THAT'S the boxart?

Oh man.

It's so good. I really love how everything's pulled together here, rather than segmented off like 1.5's boxart was.

Also, the text,「キングダムハーツIIIへと繋がる壮大な物語がより美しいグラフィックでよみがえる」reads something like "The grand story leading to KINGDOM HEARTS III is brought back in more beautiful graphics."

That is... amazing. Seriously. Super cool.

does anyone think that MX's face looks just plain weird? also I think they should have made room for putting Earth shaker, Rainfell, and wayward wind alongside the other keyblades? aside from those two minor qualms it's pretty solid

I really dig that one.

Especially Mickey's and Master Xehanort's expressions are hilarious.
Mickey's like "meh, I'm sick of this" and MX is like "herp derp I'm insane" with that oversized left eye.

One thing I notice though is that Riku (KH 2) is missing, as the two left beside Aqua are Data-Sora and Data-Riku/Jiminy's Journal.

Master Xehanort looks like he could be a pedophile.

Love the fact Ven is half asleep though.

1...2...

13

Nomura, you sly mofo~

I'm not entirely sure how to feel about the box art yet. Most of the characters look kind of lost, like they were wondering around high and don't know how they got there. I don't know if I like it or not.

I HAVE TO WORK IN A FEW HOURS I'M SO ANGRY RIGHT NOW BUT THIS IS SO BEAUTIFUL

Interesting with the exception of Master Xehanort's Keyblade, Vanitas' Void Gear and Data-Sora's Zero/One only KHII keyblades are shown.

I like it, glad it didn't take long.

Mixed feelings... Gonna have to process it. Some parts of it look rushed.

Master Xehanort... eww

Those bundles are gorgeous.

And they both have their own art on the discs!

I have the sudden urge to order both.

I've seen some people state they want to only see the english box art, which is weird because it will look the same. It should drop between a few hours from now and a few months so keep doing what you've been doing so far with presenting sacrifices.

The collector's editions are amazing. I like the disc artwork on both but the 3-disc collection wins IMO. If we don't get it here I am seriously considering importing (wait.. this is Square exclusive? Damn you Square! :mad:).

The music disc is a bit of a disappointment. Only 47 pieces? Also, is Google translate correct? Did they include the KH 2 tracks twice (original/remastered)?

I personally think it feels a little cluttered and Data Sora/Riku lacks detail in comparison to the rest of the characters. Other than that, I really like the BBS portion and Sora/Roxas.

I like the boxart a lot .. Donald and Goofy's position looks a little weird though next to Sora. And the Keyblades are a little too much.
Is there only going to be the collectors edition though? I wonder if it's like the limited one for 1.5 with the book..

I don't know how I feel about it ,I like the idea, but Mickey, Goofy and MX look weird and the middle section with the Bbs characters looks wierd too.

Xehanort is creepy as hell.
But I LOVE that Aqua, love that she's in the middle..
And those tiny Data Sora and Riku x'3
I'll be buying the scroll just like I did with the 1.5 ReMix one.. > 3>
Wonder how expensive the PAK Sora bundle will be though ; ~ ;
I know the Lightning Returns on with the PAK was

[FONT= ]26,743yen
[FONT=arial]soo.. over 270 dollars?
That's almost 300 ; ___ ; PAK alone cost around 80 if you're lucky, that's what I got my DDD PAK Riku for.

Anyhow, it's a good day to be a KH fan x3[/FONT][/FONT]

A bit bigger






Terra looks awful! Completely stoned!

Great, day off tomorrow, gonna ask if I can pre-order this at ARTNIA.
(I so want that Sora fig.)
But I`m really dreading having to play BbS for the umpteenth time.
*sigh* But which edition to choose over the others is hard.

The box-art is a little off here and there, but it`ll grow on me.
(No more spending sprees for me, for a while)

Great art! But now Sora and Roxas look younger than they are. Roxas looks as young as Sora from KH1, which makes Ven look older (exactly the opposite of fact)...

Anyone noticed that Nomura recolored the Kingdom Key's hilt?

Edit: Should be hilt instead of tilt, lol.

You gotta love that Xehanort look, so frigging awesome

Are these all the collector's edition announced or could there be other ones announced in the future? I was kind of hoping for a seperate 2.5 one with artbook, like with 1.5.. not gonna buy 1.5 a second time, SE lol

I also wonder what this third disc here is:



OST?

Ι really love this box art. It's a little weird that we don't get to see Kairi and Riku from KH2 but it's great one!

It starts out really amazing at the top, (first KH box art with villains on it) and while still good, gets worse by the bottom. Could they really have not put another character next to Roxas? Like Riku, Kairi, Axel, Yen Sid, or a Soldier Heartless maybe? The symmetry is all fucked up.

I hate it. The colors are nice but there is too much wrong with it. Floating bodies, the blank faces, Sora looking 12 , Xehanorts...eye of evil.

I don't hate it as much as I did when I first woke up and saw it, though.

The composition could be better. Oh well. I like what the Keyblades are doing. And the colors. And the data kids faces.

I really hope we get a collectors artbook without having to buy 1.5 again though, even if that cover is amazing

In comparison, chi's anniversary artwork is gorgeous. I love everything about it.

is it just me or is the hilt, or whatever its called... the part the sword is held at is wrong color on sora and roxas's key blades? I believe kingdom key was suposed to have a blue grip... kingdom key D has a red one?

The only thing I don't like about this is Sora and Roxas holding Keyblades, it just seems off to me. Besides that, I freaking love it! This is a great improvement over 1.5's cover, which was a little lacking in my opinion. The different art style is a nice change of pace.

LOL, KMR. Now only I notice your avatar xD. Did you drew the hand yourself?

I wish Play Arts Kai would release a KH2 style Riku figure already! >.< The boxart is gorgeous however!

Boxart landing!

A) I love that Aqua has such a prominent position!

B) Master Xehanort looks freaky as hell.

C) So, to his sides then I guess are Xemnas and...Ansem? What's that under Ansem's right eye?

D) Kinda bummed no Kairi yet we can have 2 Soras.

E) So...many...keyblades...

I can't help but laugh at Xehanort. His face looks so weird!

Is that supposed to be Xemnas and Ansem (possibly Riku?) behind him? They don't look quite like themselves and why do they have scars on their cheeks? Also, I don't remember their ears being that pointy.

Terra looks stoned! :) (And also not like himself.)

All in all, I like it, but it looks very rushed.

I really like the colors, and the deep blue background gives me Birth by Sleep feels. I also really like how the Aqua/especially the hair), Ven, Sora and Roxas are drawn and the Keyblades look also nice. But why Master Xehanort looks like that? It`s like his head is shaped like an egg or something, and his arms are a bit too thin in my mind. It just have the feeling that Nomura was little busy while drawing this, but I can`t blame him since he has two very important games on his shoulders. I`m also little bothered because of the lack of Namine and Kairi, but overall I really like this picture.

Oh god! This is freaking awesome! I love this boxart! better than 1.5, haha dat Xehanort's face tho

Whoa! That is what the boxart is going really going to look like? All the characters are looking pretty good...but Master Xehanort's totally creeps me out!
I know the old antagonist is meant to look really scary, but...I don't know about this particular picture of him. Sorry...lol. I just want to roll on the floor laughing!

But, it isn't going to keep me from still wanting the game! I'd buy it if the cover was completely black! I like how Aqua looks. Funny how Sora's jacket is blowing up in the wind. Lol
I do like how the three main enemies are looking over all of the heroes. That is exactly how I would do it.

I like it, but it could have been better. First off, the symmetry is way off at the bottom. If Nomura added at least one more character, it would look so much better in that regard. Also, Sora and Roxas on the bottom look way too damn young; like Nomura actually forgot how to draw them. Also, I'm not feeling the whole Keyblades surrounding the characters and the way the characters are just floating in space. Other than that, it does look really good and is conceptually better than I.5's artwork. However, in terms of the actual art I.5 beats this by a mile.

This is one of those pieces of art that could have been improved with more time.

As a poster, that would look pretty awesome, but as a game cover?... Kind of has way too much going on (maybe it's just me though). On the other hand, that bundle looks amazing O_O *drools*

Master Xehanort's face looks amazing. The boxart isn't perfect but certainly good enough.

Let's pick out all the keyblades shown! (starting from top left and going counter-clockwise)

- Master Xehanort's Keyblade (MX) [BbS]
- Guardian Soul (Auron / Olympus Colosseum) [KH2]
- ???
- Monochrome (Steamboat / Timeless River) [KH2]
- Rumbling Rose (Beauty & The Beast / Beasts Castle) [KH2]
- ??? (Heroes Crest?)
- Circle of Life (Lion King / Pride Lands) [KH2]
- Fatal Crest (Underdome / Olympus Colosseum) [KH2]
- Star Seeker (Let's be honest, when HAVEN'T we seen this one?) [KH1, KH2, BbS, etc.]
- Wishing Lamp (Genie / Agrabah) [KH2]
- Bond of Flame (Axel) [KH2]
- Sweet Memories (Pooh Bear / 100 Acre Wood) [KH2]
- Kingdom Key (Roxas)
- Kingdom Key (Sora)
- Gullwing (FFX2 Group) [KH2]
- Decisive Pumpkin (Christmas Town / Halloween Town) [KH2]
- Way to Dawn (Riku) [KH2, Days, DDD]
- Follow the Wind (Pirates of the Caribbean / Port Royal) [KH2]
- Sleeping Lion (Squall Leonhart / Radiant Garden) [KH2]
- Hidden Dragon (Mushu / Land of Dragons) [KH2]
- Destiny's Embrace (Kairi) [KH2, BbS]
- Master Keeper (Eraqus) [BbS]
- Fenrir (Cloud / Olympus Colosseum) [KH2]
- Photon Debugger (Tron / Space Paranoids) [KH2]
- Void Gear (Vanitas) [BbS]

This was so worth the wait. That artwork looks fantastic, even better than the 1.5 boxart. I am a bit upset that they didn't include Kairi or Namine at all, but oh well. They're in the games and that's all that matters. Can't squeeze everyone into one picture and still have it look this pretty. Negative space is important after all.

Now we just have to wait patiently for the announcement of the Western collector's editions ^_^ Those Japanese ones look really nice, even if most of them are just the 1.5 + 2.5 packs. Although, that one with the crown picture on the disc is probably the Bluray disc music. And that visual art book looks quite nice. Still hoping for a localization of the Series Memorial book too.

All that aside though, this art is killer. Can't wait to find a super high resolution copy and make it into a poster.

Best box art of the series, by far. Very excited for this, and I've already played all the games lol.

(Dammit, Square, stack the difficulty trophies this time. Having to play Final Mix 3 times was ridiculous)

I think I'm gonna do a redraw of the boxart. Don't have Photoshop of any of that so it'll have be by hand. (And may only be line-art, but I haven't decided yet.)
It's just that the more I look at it, the odder it is. One thing I didn't notice the first time is that Roxas looks like he's 10. Data Riku looks odd too, but I can't place why.

A thing I'll ask before I get working on that picture is, since Ansem didn't actually appear in either of those games is it safe to assume that's Riku? Because I was thinking of adding a faded profile of Riku (it'll probably mostly just be the hair and blindfold) next to him to signify it's actually Riku.

I like this more than the 1.5 cover, but not better than the regular game covers. I think the bottom would've turned out better if they had Sora and Roxas back-to-back and you only saw the side-profile of Roxas (maybe have his Keyblade pointed the opposite direction or not present at all), but obviously they wanted Roxas prominently featured. If they had him behind, then Riku and Kairi could've been on Sora's side opposite to Goofy and Donald, which would've worked better for me. Maybe DiZ or Axel beside Mickey? Oh well, it's still nice. I love all the Keyblades.

I don't own an English copy of 1.5 and could definitely consider getting a 1.5+2.5-bundle if something of that sort would be released in the west. A Collectors Edition sounds too expensive though.

One of the pictures shows a 3 disc set! What's on the third disc?

This is actually kind of disappointing... everything just looks so cluttered, and I'm not exactly a fan of all the keyblades. I know they needed to be there because of the way Nomura drew it, but that's the problem. I feel like this was really rushed, more so than other works of his might have been. I don't particularly have a problem with the character's expressions so much (save Xehanort, that's disgusting), but... ugh.

See, I really liked 1.5's boxart because of its simplicity. Am I a fan of having the characters segmented? No. But for 1.5 it did work because you saw all the different games and their respective characters acting in the games, not just staring blankly. Yes, there's the problem of symmetry which is also a major issue, but I just hate how there's so little free room. And the fact that this is going to be on my beloved game cover... *shudders*

See, I don't even think I'd like this as a poster. It definitely has good aspects going for it, such as the idea of the various characters being together, the villain being there as well, the color scheme as a throwback to BBS, but there's just so much room for improvement. I hope there's at least an alternate poster like there was for 1.5.

To be honest when I first saw the box art I didn't like it but after looking at it and studying it it does look quite nice. Xehanort looks really crazy (but in a good way) and I love that some of the villains have finally made it onto the box art. I love all of the keyblades surrounding the characters (plus they have some of my favorites in there like Gullwing, Monchrome, and Bond of Flame).
My only problems are Roxas really stands out to me as looking too young and (I know the importance of 13 in the series which I like the attention to detail there) but it stopped Kairi, Namine, Eraqus, and some other important characters from making the box art. I do like the look of Ven, Aqua, Mickey, Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

Maybe it's just me, but I like when there are a lot of characters on a cover (not just for KH, but in general). It always gives me a feeling of scope, and how every character matters in a storyline. It's why I used to love those advertisements of CoM that had cards of all the characters. Of course, I like simplistic covers that only have logos/titles, too, but 1.5 wasn't that either so I'm not surprised by this cover.

People complain about characters "staring into a void," which doesn't even make sense to me as a complaint since it's a cover? They aren't in a scene from the game and characters always stare forwards on covers... My main complaint is the lack of symmetry (the need for 13 is to blame for that) and that it doesn't look well-drawn, which is why I still manage to like it better than 1.5--Sora's legs and the throne there look worse than anything on this cover, imo.

This was certainly a surprise to see this morning. I really like it, the color scheme especially. I feel, like most complaints, the characters could've been done a bit better and not look so odd. We'll see how/if it changes for the NA release.

I think the boxart looks wonderful! It really does capture the vibe and essence of the games. The details and shading on Sora (KH2) look great btw. The only thing that weirds me out is Xehanort's maniacal face... Bleh!

Anyway, I'll be sure to preorder this game sometime soon! It's so exciting :smile:

People seem to complain about Terra and Ventus' expression. When I first saw the art, I assumed Ventus looks almost asleep because he's currently in a comatose state, and Terra looks "baked" because he is being posessed and no longer has control of his body. It seemed more like a foreshadowing image. Especially with Xehanort "pulling the strings" above everyone. I am rather disappointed that every time Nomura draws Roxas, he looks considerably younger. Him and KH2 Sora were counterparts to each other throughout the game, but they don't look similar anymore. He looks like 8-10 years old now :(

I seriously hope this get a Collector's Edition for the US release. It would be awesome!

Just noticed the Limit Form figure in the CE. Makes the older one look suuuuper outdated. Insane how far along the figures have come.

Wow, this artwork. I really can't say whether I like or dislike it.

Just like some folks here, I think the top of the image with the three villains is awesome. However, going down, it's getting less and less attractive and losing gravitas. It's as if Nomura put much emphasis on the villains but forgot to do the same with the protagonists. Also, while I think Master Xehanort's prominence is awesome, to me it looks as if his left eye were made of a yellow glass bead that could pop out any second now. o_O

The middle part (BbS and Re:coded) is still palatable to me, but I definitely agree with those saying that the symmetry of the bottom part could have been better. Yes, Roxas is holding a Keyblade that extends to the left of the picture, but it isn't enough to act as a counterweight to the right side (Donald and Goofy). It could have been filled with Naminé instead, and the exclusion of her, Riku, Mickey, and probably Kairi is pretty regrettable. I feel like had they not gone that far with the Keyblades along the borders, they could have included them as well.

On another note, the CE looks absolutely stunning! However, I really don't know if I'm willing so much money for 2.5 and 1.5, the latter of which I'm not going to play anyway. The freebies though, especially the Play Arts Kai... goodness me. Far too gorgeous to pass up.

The real question everyone should be asking is:

why is Mickey wearing his CoM outfit?

I can't believe I failed to notice Mickey in the picture. I was like, "What are you guys talking about? Mickey?" @_@

this is possibly the ugliest Kingdom hearts box art i've ever seen...

That limit Form Sora... I need him so badly ;___;

I have a million and one thoughts about the 2.5 artwork and I've been dying all day to be able to post about them.

On the positive side, this actually does have quite a bit going for it. Whereas 1.5's boxart felt very devoid and lifeless due to all of the white, 2.5's boxart feels lively and uses colours to its advantage. I also very much enjoy the Keyblade border surrounding everyone, further emphasizing the Keyblade War's influence in BBS.

I really like having new art for the characters as well, and everyone is quite cute (except MX...). I love that Terra, Ven and Aqua got full representation and are smack in the middle. I think in general having all of the characters in the center of the layout works a lot better than sticking half of them in corners. It utilizes the space and makes the picture seem full, while giving everyone more prominence.

I also do actually enjoy having the villains present, and it's nice to have the big three there. I especially love how they are formatted, with Master Xehanort being in the middle while Ansem and Xemnas look outwards. And even though we're probably all sick or bored to death with the argyle pattern, I think it does work here. It looks like the data from Coded and it's as though the characters are breaking out through it which is quite neat.


Now, my criticisms. I don't understand how the Master Keeper, Void Gear, Xehanort's Keyblade and the Way to the Dawn make it into the Keyblade border but Wayward Wind, Rainfell and Earthshaker don't. They really could have left out several of the lesser Keyblades from KH2 (Sweet Memories, Rumbling Rose, Decisive Pumpkin for instance) in favor of more prominent and better designed ones! Especially to give TAV's Keyblades representation that they rightly deserve; it blows my mind that Vanitas has his Keyblade in the border but TAV doesn't...

I find the placing of the characters to be awkward in some instances. Xehanort/Ansem/Xemnas and Aqua/Ven/Terra are the only ones that look right. Mickey feels very awkward and random where he is, so it would have been nice to include someone beside him. Perhaps Namine, who is a central figure in Coded and has a big presence in KH2. She would have served to balance him out on the left side while Data Sora and Data Riku were on the right.

And for KH2, it feels extremely off balance. Maybe having Sora and KH2 Riku - seriously where is our KH2 Riku representation - in the middle would have been nice. Then having Donald and Goofy on the right or one on each side, as well as Roxas and Axel - he really should be included in this cover and it boggles my mind that he made it onto the 1.5 cover, where he was in one out of three games, yet he doesn't make it onto the 2.5 cover where he is in THREE out of three games - either both on the left or have had one on each side of Sora/Riku. I'm also sad Kairi isn't on the cover, though her prominence in these games is definitely minuscule. However they could have easily thrown her in the middle with Sora/Riku to have the trio together for once. And Xehanort. Dat eyebrow raise, I can't even.

Overall, do I like this? Yes. Do I think it's an improvement over 1.5? Yes. Am I disappointed by certain aspects of it? Yes. And finally, will it set off my OCD for being formatted nothing like 1.5? Hell yes.

I agree with a lot of point you brought up about the box art. It's beautiful and well drawn. I think they could have added Terra, Aqua, and Ven's keyblades in the middle somewhere, but just a bit transparent or something. I still like all the keyblades they added from KH2 on the side. Even though I dont like several of the keyblades (Circle of Life, Sweet memories, Land of Dragons, Rumbling Rose), they still look nice drawn in pencil and ink. They should have added Kairi, Riku, and Namine as well, it doesn't seem as balanced without them. have Kairi and Riku on the right like the KH2 final mix poster. I just realized they added the data keyblade too. It looks nice, but they shouldn't have added it in.

Xehanort's eyebrows though. oh god...They look non existent actually. *shudders*

Mickey could have been a bit better placed. Or at least have a different pose. He looks really grumpy and it doesn't fit well with the rest of the character's facial expressions (just staring at his keyblade). Like his keyblade is all dirty on the other side and he forgot to clean it. Then again I think they captured the emotions of their personality and/or how they all feel like in their current situation. Which is makes sense and is a very nice detail as well. I'm just speculating of course. All in all it looks more like a sketch Nomura just put together. I still love the art and colors though.

It's not bad. Some of the Characters look a tad off, the Keyblades are a bit much, and I would love to have seen other characters featured (Riku, Kairi, Namine, Vanitas) but overall I think it's pretty cool. I give it a B

That being said, I'm looking at Master Xehanort right now, and I swear all I can think about is Gol Acheron from Jak & Daxter. Seriously, give that guy a wig and some purple facepaint, and we have ourselves a dark eco sage

Master Xehanort looks pretty weird on this boxart, but that's the only thing I don't really like. Other then that it's great. :)

In fact I believe that the cover could have been even better! Tetsuya Nomura did add Riku the Re:Coded version so ill give him that but I like to see a lot of important roles present so "KH2 Riku & KH2 Kairi"could have been on the front next to Sora but its still a awesome cover !

Some of the characters looked a bit odd on the first one too. But Nomura is not a computer. As an artist, he's likely to change and evolve over time. He's not going to draw things exactly the same when they've been around for this long.

God, it is pretty terrible.

I wanted to see how the box art would look devoid of all the floating Keyblades. The way I see it, they make it look way too busy. So I did a quick edit and personally like the results:

It really does look better without all those Keyblade imo. They make the the picture a bit too cluttery.

I have to agree that that edit you made Hex does look better. It's not so cluttered and and there is something nice about everything being under Xehanort's hands (symbolizing he is in control) as opposed to all the keyblade laying outside of him.

That being said, I still love this boxart. I do wish they kept more in line with 1.5 only for consistency (I'm a sucker for that) but I do like it purely because, from a "sitting on the shelf" perspective, this will grab your attention. I personally love simpler boxart (don't anyone dare make a "simple and clean" reference lol) like the FFXIII and FFXIII-2 box art for reference, but from a person who doesn't really care all that much for KH, I would stare at that box art for a long time cause it's so capturing.

I could easily see this box art standing out among a video game collection or in the store purely because it's so epic looking and if you didn't play BbS, you can't help but wonder why the biggest character on the title is someone you don't recognize along with TAV being front and center.

On the topic of the collector's editions, the boxes are okay. I'm actually quite happy the boxes don't look so nice, because SE has a history of making gorgeous packaging that makes you want to buy things for the box alone:



But I do love the complete pack that contains 1.5 (I like that art for the disc itself better than the one we all originally got) and the soundtrack looks stunning, sign me up for a soundtrack if anyone lives in Japan, I need that disc with that music in my life :P

The PAK looks great, as usual, I hope they take closer photos of Sora's face cause it looks quite buggy I must say, I will compare this one to the original PA one to not end once I have them in hand :D



For comparison, here's the new one (so you don't have to go back to OP):



From the looks of it, this new one is definitely taller and Sora looks much older. Almost older than he looks in KH2 to me but maybe I'm just used to the PA figures :)

I went back over it again, then looked at the pictures side-by-side in the collector's pack on the first page of the thread. In truth? I think they compliment each other. I mean, KH1 (main game) and KH2 (main game) are both VERY different. And KH2 IS a lot busier than KH1 in general. So I think they're pretty fitting.

I do really like the edit, though. Sometimes simpler is the way to go.

My take:
-The bad guys overall look great! I love the way they're posed, Xemnas and Ansem look GREAT, and (even if his face is a bit wonky) Xehanort seems perfect right where he is; overlooking it all from his central position of power!
-The BbS characters are perfectly placed in the middle. Ven's eyes-half-closed, sleepy look on his face. Aqua looking all determined in the middle. Terra seeming kinda lost off to the side. Good choices, there.
-I'm pretty used to seeing Mickey with a similar facial expression. 50% of the time during Kingdom Hearts he's either super happy or scowling. The scowl is mostly the art (not ALWAYS true, I know), but that's how I feel. He DOES seem lonely, though...
-I'm glad Data Sora and Data Riku are on the box. I always considered them as their own characters (I hope we all do), so I'm glad they get their own spot together. Their time in the games was always uncertain, so I appreciate how they both seem...uneasy. I guess that's an OK word.
-Holy Kingdom Key MADNESS! Where's Oathkeeper and Oblivion? And Axel? And Naminé? Now KH2 Riku I kinda understand. He isn't revealed until nearly the end of the game, and even then, there are extraneous circumstances. And Maori would be a nice addition off to the side, but not necessary. She's hardly central to the plot. But Axel and Naminé? One shows up quite frequently, and the other helps get the ball rolling for KH2, even if she, too, is kinda unnecessary. What other cover thus far would we put her on?

So...I guess my biggest problem is Axel. Sure, the missing BbS Keyblades is kinda odd. But Axel? Why NOT?

I really want to like the boxart, but ultimately I just can't, mainly because it's just too cluttered and a bit weird as well. I like the placement of the characters, especially having the Xehanorts at the top and the BBS cast in the foreground as well, but I'm having issues with the lighting and colouring of those characters. Also, I feel that Nomura's definitely done a better job at drawing Sora's face before, and I think that Sora needs to look straight ahead, instead of slightly to the left.

Also, where is Vanitas and KH2 Riku? I dunno, based on SE's track record, they could've done a much better job.

I think it's still possible that Nomura can move things around. You can tell that he moved Goofy and Donald up in the boxart.

Of course he can. Every single character is drawn in its own layer, so everything can be moved around. It's not really one big painting, but a montage.

To be honest, in my 4.5 years of being site staff here at KHI, this is the first time I've seen anyone react so badly to anything.

People weren't nearly as upset when we saw the lazy BBSFM boxart lol

I personally don't think it's bad or anything. Looks like what you'd expect from a collection of three titles - ie quite busy and very montage-esque, with everything important squeezed into the picture. Although I personally think that a simple Keyblade silhouette and logo would have been sufficient for both collections. Sometimes less is more.

I feel like the only off putting part of it, is that it's not symmetrical. If they just add two more characters, say Axel and KHII Riku, on the left I feel it'll look so much better. Sure symmetry is "lazy", but it's the most appealing to the eye.

The clutterness of the keyblades make it way too busy; A Hex Torn, nice job on that edit

Awwww, no Kairi on the 2.5 boxart? I find this rather disturbing...
[SPOILER=I FIND THE LACK OF KAIRI DISTURBING]

[/SPOILER]
On the other hand, I'd say the multitude of keyblades was a rather nice touch. I dunno why, but I have a good feeling that it's trying to vaguely reference the Keyblade Graveyard... Maybe it's because of Xehanort in the background. xD

I didn't want to remember what the box art for BbSFM looked like. I don't think anyone does. ;A;

It kind of sucks that the number was restricted to thirteen but I think the choices make sense.While main characters are missing they either had less prominence in these games or less compared to the ones included.

I need to wait for the HD scenes to come out because I like HD video!!!

I'm gonna close my eyes when that scene shows up.

I still salute you, Goofy!

You can still get symmetry even with 13 characters as Mickey needs to be just moved down to the bottom group while either the Data-guys flank Aqua on both sides OR you move Terra and Ventus down to be together with Aqua and the Data-guys take the spots currently held by them.

This would also result in a "pyramid" of the games with KH 2 at the bottom, BBS in the middle and Coded on top.

They could also get rid of the keyblades to reduce clutter. I think it looks better honestly.

Hey guys, I edited a new version based on a bit of feedback regarding omitted characters and balance issues.

What have you DONE?! To raise my hopes upon a peadastal such as this...T^T
It is certainly beautiful.

You even squeezed Eraqus in there...

You made that boxart 1000% better. Amazing job ; v; It would be fine if Roxas wasn't carrying a keyblade. Like maybe have his hand close to sora's to imply he uses it too.

It really looks a lot better but it still feels like there are too many characters in general... still better though.
Can this be the boxart instead

here's the better ones. :3



just edited hextorn's version a bit.

plus, giving MX a pedo smile.

Still missing something...



There we go.
(whyyyy did you guys save these as jpgs)

I'm actually motivated to edit an english version as my own custom box art and paste it on the game case. How big are they exactly?

It's like after nomura rushed to release that unfinished game boxart which we didn't like it very much then we decided to give Nomura a helping hand on filling up the missing parts of the Boxart. :>

This box art is going to slowly become something else entirely X'3

Could someone do something about Terra's face? I believe it's that line under the eye that makes him look stoned, maybe even the nose.

Now Axel just needs to be wedged in there somewhere. The symmetry is A LOT better now but it's still a little off in the Mickey, Aqua, Data Sora, and Riku (and now Jimminy) line. Mickey can probably be moved over a bit closer to Aqua and Axel placed at the end.

Also, and it's a tiny issue, but the KK's handle was colored wrong. It was made red instead of black and since I know it's there I can't help but notice it every time.

Overall, I'm digging it! I know someone brought up that KHII!Riku wasn't present, but he is? (Ansem, on the right side of Xehanort.)

I feel it is a little unbalanced with Data!Sora, Data!Riku, Donald, and Goofy on one side, and only King Mickey and Roxas on the other, and I would have liked to see more BBS world keyblades represented, but it's no big deal.

I like some of the repetition present - Roxas and Ventus facing the same direction, Aqua and Sora having nearly identical expressions, and the framing with the keyblades was a neat way to tie it all together.

Oh my good merciful Light yes! This is worthy of getting if just for the cover art! It may be an odd question, but does anyone else notice that Xemnas looks slightly younger than Ansem Seeker of Darkness? I mean, his chin and jaw are just a bit more rounded.

Xehanort...you're a creeper and I can't wait to wipe the floor with you when III comes out!

Terra, finally a quarter-view of you for my reference collection!

Aqua has possibly the 2nd most important place in the entire composition for the protagonists. This would be an epic poster to have in room.

Oh lord, I hope Nomura (or someone who could show him) reads these. It would be so awesome if he was able to take all of this feedback into account before the final release

I think I have a crazy plan. When it's time to preorder the 2.5 collection bundle, Im going to order that along with the PAK fgure. Then before christms comes around I'll pre order the english version of the bundle and have it as my Christmas present. If there's any site we can pre-order for japanese version, can you guys let us know?

I love how much this cover art has evolved on this thread since the original was revealed. I'm smelling some KHI custom covers in the works (I love downloading custom covers... Just get some picture paper and print it off, voila!)

It's not that the box art is getting a unanimously bad reception. I believe it's just that the reception is mixed (I myself would give it a 65 to 70 out of 100 since there are both elements that I like and dislike) and the opinion is pretty polarised. It's actually cool and all, if I may say, because everyone is entitled to their own opinions; after all, it's impossible to please everybody else's palate with just one kind of dish.

But yes, dragging it for too long is ridiculous. Hate it or love it, this is the box art that we'll be getting, so might as well get used to it. We know better than judging the book from its cover and it's not like we aren't getting the game even if we dislike the box art, right?

I really dont care how better it could have looked because the original still looks really good to me and Im glad Nomura took the time to draw it. By all means he could have sketched a few characters, but wouldnt have enough time to make the final design so he would have to get one of his co workers to finish it up. Not many people will pay attention to the box art once they have the game in their hands anyway.

I get it though. We just expected the same characters to appear like in the other KH2 box art, but fresh and new. All the keyblades showing up in the sides instead of one place is pretty new too. I still love it!

It's better then BBSFM artwork, but that's not saying much. I'll give them props for putting effort into this. The BBSFM box art was just lazy.

Like any of you guys in here, I had no idea what nomura was going to draw that cover while in the business, so I have little to no exceptions of it.

I have nothing against that cover or any of Nomura's artworks, however it was feeling like it's not right about the cover, it's like missing a crown in the cover that isn't like in KH1.5's cover with a crowned sora.

I didn't really except anyone aside BBS crew and a few of Sora & his gang and data crew in the cover, until I read some of the complaints in here, so I can see what's missing in the cover.

Nomura is really busy for always,

there's one thing I wonder what'll he say about any of his earlier Box art/cover artworks just like the one of your news where Nomura commented about his creations in KH seriesin KH. Character reports 1&2.

I like it but where's "Xehanort"?

He's practically the most invisible guy in the series

Hold on, what? Xehanort is up there in the middle, unless if you are referring to someone else with those quotation marks.

Seriously, what the actual eff is up with how they drew Xehanort's eye? The cover is otherwise cool but that is just... what the hell?

And dang. I was wanting DiZ, Yen Sid and Namine on there.

Wow, this thread really blew up again today! I like it.
I still think it complements 1.5's cover, no matter how many times people decide to change it~

I actually like the Keyblades surrounding the characters. There are a lot of good ones and it goes with the idea of the Keyblade War in BBS.

FudgemintGuardian
It's whatever is going on with Vexen's eye.

I don't know about you guys, but I love that artwork. I feel like the 1.5 artwork has a more overall tightness to the composition. However, I like the look of this one better. And yeah, Xehanort's eye is anatomically wrong. The fact that it's a complete circle would mean it's completely popping out of it's socket. Hence why it looks so messed up. However, I like it. Really gives him that "mad scientist" look and it fits with his creepy, wacko personality.

All in all, totally making this a poster and putting it on my wall. Did the same with 1.5's cover too :D

Interesting cover! I actually don't mind Xehanort's creepy look, it helps implant the fact that he's an incredibly devious and evil villain. But I do agree that the character stances are unbalanced. Rik should definitely be by Roxas, or Namine by him and KH2 Riku by Mickey. Either way, that side is empty. On another hand, what if that was done on purpose? So that characters would be covered up by different regions' ratings boxes. Hmm...

I still love that second edited cover the most, the one that added the crown for Sora along with inserting Kairi and Namine etc, and making everything feel a bit more centered.

Someone should go to San Diego Comic con and see if they can't slip that art to Nomura personally ;)

It's a magical utopia you inhabit if that's the pinnacle of rudeness to you.

That is rude, showing the edited covers to Nomura, it's like coming up to the original source material creator and slapping them in the face claiming you're better than them.

Artists already tend to overthink their art, especially when they know that there might be some kind of anatomical issues or composition issues. There is no need to point said issues out to a professional who might already see the problems, nor is there any need to show them what could be better.

It's not cute, it's not flattering, and it certainly does not honor their work. It's rude.

Nomura would be like
"Okay smart@$$, how about you be the new Director and Art designer for the Kingdom Hearts series? I'm out!"
*stands up and shrugs off while cat walking out the door*

Yeesh, sorry. Didn't realize everyone would freak out over it.

Nothing is wrong with suggesting things to an artist, but it's only really considered if he wasn't sure and asked people how it looks. Plus it looks like it's a little too late to change the box art since it has been released already.

KH2FM+ and 1.5 still in my top favourite covers in KH franchise.

That doesn't mean I don't like 2.5 cover, it just it kinda confuse my eyes.

P/S: I just swam back some pages, now I understand what is going in here haha.

Can't wait for a higher resolution version of the full image (without the logo or any writing and such) to surface. I remember back when they revealed the 1.5 art I eventually found a copy that was like 5400 x 7000-ish resolution. It was ridiculous, but beautiful. You could zoom in so closely without it pixelating that you could see the pencil strokes in the outlines of the characters. Really hoping another one of those pops up.

@Sign: I have literally NEVER seen that picture before. In my LIFE.
I love it!!!

What outfit is Sora wearing in that Play Art? Never seen that one before.

The box art looks amazing! Defiantly looking forward to the playing the game when it releases later this year.

That's freaking epic. This is why I hope games never go digital only, I love boxart.

The box art for this is better than 1.5. In my opinion this one is much more colorful and dramatic.

I like the box art!! but something that is odd is the set of hands seem out of place since MX is holding his hands behind his back ... or maybe i'm looking at it wrong

I'm not sure why, but I think it would be fitting if all the Keyblades shown were ONLY Sora's. Why are Eraqus' and Vanitas' Keyblades even THERE, yet they don't have TAV?

I like the boxart as a whole. Everyone seems to be perfectly represented. But I really wish they gave mx something better. Just too cartoony

The Kingdom Key of the Dark Realm has a yellowish-black handle.

Companies don't normally take polls for box art. Deadlines, however, are a real thing. I honestly don't think it's that bad to the magnitude people are complaining about.

I'm sure they pressured Nomura to get it done. And with as complicated as he MADE the box art...I can kinda see him pressed for time because of all the little details.

Do that many people really think it's bad? I like it, so maybe I just don't really see how many people are complaining.

Yeah. People don't like the clutter and uneven-ness about it.
And I can see why, I suppose.

It's not so much that I dislike the whole thing, on the box it looks even better. The only thing I have really had a semi issue with is MX's face. That's all, it won't bother me when I get the game, but there's just something about it that I ask myself "why?"

To me, MX has this look that says "Hey guys. I know something you don't......and I will never tell you for I am a troll!" Otherwise, I love this art!

Huh. Something about seeing it on a box... I don't know how to say it, but I can see why it's alright there.

Also a fan of Oblivion, where my sister, Chibi, likes Oathkeeper.

His face does seem to have an expression of... certain evil. And weirdness. But hey, it's not awful. I don't think so anyway.

Nope! So then.....what's the least fave you have? Mine is definetly The GBA Cover of Chain of Memories....sorry but I just don't like it!

I usually keep Oblivion and Bond of Flame in Final Form. Speaking of....I'm a bit surprised Sora's forms aren't on the boxart somehow....

That's why I'm saying, I feel like they put so so much into this cover that any more would have have been just way too much, I wouldn't know the difference between Sora and Terra

Aqua looks so beautiful. MX's face looks so funny. Sora-ception is in effect(Sora, Roxas, who is suppose to look like Sora, and data Sora).

Is it just me or is the box art kinda crowded/ to busy? I like the key blade outline a lot but is really random because it has vanitas' key blade when TAV's key blades are no where to be seen... And I'm not sure if I like MX face it reminds me if vexen with his creepy face in CoM.

Interesting... some characters seem to be missing in my opinion...

On a different note, will that limit form figure only come with the limited edition version of the Japanese game or will we be able to order it online separately?

Even today, I still think the art looks… too stylized. Or something. The Xehanort's in particular look too weird or like they're drawn differently. Still griping about Xehanort's crazy eye/eyebrow too. Just looks bad. He's not Alastor Moody.