A few weeks ago, we posted about an interview with 'Kingdom Hearts' series composer, Yoko Shimomura, with Dengeki Playstation. However, the interview was never translated, until now (thanks to KHInsider's Goldpanner and Saken). The full interview can be read below (WARNING: The spoiler contains spoilers from 0.2 BBS and Back Cover!): Spoiler The Master's theme song takes a previously unexplored route! Ms Shimomura, in KH2.8 we are able to listen to new music you worked on for KH0.2 and KHBC, aren't we. Shimomura: There were fewer new pieces compared to before, but I did do some. Ms Shimomura, you were also in charge of new songs for FFXV. Was it extremely hectic with the jobs overlapping? Shimomura: I started the brunt of the work on KH2.8 after work on FFXV was basically finished, so it didn't get to the point of biting off more than I could chew. There was a period where I was very busy, though. We could really feel the Shimomura magic in the pieces that play during KHBC and the last boss battle in KH0.2. Shimomura: Thank you! Every one of the new tracks passed the harsh inspection of Mr. Nomura. When the wind orchestra performance in Tokyo had just finished, just as I was about to head to the after party, I got a scary call from Mr. Nomura about a track… The memories… Among the new pieces, are there any that particularly left an impression on you? Shimomura: There is one absolutely amazing track! It's a piece that takes a route never before done in the KH series, and the piano adlib is amazing. In which specific scene does the music appear? Shimomura: It's the music that plays during a scene in KHBC where the Master of Masters is speaking to Luxu. It's the Master's theme song, and it's actually a much longer track, but only one part plays during the cutscene. The feedback I got the first time I made and and sent for review a theme for the Master was, "This piece itself is good so we will use it somewhere else, but this isn't how the Master's theme should go." It was a piece I finished after a long and grueling battle. The theme for the final boss battle of KH0.2 is so fiery, listening to it really pumps you up. Shimomura: When making battle music, I pay attention to setting things in a balanced way that pumps you up without making you sick of it or hurting your ears. I can't let the song sound like I'm shoving how cool I think it is in your face. That's self-complacency. But having said that, I can't let it feel like I'm holding myself back, either, so it is pretty hard. And, I have to be pumped up myself first before I can make music that pumps people up, and that mental control is another way battle music is difficult. By the way, the final boss battle music was an arrangement done for me by another individual, so there are two versions recorded. For previous HD remasters, you arranged the music of KHFM and KH2FM for HD. Did you arrange any pieces for KH3D? Shimomura: It is the exact same soundtrack from the original KH3D. It has to do with hardware; back in the days of KH1 and KH2 the soundtrack played from a built-in sound generator. The sound quality is no good when you re-listen now, so I had to arrange them to fit KH1.5 and KH2.5. KH BBS onward uses streaming, where the recorded source audio is inserted, so the HD versions don't need anything in particular to be processed. Thinking back on the old days, I used to compose for KH1 and KH2 on the PS2 while planning how the music would be set and played in the system memory, and things like that. I want you to taste the visceral experience of the game at the concert Please tell us once more your impressions on First Breath, the wind orchestra concert held last August. Shimomura: I myself was in the brass band in high school, so the wind orchestra gave me all the emotions! All the pleasant thoughts I heard from those who attended after the First Breath performance are a special memory too. It's surprising that there hadn't been one until then. Shimomura: I'd wanted to do a KH concert for a long time, and there'd been talk of doing it many times, but nothing ever came to fruition. KH is a huge title, so settling upon doing it is only the first of many hurdles to clear. When planning began, I was already able to see so many hurdles that I wondered if it'd be impossible after all, but as things moved forward I found I was clearing them surprisingly easily. But that absolutely wasn't because of me, it was because everyone around me was working so hard. The orchestra concert world tour is going to have its first performance in Tokyo, then make the rounds across each country, right? Shimomura: The first performance being in Japan was on my firm request. According to the pro instrumentalists, most orchestra concert tours so far have begun overseas. But KH is a game created in Japan, so I thought that if we are going to have a concert then we have to start from Japan. Fulfilling my wish, two concerts were planned right away, and I couldn't have been happier. Then I heard that the orchestra was going to play at the Tokyo International Forum (Tokyo performance), and then have a world tour after that: the surprises kept coming! As the very first orchestra concert for KH, we're sure the fans are paying very keen attention. Shimomura: Performing at the Tokyo International Forum is an enormous pressure, and I did wonder what on earth we'd do if the tickets didn't sell (laughs). To my great gratitude, we ended up in the unprecedented situation of deciding to do an encore show before tickets were even open for booking, so I am endlessly thankful for the reaction from the fans. It will be interesting to see how the fans overseas respond, won't it? Shimomura: Overseas they tend to give energetic and straightforward reactions, so I'm looking forward to it. People respond very differently in different countries, even just within Asia. For example, my strong impression is that they tend to show big reactions in China, while in Taiwan, if I had to I'd say they give a quieter impression like us Japanese. I think this is just the nation's personality, so I would love for those who are able to attend the Japanese performance to not worry about standing ovations and simply enjoy themselves. We will be visiting seven countries including Japan, so I am really looking forward to what sorts of reactions I'll get to see in each place! How is preparation for the orchestra concert? Shimomura: We are working our butts off to get ready for the opening show in March. Aside from one part the playlist is entirely different from First Breath, so I'm hoping even those who joined us for First Breath will have a lot of fun too! What did you focus on when thinking up the playlist? Shimomura: This is true of any concert, but I picked music with the thought that I wanted to give the listeners the visceral feelings of playing the games. There were also things to consider from the angle of the order of performance, like, this piece sounds better on wind, or we absolutely have to do this one with the orchestra. On top of taking all those sorts of things into account, I like to be able to bring out a drama-like vibe in the concert as a whole. That's a point I focused a lot on with both First Breath and this orchestra. Was Mr. Nomura also involved in choosing the music? Shimomura: I chose the music and created a playlist, which Mr. Nomura checked for me, and then I'd listen to his requests and give my own opinions. That's the general flow of how we decided things. Since Mr. Nomura and I both chose music with the same line of thinking—that we wanted to make our fans happy—I am confident in the playlist I have for you all. By the way, Mr. Nomura had said he wanted the wind orchestra and the orchestra concert to have a "two in one" configuration. Mr. Nomura is also the supervisor of the movie that is going to play in the hall, so please look forward to that. Is Mr. Nomura also planning to surprise us with his own performance, like he did at the First Breath concert? Shimomura: I'm not sure about that (laughs). We were very, very much obliged to the pianist for letting him use their seat… Besides, all the pieces this time are pretty hard (laughs). A message for the fans, please! Shimomura: My long-time dream is coming true: we are finally able to hold the first independent Kingdom Hearts orchestra concert. It's thanks to fifteen years of support from the fans that we are even able to do something like this, so we are preparing something that will be able to repay you with everything we have. Giving the fans a great time was my top priority while making the playlist and arranging the music, so let's savor the moments together on the day! Source: KHInsider
~Tokyo's District 12 - Marco Diaz's Home~ After returning home from school, Marco and Star were busy studying for their English quiz the next day. Suddenly, they heard a loud thud outside. "What in the world?" a surprised Marco wondered out loud as he and Star rushed outside, and found Ludo and his minions looking like they're ready for a fight with the two best friends... "Hah! Star Butterfly... we meet again!" Ludo told Star, "Bet you didn't expect me, huh?" "Actually, Ludo... this is the 32nd time you've came to Earth to try and steal my wand. It's getting a bit stale," Star replied. "Correction, it's the 33rd time," Marco corrected Star. "Oh, yeah, you're right," Star replied to Marco. "Wha-?" Ludo cried after hearing that Star was unimpressed with his countless attempts to steal her wand, "B-but I... grrr... oh, who cares about what you think! Attack!" Ludo's minions then charged towards Star and Marco. "Welp, looks like we're gonna have to kick their butts again," Marco commented, "Ready, Star?" "Oh yeah!" Star enthusiastically replied as she and Marco fistbumped before proceeding to fight with Ludo's minions. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ~Gym~ "Indeed," Al Mualim happily replied, nodding his head, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some matters to attend to. Have a nice day, and I'll see you all tomorrow." Al Mualim then turned and walked away. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ~Prince Demande's Ship - Dining Area~ "Yes. And it's one of many unfortunate international crisis happening on Earth right now," Demande replied, "Regis was doing his best to try and remain neutral in the conflict between Niflheim and Tenebrae. But when Noctis was engaged to Princess Lunafreya of Tenebrae, Niflheim accused Regis and his kingdom of abandoning his neutral stance and siding with Tenebrae. Things are very heated over there right now. Hopefully, a peaceful solution will be made during the U.N. summit. Otherwise, there will be war." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ~Annapolis, Maryland, U.S.A. - Cid's Warehouse~ BB-8 beeped in agreement with Cindy as Cid turned on the TV, with the game about to start. "Heh, right on time!" Cid commented as he sat on the couch while carrying a can of Budweiser beer. "So... think the Ravens could reverse their recent losing streak?" Nick asked Cid as he sat next to him. "They better," Cid replied thinking about the last three games that the Baltimore Ravens lost in, "They were the Superbowl champs last season! If they lose one more time, then they've gotta replace that loser couch of theirs!" "Amen," Nick concurred with Cid as the national anthem played to start the game, "Oh, national anthem time." Nick and Cid then both stood, placing their right hand (or in Nick's case, paw) over their heart as they listened to the national anthem. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ~Triskelion (aka The J.I.A. Headquarters) - Rooftop~ Spoiler: BGM As he stared at the Tokyo skyline in the distance, Alexander Pierce felt a presence arrive behind him. "Thank you for coming," the J.I.A. director said, grinning as he turned around to face Thrax... "Director, eh?" Thrax commented as he approached Pierce, "Al Mualim must surely be pleased with how things are progressing." "All part of my master's plans," Pierce replied. "Heh, I have to say, Al Mualim is a very brilliant tactician," Thrax said, "However, why have you summoned me?" "As you know, the Crystal Order intends to kill Harriet Jones tonight. One of our own will be taking care of that. However, he may need some additional help to counter any attempts at disrupting our plans," Alexander replied. "Hmm, I'm sure Goldar would be able to help," Thrax said. "Excellent," Pierce replied, "Rest easy, Thrax. Zordon will be your prisoner soon." "Thank you," Thrax thanked Alexander, "Zordon's trust in you will be his own undoing." "As well as all of his warriors," Pierce added, "I hope all this meets your highest expectations." "It certainly does," Thrax answered, "The only thing I would like more would be to get my hands on the brat that gave me a scar... Sailor Mini Moon." "Unfortunately... the Sailor Scouts are the one team we are completely clueless on. Who they are, and how they got their powers... they're a complete mystery to us," the J.I.A. director replied, "We expect they'll be the toughest to crack down after the establishment of a new world order." "Very well. I suppose my revenge against that Sailor brat will have to wait," Thrax commented, "I'll be sure to have Goldar be at the concert once he is needed." Nodding, Pierce watched as Thrax teleported away. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ~Tsukino Household~ Humming to herself as she took out the dress that she prepared for Serena to wear tonight from the closet, Ikuko noticed Kenji enter their room, surprised to see the dress his wife was holding... "Isn't that...?" Kenji wondered out loud. "Yes. This is the dress I prepared for Serena," Ikuko replied. "But... it's your prom dress, from when we were in high school, and I asked you out..." Kenji continued, remembering how he first asked Ikuko out to the prom when they were both in high school. "I know. I thought I'd wait until Serena's own prom to give it to her, but seeing the way she's been welcoming to Rini, as well as being fine with Rini wearing Serena's own dress from her 8th birthday, I thought I'd give it to her early," Ikuko replied, "I think she's earned it." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ~A.I.M. Building: Rooftop~ Spoiler: BGM At the rooftop of the A.I.M. building, Thor and his friends were having sea-salt ice-cream, doing their homework, and waiting for the sun to set. "Mmm, didn't know ice-cream could make homework more bearable," Xion commented as she studied for her English quiz tomorrow. "Sea-salt ice-cream can do that to any unbearable moment," Loki responded as he was studying for Advanced Calculus, "Part of why I love it so much." "Do you guys think we'll always be together like this?" Vanellope asked her friends. "I sure hope so," Luna replied. "Huh? Where did that come from?" Thor asked Vanellope. "Oh, well, you know. Just thinking out loud," Vanellope responded. "Well, I doubt we can be together forever," Thor said, "But isn't that what growing up is all about? What's important isn't how often we see each other, but how often we think about each other. Right?" "Hehe, get that off a fortune cookie, brother?" Loki jokingly asked Thor. "That's it, no more ice-cream for you," Thor responded as everyone laughed. "I really can't wait to see you perform tonight, Loki," Luna said. "Yeah. I'm sure you'll do great," Xion added. "Thank you," Loki replied as he continued studying. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ~Castle Oblivion~ As Discord was floating around the main hallway in Castle Oblivion while playing a ukulele, he noticed the main doors open, with Rini and Mewtwo entering the castle... "Hey there!" Discord greeted the two, "Didn't expect you two to come back so soon after your visit yesterday. So, what brings you two to my humble abode?" "We have someone you have to see," Rini replied as she signaled to Celestia to come in... As Celestia arrived, Discord gasped in shock, falling on the floor, dropping his ukulele, and quickly getting up as he rushed towards the door leading to the stairs. "Discord, WAIT!" Celestia pleaded, "Please..." Spoiler: BGM Stopping, Discord sighed as he turned around and saw Celestia approach him. "Discord... is it really you?" Celestia asked. "Y-yeah," Discord replied, sighing. "I see..." Celestia commented, "You've changed." "So have you," Discord replied. "Why were you trying to run away from me?" Celestia questioned. "Because... because I couldn't face you after what happened that day," Discord replied. "What day?" Celestia asked. "The day I hurt you!" Discord replied with a louder voice, "Celestia... ever since I was a kid, others have mocked the way I looked. But not you. No... you were my friend... my only friend. You never cared about the way I looked. All that mattered was all the fun we had together. But when I got my powers during our time at Nintendo High, and challenged those bullies to a fight... I knocked you out with a steel pipe." "Discord, I remember that," Celestia said, "And it was only an accident." "Accident or not... I hurt you, my only friend, and I could never forgive myself," Discord replied, "That moment changed me. I ran away, started living in the streets until I joined the Crystal Order." "Why Discord... why did you join them?" Celestia asked. "To get back at the bullies that made me hurt you, and every individual like them," Discord replied, "I wanted justice in this world. That's all I ever wanted, and the Crystal Order promised me that. But as time passed, I began to realize that they were no better than all the other bullies in this world. Through all my years with them, I had never taken a single life. But one day, they wanted me to kill an innocent girl named Alice Elliot. I refused. And when they tried to kill her themselves, I stopped them, and ran away from them with the help of Mewtwo, who like me never took away a life, and was disappointed with the Crystal Order as well. And that's how I ended up here." "Oh Discord... I'm so sorry to hear about what you had to go through," Celestia said. "Don't be," Discord replied, "If there's anyone who should be sorry, it should be me. For hurting you, and never having the courage to face you after that." "Stop, just stop," Celestia cried as her eyes teared, "Discord, stop beating yourself up about that day. I was never mad at you, and I wanted to tell you that. I missed you." "So did I..." Discord replied as the two instantly shared a hug. Meanwhile, as Rini and Mewtwo watched, Rini smiled as she told Mewtwo, "I'm happy for them." "With Discord being reminded of how much he cared for Celestia, perhaps he'll finally be willing to help us," Mewtwo responded. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ~Tokyo Cathedral~ Spoiler: BGM Noticing Emma and her Espurr, Mimi, sitting at a pew and praying, Riku approached them, saying, "Hey." "Riku!" a surprised Emma replied, "What are you doing here?" "Just wanted to check on you and Mimi," Riku said as he sat next to Emma and Mimi, "So, how are things here?" "Well, it's certainly better than nothing," Emma replied. "Nyapah," Mimi concurred. "Frollo, the archdeacon, was kind enough to let me and Mimi stay... even though he could be stern at times," Emma continued, "He also said I have to pray as many times as I can to atone for any sins I made before coming here." "Isn't that a bit... harsh? I can understand praying, but there has to be a balance of some sort. Everyone needs a bit of freedom," Riku replied. "Riku... do you believe in God?" Emma asked. "Well... I certainly believe there is something out there that created everything. And that it's something people should pray to, while also thinking those that pray to it should have a little bit of free time every now and then. So if that's your definition of God, then yes, you can say I do believe in him," Riku replied. Blushing, Emma then asked, "Then... could you pray with us? You did say that you believe in God." "Heh... you're right," Riku replied, "Very well, I'll pray as well." Riku then began to silently pray with Emma and Mimi, much to the delight of both of them. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ~Nintendo High School - Cooking Club~ "Sorry I'm late, everyone," Chef Ramsay said as he entered the classroom, surprised to see Mario's family as well the students already working on dishes, "What's going on?" The Swedish Chef then proceeded to whisper to Gordon about what was happening. "Oh, I see," Ramsay commented after the Swedish Chef told him what was happening, turning his attention to the students, "Now, to address the elephant in the room, yes... today will indeed be my final day at Nintendo High School. I'll be flying back to London tonight. But I just wanted to say that it was an honor to meet each and every one of you. However, all good things must come to an end. Anyway, the Swedish Chef told me what it is that you were all doing, and frankly, that's good enough for me. So if you don't mind, I'd like to try out every single one of your dishes." Ramsay and the Swedish Chef then proceeded in trying out every dish. And for the first time, not a single one disappointed Ramsay. And once he reached the Italian/Japanese hybrid dish, the final dish, Ramsay tried one bite, and stood motionless for a few seconds, saying, "I haven't enjoyed anything like that since I was boy... Mario, did you make this?"
So, Square apparently fixed the issue with Xion's hand. I updated the OP with the fixed cover
For those of you who watch wrestling, Xavier Woods from the WWE has recently got his hands on 'Kingdom Hearts 2.8 HD Final Chapter Prologue', and was streaming the game earlier today (as evident in the tweet above). Xavier Woods himself is an avid gamer, so while this isn't surprising, it's still nice to see someone from the pro-wrestling world who is a fan of 'Kingdom Hearts'.
Square-Enix's Japanese e-store has released information on a box set set to be released in Japan on April 29th featuring key rings based on the medals from 'Kingdom Heart Unchained χ[chi]'. Priced at 5,770 yen (roughly $51), the medals (shown above) include KH2 Mickey, Organization XIII Roxas, Axel, KH3D Sora, Donald Duck, KH1 Riku, KH1 Cloud, and Shadow Heartless. No word if the box set will be released internationally. Thanks to @tamale for the tip!
Not me. I didn't even care about Final Fantasy when I first got into Kingdom Hearts (but I got to play a few Final Fantasies ever since).
A new screenshot from 'Kingdom Hearts III' was posted on the official Japanese Kingdom Hearts Twitter account to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Final Fantasy VII: The screenshot is a clear homage to the iconic FFVII artwork from the game's cover. Whether or not this screenshot will actually end up in the game, or was just something done for FFVII's 20th anniversary, remains to be seen. Nevertheless, it looks pretty cool.
Here's the new (and supposedly final) trailer:
And the previous casting rumor was indeed just a rumor, because it's been confirmed that the leads will be played by Olivia Holt and Aubrey Joseph. Source
lol, I just noticed this!
As you can see above, the official boxart for March's 'Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 2.5 ReMix' has been revealed on Amazon Canada. As Nomura stated, there is no new artwork for HD 1.5+2.5, as it simply includes the original artwork of both 1.5 and 2.5 together. EDIT: Square fixed the issue with Xion's missing hand and uploaded an updated cover with the fix... View attachment 46324
Pretty much this: Also, since X/X-2 already got their turn, XII was next. And you're asking about FF8... it took nearly a decade to finally convince Square-Enix to make a remake of FF7. So unless I start seeing a large number of people continue to ask Square-Enix for a FF8 remake for the next couple of years, I can't see it happening.
Square Enix Japan's e-Store has revealed that a Kingdom Hearts 15th Anniversary Box will be available as a pre-order bonus for HD 1.5+2.5 ReMix in Japan, intended to store a copy of both 1.5+2.5, as well as the recently released 'Kingdom Hearts 2.8 HD Final Chapter Prologue'. The box also contains artwork that merges the three cover arts of the three HD re-releases (something that Nomura talked about in the past). Take a look at how the anniversary box looks like below: View attachment 46299 View attachment 46300 View attachment 46301
Back Cover had some really good music. Hope the music from it gets released officially soon.
Same
How hard could it b- *Notices Level 210 Shadow Heartless in the FIRST quest* T_T
I haven't played the Tomb Raider reboot games, but from what I hear, they're pretty damn good. And to hear that Crystal Dynamics will be working on an Avengers game makes me so excited to see how it'll turn out. And maybe this means we get an Avengers world in KH3 lol
Square-Enix has released an update for 'Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep -A Fragmentary Passage-', fixing a number of gameplay issues to offer a smoother experience with the game. The full list of changes include: Controls Adjusted reflect (guard) response Adjusted cartwheel (evade) response Adjusted cancellation timing after a Barrier Cracker (counter) Adjusted MP consumption UI Adjusted camera speed Adjusted shortcut button response Adjusted magic command display System Proud Mode adjustments (lowered the amount of damage received from enemies) Critical Mode adjustments (increased the amount of damage dealt to enemies) Enemies Adjusted enemy AI and parameters Source: Gematsu
