Interview with Tetsuya Nomura and Tai Yasue from Famitsu

Heart ❤ · May 18, 2018

Looks like today will be The Day for news! During the Premiere Event, Famitsu sat down and interviewed both Testsuya Nomura and Tai Yasue. The interview contained new information such as new information about the mini games in Kingdom Hearts III, as well as the new names for the Keyblades of each world.

An Excerpt of the interview will be posted below (translated by Goldpanner from KHI):

--Does the Keyblade have different uses compared to past games?

Nomura: One big difference is that the Keyblade can transform. As seen in KH Birth by Sleep, Keyblade transformation is an ability only formally trained Keyblade wielders possess - however, now Sora has finally become able to do it too.

Yasue: In the demo, the Infinity Badge (Toy Story Keyblade) transformation has pretty strong destructive powers. Personally, I like the twin yo-yos of the Smile Gear (Monsters Inc. Keyblade). Also, in this game you can switch Keyblades mid-battle - the increased depth of possible strategy is a draw of this game.

--What is the design process for each Keyblade?

Nomura: I check all designs done by the designers myself - not just for Keyblades, but also for the UI, items, icons and such. I have them present about three versions of a design. Sometimes I choose one from among them, and sometimes I have them combine elements from version A and version B. And then sometimes when I' submitted the completed designs to Disney for approval they have some kind of order and we have to do revisions, which I then have to check again myself… That's basically how the design process works. The Keyblades for this game were designed from picking up various elements from pictures of the worlds serving as the motifs.

Yasue: The concepts for Keyblade-related action begin at the same time as planning the world itself. We aim to give each Keyblade its own play, strategy and action styles so that each feels different in your hand. Post-planning, we hold 20-30 person review meetings about once a week as we adjust the action, where everyone puts forth their opinions. In this way we continue to brush-up things up little by little, adding more excitement to the gameplay.

--Are rich minigames a staple of the KH series?

Nomura: The previously announced (80s style LSI game) CLASSIC KINGDOM will be available to play early in KH Union Cross. We are creating over 20 different mini games. However, you won't be able to play all of them right away - getting CLASSIC KINGDOM together is itself part of the game, so please try to collect them all. We are also planning several mini games other than CLASSIC KINGDOM, and I think I will be able to announce some next month.

--How can you get to play CLASSIC KINGDOM in KHIII?

Yasue: In the story of KHIII, Sora is carrying a portable device called a Mobile Portal, and in scenes where Sora is using it, you an access the games. You can also access it through Jiminy's Journal.

Nomura The Mobile Portal isn't just for CLASSIC KINGDOM, it's also got a lot of other functions. Jiminy's job might be in trouble (laughs).

--So Disney's classic works are the motif for CLASSIC KINGDOM?

Nomura: Yes. I wanted to make a world based on the black and white titles, like Timeless River in KHII, only playable on a single screen - and this is how I brought the idea to life.
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The entirety of the interview can be found over at KHInsider, so be sure to give it a look!

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Interview with Tetsuya Nomura and Tai Yasue from Famitsu

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