3D Interview + Re:coded Ultimania + Sales Figures + Site Revamp!

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Published on October 21, 2010 @ 07:25 am

Written by .:[Kazuma]:.

Hi, guys!

Four bits of news collated over the last few days for you here. Most importantly is an interview with Tetsuya Nomura in Nintendo Dream on the subject of Kingdom Hearts Re:coded and Kingdom Hearts 3D, posted by the lovely ReBirth Wings. While one of our translators is working on the full thing, here's a passage about Kingdom Hearts 3D by Key to Truth!

☆ The atmosphere in KH3D will be different from other titles.
☆ There will be new worlds.
☆ Re:Coded's ending and BBS' secret movies give hints as to what Sora has to do in future titles.
☆ KH3D will be close to how CoM had a story for Sora and Riku, but it's not like they are going to be separated in this adventure.
☆ Nomura wants to add three new "elements" to KH3D, things that wouldn't be possible to do on any console other than Nintendo 3DS.
☆ Nomura is thinking about more titles apart from KH3D.

Next up is the Re:coded Ultimania! Bent.co.jp give us this piece of news; while there's a summary underneath the Ultimania's cover, it's only a summary of the game. I'm sure most of you by now know Re:coded's plot to some extent.

As you know, Re:coded made its debut in Japan on October 7 2010, which is two weeks ago to the day. It's done amazingly well in terms of sales figures, competing with the insanely-popular Pokémon Black and White whose sale figures were a shocker to be sure. Overall, Re:coded grabbed the fourth place as 4Gamer reports with over 31,000 units sold this week! Take a look at the link above to see how well it did against other games.

Last but not least, the Japanese Kingdom Hearts portal site has been completely revamped, and it appears that the individual sites for the individual games that the site links to have also been updated, too! It's been almost a decade since the first game's site was dusted over, so it's nice to see a nice new polish on everything. Is this a sign that Kingdom Hearts will continue for many more days? We hope so! Check it out here!

Thank you for staying with us! You can check out the full interview and read the other pieces of news right here on our fantastic forums or click [Read More]!

Due credit for all the news goes to FF-Reunion; of course, we can't forget the creator of the gorgeous avatars used above, LiveJournal user faintscribbles. Adios!

---Data Sora had a heart, didn't he?
NOMURA: Theoretically he doesn't, but I entrust the answer to the imaginations of those who've seen the ending.

---In the Secret Movie, it's said they seem to know the location of Ven's heart, leaving only Terra left. If we may assume, those two know that Aqua is located in the Realm of Darkness.
NOMURA: That is what's being hinted at.

---Is it possible that the King met with her in the Realm of Darkness during Kingdom Hearts I?
NOMURA: About that, I can't yet say.

---Yen Sid asks what if the revived Xehanort isn't alone. What is the meaning behind that?
NOMURA: Its meaning is literal. What would you do if there was more than just Xehanort? I get a bad feeling just thinking about it. (Laughs).

---So it's possible that other members of Organization XIII can be revived?
NOMURA: If their Heartless has been defeated then it's possible.

---At what point were Ansem and Xemnas separated from Xehanort? When did they lose their memories?
NOMURA: Sometime between Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts I. It happened during the events in the Ansem Reports from Kingdom Hearts I. Was it really memory loss? In the Birth by Sleep Secret Movie, Braig doubted it.

---Additionally, there is only one master right now, and that's the King. When did the King become a master?
NOMURA: During Birth by Sleep, the King is in the middle of his Mark of Mastery exam. Therefore, by the time of Kingdom Hearts I, he has become a Keyblade Master. Yen Sid is a retired master and he can proctor the Mark of Mastery exam. Thus, this time, he will administer the test to Sora and Riku.

---So the letter Sora receives in the ending has to do with the Mark of Mastery?
NOMURA: Well, how about that. Incidentally, even though Kairi can wield a Keyblade, she won't be a testing candidate.

---So will Kingdom Hearts 3D be the telling of their Mark of Mastery exam?
NOMURA: Kingdom Hearts 3D will be the platform for it. We've completed the axis for the system, right now we are testing how things are implemented, continuing in the trail and error process. In KH3D you will be able to play as Sora and Riku, but we are considering making their main operation systems different. In Chain of Memories they both used cards but they used them differently. We're thinking about having two types of play styles like that.

---Sora and Riku appear in their Kingdom Hearts I outfits, why is that?
NOMURA: That's still a secret. I can only say that for the story it is necessary.

---Then the worlds will be the same as in the first Kingdom Hearts?
NOMURA: No, except for the original worlds like Traverse Town, we plan on using all new Disney worlds. Right now we are selecting worlds, though I have a lot of ideas I want to include.

---Will it use the solid 3D display that is distinctive of the Nintendo 3DS?
NOMURA: There's that, but not just that. Kingdom Hearts 3D connects to Kingdom Hearts III; I plan on showing how they evolutionarily progress. 

---Connected to Kingdom Hearts III?!
NOMURA: Yes, both the system and the story are tied to Kingdom Hearts III. It's likely that the ending of 3D will continue into the story of KH3.

---So, how is the system progressing?
NOMURA: The Kingdom Hearts series has fundamentally been a single player game. Since it's different than the Final Fantasy series which is founded on party play, the way the characters level up is different. Because there are various things that can and can't be done, the things I can't do in Final Fantasy Versus XIII I'm doing in Kingdom Hearts. Still, I think those sorts of differences are there.

---Is Birth by Sleep Final Mix taking center stage at the moment?
NOMURA: The manufacturing of Birth By Sleep Final Mix is just about finished. Since the new "Secret Episode" is being included, those fans who pay close attention to the mysteries of the story will want to play it by all means.

---This Secret Episode, will it be different than the Secret Movies shown so far?
NOMURA: In the Secret Episode, you'll be able to virtually move as the character. I think it'll be a different surprise fans can savour compared to just watching a movie.

---Will fans be able to play a Birth By Sleep Final Mix demo at Jump Festa this December?
NOMURA: Yeah, you'll be able to. A single player and a multiplayer mode are being prepared. In the multiplayer mode, you'll be able to enjoy battling against Monstro.

---What other titles will be exhibited?
NOMURA: The demos for The 3rd Birthday and Dissidia 012 [duodecim] will be available. One part of the promotional figure display from the Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded launch will also be there. I figured it'd be a good chance for Re:Coded players to cross paths, so please attend if you can. 

---The conference relating to Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy XIII is occurring in January 2011, how is that coming along?
NOMURA: We are in the midst of preparing for it. Please wait for a detailed follow up report.

---Finally, a message for the fans.
NOMURA: Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep's release date is Janurary 20th. Since I'm thinking there will be a long wait before I can send a follow up report about Kingdom Hearts 3D, please look forward to it.Nomura Interview, Re:coded

Coded was developed for use on mobile phones, but it wasn’t compatible on as many devices as they first planned. Particularly, there wasn’t a single compatible device overseas, which meant gamers outside Japan could not play.

Talks of remaking the game for the most widely used hardware, so that as many gamers as possible could play, began.

In the beginning, the plan was to port the game instead of remaking it. Howeber, h.a.n.d, the team who were asked to do it, still had knowledge from making Days and so it happened that they decided to make the game in proper 3D. Also, the way the cutscenes were presented and the growth system were changed, and as a result, it ended up being hugely remade where everything but the story was completely different.

The schedule they’d set when the plan was simply to make a port didn’t change, and so time-wise it was severe. The h.a.n.d staff were stationed permenantly, and the Osaka team who developed BbS collaborated too, so it’s like the title was made from the cooperation of the Tokyo, Osaka and Sapporo teams.

Days was made with particularly hard elements, and many people said that it was difficult. For that reason, they thought they would make this title something that felt light to play, not something that demanded technique.

The component of playing with a customisable character was left in, and for the action part, refreshing play was a point they kept in mind.

Specifically, the balance of enemies in Days was also hard, and if the player did not think cleverly about customisation and technique, the degree of difficulty got higher. However, this time they went with a cut-down design, and they also aimed to tighten the frequency of controlling with the directional pad. The original coded had an autojump feature too. Thanks to this, the puzzle action is much easier.

This title is the furthest of all the game so far in the timeline.
It is a sequel which establishes the contents of the letter from the King in the KHII ending.

Rather than an adventure in which you travel near and far through the worlds, this game has an impression of making worlds to travel in.

Also, amongst the titles in the KH series, there is a regular pattern of solving past mysteries only to give rise to new mysteries. In this title, the mystery of the erasure of Jiminy’s Journal in CoM is settled.

And then, this gives rise to the setting of worlds within the data of Jiminy’s Journal.

The Sora in this title was reanimated through data, and so (in the very beginning) he is as he was before the journey of KH began. This is so he is at level 1.

Nomura: It’s very difficult, thinking of reasons for Sora to return to level 1 each time (laughs)

They thought they’d make a side link that only the gamers who also played all three games would understand. It takes the shape of summarising everything in the end of Coded.

Coded is unique within the series. It does not have a story in which emotions fluctuate intensely, but there were people who conversely thought this was good.

☆ The atmosphere in KH3D will be different from other titles.
☆ There will be new worlds.
☆ Re:Coded's ending and BBS' secret movies give hints as to what Sora has to do in future titles.
☆ KH3D will be close to how CoM had a story for Sora and Riku, but it's not like they are going to be separated in this adventure.
☆ Nomura wants to add three new "elements" to KH3D, things that wouldn't be possible to do on any console other than Nintendo 3DS.
☆ Nomura is thinking about more titles apart from KH3D.