Extended Dengeki Interview with Nomura

Meilin Lee · Dec 31, 2016

The guys over at Dengeki have posted an extended version of Nomura's most recent interview with them, containing additional questions, where Nomura confirms that Riku, like Sora, will have a new outfit in KH3, and that the outfit is the one Riku is wearing in artwork Nomura drew to commemorate the 3rd anniversary of 'Kingdom Hearts χ[chi]' in Japan. The fully translated interview can be read below:

- As I played KH0.2, I didn’t expect to have such a hard time because of the Shadows (laughs).

Nomura: Influence from the Realm of Darkness have caused Shadows to become much more powerful. In the E3 demo, you could fight a boss made up of a cluster of Shadows. Thanks to the specs of the current engine, we were able to create this boss while animating so many enemies.

- Character decorations have been introduced to the series as a novelty element.

Nomura: Due to the limited volume, we tried to think of something fun to play with and the staff devised it in a rush. You can change the appearance of the character, so please collect many of the items and customize your own Aqua.

- Will decoration elements be introduced in KHIII?

Nomura: Although we knew we could put it in this game, putting it in KHIII would depend on the timeframe as other things are of higher priority. We'll keep an eye on the reactions for customization in 0.2.

- The encounter between Aqua and the King, as well as their joint combat, have been revealed.

Nomura: I think many fans had begun to realize that Aqua and the King do meet in the Realm of Darkness. Because Aqua is alone until she meets the King, it was really difficult to write the scenario dialogue. Once the King appears, writing conversations between the two proved easier.

- In 0.2, there are scenes of Riku and the King in new outfits, so I’m looking forward to the announcement for KHIII.

Nomura: All costume designs have been finished and I feel very confident about them. It is based on the costume Riku wore in the KHX 3rd anniversary illustration.

- The light tone from Master of Masters stands out and there's an eeriness as you can't read his motives.

Nomura: I thought it would be cool if a character like that could think deeply and scheme, and I wondered if it would be easy to understand. After thinking about it, the idea for this "tremendously great guy" materialized inside of me, and that became the Master. I’m sure he’s an amazing person, and he will behave in such a way.

- As for the personality of the Master, I think the voice acting from Tomokazu Sugita also reflects that.

Nomura: I was pretty troubled for the cast. Since I decided to have a master figure, I looked for someone who could play such a role. I thought about how the conversations would be executed and Mr. Sugita was the most qualified for the role. The recordings were done individually for each voice actor, but the conversations feel as though they weren't.

- Little by little, we're getting to see Ephemer. Will his role be more important?

Nomura: Ephemer and Skuld are becoming considerably important in the second season of KH Unchained X. Although the story of KHX has concluded, the story of Unchained Chi exists in another dimension. The relationship around that will be told in the second season so please wait for the next report.

- For additional content in the HD version of Dream Drop Distance, three new spirits were added.

Nomura: They are small but exciting additions. Catnuki, Sudo Beat, and Yuagari Penguin have been chosen from our ideas. For Yuagari penguin, it is interesting to note that there is no hot water (laughs).

- Over 50 spirits will appear in the game but what’s your favorite?

Nomura: Same as before, it must be Meow Wow. Every time I make a new enemy type I draw the first one as a base (Shadow for Heartless, Dusk for Nobody) but in the case of Dream Eaters, Meow Wow was the most memorable. A while ago at Artnia (Square Enix Official Shop/Cafe), I found the original drawing of Meow Wow I drew at the time but it was clearly sketchy… I am surprised I made it so cute from there.
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Credit to Zephyr of KHInsider for the interview translations!

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Extended Dengeki Interview with Nomura

Meilin Lee RPG (Red Panda Girl)

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