KH-Vids | Your ultimate source for Kingdom Hearts media

It's time for the KH-Vids Podcast! After last week's episode about Kingdom Heart's presence at E3, we now talk about everything else that went down at the annual gaming expo!

Podcast hosts @Misty, @libregkd, and @Calxiyn cover all the big announcements made at this year's E3 conference. We go through all the major conferences citing what interested us included the Horizon: Zero Dawn, Fallout 4, Final Fantasy VII: Remake, The Last Guardian, and more! We also talk about how certain conferences were a lot less interesting than the others plus a bunch of games that were being shown off on the expo floor!

Our user-submitted questions this week has us answering what Final Fantasy world we would be interested in seeing in Kingdom Hearts and whether or not we subscribe to using cheap tactics in video games, both questions come courtesy of @Nobodyslight. Finally, for Community News, the KH-Vids User Awards nominations are now open!

Have thoughts of your own on E3? Hyped for a game shown? Bummed out about anything? Let us know in the comments!

Interested in being a member guest on the podcast? Fill out our form here and we'll be in touch. Ask us a question by visiting this page or sending an email to podcast@kh-vids.net!

Playstation Access recently posted a video regarding their interview with Tetsuya Nomura. In particular, they have eight points of interest for fans regarding the development of KH3, with some being quite insightful as to the relationship between Square and Disney, as well as hints of what to expect in KH3! You can watch their video below:


1. How does Nomura select Disney worlds to use for Kingdom Hearts III?
The staff working on Kingdom Hearts titles find Disney properties that they think could have an interesting or cool gimmick to them. They present this to Nomura, who then selects the world(s). They do listen to fans to figure out directions of what worlds to have, but Disney does not put ideas forward for the worlds. However, Disney allows the Kingdom Hearts team to view screenings of new films before they are released or even announced. This lets the team pick out specific films they might be interested in adapting, and they can then begin discussing the inclusion with Disney liaisons.

2. Will there be any certain specific Final Fantasy characters in Kingdom Hearts III?
Nomura declined to give any specific details on characters, yet states "[he] wants them in." Lightning Returns Again?

3. Where is Kingdom Hearts III in its development?
They do not feel comfortable putting a percentage on the development, but have stated that the key gameplay mechanics, worlds, and ideas have been finalized, and mass production is underway with a large team dedicated to seeing it through.

4. What do the next-gen consoles let you do for Kingdom Hearts III?
The capabilities of the PS4 and Xbox One allow for the Kingdom Shader(s), as well as more seamless loading, better lighting effects, much larger map areas, and a huge reduction in loading screens (not officially stated, but it's been suggested that there is a possibility that the only loading screens may be those when transitioning from world to world). Further more, movements have been advanced (water will ripple, Sora's hair will move, the tip of the Keyblade will light up with the color of the spell you're casting, etc.).

5. What changes can we expect to see in combat?
Ally and Enemy AIs will be more advanced; enemies will work together, and allies will interact with you in more ways in combat. Keyblade Transformations and Attraction Flow techniques are available based on "good or favorable" timing. Nomura emphasizes giving players more choice into how they approach battles.

6. Will there be new minigames/sidequests?
Nomura states they can't state anything right now, but the development team is having lots of fun building them as we speak!

7. What will character progression and leveling be like?
Nomura stated that he and the team felt the KH/KH2 system was "perfect" due to its relative simplicity. However, there will be some new elements that can be leveled up, the most notable being the Keyblade itself.

8. What about the Final Fantasy 7 remake, and how that's going alongside Kingdom Hearts III?
Kingdom Hearts III is a lot further into development than the Final Fantasy 7 remake. Therefore, they do not get into the way of each other's development, as both have separate production teams working on them. However, some creative elements from one may influence and bleed into the other.

The Famitsu interview with Kingdom Hearts series director, Tetsuya Nomura, which was mentioned recently, has been fully translated courtesy of KHInsider's Zephyr. The interview can be read below, where Nomura mentions working with Disney creators, evolving elements from KH2 and KH3D for use in Kingdom Hearts III, and hinting of a secret movie being included:

The KH-Vids Podcast is back! After a two week hiatus, we're coming at you with 96 minutes of pure Kingdom Hearts. What could be better!

Podcast hosts @Misty, @libregkd, and @Calxiyn are joined by @Cat~, @Karuta, and @KeybearerofSea to cover the presence of Kingdom Hearts at this year's E3 conference -- majorly and unsurprisingly, the new Kingdom Hearts III trailer. We begin by sharing our thoughts on Sora's brand new costume for Kingdom Hearts III, which slims and simplifies our plucky protag. After arguing about glove length for a few minutes, we launch into our full analysis of the trailer, covering fan theories on chess pieces and calendars, the expansive new maps and environments (including the confirmation of a Tangled world!), Attraction Flow and Keyblade Transformation attacks, and much, much more!

We also mention the less-thrilling but always adorable Unchained X[chi] trailer, as well as the absence of any new HD remasters for the Kingdom Hearts series at E3.

Our user-submitted questions this week center around the trailer, with @Scarred Nobody asking what other Disney attractions we hope to see in the title and @Quilligan looking for our new world wishlist. Finally we plug some new developments within our community, including our site's new design and the return of the KH-Vids User Awards.

It's a podcast episode perfect for any Kingdom Hearts fan! As always, you can support and participate in the KH-Vids Podcast by leaving us a comment, answering our user-submitted questions, submitting to be a guest, or sending in questions of your own -- and have a Kingdom Hearts day!


Interested in being a member guest on the podcast? Fill out our form here and we'll be in touch. Ask us a question by visiting this page or sending an email to podcast@kh-vids.net!

A week from the impressive trailer of Kingdom Hearts 3, Famitsu and Dengeki have managed to wrangle up Tetsuya Nomura for yet another interview! The full interviews have yet to drop, but we do get a brief overview of the content:

• The battle system doesn’t use deck commands like Birth by Sleep, but rather classic commands like “Attack” and “Magic.”
• Free run is being implemented this time, so Sora’s mobility is a bit out of the ordinary. Beyond jumping and running, this likely consists of things like wall running and jumping, etc.
• With the exception of Olympus, most of the worlds in the game are brand new. The Tangled world was revealed at E3.
• Xehanort’s story will come to an end in Kingdom Hearts III, but the Kingdom Hearts series is not finished. (Rather, Kingdom Hearts III brings to an end the “Dark Seeker” chapter of the series.) A plan has already been decided regarding the whereabouts of some of the characters fans might be concerned about. Nomura says he wouldn’t want to do something so disappointing as just settling things.
• A landing point for the release window has been decided, but they can’t say anything yet. The latest news is promised for the D23 Expo Japan Kingdom Hearts fan event on November 3.
• Development is on track. Things like secret movies are also under consideration.

Source: Gematsu