Kingdom Hearts χ[chi]

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Posted by Meilin Lee : Dec 31, 2016 at 1:56 AM ( 0 , 1,233 )

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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Nomura Interview with Dengeki (UPDATED with Full Translated Interview)

Posted by Meilin Lee : Dec 20, 2016 at 11:26 PM ( 2 , 2,654 )

In the latest issue of Dengeki Playstation, 'Kingdom Hearts' director, Tetsuya Nomura, talked a bit on both 'Kingdom Hearts 2.8 HD Final Chapter Prologue' and 'Kingdom Hearts III'. While a full translation of the interview isn't out yet, KHInsider user Zephyr was able to translate some of the main points of the interview, where Nomura discusses things such as no new boxart for 'Kingdom Hearts 1.5+2.5' on the PS4, how the remasters have never affected development of KH3, and the return of Reaction Commands in KH3 (now called Situation Commands and evolved to be less like simple QTEs). The main points can be read below:

• In light of the remastered versions, it does not affect the progress of KINGDOM HEARTS III and the amount of staff falls into a good number.
• In 0.2, the worlds of Birth by Sleep have fallen into darkness and takes place during the timeline of its first work. In regards to the creation of new maps, they’ve had a difficult time balancing its volume/content. Continuing from the same areas wouldn’t be as interesting.
• The height-and-depth is one of the features that came from the map development team. Because of their strong teamwork, I have no worries about it.
• Even though some parts of the system may be fundamentally different in 0.2 and KH3, it’s become possible to experience a 'PS4 quality KH'.
• As for the lighting right now, we’ve wanted to present it without hurting the atmosphere, and we are receiving guidance from Visual Works and experimenting through trial and error. I think further improvements will be made in the future.
• There were trial and errors about the ‘Situation Command’ and how to display them so it doesn’t look like a simple QTE, etc.
• ‘Situation Commands’ are an evolution of KH2’s ‘Reaction Commands’ and they’ve become an integral part of KH3
• In 0.2, you immediately have access to top tier magic however I don’t think this is the case for KH3.
• The final trailer has been released with various characters, look forward to playing the game.
• We are unfamiliar with producing scenes in the next-gen engine and recreating all the character models were difficult.
• In KHBC, because the characters’ faces are hidden behind masks, we were mindful about their individualities.
• KHUx’s ’sin' is a keyword and I think experienced players might have also noticed.
• Since KH3D was a turning point for ‘Flowmotion’, KH3 began from there.
• I think a packaging illustration to connect KH1.5+2.5 will not be drawn.
• In KH3’s development, they are reworking all of the models but please be relieved to know it is progressing forward as well as the timing for the announcement of new information.
• We want to tie together information for the 15th anniversary for the KH series but it has not been decided yet.
• We want you to play 0.2 after seeing the secret movie of KHDDD. KHBC is not connected so you can enjoy viewing it anytime.
• As for KH2.8, the ‘Final Chapter Prologue’ in the title means that the story for KH3 has already begun.
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This post will be updated with the full interview as soon as a translation is out.

EDIT: The full interview is as follows (thanks again to KHInsider for providing the translation)

KINGDOM HEARTS Series Director - Tetsuya Nomura speaks about 2.8
- KH2.8 is the first in the series to appear on the PS4. How does this make you feel?
Tetsuya Nomura (further, Nomura): As a HD remaster, KH2.8 is prone to slip under the radar, however our staff have poured out quite a bit of effort into making this title.
That is to say, it has volume which is just perfect, having no impact on the progress of KH3.
- About KH0.2, many of the worlds that appeared in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep also appear in this title, however this time they're teeming with darkness...
Nomura: That's because we have created them in accordance to how they appeared in Birth By Sleep. Initially, the staff had taken the maps from the Secret Episode of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep - Final Mix as a base and extended them further, however I also had my own ideas for these Disney worlds envelopped in darkness.
It was difficult to find a balance between the volume of new vs old, because if we continued on with just similar looking locations, then that wouldn't be exciting now would it?
- In the same way that we had previously experienced, all the areas felt like they had really been created with huge depth.
Nomura: That is just one of the characterstics of this title's areas. Looking at the full 2D maps, they don't really seem that large, however once you're actually walking in them they feel large enough to even get lost in. The team developing these areas are particularly superb, so I can rest at ease knowing that it's in their hands.
- Can it be said that the combat system and graphics of KH0.2 are close to what we can expect from KH3?
Nomura: There are some fundamental differences between some parts of KH0.2 and KH3's core systems, however both are of the quality that you would expect from a PS4 Kingdom Hearts title.
Being the first of the series to release on PS4, KH2.8 had this pressure of not only crossing, but plowing through the line that this expectation had created. Especially because this was the first time using lighting effects in the series, with the guidance of Visual Works we went through a lot of trial and error.
Up until now I thought that using lighting effects would fail to capture the essence of Disney, so i avoided it, but with the specs now available to us, I thought that it would now be possible to use these effects without harming that Disney image. We are still getting used to it, so I think it can only improve from here on out.
- The Situation Commands found within the battle system were a mix of the previous game's Reaction Commands and Command Styles. We thought this arrangement was quite interesting.
Nomura: This also required a lot of trial and error. In our promotional trailers, during the Situation Commands you would see a large green triangle appear right in the center of the screen, which unfortunately made it seem like a QTE (Quick Time Event). Additionally, we received feedback that having it appear above the command window made it unclear whether the command had become possible to use or not. So we were thinking, what should we do...
In the end, we decided to go with having "STANDING BY" appear. This way it gave more of a feeling that you had now become able to activate the Situation Command whenever you wished by a button press in oppose to a jarring "Press the button now!", which we were pleased with.
- With the Situation Commands, there are several requirements where if you fulfill them, the corresponding commands will line up on the screen.
Nomura: From the early stages of development, this is how we wanted to implement it into KH3. Various commands become available to you, and during the limited time they are available, you can choose the one which you wish to deploy. I think we have created a system that gives you more freedom, as an adequate evolution of KH2's Reaction Commands.
I think this system will be a central part of KH3.
- It seems like high level Magic spells such as Firagun and Thundagun will activate through Situation Commands as well...
Nomura: In KH0.2, the system is tightly condensed so characters can suddenly use such high level magic attacks, however in KH3, although you can expect these same sorts of spells, you won't just suddenly be able to use them.
- In the final trailer we briefly see glimpses of Terra and Terra-Xehanort...
Nomura: For details please look forward to playing the game. By the way, at the Official Kingdom Hearts "First Breath" concert, we had a conversation read out vocally to the audience involving Namine and Terra. The Terra from the scene you mentioned is from events following that conversation.
- In the same trailer Sora, Donald and Goofy's presense were also confirmed. I think this moment of the trailer made fans incredibly happy.
Nomura: Up until now, we hadn't developed cutscenes for next generation consoles, so we're still getting used to it, however I think they will only further be improved with time.
Adttionally, until now we've been able to utilize the models used for characters and scenery from predecessing games as a base, but with KH3, as expected from the power of the next generation consoles, we are not able to do this and have to remake all our models from the very beginning, which is hard work.
- KHBC is a completely new theatrical work, so was there much you had to consider when creating the scenes?
Nomura: All of the Foretellers cover their faces with masks, and the Master of Masters' and Luxu's mouths even are concealed. What I mean to say is that facial expressions are not able to be displayed, so we had to consider creating very distinct personalities that could project their individuality in an appealing manner.
For most of the main cast, it is their debut appearance where it's also the first time you'll be hearing their voices, so even though it's such a small window of time, we wanted players to be able to empathize with them.
- I was really surprised by the dialogue scenes with the Master of Masters, his style and the mood he creates is so different from anything we've ever seen from Kingdom Hearts so far.
Nomura: Well, I couldn't help that, he's just got that sort of personality (laughs)
- Some of the things he says are really unique, but not only that, it seems like the voice actor did a bit of improv?
Nomura: There was no improvisation. Everything was scripted. There is only one part where something Aced says is not according to the original script. In one of the scenes, where Aced and the Master of Masters are conversing with each other, Aced chews up his words but because of the situation, it ended up being pretty funny so we left it in as is.
- Through the expression in their voices, the way they moved, the impression that the Foretellers will have on the players will most likely be different from what they initially thought.
Nomura: For players of Kingdom Hearts X and Kingdom Hearts Unchained X, the image they have of the Foretellers may have solidified, so even I am interest in their reactions once they finish watching Back Cover. They may have some ill feeling toward Aced...
- Well that's because even in the trailer, Aced is seen to not be able to control his emotions.
Nomura: But, I think if you follow and think about the story from a logical standpoint, from the beginning Aced has some solid arguments. As I was writing the scenario for Kingdom Hearts Back Cover, I was careful so as to make each character look neither like a hero nor a villain, however in the end it seems that only Ava was received as a good girl (laughs)
At any rate, if you think of the story progression as a gun, where Ava is the only one with the capacity to pull that gun's trigger, I'm not so sure about how devoid of sin she really is...
- Speaking of which, in Kingdom Hearts Unchained X, from gathering Guilt and manifesting that power with the Strength Bangle, we seem to have a new keyword, "sin"?
Nomura: As some players with a strong theoretical mind have already speculated and noticed, yes, this is the case. The grand entrace to the next story has already begun...
- By that, do you mean there's potential for something like Back Cover, which tells of the story happening behind the scenes in Unchained X, but instead for a sequel to the story??
Nomura: We are not thinking about that at this time. As for the Foretellers, more will be unveiled in future installments of the main series and in Kingdom Hearts Unchained X.
-As a sort of prototype to KHDDD, KH3D was released 4 years ago. Is there any memories you'd like to share with us?

Nomura: in my eyes, KH3D was the turning point of the series in regards to aspects of both action and scenario. As for action, the dynamic jumps were only available through flowmotion, which was something I had always wanted to try out. As for sscenario, I tried to give it more feeling. So, this title became a title that would provide the direction for future Kingdom Hearts games. In that regard, I truly do believe that KH3 had already begun with the advent of KH3D.
(T/n seems like KHDDD means the one bundled in 2.8 and KH3D refers to the original 3DS title)

-In KH3D, there were AR cards that allowed you to obtain certain spirits to fight by your side. How is this handled in KHDDD?

Nomura: Those spirits will be obtainable through regular play of the game.

-In March 2017, KH HD 1.5+2.5 is set to release. Will there be any changes this time?

Nomura: There are no changes. The contents are exactly as they appeared in KH1.5 and KH2.5. However, they are all compiled onto one disc, so they've become even easier to play.

-Will you be creating any cover art for KH HD 1.5+2.5 this time?

Nomura: I don't think I will. If you look at the 3 cover arts for KH1.5, KH2.5 and KH2.8, you will notice that they're all connected. So, a new cover art would unfortunately remove any meaning from that. To those that don't understand what I'm talking about, if you line up the 3 titles, please pay particular attention to Sora's poses and the background scenery.

-After KH2.8 releases, then that leaves only KH3...

Nomura: As discussed before, we are remodelling all models from scratch, which requires quite a tremendous amount of effort, however we are tackling this to the best of our ability and can safely say to rest assured, it is all going along smoothly.
I would really like to release new information, however at this present time I am unable to. I can say that we are currently working out the timing for future announcements. 2017 is the Kingdom Hearts Series 15 year anniversary and to represent this there will be plenty of commerative events at the concerts, so if possible I would also like to take those oppprtunities to release new information, however it's yet to be decided. I'm terribly sorry to keep you all waiting for so long, but please wait just a little longer.

-Do you have a message for fans awaiting the release of KH2.8?

Nomura:As for KHDDD, I recommend to those that have already played through KH3D to freshen up your memory of the story, and of course to those yet to experience KH3D to please enjoy it by all means.
If possible, I recommend to play right through and watch the secret ending, and only then proceed to KH0.2.
As for those eagerly awaiting KH3, KH0.2 is a small taste that we have created especially for you to try and enjoy.
KHBC is a story that is very slightly disconnected from the main story, so you may enjoy that whenever you wish, whether that be to appreciate the visuals, or whenever you find a moment. Just as the title states, KH2.8 is most definitely the last chapter's "prologue", and as such it is safe to say that KH3's story has already begun.
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Source: KHInsider

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'Kingdom Hearts χ[chi] Back Cover' will be 80 Minutes Long

Posted by Meilin Lee : Nov 28, 2016 at 8:28 PM ( 2 , 3,248 )

According to the Amazon Germany listing of 'Kingdom Hearts 2.8 HD Final Chapter Prologue', the cinematic title in the game, 'Kingdom Hearts χ[chi] Back Cover' is mentioned to be 80 minutes long, putting it at around half the runtime of the '358/2 Days' and 'Re:coded cinematics.

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HQ Screenshots & Renders from 'Kingdom Hearts 2.8 HD FCP'

Posted by Meilin Lee : Sep 14, 2016 at 10:03 PM ( 4 , 1,944 )

Square-Enix's press site released a batch of high quality screenshots from 'Kingdom Hearts 2.8 HD FCP', giving us a glimpse of how good the game will look upon release:

In addition to the screenshots, three HQ renders of Sora and Riku in DDD HD as well as Chirithy of χ[chi] fame were also released:

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'Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue' Featured in Famitsu + Message from Tai Yasue

Posted by Meilin Lee : Sep 14, 2016 at 6:26 PM ( 1 , 1,324 )

The latest issue of Famitsu Magazine featured 'Kingdom Hearts 2.8 HD Final Chapter Prologue', containing screenshots from yesterday's trailer, plus a few new gameplay images from DDD HD (where there appears to be a brand new elephant Dream Eater), as well as our first good look at Chirithy in χ[chi] Back Cover:

In addition to these screenshots, the game's co-director, Tai Yasue, also had a few words to share, where he says:

Kingdom Hearts 2.8 is a work that will give you a taste filled with all sorts of different excitements and is undergoing finishing touches. You can dash through the colorful worlds in DDD with adorably cute Dream Eaters. Discover the goals and conflicts between the Foretellers in Kingdom Hearts χ[chi] Back Cover. Solve puzzles and face terrifying boss fights while adventuring through the Realm of Darkness in 0.2 BBS. 0.2 BBS in particular is intense. It uses the same development engine as KH3. We aimed to make the last dungeon enjoyable, the sense of environment scale and the movement when Shadows become a large vortex is amazing! The game system incorporates elements from BBS and KH3, and the action branches from the terrain to influence how you fight. You can try the demo at Tokyo Game Show, and by all means please experience the new KH that leads to KH3.
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Special thanks to KHInsider for the scans and interview translation.

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