, a Q&A session with the development team, an exhibition, and other unannounced surprises! A video of the event will made available for all to view at a later date.

Thread by: Meilin Lee, Jan 18, 2022, 0 replies, in forum: Kingdom Hearts News & Updates
Thread
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5+2.5, 2.8, and III (with ReMind) Coming to Nintendo Switch on February 10th

Square-Enix announced earlier today that cloud versions of 'Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX', 'Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue', and Kingdom Hearts III' (with the ReMind DLC) will all be released next month on February 10th! These titles can be purchased individually or by purchasing an all-in-one package called the Integrum Masterpiece. Additionally, those who either purchase the Integrum Masterpiece or 'Kingdom Hearts III' individually will get an exclusive keyblade in 'Kingdom Hearts III' called the Advent Red Keyblade:

Thread by: Meilin Lee, Jan 18, 2022, 2 replies, in forum: Kingdom Hearts News & Updates
Post
How old were you when you joined VS how old you are now.

Joined when I was 20, and now I'm 30.
Damn, I feel old...

Post by: Meilin Lee, Jan 1, 2022 in forum: The Spam Zone
Post
The "What Song Are You Listening to Now?" Thread

Post by: Meilin Lee, Dec 11, 2021 in forum: The Playground
Thread
Native Port of 'Kingdom Hearts' Series on Nintendo Switch Still Possible

View attachment 50742

One of the announcements made last week as part of the Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary celebration was the release of the entire series on the Nintendo Switch via cloud versions. While many would've preferred a native copy of these ports, series producer Ichiro Hazama is aware of this, as he discussed the possibility with Nintendo Life. Check out the short interview below:

Nintendo Life: "From an outsider looking in, we've seen other high-quality ports of classic Square Enix games like Final Fantasy X | X-2 run natively on Switch. So what was the reason to release the Kingdom Hearts series on Switch as Cloud Versions, instead of optimizing them to run natively on Switch hardware?"

Ichiro Hazama: "For some time, our director Tetsuya Nomura had expressed his desire to deliver the Kingdom Hearts series to Nintendo Switch players, him having seen and heard the demand, and so a great deal of consideration went into this internally. Bringing these titles to Nintendo Switch proved to be quite difficult for various reasons, including the storage capacity of the hardware, but we’re excited that we were able to make it happen for the first time ever by utilizing the Cloud service."

Nintendo Life: "We understand it would have been near impossible to get the entire series running smoothly on Switch, but is it possible that Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix could ever be reworked to run natively on Switch later down the road? Is this just sort of a stop gap?"

Ichiro Hazama: "At this moment in time, the production of a native version is undecided. We believe that the Cloud version is currently the best way to deliver the Kingdom Hearts series to Nintendo Switch players, but we are always excited to hear feedback from our fans and want to thank them for all their support."
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Thread by: Meilin Lee, Oct 15, 2021, 0 replies, in forum: Kingdom Hearts News & Updates
Thread
Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary Details Announced
Following the exciting reveal of Sora's addition to 'Super Smash Bros. Ultimate', Square-Enix revealed plans for the 20th anniversary of the series:

As the above video shows:
- Cloud versions of 'Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 HD ReMix', 'Kingsom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue', and 'Kingdom Hearts III' (with the ReMind DLC included) are coming soon to the Nintendo Switch!
- Multiple merchandise to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the series!
- The rest of the 'Kingdom Hearts: Dark Road' story (up to the ending!) will be released this winter in one go!
- A Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary Event will be taking place! More details to come at a later date.
Thread by: Meilin Lee, Oct 5, 2021, 1 replies, in forum: Kingdom Hearts News & Updates
Thread
Sora Revealed to be Final DLC Character Addition to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

After many requests for his addition into the crossover fighting game 'Super Smah Bros. Ultimate' for the Nintendo Switch, Sora has finally been revealed as the game's final DLC character! In addition to his inclusion, a new stage will also be added to the game based on Hollow Bastion from KH1, and can transform into a Station of Awakening! While Sora's default look is based on his KH1 appearance, he will also have alternate looks based on his KH2, KH3D, KH3, Valor Form, Wisdom Form, Ultimate Form, and Timeless River appearances. He will be available for purchase on October 18 for $5.99! Check out the reveal trailer below:

Thread by: Meilin Lee, Oct 5, 2021, 1 replies, in forum: Kingdom Hearts News & Updates
Post
Can I just say....

I've never played rhythm games before, so MoM was a first for me, and I loved it!

I was actually able to get a 30$ discount on it when it released (thank you Best Buy rewards ).

Despite me wanting many more tracks to be included (Hundred Acre Wood, Port Royal/Caribbean, Symphony of Sorcery, "Face my Fears", different variations of existing themes, as well as tracks from Union X, 0.2 BBS, and KH3), I think the selection was still great and have spent a good amount of time going through them.

Post by: Meilin Lee, Aug 5, 2021 in forum: Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory
Thread
'Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 HD ReMix' Version 1.0.0.7 Patch on PC Released

Square-Enix today released a patch (Version 1.0.0.7) for the PC version of 'Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 HD ReMix' via the Epic Games Store, with the size of the patch being roughly 8 GB. As for the contents of this patch, Square-Enix support indicates that the patch fixes a bug in 'Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix', improving stability.

Thread by: Meilin Lee, Jul 28, 2021, 0 replies, in forum: Kingdom Hearts News & Updates

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