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Dengeki Playstation Interview w/ Tetsuya Nomura

View attachment 47569

In a new interview with Dengeki Playstation, 'Kingdom Hearts' series director, Tetsuya Nomura, got to speak more about 'Kingdom Hearts III' following the major news from D23 last Saturday, explaining more about Keyblade transformations, Twilight Town's role in the game, and a few words on 'Kingdom Hearts Union X[cross]'. Check out the fully translated interview below (courtesy of Zephyr of KHInsider):

Recently, a variety of information has been revealed from the latest footage. Many fans were surprised from the announcement of the release window “2018”.

Nomura: I had no choice but to be cautious for the announcement of the release date. Therefore, it is just the year but the release window is fixed and we're working towards that. I wanted you to have a peace of mind with that announcement.

To suit their appearance according to the world, Sora and the gang have changed into toys.

Nomura: The design progress it took to make that appearance was long. I’ve tried to make it look like a figurine and I’ve explored various ways of stylizing the graphics into a 3-dimensional bit image.

In the battle scene, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and in addition to Woody and Buzz made it a five-team party?

Nomura: In the footage, there are five people fighting at the same time. Depending on the world, it’d be possible to fight with up to 4 or more people with guest characters. Teaming up with others is also possible and please wait for the next report regarding the party system.

With Sora being toy sized and battling outside the house, the world felt large.

Nomura: With that size, it’s not possible for them to go anywhere far (laughs). The main area in the Toy Story world is the toy shop. The footage showed a toy shop called “Galaxy Toys” which is such a large area.

There are situations where Sora fights inside a robot.

Nomura: The idea of controlling a robot has been around during early development. There are different types of robots you can board and each of their fighting styles are different. There is another gimmick on another floor.

In Olympus, there is an impressive battle between Rock Titan, and there seems to be more variety of elements in each world.

Nomura: We were pretty conscious about it while making it. Even in KH0.2 Birth by Sleep -A Fragmentary Passage-, I believe the maps have expanded platforming-wise and there is a need for exploration. KINGDOM HEARTS III has fewer Disney worlds than KINGDOM HEARTS II but the quality of each world is greater than in previous works.

In KINGDOM HEARTS II, after visiting each world once, there was a scenario incentive to revisit them but what about KINGDOM HEARTS III?

Nomura: I personally liked having to revisit the worlds twice but KINGDOM HEARTS III has a different flow.

Keyblade transformation is one of the main features in KINGDOM HEARTS III, and in this video, we see the transformation of the drill and hammer.

Nomura: The Keyblade can transform into various shapes. In any case, the drill is very lovely (laughs).

Can the drill and hammer only be used in the Toy Story world?

Nomura: It’s not restricted to the world but its ability is from the Keyblade obtained in the Toy Story world. Essentially, every Keyblade is capable of transforming and the Toy Story Keyblade transforms into the drill and hammer. And in KINGDOM HEARTS III, the Keyblade and Form are systematically attached together.

What does that mean?

Nomura: In KINGDOM HEARTS II, you could decide which form to switch into during battle but this time, forms activate when you transform your Keyblade.

Are there forms as many as the number of Keyblades?

Nomura: Actually no. Each Keyblade has an attributed type such as attack or defense and those are the forms that exists for each type. You switch into the form while transforming the Keyblade. By the way, the series’ iconic Keyblade Kingdom Key changes Sora into Second Form (Tentative Name) w/ KH2 color scheme but this form is exclusive to Kingdom Key. The Keyblade doesn’t transform but your tactics change. Some forms are specific to certain Keyblades.

Fighting with the Keyblade transformations, it seems pretty fun.

Nomura: Regarding battle actions, everything is pretty elaborate. Like I mentioned earlier, the transformations are unique to each Keyblade. When using the Olympus Keyblade, it transforms into a shield. Also, in the recent footage, arrows and a bazooka were used alongside each other. Once you acquire the Keyblade, you can immediately start using the abilities seen in the footage.

In the battle scene in the Toy Story world, Sora seems to be in a new form?

Nomura: Even in the Toy Story world where their appearance reflects the world, so does the form. In the footage, when you use the drill and hammer, the form also changes.

From the previous E3 footage, there’s a cutscene in Twilight Town. It seems to be an important world again.

Nomura: Twilight Town is a place where you’ll have gameplay tutorials and it’ll be one of the earlier stages.

In the recent E3 footage, there was some interesting dialogue about Roxas and I’m concerned about the development of KINGDOM HEARTS III.

Nomura: Because there are too many characters that are appearing, the storyline has become complicated. There are quite a number of main characters that have appeared in the series, and every character will appear in some form.

Will KINGDOM HEARTS III be able to solve all the mysteries concerning certain characters?

Nomura: The final chapter of the Dark Seeker Saga will form their conclusions.

In the recent footage and the previous E3 footage, what is the meaning behind the quote?

Nomura: “Don’t assume your dreams are just fantasy. If you can imagine a world, believe in it…and dive in.” was it? It means: “jumping into an imaginative world without dreaming of it being fantasy.” That is a catchphrase for the promotional trailers. It doesn’t necessarily have a deep hidden meaning involved with the storyline. Since the recent footage began with Sora’s dive scene, I tried to convey such a message.

For smartphones, KINGDOM HEARTS Unchained Chi was renamed as KINGDOM HEARTS Union Cross. What was the intention of changing the title?

Nomura: Since we were implementing multiplayer, we’ve decided to change it and present it as a renewal of the title. One of the reasons was the new story expansion focusing around the Union Leaders.

During the time of KHUX’s re-release, many people were surprised Ventus was revealed as the third Union Leader.

Nomura: KINGDOM HEARTS Union Cross draws an important development in the series, so I’d like for you to play it now. Blaine recently appeared as the fourth Union Leader and the fifth person will appear in the Main Quest updated in August.

Finally, the new five Union Leaders gather together.

Nomura: That’s right. After the gathering of the five, the main storyline for Union Cross starts to progress.

I’m interested about its connection with KINGDOM HEARTS III.

Nomura: If you play KINGDOM HEARTS III, you will also recognize the story of KINGDOM HEARTS Union Cross. For those who are anticipating KINGDOM HEARTS III and interested in the series’ story, I recommend to play KINGDOM HEARTS Union Cross.

In the event of the gathering of the Union Leaders, Ventus made remarks such as “stray” and “ranking” and I felt like I could relate (laughs).

Nomura: I did not mean to have such “meta statements” but I’ve intended to show that Ventus wasn’t using a special Keyblade.

Nomura-san, how far into the future will KINGDOM HEARTS Union Cross still be considered?

Nomura: I’ve thought of a rough story concept in advance. But for now, I will continue to make connections to the main storyline.

Nomura-san, for KINGDOM HEARTS Union Cross’ scenario, events, and raise draws, how much are you involved with those?

Nomura: I always direct the scenario, design, and game system. Regarding ordinary management work, it’s left to the management team. We frequently discuss and consult about developments for the distant future.

Do you have any plans to celebrate the 2nd anniversary in September?

Nomura: Time sure flies. KINGDOM HEARTS Unchained Chi will be reaching its second year. For the anniversary event, naturally I’ll continue to add to the main scenario and new elements so look forward to it.
Click to expand...

Thread by: Meilin Lee, Jul 21, 2017, 0 replies, in forum: Kingdom Hearts News & Updates
Post
Famitsu Interview w/ Tetsuya Nomura

Updated OP with translation of first half of the interview.

Post by: Meilin Lee, Jul 20, 2017 in forum: Kingdom Hearts News & Updates
Post
Kingdom Hearts to Appear at Japan D23 Expo 2018 in February

Release date revealed by then hopefully?

Post by: Meilin Lee, Jul 19, 2017 in forum: Kingdom Hearts News & Updates
Thread
Daily Mirror Interview w/ Tetsuya Nomura

View attachment 47564

In yet another interview following the major KH3 news reveal this past weekend at D23 Expo, 'Kingdom Hearts' director, Tetsuya Nomura, got to speak with Ryan Brown of the Daily Mirror. This time though, the questions are from fans of the KH series, with Nomura's responses to them ranging from interesting to hilarious. Check out the interview below:

Ryan: Is there already a plan for what happens after the Xehanort Saga that concludes in Kingdom Hearts III? Are there ideas for what future mainline and non-mainline titles might consist of already?

Nomura: Of course there are different plans that are in my mind and things that I would like to work on or depict in terms of narrative, but it's not like we have anything finalized with Disney as of yet, so I'm not able to introduce it or mention it at this time, but again, I do have different ideas in my head.

Ryan: What did you think of Kingdom Hearts III being announced back in 2013? Were you consulted about the announcement and did you think it was the correct time for it to be announced?

Nomura: I understand some of the voices that are raised state that the announcement timing was a bit too early and I acknowledge that, but I do not like information going out in the form of a leak. Rather than having that leaked out unofficially, I'd rather make an official statement.

Ryan: How far in development is Kingdom Hearts III at the moment, percentage-wise?

Nomura: In terms of percentage of completion, and this is from previously as well, I tend to not describe it in terms of percentage because it's difficult to sort of say it as a straight number. But we do have a plan of development and we have said a period in which the project is being developed. Based on that, we have made our announcement for the release timing. Of course, there are things that are out of the development team and my control which includes company decisions, the decision to change the engine that we're utilizing or having personnel being shifted so that we have more resources to develop; things like that may have contributed to our development period being shifted, but that period itself we feel is still on track. It's not like the development team had any sort of issues or troubles amongst ourselves in terms of the scheduling, but due to things out of our control that period sort of got shifted a little bit, but I feel that we are still working as planned in terms of our development period.

Ryan: With so much action going on in the game, such as Keyblade transformations, situation commands and the attraction flow rides, how have you balanced things so that nothing feels overpowered or so that players don't forget all the different things that they can do?

Nomura: So with these various different actions that are available in the game, each of them are very unique and very different if you compare the different actions that are available. For example, with the attraction flow that you brought up, you see the train and the spinning teacups and a ship was introduced. What's unique about those is that they're not part of a repertoire that you accumulate and choose from. It will depend on what situation you're in, so depending on what enemies you're facing and what world you're in, what attraction will show up is unknown until you've actually activated it. Once you do activate it it's a very flashy move and you can attack your enemies in that way. In terms of the Keyblade transformations, similarly it's very unique because it's not activated until certain conditions align and you are given that opportunity to execute the transformation. Even then, you can also choose to not activate it and continue your melee attacks, but when you do activate it as you continue hitting your enemies and your combos continue to chain, then it will transform yet again. I tried to make it so that it's a freedom that the player has and they can choose; each of them are sort of unique in its own way and you also have your regular attacks as well; your melee attacks, your magic attacks. Depending on what timing you're faced with in your battles or whatever conditions that are involved in your combat kind of depends on your strategy. We're hoping that the conditions to activate these special moves are different enough that it doesn't seem like one is preferred over the other and depending on various situations sometimes you have to accomplish a task and execute in that way. I feel that it'll allow for a wider range of options to choose from for our players depending on what you prefer is easier to use or less comfortable to work with. They're all sort of unique so I'm hoping it will broaden the strategic element of it as well.

Ryan: What are some of your favorite Disney and Pixar movies? I'm not asking hoping for a world reveal!

Nomura: In terms of favorite movies then, I like Lion King. Something more recent would be Alice in Wonderland; it'd be kind of cool to have The White Queen appear in Kingdom Hearts.

Ryan: How many of the worlds and Keyblades will there be and how many of them are going to be new?

Nomura: I can't reveal all of that information! (laughs)

Ryan: Is there a chance of more Final Fantasy characters making an appearance, or other Square-Enix properties like NieR and Dragon Quest?

Nomura: Of course, we do have precedence. There have been characters that have appeared throughout the series, so I don't think it's impossible but I'm not actively seeking to incorporate existing characters, only because we have such a large roster of original characters in there already. If there is a perfect fit, I'm sure the idea might come up, but at the same time I have to consider, is it worth allocating the resources to create the character and give it a role within Kingdom Hearts? Would it merit the effort that's put into it? We're not really actively looking for existing characters.

Ryan: Are there going to be more secret bosses? Will Sephiroth return?

Nomura: I can't say for certain, I hope, hint hint hint. I can't say for certain. In terms of Sephiroth, do you feel like you want to battle Sephiroth again? (laughs)

Ryan: I might cry, but yes, definitely.

Nomura: Even though you fought him twice? (laughs)

Ryan: My mum managed to beat him! She plays the games and she beat him!

Nomura: She's really good!

Ryan: She is! My friends were always impressed by her Kingdom Hearts skills.

Nomura: I don't think I can beat him! (laughs). In terms of the secret boss, we can't say anything at this time, but in terms of Sephiroth specifically, my development team are worried that we've had him come back so many times so they're maybe worried it might be redundant at this point. We're still deliberating on it.

Ryan: Have you ever imagined there being a Kingdom Hearts CGI movie, similar to Advent Children or Kingsglaive?

Nomura: Nothing has been thought about in terms of a cinematic piece, only because it's difficult to put into a narrative that has become as complex as Kingdom Hearts. Of course, we do have a 15 year history so it has come up in discussions about doing some sort of cinematic piece, especially from Disney. They are interested in making a CG movie of sort, but again, it's difficult to make the call on how we want to execute it and how to form it. I still haven't come to a resolution about what would be the most appropriate way in which we depict the narrative, so nothing specific has been formulated.

Ryan: So, zips and belts are prevalent in the character design. Is that just because you like the aesthetic? Does it have meaning behind it? Why does Donald's hat have zips?

Nomura: That was my preference back when I first designed the characters, so 15 years ago. At that time, people teased me about zippers and belts and whatnot and I'm the type of person if somebody eggs me on I'm gonna do it more! Nowadays, I'm not as conscious about adding them in. I'm not the type of person that would shrink down when people tease me about it. I'm gonna fight back! I'm gonna go back at it and do it more. So, if people egg me on saying 'oh, Kingdom Hearts III is delayed' well, I might even delay it further! (laughs)

Ryan: How did Lea obtain his Keyblade?

Nomura: Just out of curiosity, did you go to any of our Kingdom Hearts world orchestras?

Ryan: Yes, I did.

Nomura: In terms of Lea and him obtaining the Keyblade, it's not really depicted specifically that's for sure. During the events of Dream Drop Distance it's conveyed that he is training under Merlin's care and it was just a brief mention. There will be a bit more of a mention in Kingdom Hearts III on how Lea is aiming to become a Keyblade wielder. In the concert, you may remember one of the videos where a girl is narrating. That's actually Kairi writing a letter about her training, so Kingdom Hearts III touches upon that part of the story. Unfortunately, it's not going to be going into details about what happened in the events of Dream Drop Distance, but it will be addressed in some way in Kingdom Hearts III.

Ryan: Have you ever read any Kingdom Hearts fan fiction and did any either inspire or disturb you?

Nomura: I've not read any sort of fan fiction, but if you go on the internet of course you see images. I've seen different drawings and art that was created based on the games, but I haven't read any fan fiction unfortunately.

Ryan: Lastly, will Kingdom Hearts III be playable at any events in the near future? When can people expect to get their hands on it?

Nomura: Perhaps when we're finally able to reveal the month and date of the release.
Click to expand...

Thread by: Meilin Lee, Jul 19, 2017, 2 replies, in forum: Kingdom Hearts News & Updates
Post
RE: Mario's High School Days

~Tsukino Household - Living Room~

"I gotta go," Claire said as she packed her things after getting a call from the hospital she works at, "They're anticipating a ton of wounded to arrive from the mess happening right now. So, they need me there right away." "Sorry you have to go so soon," Sammy told her. "Yeah, well... it's part of the job of an on-call nurse. Whenever, there's an emergency, I gotta go," Claire replied as she finished and walked to the door, "Oh, and don't forget to give Mr. Tuxedo Mask antibiotics like I told you to. Not sure how you guys are gonna handle keeping a fugitive in your house, but I'm sure you'll figure it out." Nodding, Kenji said, "Good luck out there." "And thank you for your help," Ikuko added. Smiling and nodding in response, Claire exited the Tsukino's home. "Gotta say, if you hadn't found your friend bleeding outside, we'd be in trouble right now," Sammy told Rini. "R-right..." Rini responded as her eyes were glued to the battle on TV. 'Could this... be when it all started?' Rini thought to herself, as Chernabog reminded her a lot of the creatures that haunted the land in the future. "Serena, did you call any of your friends?" Ikuko called out to her daughter, "I hope they're okay..."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Montage of sorts...

[0:00-0:44]

~Outside the Imperial Palace~

As Thor waited and waited, Odin ordered his son, "You better not get yourself involved, do you hear me?!" Ignoring his father, Thor continued focusing until his hammer, Mjølnir, flew to him all the way from his home. Once he grabbed his hammer, Thor was surrounded by electricity as he flew away, while his brother, parents, and friends all cried, "THOR!" Landing in the roof next to the Green Ranger, Thor said, "Hello there. Hope you don't mind a little help." Thor then watched the battle continue, waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[0:45-0:54]

~The Imperial Palace~

As Trixie and Gaston were heading to the nearest exit, they turned around to see if Sunset Shimmer or Vanitas were anywhere around. But in the distance, they noticed Xehanort standing dangerously near Chernabog, doing nothing but watching the battle...

Gasping, Trixie and Gaston both cried, "Xehanort!" Deciding to forget about Xehanort's cold attitude towards them earlier, Gaston and Trixie rushed back, wanting to save their friend no matter what.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[0:55-1:06]

~Building Rooftop~

As Thor watched the Tigerzord attack with a sonic blast while the Dragonzord attacked with missiles, Thor figured now was his chance. "There's my queue," Thor told the Green Ranger as he flew towards Goldar, who was recovering from an attack.

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[1:07-1:21]

~The Imperial Palace (again)~

"Right!" Sunset Shimmer replied to Sailor Mars, leading Grandpa Hino and Chad as the Sailor Scout got them outside. "Thanks," Sunset Shimmer thanked Sailor Mars, "But... this man is trying to find his granddaughter." "That's right," Grandpa added, "Rei Hino... that's her name." "Piplup, piplup!" Chad concurred. "Think you could help 'em out?" Sunset Shimmer asked Sailor Mars, "I gotta go check on my friends." Sunset Shimmmer then left in a hurry to try and find Gaston, Trixie, and Xehanort.

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[1:22-2:07]

~Imperial Palace (Battle)~

"Heh, you think that's enough to stop me?" Goldar questioned as he readied his sword for another attack. But before Goldar could attack, Thor threw his hammer towards Goldar from the side, knocking him down. "Huh, who did that?!" Goldar questioned as he looked around, but didn't notice Thor as he flew away once his hammer returned to him, "Eh, it doesn't matter. Nothing's going to stop me from beating the Power Rangers." As Goldar got up to continue his battle, Thor flew close to Chernabog, watching as the monster continued sending flame bullets towards the Megazord, Tigerzord, and Dragonzord. Pointing his hammer up to the sky, Thor swung his arm round and round as the sky above filled with storm like clouds. Eventually, lightning struck Thor's hammer. Once Thor absorbed enough electricity with his hammer, he pointed his weapon towards Chernabog, blasting the monster with a mighty electric attack, causing Chernabog to shriek in pain. "Time to end this..." Thor said to himself once he used up all the electricity he absorbed with his hammer. But Chernabog, while weakened, hasn't been defeated yet, and glared at Thor as he flapped his wings hard in Thor's direction, sending him flying to a building near where his friends and family were, crashing right in front of them.

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[2:08-2:37]

~The Imperial Palace (again x2)~

"Geoffrey!" Will and Carlton both cried as they noticed Geoffrey arrive to save them. "Hurry you two! Get up!" Geoffrey told the two, helping them get up, "Now go! Everyone else must be outside the building by now!" "Thanks, Geoffrey!" Carlton thanked his butler. "We owe you one, man!" Will added as he and Carlton rushed to the exit. Exhausted from saving them, Geoffrey was panting as he remained in his place, commenting, "I'm getting too old for this." "What are you doing?" Yen Sid questioned Geoffrey as he approached him...

"Come on! Let me get you out of here!" Yen Sid continued. "Thank you, I really appreciate it," Geoffrey responded.

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[2:38-3:21]

~The Imperial Palace - Empty Hallway~

As Saxon and Jones were running towards another flight of stairs in an empty hallway of the building, the floor beneath Harriet Jones began to crack quickly, then broke. Quickly grabbing onto a part of the floor that didn't break, Harriet Jones looked down at the steep fall beneath her, desperately hanging for her life. As Harold noticed what happened, Jones pleaded to him, "Harold! Help me... please!" Making sure no one was around, Harold slowly approached the prime minster, and knelt down next to her. Harold gave Jones a cold look before quickly grabbing her hands so tight that it hurt her, and then whispering to her ear, "Hail the Crystal Order." Harriet's heart sank upon hearing what Saxon whispered to her, not believing what she just heard. Giving her a creepy grin, Saxon pushed Harriet Jones away, watching as the prime minister fell down to her death while screaming.

Post by: Meilin Lee, Jul 18, 2017 in forum: Retirement Home
Post
Tetsuya Nomura Interviewed by IGN; Mentions Second Playable Character and Possible Switch Version

Edited OP with even MORE interview snippets from IGN.

Seriously IGN, why couldn't you have just posted them all at once?
:/

Post by: Meilin Lee, Jul 18, 2017 in forum: Kingdom Hearts News & Updates
Thread
Famitsu Interview w/ Tetsuya Nomura
View attachment 47562

This week's issue of Famitsu is covering the KH3 news from D23, along with a lengthy interview with 'Kingdom Hearts' series director, Tetsuya Nomura. While a fully translated interview is not yet available, some interesting points have been detailed:
- (In response to the question of around when in 2018 Kingdom Hearts III will be released) “Please wait for the proper followup report. (Smiles.)”
- Nomura wanted a Toy Story world in Kingdom Hearts since around Kingdom Hearts II. For Kingdom Hearts III, there have been repeated negotiations as its inclusion was of absolute necessity.
- The Toy Story world is set after Toy Story 2. It isn’t a parallel world. Rather, the events of Kingdom Hearts III are part of the Toy Story time axis. (In other words, it is canon.)
- While it is not shown in the trailer, at the start Sora is mistaken for a character in the latest game to be released in this world.
- The Toy Story staff were considerably surprised at the reproduction quality of the Toy Story characters in-game.
- Nomura told the development team he wanted riding and fighting in a mech early in development. A different mechanism is being prepared for when you go to another floor in Galaxy Toys.
- The Big Hero Six world is progressing well, but news on that is still down the line.
- While the number of Disney worlds are less than the amount included in Kingdom Hearts II, the density of each world is greater, including gameplay. **
- “Although there are parts [of Final Fantasy VII Remake] further along than Kingdom Hearts III, such as cutscenes, it is unlikely we’ll share information for a while as we switch from mainly external to mainly internal development.”
** For reference on how many Disney worlds there were in KH games that introduced new Disney worlds:
- KH1: 9
- KH2: 12
- BBS: 7
- DDD: 5
Source: Gematsu

EDIT:

Translation of the first half of the interview is now available:

The release window for KH3 has finally been announced! 2018… Do you have anything more specific?

Nomura: I’m not sure what else you’re expecting other than “Please wait” (wry smile)

Knew it (laughs). So, I’d like to ask about both the trailers released at D23 and at the orchestra concert. In both, we see the same words appear on the screen in impressive displays. What’s the reason behind this?

Nomura: The trailers begin with Sora performing vibrant actions such as vigorous dives and athletic slides, so I wanted the phrase to end in “dive in”. Considering this, I also thought back to the original concept of Kingdom Hearts, and came up with the phrase you see as a sort of throwback to its own roots.

I see. Something that’s definitely a hot topic this time is the announcement of the “Toy Story” world. Having been so eagerly awaiting this moment, it’s sort of like a “It’s finally here!” feeling inside.

Nomura: I’ve been wanting to add Toy Story in from since KH2, so even for me, I’m welled up with emotion finally seeing it implemented. For KH3, a Toy Story world was absolutely necessary. With these thoughts, and after many discussions, here we are. Just like we did back with KH1, we had to relentlessly consult with all related parties… It was quite a long process (laughs). For example, when John Lasseter* had come over to Japan, I was asked about the way I was thinking of implementing the worlds(**), and I would tell him about the types of things I wanted to include, and so on.

* Chief creative officer of Pixar
** It’s not clear whether or not he’s talking about one or many worlds

According to the Toy Story timeline, does this fall about the time of the 1st movie?

Nomura: The Toy Story world isn’t simply a sort of abridged telling of the original Toy Story plot with Sora and co. being thrown in. The events that occur take place after the 2nd movie. The setting of the story is not in a parallel plane to the original. Everything that happens in KH3 will be on the same timeline as the Toy Story series.

By that, I guess you can say that it’s a new addition to the Toy Story series... So what kind of story will unfold there?

Nomura: At the beginning of Sora’s adventure in the Toy Story world, he’s mistaken for the character of a new game that’s to go on sale. It wasn’t put in the trailer but, the dinosaur toy, Rex, mistakes Sora for that game character as well.

So, Sora is mistaken for the figurine of the character of a new game, I see… The toy-like designs of Sora, Donald and Goofy are also refreshing to see.

Nomura: The art directors of the KH team designed them, and with a bit of back and forth with Pixar they became the way they are now. At the beginning, we hoped for a design that resembled more of an action figure, but we took on board various bits of advice from Pixar to make them match more of the feel of the Toy Story world. The result you see is the point of compromise. We received many suggestions from representatives of Pixar in charge of setting, story, and character designs etc. in order to forge the shape of the Toy Story world. Both us at Square Enix and the people at Pixar are very picky about what goes in, so we aim to reach a point where all parties could come to agreement and go from there, properly taking time to discuss everything clearly.

Well that must be why all the Toy Story characters, especially Woody and Buzz, look like they’ve been ripped right out of the original film!

Nomura: We received data from Pixar to use as samples, however just like I never imagined that they would be able to reproduce the characters to such a level, Pixar were incredibly taken aback. And so, compared to all previous KH games, our power to create expression has increased dramatically, so each world will have their own expressive and unique visuals, whereby even things like the gimmicks of each world will be different from each other. It feels like we’re creating multiple games at the same time, it’s quite the work (wry laugh).

Sounds like tough work. By the way, was there any reason that you chose D23 to announce the Toy Story world?

Nomura: Actually, it has been in a relatively complete and showable state from a while back, but according to Disney’s intentions and promotion plans, I held back on revealing anything. It’s a very popular film, so we discussed where would be the best place to announce it, and we thought that D23 was quite suitable. Last time at D23, we announced the Big Hero 6 world, however it was a sudden request so I could only draw up one small illustration. So, I wanted this D23’s announcement to be in video form for everyone to enjoy watching.

There are also a lot of interested fans waiting for further information on the Big Hero 6 world. Will there be any follow up news soon?

Nomura: Development is coming along fine, but it was the last world that we decided on, so compared to the other worlds we have planned, Big Hero 6 will have to wait a little longer.

In regard to the fighting style shown in the battle scenes, we were able to see many commands for forms and finishers appear on the screen. It seems like a system close to KH0.2, but there were times with more than 5 commands on the screen at once. It seems that this time strategy has been taken even further beyond what was available in KH0.2.

Nomura: That’s exactly how I wanted battles to be this time. As battle rages, I wanted there to constantly be a list of options ready, where you are able to sift through and select the command you desire. Depending on the order that you select the commands, you are able to construct different combinations, so by nature it creates a very fun and tactical environment. At first glance it may seem a little difficult, but as always, even with simple inputs you will be able to deliver flashy combos. Even random button presses will have your combos continue to evolve so if you’re not too strategically minded there’s no need to worry.

While having the extravagant Keyblade transformations, you are also able to simultaneously change clothing (Forms). Both transformations, clothing and Keyblade are quite vibrant, it really is impressive.

Nomura: The several Forms that are available are divided among each Keyblade, according to their traits. Just as before, as you go from world to world the Keyblades you obtain will differ depending on the world you obtain it in. And of course, they are not just usable in their own respective world, you can freely use them among any world. Forms included.

Toy Story’s Keyblade can change into a hammer and a drill, but the drill really had a big impact.

Nomura: The drill is what I showed at the end of the Orchestra trailer as a silhouette. The forms in which the Keyblade will transform into have all originated as ideas from our staff, but the drill was one of the better ones… The patterns of transformations between Keyblades will not overlap one another, and each will evolve into some pretty crazy designs (laughs).

The Keyblade from Hercule’s world will transform into a shield. According to prior news, at that point, Sora will enter the “Guard Form”. On top of that, will you be able to attack with it, and not just guard?

Nomura: Actually, it’s not the “Guard Form”, it’s now officially become the “Guardian Form”. This is in reference to the “Guardian” in the “Guardians of Light”, so suitably he will also be able to utilize the shield to attack. Sort of like how Goofy does (laughs). I’m sure you noticed the huge fists that appeared and delivered a frenzy of punch attacks, that’s actually a counter attack that only the shield transformation can utilize. And of course, it’s not only that counter that’s available, we’ve also prepared devastating finishing moves too.

Oh so there’s counter attacks too, is there? With the Keyblades, according to their current transformation, the actions available vastly differ from each other. So then devising effective strategies against enemies, for example against bosses, may vary in difficulty depending on the actions available.

Nomura: I think to some degree there will be transformations that are more or less compatible with certain foes. However, there won’t be cases where there will be only one specific strategy or transformation that will ensure victory. It’ll be fine for players to choose whether to use their favorite battle style, or to opt for something a bit easier.

In the Orchestra trailer, we saw some other parts of the battle system, like a combination attack with Goofy.

Nomura: In battle, if you satisfy the right conditions, you will be able to deploy combination attacks at a button press. And it’s not only combinations with Donald and Goofy, just as always, you will be able to team up with the various heroes from each world too. For example in the Toy Story world, you’ll be able to have Woody and Buzz in your party, so you can launch combination attacks with them. As for the construction of parties, there’s a new system in place which I’ll be introducing at a later date.

I’m looking forward to seeing what sorts of combinations are possible. In the Toy Story world, jumping in the robots and fighting with them seems like a really interesting concept.

Nomura: From the beginning of development, at the time that I told the team, “let’s do this”, part of what I said was to include mountable robots which would then suddenly turn the gameplay into an FPS (laughs). There are actually a few types of robots you can mount, like the red robot will be able to directly attack with a shoulder tackle, and the purple robot will be able to fire projectiles out of a canon. The robots will each have a main battling style. On saying that, though, if you go to other floors of the Toy Shop, there will be different gimmicks available for you to use.

There are other floors you’ll be able to access?

Nomura: What we showed in the trailer this time was the opening sequences of the Toy Story world, but the main area of the world will be the “Toy Shop”. In this Toy Shop, there will be many sales floors. The floor you will be able to find the robots and mount them will be the floor that has them up for sale. In the Toy Shop, you’ll be able to visit the various sales floors and enjoy the respective gimmicks of each.

It’s like multiple games in one! You’ve outdone yourselves!

Nomura: I think that’s a good thing, but that’s probably because the team overdoes it a little (laughs). They are constantly improving themselves to surpass expectations, and create top quality content. Otherwise, they think that it’s not enough. I think fans will be quite surprised with future announcements.

By the way, this time you debuted the Toy Story world, but other than Disney worlds, will there be any new original worlds?

Nomura: In a previous trailer, there was a scene where Xehanort and Eraqus from their earlier years are together playing a game like chess. That world is an original world. This time, the number of Disney worlds themselves are fewer than KH2, but the overall content available in each world has become quite vast. They’ve truly become worlds you’ll be able to play until your heart is content.

With all that quality content being packed into each world, there’s no doubt that KH3 is becoming quite the rich game indeed.

Nomura: With the amount of characters involved this time, the story is also becoming quite rich. Because of the chain of events so far, the number of both friend and foe have multiplied. There’s too many to even have them all assemble together in one place (wry laugh). Additionally, I can’t just let each character speak one line and just be done with.

Counting the number of Seekers of Darkness and Guardians of Light, just that number is a crazy amount...

Nomura: Yeah, and I have to solve all the problems that each of those characters have been carrying on their backs this whole time (wry laugh). There’s also every member of the old Organization XIII...

KH3 is the main priority right now but, the current state of the FFVII remake also piques our interests.

Nomura: There are some parts of the remake, such as cutscenes, which are actually further developed than KH3, but due to the fact that we’re currently right in the middle of switching from out sourced focused development to inner house focused, there’s a chance that there won’t be any sort of large revelations for a while.

So, I’d like to ask you a little more about what’s coming for Kingdom Hearts Union Cross. The identity of the 4th Union Leader has been revealed but...

Nomura: I’ve already finished writing the scenario involving the 5th Union Leader and it will be releasing in the first few weeks of August. Actually, I have an illustration of them right here... (Nomura shows the interviewer the illustration)

Cute!!

Nomura: They’re a good kid. And... hot off the press, here’s a rough sketch of the main illustration for the scenario. (Nomura shows the sketch to the interviewer)

Huh, the 5th leader isn’t in this sketch? Among the other revealed 4 Union Leaders are... an unknown character and someone in a black hood. Is the one in the black hood the 5th Union Leader?

Nomura: Nope. And with that, please pay close attention to what will unfold in the next scenario (laughs).

I feel like I’m not gonna be able to sleep now! (laughs)

Nomura: In regard to KH3, there’s going to be another small intermission, but next time I’ll be announcing more finer details about various systems, such as the battle and leveling systems. Also, up until the 2018 release there’s some idle time, so please fill that up by playing the HD remasters and Union Cross, of which Union Cross includes content connected to KH3. We thank you for your patience.
Click to expand...

Credit to Saken of KHInsider for the translations!

EDIT2:

Added the rest of the translated interview above.
Thread by: Meilin Lee, Jul 18, 2017, 9 replies, in forum: Kingdom Hearts News & Updates
Post
KHV Union χ Weekly Leaderboards: 7/10 - 7/16

I take a break from the game for a bit, Vulpeus gets to be in 2nd place for two weeks in a row. I get back into the game, it drops to third place. Did I jinx it??? 0_0

Post by: Meilin Lee, Jul 17, 2017 in forum: Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ
Post
Television Doctor Who

Wow, this place hasn't seen life in over two and a half years... did it regenerate?

Admittedly, it's been a while since I've been up to date with Doctor Who (really miss the days when the show was on Netflix). I haven't seen the last Christmas special or any of the Series 10 episodes. I intend to change that soon, of course.

As for the new Doctor, I'm really sad to see Capaldi go (he and Tennant are tied as my favorites), but I look forward to seeing what Jodie Whittaker brings to the table, especially for being the first female Doctor (which I kinda saw happening considering Missy).

Post by: Meilin Lee, Jul 17, 2017 in forum: Movies & Media
Thread
DualShockers Interview w/ Tetsuya Nomura

View attachment 47558

In yet another interview at D23, Tetsuya Nomura got to speak with DualShockers' Azario Lopez about 'Kingdom Hearts III'. Not much of the information is different than what's been revealed previously, but it is a nice read nonetheless. Check out the interview below:

Azario Lopez: In the past few months there have been quite a few misleading articles in the west, alleging that we’d have to wait up to three years for Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy VII remaster. How confident are you on the ability to release Kingdom Hearts III by the end of 2018? When was the release year decided?

Tetsuya Nomura: In terms of how confident I am, no creator is going to say, “No, I’m not confident” after they’ve revealed the release timing (laughs), and I am very hopeful for that release timing. In terms of when we decided that it’s going to be 2018, I can’t say for certain, but we knew that from the start of the project… We had determined how long the development period was going to be. We had this goal that we set in our planning: we would spend this amount of time, and then our personnel would be increased at such timing. So the plan was already there, but there were some factors that tied-in with our company’s decisions. There was the decision to change the engine, also some personnel planning that had also changed. So there were some factors that were related to the company’s decisions which affected the actual timing at which we will be releasing. That being said, the period that we were planning to spend to create the game was still there, and it just naturally shifted. So we feel that we have been moving according to plan. First and foremost, the title being announced and the actual [full-scale] development are not necessarily linked. To be quite honest with you, a lot of people have been making it sound like “oh, Nomura is taking too much time.” And it hurts. I’ve explained this to Japanese media, it may or may not have been relayed to western media: after about a year worth of development, when we were initially utilizing an engine developed by Square Enix, and we were progressing on that engine, but there was a decision made to change to Unreal Engine 4. When we switched over to that, unfortunately there was a bit of time that needed to be rewinded and [work that needed to be] started over. So there was a bit of a setback there. Yet, it was a decision that the company had to make, and it was inevitable. I want to stress that it’s not a problem that we had on the development team, nor it was something that I had personally changed my mind upon. So, as I mentioned earlier, we had a plan on the period that it was going to take for us to create the content at that time of the project. We laid out that after a certain number of years we would need to add more personnel and resources, so that we could mass-produce the assets. The plan was to progress and hit our targets, we had submitted it to our headquarters and it was approved. Of course, internal personnel is very limited, and there are various different projects that happen within our company, so unfortunately the timing didn’t work out. We had to make due with the timing that was appropriate for the company. We feel that has contributed to the shift in our [development] period. The company makes the decisions, so unfortunately some times this is out of my control. But again, I want to emphasize that it wasn’t a problem our development team’s side. It just happened that way. The company had to make those decisions and it didn’t work out for the targets that we were hoping to hit.

AL: At the moment, you’re Directing two different large-scale games, Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy VII Remake. Is it difficult to coordinate work on such extensive games at the same time?

TN: Being so busy managing both projects is the biggest challenge. I don’t really feel any hurdles or difficulty due to the fact that the two titles are so different. The differences between them actually work to my advantage. If both titles were too similar, they might start to look the same. With the two being so different, if there was one thing that I could not do in one title. I might be able to do it in the other. This actually works out well for me in that way. As an example of how busy it is, when we were making preparations to come to D23 for Kingdom Hearts III, in the middle of the rush of getting ready, we had to schedule a mandatory meeting for Final Fantasy VII. Juggling that is the biggest challenge, but it comes with the territory and it’s to be expected.

AL: The expectations for Kingdom Hearts III have grown exponentially over the past four years. Do you feel any pressure? And has the need to meet those expectations ever caused you to change your original plan?

TN: I’m typically not the type of person who feels pressure, but with Kingdom Hearts III I actually do feel a little bit of pressure. Only because I’ve been feeling the passion and sentiment that’s coming from the fans and their anticipation pretty much directly. As I continue to absorb that sentiment over the years, in my mind I’m thinking, “I can’t betray those expectations.” So there is a little bit of pressure that I feel in that aspect. In terms of changing my vision or making changes to my original plans, I am not changing anything. Of course there’s the physical element of it: it’s very hard to make sudden changes last-minute. We can’t frequently do trial and error at this point. I have an original plan that I had laid out for the project, and we’re progressing within that plan. That being said, the original plan was pretty ambitious to begin with. You saw in the Toy Story trailer when Sora rides those Gigas… those big robots, and the game switches to first person mode when you’re fighting in them. There are elements like that in each of the individual worlds within Kingdom Hearts III, so I feel that I have packed-in much more fun than I had in my previous Kingdom Hearts titles. If I were to ask for any more changes, I think team would probably get mad (laughs). We continue to progress forward within the plans that we have laid out, and I’m hoping that if we are able to accomplish everything that we did plan… I’m pretty confident that people will enjoy and be fully satisfied with the end product.

AL: With all the new worlds be shown in trailers, are you planning on saving some to be discovered in the game itself, without revealing them in a trailer first? Could you give a hint on the number of worlds that we’ll see in Kingdom Hearts III?

TN: I don’t think we will be keeping any of the worlds a secret until the game’s release. I think we will be introducing them leading up to launch. In terms of the number of worlds, I’m sorry, I’m not able to say. Yet, when it comes to revealing worlds, nowadays with games you can add content after the game has been released through DLC content, so there’s no need to hide any of the worlds.

AL: Is DLC a route that you’d like to take for Kingdom Hearts III?

TN: Nothing is set in stone, and I’m afraid that we can’t go into details, but I have told the team to be prepared to be able to accommodate for something like that. That’s only because we can’t develop a system to accommodate for downloadable content suddenly. I’m not confirming or denying either way, but I have informed the team to make preparations, just to make sure that we will be prepared. Now with Kingdom Hearts III, we are in the current generation of gaming hardware, and aside for 2.8 this is our first full HD game, so we’re still in the process of creating the assets from the ground up, but in terms of dramatic transformations our focus was on Keyblades this time. They turn into different forms during combat. In the trailer you may have seen the Keyblade turn into a giant hammer, or a drill. There are different transformations unique to each Keyblade that Sora wields. I think those crazy and dynamic changes, you’ll see them more in the Keyblade transformations. That being said, as you saw in the trailer when Sora jumps into the world of Toy Story, his form changes to match that environment. There will be some appearance changes reflective of the environment that Sora is going to be in, so I would encourage you to stay tuned on this. It’s been ten years since the last numbered title, Kingdom Hearts II, but we did have different Kingdom Hearts titles and spin-offs that were released on various hardware. Each different gaming machine has its specs, and there are differences between different hardware. We did our best to match the hardware we were developing on, and push the limits, challenging ourselves to maximize the gameplay experience for each particular hardware. With the upcoming Kingdom Hearts III, aside from Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, this is going to be our first full HD game in our current console generation, as I mentioned earlier. The stance hasn’t changed, but the way in which we’re working has sort of shifted. Since these are HD graphics, we need to be efficient on how we’re working on creating these assets. It involves a lot of bandwidth and resources in order to create [them] in full HD, so our directive was to have as many elements of gameplay included in each single world, rather than having many different little worlds with few elements. We wanted to pack in as much gameplay and fun into each world.
Click to expand...

Thread by: Meilin Lee, Jul 17, 2017, 0 replies, in forum: Kingdom Hearts News & Updates
Post
GameSpot Interview w/ Tetsuya Nomura

Day~Dream said: ↑

- "I feel like I’ve packed in much more fun than I had in my previous Kingdom Hearts titles. Kingdom Hearts 3 is going to be our first full HD game in our current console generation. It does involve a lot of bandwidth and resources in order to create in full HD, so our directive was to have as many elements [as possible] of gameplay included in one single world, rather than having multiple different little worlds with few elements. We wanted to pack in as many gameplay elements and fun into a single world. If we are able to accomplish everything that we did plan out for, I’m pretty confident that people will enjoy and be fully satisfied with the end product."

Does this mean that there won't be as many worlds in KH3 as previous titles, but there will be more to do in the worlds? I personally wouldn't mind either way.
Click to expand...

It's hard to tell from the way he words it, but his main point is that he wants more content in each world, regardless of how many worlds end up being in the game.

Post by: Meilin Lee, Jul 17, 2017 in forum: Kingdom Hearts News & Updates
Thread
You aren't the real Sora! You're an action figure!

You are a child's PLAY THING!

And here's a bonus:

Thread by: Meilin Lee, Jul 17, 2017, 9 replies, in forum: The Spam Zone
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Tetsuya Nomura Interviewed by IGN; Mentions Second Playable Character and Possible Switch Version

Edited OP with new interview snippets from IGN.

Post by: Meilin Lee, Jul 17, 2017 in forum: Kingdom Hearts News & Updates
Thread
GameSpot Interview w/ Tetsuya Nomura

GameSpot got a chance to talk with 'Kingdom Hearts' series director, Tetsuya Nomura, during D23 to talk about certain aspects of 'Kingdom Hearts III'. One of those things was the development time, which for many fans, felt a bit too long, in which Nomura states:

A lot of people have been mentioning and making it sound like ‘Oh, Nomura’s taking too much time,’ and it hurts. There was a decision made to change to an external [engine]...Unreal Engine 4. So we switched over to that. Unfortunately there was a bit of time that needed to be rewinded and started over. So there was a bit of a setback there, but it was a decision that the company had to make, so it was inevitable. We had a plan of the period that it’s going to take for us to create the content at the start of the project, and we laid out, after such and such years, we would need to add more personnel resources. We had submitted it to our headquarters and had it approved, but internal personnel is very limited, and there are various different projects that happen within our company, so unfortunately timing did not work out. So we had to make due with the timing that was appropriate for the company...the company makes the decisions, so unfortunately sometimes it is out of my control. I wanted to emphasize that it wasn’t a problem on our development teams. It just happened that way, and there were some decisions that the company had to make, and it just didn’t work out for certain timings that we were hoping to hit. It’s kind of out of my hands. I mean, yes, time has passed. But it’s out of my hands.
Click to expand...

Nomura then talks about wanting to reveal all Disney worlds in KH3 prior to the game's release (something that has been done for every previous game in the series), saying:

I don’t think we’ll be keeping any worlds secret until the game is released. I think we will be introducing them leading up to launch. Nowadays games can add content on after the fact through DLC content, so there’s no need to hide any worlds.
Click to expand...

Nomura also gets to talk about potential DLC, stating:

Nothing is set in stone, and I’m afraid we can’t go into details, but I have told the team: Just be prepared to be able to accommodate for something like that. We can’t suddenly develop a system where we’re accommodating for downloadable content. So it’s not confirming or denying either way, but just so that the development team will be prepared, I have informed them of making the preparations.
Click to expand...

Finally, Nomura mentions how the worlds will have more to them than in previous entries, saying:

I feel like I’ve packed in much more fun than I had in my previous Kingdom Hearts titles. Kingdom Hearts 3 is going to be our first full HD game in our current console generation. It does involve a lot of bandwidth and resources in order to create in full HD, so our directive was to have as many elements [as possible] of gameplay included in one single world, rather than having multiple different little worlds with few elements. We wanted to pack in as many gameplay elements and fun into a single world. If we are able to accomplish everything that we did plan out for, I’m pretty confident that people will enjoy and be fully satisfied with the end product.
Click to expand...

Thread by: Meilin Lee, Jul 17, 2017, 2 replies, in forum: Kingdom Hearts News & Updates
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[S] Kyra: Introduce Yourself

Welcome to KHV! Read and follow the rules, ask the staff if you have any quedtions just like Heart said, and enjoy the ride!

Post by: Meilin Lee, Jul 16, 2017 in forum: Introductions & Departures
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The "What Song Are You Listening to Now?" Thread

Feels suitable after today's KH3 news :3

Post by: Meilin Lee, Jul 16, 2017 in forum: The Playground
Thread
Tetsuya Nomura Talks KH3 Gummi Ship w/ Game Informer

View attachment 47545

Speaking a bit with Game Informer after the huge KH3 reveal today at D23, 'Kingdom Hearts' series director, Tetsuya Nomura, confirmed that the Gummi Ship will return, stating:

In terms of the Gummi Ship making its return, I can confirm on that, but how it is or what has become of it, we’re not able to reveal it at this point. We ask you to stay tuned for more information. The staff members on our development team always want to try something new, so even with previously introduced mechanics, they always try to make it their own or tweak it. Even if it is small or minor, we customize it so that it’s for Kingdom Hearts III.
Click to expand...

Source: Game Informer

Thread by: Meilin Lee, Jul 16, 2017, 2 replies, in forum: Kingdom Hearts News & Updates
Thread
KH 2.8 HD FCP Bags and Mugs Coming Soon

While the excitement over the Toy Story world reveal and new trailer/2018 release date still in the air, Square-Enix's Japanese e-Store has revealed bags and mugs based on the Bond, Air, and Coming artwork from 'Kingdom Hearts 2.8 HD Final Chapter Prologue' coming in September. Check them out below:

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The mugs (which can be checked out here) will cost 1620 yen, while the bags (which can be checked out here) will cost 1922 yen.

Thread by: Meilin Lee, Jul 15, 2017, 2 replies, in forum: Kingdom Hearts News & Updates
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New Screenshots added to the SE Press Website

I still don't know if this is a dream or not. Is that really Sora, Donald, and Goofy interacting with Woody and the gang?

I'm so damn happy... T_T

Post by: Meilin Lee, Jul 15, 2017 in forum: Kingdom Hearts News & Updates
Thread
Kingdom Hearts III Sora Guardian Form Bring Arts Figure Coming Soon

Lost amidst the reveal of a Toy Story world and a new KH3 trailer (with a 2018 confirmed release date!) was the announcement by Square-Enix NA's online store of a new Bring Arts figure based on KH3 Sora's Guardian form! The figure, priced at $69.99 and coming at the end on September, is now available for pre-order. Check out images of it below:

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Thread by: Meilin Lee, Jul 15, 2017, 1 replies, in forum: Kingdom Hearts News & Updates

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