Hi everyone, Nomura again. I hope everyone is enjoying KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep so far! I’m back for one last blog entry.

Something memorable

When I showed the KINGDOM HEARTS development team in Tokyo the plot for KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep (something I had put together for the KINGDOM HEARTS team in Osaka) they all told me how much they wanted to make this game.

How voice actors were selected

The overseas team recommended a select group of experienced voiced actors, and we narrowed down our choices after listening to their voices. Usually I choose actors whose voices are similar to the Japanese version, but this time around I focused more on candidates who were simply a good fit for the character. For Eraqus and Xehanort, I chose actors who I felt personified these characters best, but also wanted to be a bit playful in my decision-making.

Recreating Disney elements

It wasn’t difficult to recreate existing Disney worlds and characters in the game, since that’s something we’ve been working on throughout the entire series. That’s what making KINGDOM HEARTS is all about, so it’s nothing out of the ordinary for the development team.

We had to prepare two outfits for Peter (Peter Pan) for this game, so that’s one instance we had to make a slight adjustment from the original work.

Some staff felt that the way the Disney and KINGDOM HEARTS stories came together in the first KINGDOM HEARTS game was very different from how the two worlds were presented in subsequent entries. With KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep, we tried to capture the essence of the first KINGDOM HEARTS.

Much of the feedback we received from Disney pertained to presentation. For example, when Snow White falls to the ground, they wanted all the dwarfs to remove their hats.

Something for fans to look forward to

Because many plot points come to a resolution in KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep, for fans that have been following the series, it should be interesting to see all the dots being connected. The secret movie is a must-see!

Why PSP

The first and second “numbered” KINGDOM HEARTS games were developed for the PlayStation 2. Since KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep is on par with a numbered title in many ways (it is positioned as number “0,” as it comes before the first KINGDOM HEARTS chronologically) we chose the PSP, which has similar controls.

Fans who have already played KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep have said that the controls and graphics are very similar to what they experienced with the numbered titles, and we’re really glad to receive such a positive response. We focused most on making the gameplay experience exhilarating with this title, so I think that’s resonated with players. 

I’d love for every KINGDOM HEARTS fan to play this game, but would especially like fans of the first and second KINGDOM HEARTS to give it a try. KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep is entry number 0, so players who have never played a KINGDOM HEARTS game can easily start with this one!